|
|
 |
Anonymous Gabriel
wrote:
|
|
Hi, guys —
I have a questions for you. There are two types of people:
- Some who think a situation, where people consent, is wrong (that is a grave matter, when in fact it's not) and
- others who are similarly scrupulous, like the first, and confuse a situation to be mortally sinful because of their scrupulosity; they also consent because they are annoyed (because they must rationalize in their mind that the matter is not sinful) and, theoretically, they are not so guilty for their sin because their confusion is due to their illness.
Example in case you don't understand.
- The (1) first person: He's not scrupulous and he erroneously thinks that a situation is a grave matter but in a normal way and he consents because he thinks it's OK, even if it is, in fact, wrong and results in mortal sin.
- The (2) second person: He is scrupulous and he also erroneously thinks a circumstance is a grave matter but his thinking is affected by his disease and he consents because he is annoyed (because he must fight with his scrupulosity). He also consents, but again he must rationalize in his mind that the matter is not sinful.
Now the question is:
- How can I distinguish one case from the other case in my own behavior?
Gabriel
|
| {
How I can discern between two people: one who's scrupulous with an illness, and one who's not? }
|
|
Mike replied:
|
Dear Gabriel,
You said:
Now the question is:
- How can I distinguish one case from the other case in my own behavior?
- Why do you need to distinguish between these two situations?
Unless you are a priest, there is no reason for you to distinguish between these situations.
We are not priests and do not have the background or training to assist in spiritual counseling.
We are only lay Catholics who defend the faith and give good reasons for non-Catholics to become Catholic.
Each individual is different and has an array of issues including:
- health issues
- psychological issues
- mental issues
- emotional issues
- sexual issues,
- and more.
One has to be very careful not to rationalize a mortal sin as a venial sin and one also has to be very careful not to overlook mental and psychological issues when counseling a faithful lay Catholic in dealing with a mortal sin.
If you know a Person 1 or Person 2 who struggles in this area, the best thing you can do is recommend a faithful pastor or priest who can provide some spiritual counseling. If you have problems finding one, contact the local diocese or archdiocese for help.
Instead of focusing on distinguishing between two situations, we should all focus on our own Particular Judgment, not the particular judgment of others.
I hope this helps,
Mike
|
|
|
|
