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Johann Dempsey wrote:

Hi, guys —

I am a 14-year-old Catholic boy and while I was trying to sleep, lying on my stomach, I had sexual thoughts and ejaculated but I wasn't masturbating. I didn't intend for this to happen, but I should've known.

  • Was this a mortal or venial sin?

Johann

  { Is it a mortal or venial sin if you are trying to sleep, had sexual thought, and ejaculated? }

Eric  replied:

Johann —

Sorry no one has gotten back to you.

You need to intend to do something deliberately for it to be a mortal sin. If there was sin, it would not be in ejaculating, but in entertaining sexual thoughts in a lingering way without promptly dismissing them when you had the presence of mind to do so. Based on what you've said, I don't know whether you did this or not.

If sexual thoughts just came and overwhelmed you, leaving you no opportunity to resist, and this happened, there would be no sin.

It all depends on how much of "your will" is engaged.

  • Was it fully engaged, or were you on "auto-pilot" so to speak?

Eric

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