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I have tried asking this question to a priest in Confession (which was difficult at best because of its sensitive nature), and he misunderstood what I was asking.
In the Catholic Catechism (No. 2352 — About masturbation), it indicates that masturbation is a sin (gravely disordered, if I remember correctly). So it is a mortal sin but in the second paragraph, ("To form an equitable judgment . . .") it indicates that if a person is emotionally immature or is suffering from anxiety or depression, that may affect the degree of culpability.
Offenses against chastity.
.
.
2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure.
"Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 9)
"The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 9)
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), pp. 564–65
It was suggested that I could be using this to fall back on rationalization. Not true. I have been under treatment for clinical depression by my primary physician as well as a therapist for about ten years. I take medication for this condition, which is severe at times. I have been praying for help with the temptation to masturbate, and it has lessened some of the tension and depression I have felt. I do not use porn. My question is:
I realize masturbation is a sin, and I am trying with God's help to overcome it, however
if I do sin, is it a mortal sin or a venial sin?
It is also very difficult confessing this since I'm a 67-year-old single woman (never married: not by choice, but by the circumstances of my life). I am very involved in my parish, have a reasonably active social life, and am retired.
While my depression has been greatly lifted, I still have times when the depression is painful and I am more tempted to masturbate. As I have said, I am working to overcome this temptation with the help of God and Mary, especially during this Lent.
When I stumble, do I confess this as a mortal or a venial sin?
Sue
{
Should I confess masturbation as a mortal or venial sin, since I struggle with clinical depression? }
Eric replied:
Dear Sue,
It is not necessary for you to evaluate the subjective gravity of a sin in order to confess it.
In other words, it is not up to you to classify the sin as mortal or venial. Just confess what you did and how many times you did it, and leave it at that. Avoid long explanations.
In your Act of Contrition, it would be good to express your desire for God's grace and resolution to avoid it in the future.
You should evaluate whether you have met the conditions for committing a mortal sin, after you have fallen, and haven't had the opportunity to go to Confession, before having the opportunity to receive Holy Communion.
Act of Contrition
Act of Contrition
1
O my God, I am heartily sorry
for having offended Thee, and
I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because
I have offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly
resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend
my life.
Amen
Act of Contrition 2
O my God, I am sorry for my sins
because I have offended you. I
know
I should love you above all things.
Help me to do penance, to do better,
and to avoid anything that might
lead me to sin.
Amen.
When you are aware of being in a state of mortal sin, you are not to receive Holy Communion without first receiving sacramental Confession. Being subjectively guilty of a mortal sin requires full consent of the will, which, as the Catechism points out, can be mitigated by various circumstances. I can't offer you specific advice, as we are not priests, but in general for most people, if there is any doubt about your culpability, then you ought to go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion.
To rationalize a sin is to say that it is right or justified by circumstances or by dubious arguments. It sounds to me like you intellectually acknowledge that it is a sin and are set on avoiding it, which is key. If you said,
It's OK to masturbate right now because I am depressed, or
It's OK to masturbate right now because I am tense (or stressed),
that would be rationalizing. It would also not be good if you argued:
This would only be a venial sin, so it's not so bad if I do it.
It is never permissible to do evil that good may result.
If, on the other hand, depression or stress factors makes you weak and more vulnerable to temptation, despite your firm resolve to avoid what you fully acknowledge to be objectively grave sin, that would not be rationalizing.
Be sure to avail yourself frequently of Confession; this is a powerful aid to overcoming and controlling this sin.
I pray that God's grace, through the intercession of the Mother of God, will help you overcome this besetting sin!
Eric
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