If I die in a state of mortal sin

[Kusanagi]

dangerousdave has asked an important question that made me think about my own state and starting to question wheter or not if any sins that I commited before I reverted back into Christianity were Mortal or Venial. I wanted to ask my question in this thread and avoid making any duplicate threads since my question does kind of revolve around mortal sins

I know that Mortal Sins require all of the following:

• its subject must be "grave matter"
• it must be committed with full knowledge, both of the sin and of the gravity of the offense;
• it must be committed with deliberate and complete consent.

When I look back in my life to see what sins I have commited. I found that they only meet only one of the requierments and thus would be a venial sin. During my agnostic years, I did not have any knowlage that my actions were sinfull. But after I reverted back into Christianity and started to look and adopting Catholic beliefs. I began to ask:


"Do the venial sins become mortal sins after I, later in life, discover that my past actions were actualy sinful and learned of it's consequence?"

 

[Called2Grace]

I don't think they become mortal just because you realise that what you did before you knew better was a sin. But, if you are Catholic it woudn't hurt to go to reconciliation. I have my first reconciliation in Feb, and I am a little nervouse about it, I am trying to think over as many things that I have done that I can confess so that I can enter the church at Easter with a clean heart.

 

[Kusanagi]

I don't think they become mortal just because you realise that what you did before you knew better was a sin. But, if you are Catholic it woudn't hurt to go to reconciliation.

So they would remain venial sins. Eventhough its alright to leave venial sins unconfessed, I just feel the need to just confess them as if they were mortal since I feel that I am truly sorry for my past fallings and mistakes.

How does confessing venial sins help? Eventhough to my knowlage that my soul would end up in purgatory for a lengthy amount of time.

I have my first reconciliation in Feb, and I am a little nervouse about it, I am trying to think over as many things that I have done that I can confess so that I can enter the church at Easter with a clean heart.

I never have been through reconciliation nor have I ever had my first reconciliation. I guess I am not alone that some people would be nervous about it. For me, I would be extrimely nervous to the point where my mind just goes blank because I know that I am confessing my sins to another human being :o. I am not even sure if they would have any help for people who are uncaterized lapsed Catholics :o.

 

[Called2Grace]

So they would remain venial sins. Eventhough its alright to leave venial sins unconfessed, I just feel the need to just confess them as if they were mortal since I feel that I am truly sorry for my past fallings and mistakes.

How does confessing venial sins help? Eventhough to my knowlage that my soul would end up in purgatory for a lengthy amount of time.


I never have been through reconciliation nor have I ever had my first reconciliation. I guess I am not alone that some people would be nervous about it. For me, I would be extrimely nervous to the point where my mind just goes blank because I know that I am confessing my sins to another human being :o. I am not even sure if they would have any help for people who are uncaterized lapsed Catholics :o.

Confessing all sins, regardless of Mortal or Venial helps. You don't want to save it all up for purgatory!

If you feel that you need to confess then chances are you probably do. Just becuase a sin isn't mortal doesn't mean that it doesn't need to be confessed.

Reconciliation (Or confession) is about confessing to Christ through the priest. Forgive me but I may not be able to word this as well as I would like, but when they are ordained, they are ordained as representitives of Christ, so when you are confessing to your priest, you are confessing to Christ. It also helps (I imagine and others have told me) becuase the priest can offer you spiritual guidance.

 

[Maggie893]

Hey Dave,

Alot of great advice on avoiding sin and righting your relationship with God have been given. I only want to add a small additional concept here. Our relationship with God is about love because that is what He is. He is Love. Any love we have in us is from Him first. As we grow to know Him more, we grow to love Him more, a gift from Him to us that we in turn can return to Him. Any sin is a separation of us from Him. The more you love Him the more you hate the things that separate you from Him, you hate your sin.

Think about like a marriage relationship. I don't know your situation but let's say you've been married 15 years and have 3 children and decent house, a couple of cars, maybe a motorcycle. Life looks good externally but the reality is that you aren't home a lot. Your wife spends all her time worrying about you, working to support the family and caring for the kids. You show up periodically and try to give some real "quality" time. When you do show up you verbally trash all her friends, disrespect her family and you clean out the fridge of all food. One day you come in and ask your wife, "Would you divorce me if I told you that I sleep with a different woman every night, that I spend most of the money I make on other women and I probably won't ever stop because it's hard not to stop and I'm doubtful I ever will?" She responds with "Yes I would divorce you, I would kick you out of the house, give you no access to your children, I will take all your income in alimony and child support. But I'd prefer that you decide to stay with me and make it work because you love me."

What would your response be? Would it be "Have you no mercy?" She's had mercy for the last 15 years hasn't she? And even when you ask she is still offering Mercy.

A flawed analogy at best because God knows what you're doing when you aren't with Him and because His mercy has been poured on you since birth, and because she's a flawed human being so she doesn't love perfectly so you'd have more reason to not love her then you would for God. But hopefully you see the point.

God is merciful and He is pure Love, the best you'll ever know! If you don't detest every one of your sins from the depth of yourself out of love for God, then get to know Him better. I promise the more you love God, the less you will sin. My guess is that you don't know Him well enough (none of us ever really do). So I suggest that in addition to all the suggestions you've received you, that you find ways to spend more time with God and His family. You will find Him a powerful and loving partner in life and you will fear Hell much less than you fear the loss of His love.

I'll be praying for you in this journey.

 

[Servus Iesu]

Live every day with the knowledge that it could be your last. This is the meaning of Christ's parable of the Virgins and the lamp oil. Consider your own situation. If at this very moment Christ came for you, would you end up in hell?

If the answer is yes, or if you are not sure whether you would be in hell, you must rectify the situation IMMEDIATELY. Pray that God will preserve your life a little while longer and seek out Confession as quickly as possible. If you are not a Catholic, come to the Church and ask to be joined to her.

Never dally about and hesitate in a state of mortal sin. Confess and be restored to grace! God will cleanse us of all guilt as soon as we confess.

 

[HolyGuardianAngels]

If I die in a state of mortal sin am I going to hell. I have a few weakness's. Sins of the flesh would be one of them. Sometimes I know I'm going to do wrong and I do it anyway. Its not that I'm trying to offend God, its just that its hard. If I was to go out tommorow and get hit with a car would that be it - Hell.

Do NOT commit MORTAL sins!!

If you died in the state you described above... Hell is right.

~Hell is not "fun and games"...
it's a place of everlasting punishment
and torment... and not as a group, because "misery loves company"
... but ALONE... and since ONLY God knows the heart...
You COULD BE
the ONLY ONE there!!​

God Bless

 

[Benedicta00]

What? your kidding. No mercy at all.

He’ll give you an opportunity to turn it around but if your will is fixed and you don’t want to, it is fixed and God knows it and will honor it- you die in this state you go to hell.

It is difficult to explain it, but you have until your dying minute to repent but your will may already be fixed prior. There comes a time when God fixes your will (hardens your heart) but not arbitrary but in honoring your desire to reject him (blaspheming the Holy Spirit). After this point, there is not a whole lot that will save you not because God can’t or won’t but because your will, due to your choice, has been fixed.

 

[bostonlass]

He’ll give you an opportunity to turn it around but if your will is fixed and you don’t want to, it is fixed and God knows it and will honor it- you die in this state you go to hell.

It is difficult to explain it, but you have until your dying minute to repent but your will may already be fixed prior. There comes a time when God fixes your will (hardens your heart) but not arbitrary but in honoring your desire to reject him (blaspheming the Holy Spirit). After this point, there is not a whole lot that will save you not because God can’t or won’t but because your will, due to your choice, has been fixed.

Exactly.

One more thing to add.......when I had a similar problem what helped me is knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that EVERY action we take INCLUDING sins of the flesh are witnessed by our guardian angels. Yes.....that means that if you are making love to a woman who is not your wife and if you are masturbating.............your guardian angel is flying right on top of you watching every single solitary motion that you are making! I haven't failed in that area since that day with that knowledge along with doing other things like wearing my scapular each night, BEGGING Mary to stomp out that devil that is tempting me and praying the rosary twice a day.

This is serious stuff and unfortunately it's not taken seriously by enough people and even by some priests.

If you knew for a fact that someone was tempting you to go to HELL for ETERNITY wouldn't you strap on as much armour as possible to prevent that from happening and wouldn't you use every weapon at your disposal to eliminate that tempting someone?

Well we do know these things for a fact and we know it from faith and from the writings of the Saints. If you don't believe it then you don't believe and in that case why would God shine His mercy on someone who does not believe in what He is desperately trying to tell you?

I'll beg for His mercy for you!

 

[Benedicta00]

Also realizing that the attacks done on you may not be to lead only your soul to hell but the soul of another who stands in serious need of the prays and sacrifices you would other wise be doing if you were not busy doing those sins.

 

[Atomagenesis]

Straight to the pit.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

I must highly recommend Preperation for Death by Alphounus Ligouri to all

 

[Miss Shelby]

One more thing to add.......when I had a similar problem what helped me is knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that EVERY action we take INCLUDING sins of the flesh are witnessed by our guardian angels. Yes.....that means that if you are making love to a woman who is not your wife and if you are masturbating.............your guardian angel is flying right on top of you watching every single solitary motion that you are making!

Well if that don't make a person stop and think twice I don't know what would.

Michelle

 

[bostonlass]

Well if that don't make a person stop and think twice I don't know what would.

Michelle

No kidding! I mean I guess in the back of my mind I always knew this was happening. The angels don't just only look at you when you're doing good stuff. But then when I read it for a fact in the Diary of St. Faustina it really made me think back to my past actions and immediately I was mortified that this angel that loves God so much and protects me each day has looked at the various things that I"ve done in my life!

Think too....God sees it all as well. When we hit purgatory I totally envision God and I sitting in this room with a wide screen high definition tv with bigtime surround sound and there I am making love to someone and doing all sorts of things that would make a flower wilt with someone who is not my husband.....then there I am in full view stealing make up from the local Walgreens at age 11.........then there I am drunker than a skunk puking my guts out in some alleyway in downtown Boston.............then..............well you get the picture. And I also totally envision God not allowing anyone to touch the remote so that this stuff can't be fast forwarded or muted!

Try to live my life as though it's being recorded for all the world to see lately!

 

[marciadietrich]

I'll be honest, the hard-line responses of some in this thread will just lead to despair and further problems for many. Makes you just think you might as well quit trying and just go have fun without the constant stress and strain ... and THAT would be rejecting God. Struggling and failing at times is not actively rejecting Christ.

Is it possible a particular grave matter sin is mortal? ... yes, it is possible. Is it probable? I have to think in most cases it is not probable unless you just chuck it all and stop trying and walk away from even making the attempt. The broad outline is one thing but certainly it is more complex than just 'you know it is wrong', 'you did it,' you are definately in mortal sin and actively 'choosing hell.'

If you stumble, ask for forgiveness and go to confession (and listen to your priest's advice over anything here). Keep working on your sanctification. Do it because you love God and want to please him.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

I'll be honest, the hard-line responses of some in this thread will just lead to despair and further problems for many. Makes you just think you might as well quit trying and just go have fun without the constant stress and strain ... and THAT would be rejecting God. Struggling and failing at times is not actively rejecting Christ.

Is it possible a particular grave matter sin is mortal? ... yes, it is possible. Is it probable? I have to think in most cases it is not probable unless you just chuck it all and stop trying and walk away from even making the attempt. The broad outline is one thing but certainly it is more complex than just 'you know it is wrong', 'you did it,' you are definately in mortal sin and actively 'choosing hell.'

If you stumble, ask for forgiveness and go to confession (and listen to your priest's advice over anything here). Keep working on your sanctification. Do it because you love God and want to please him.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

THe advice I like best from St. Alhpouns Ligouri is
Fear God before Sin and have trust in his Mercy after sin.
Where as the Devil will try to convince you to trust in God's Mercy before you sin and then Fear God after Sin.

 

[marciadietrich]

Sometimes I know I'm going to do wrong and I do it anyway. Its not that I'm trying to offend God, its just that its hard.

Dave, here is something that Paul said that is similiar to your words:

Romans 7: 15 What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that the law is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. 20 Now if (I) do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. 22 For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, 23 but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 5 24 Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin.

 

[Sisof8]

Think too....God sees it all as well. When we hit purgatory I totally envision God and I sitting in this room with a wide screen high definition tv with bigtime surround sound and there I am making love to someone and doing all sorts of things that would make a flower wilt with someone who is not my husband.....then there I am in full view stealing make up from the local Walgreens at age 11.........then there I am drunker than a skunk puking my guts out in some alleyway in downtown Boston.............then..............well you get the picture. And I also totally envision God not allowing anyone to touch the remote so that this stuff can't be fast forwarded or muted!

ok, THAT really freaked me out when i read it. i mean... I know He can see everything, but... wow...

 

[Seek Ye First]

Hello Dave, I know its hard, PM me again. Pray to Our Lady. If you knew how much She loves you, you'd cry.

 

[Sisof8]

yeah... tonight im asking about mortal sin bc the desire to commit suicide is like RIGHT there... *tears* THIS SUCKS!! i wanna see Jesus... i'm sooo done with life... but.... i don't wanna go to hell. ;(