"Mortal sins next to impossible to commit"

[RileyG]

I've been told by the priest at my college that "mortal sins are next to impossible to commit." He told me that I am "no where near" mortal sin.

Thoughts?

I tend ot go to confession once a week, sometimes, more. I have a very scrupulous conscience.

I receive the Eucharist several times (3-4) per week.

 

[Michie]

You have to knowingly and deliberately commit a mortal sin is my understanding.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I've been told by the priest at my college that "mortal sins are next to impossible to commit." He told me that I am "no where near" mortal sin.

Thoughts?

I tend ot go to confession once a week, sometimes, more. I have a very scrupulous conscience.

I receive the Eucharist several times (3-4) per week.

Maybe he meant what he said just for you since you say you are scrupulous. Perhaps he might be using hyperbole in an attempt to help you overcome your scrupulosity.

 

[Athanasias]

I've been told by the priest at my college that "mortal sins are next to impossible to commit." He told me that I am "no where near" mortal sin.

Thoughts?

I tend ot go to confession once a week, sometimes, more. I have a very scrupulous conscience.

I receive the Eucharist several times (3-4) per week.

Your confessor is incorrect. Try finding a solid younger orthodox Catholic priest. Mortal sins can be very easy to commit if you meet all 3 criteria the CCC gives. Now I understand scrupulosity as i have it too and have overcome it by a solid spiritual director/confessor and sacraments. I go to confession once a week too and so do alot of saints and opus dei people. Saint Padre Pio recommended weekly confession even if no mortal sin is there. And if it is it will take care of it. A good orthodox spiritual director will help give you balance and free you up. There are some awesome young priest who are solid. Try to avoid Jesuits if possible and choose a young Diocesan priest or a older orthodox Catholic priest. Once they asses you they can tell you if your culpable for committing mortal sins. But the advice you were given is wrong. Seek a new priest.

 

[Rhamiel]

I brought up that topic in another thread
I am so glad that you shared this with us, I was worried people would assume I was exaggerating when I said that some people believed that about mortal sin
http://www.christianforums.com/threads/antinomianism.7944992/

I have no idea how close you are to mortal sin
so I can not judge that

but the idea that mortal sin is almost impossible to commit is to make people too comfortable with sin

remember, the first "mortal sin" was Adam and Eve eating a piece of fruit
they did not lie to anyone, they did not cheat anyone, they did not lust or murder or cheat on a spouse or look at inappropriate content
they ate a piece of fruit
God loves us, but we have to choose to follow Him

 

[football5680]

The only thing I can think of is that he meant it was next to impossible to commit a mortal sin unknowingly.

 

[pdudgeon]

I agree with the posts #'s 4 & 5 above.
seek another confessor who can set you straight spiritually.

receiving the Eucharest often is a good thing,
but it's not intended to be used as a 'magic bullet' to keep you immune from sin.
Somewhere, somehow you've gotten way out of balance spiritually, and that needs to be put right.

Receiving the Eucharest should be done from a motivation of pure love and adoration of Our Lord, and a desire to be with Him and part of Him; not as an act of fearful despiration against the lures of sin.
I really can't stress enough that the effects of the Eucharest on our soul should be one of peace and wholeness, joy and love, well being, completeness, rest and security, and the utmost confidence in Him and in His ability as a Good Shepherd who keeps good watch over His flock.

 

[Catherineanne]

I've been told by the priest at my college that "mortal sins are next to impossible to commit." He told me that I am "no where near" mortal sin.

Thoughts?

I tend ot go to confession once a week, sometimes, more. I have a very scrupulous conscience.

I receive the Eucharist several times (3-4) per week.

Listen to your priest. His comments are personal to you, in relation to your scrupulous conscience. Which conscience seems not to stop you judging your priest or talking publicly about a private sacrament so that others can judge him as well.

Funny, that. But on the positive side, at least you have something worthwhile to confess next time.

 

[Catherineanne]

You have to knowingly and deliberately commit a mortal sin is my understanding.

Yep, that is how I understand it as well. In that context it may well be practically impossible for a conscientious, devout Catholic to do such a thing.

 

[Catherineanne]

Maybe he meant what he said just for you since you say you are scrupulous. Perhaps he might be using hyperbole in an attempt to help you overcome your scrupulosity.

That is how I see it as well.

 

[Catherineanne]

Your confessor is incorrect. Try finding a solid younger orthodox Catholic priest. Mortal sins can be very easy to commit if you meet all 3 criteria the CCC gives. Now I understand scrupulosity as i have it too and have overcome it by a solid spiritual director/confessor and sacraments. I go to confession once a week too and so do alot of saints and opus dei people. Saint Padre Pio recommended weekly confession even if no mortal sin is there. And if it is it will take care of it. A good orthodox spiritual director will help give you balance and free you up. There are some awesome young priest who are solid. Try to avoid Jesuits if possible and choose a young Diocesan priest or a older orthodox Catholic priest. Once they asses you they can tell you if your culpable for committing mortal sins. But the advice you were given is wrong. Seek a new priest.

By all means. Judge our priests, and if they are not good enough for us, find new ones.

And what happens if none is quite up to our standard? What do we do then?

 

[Catherineanne]

I agree with the posts #'s 4 & 5 above.
seek another confessor who can set you straight spiritually.

receiving the Eucharest often is a good thing,
but it's not intended to be used as a 'magic bullet' to keep you immune from sin.
Somewhere, somehow you've gotten way out of balance spiritually, and that needs to be put right.

Receiving the Eucharest should be done from a motivation of pure love and adoration of Our Lord, and a desire to be with Him and part of Him; not as an act of fearful despiration against the lures of sin.
I really can't stress enough that the effects of the Eucharest on our soul should be one of peace and wholeness, joy and love, well being, completeness, rest and security, and the utmost confidence in Him and in His ability as a Good Shepherd who keeps good watch over His flock.

See above. And this:

http://www.olrl.org/lives/vianney.shtml

 

[Davidnic]

What makes a mortal sin easy or hard to commit is the disposition of the person toward truth. From your description of your spiritual life I understand what your confessor means.

A moral sin is an act of will not an accident. Now, it can be that a mortal sin is committed because someone so thoroughly rejects the truth they deny it is wrong. That is still a mortal sin. For a sin to be mortal you must know it is mortal (grave matter) but you do not have to accept or agree that it is. And that is the point that people forget.

Many will say it is not easy to commit one because you have to know it is wrong. We know many things are wrong and don't "agree" that they are. Well our agreement is not necessary for reality.

But what your priest said, given your spiritual practices and path is correct. Frequent confession, Liturgy and Eucharist make it hard for a person to just deny the truth. I do not think you need to go to confession more than once a week. Your priest is likely trying to help you real with a degree of scrupulosity and said this in a broad manner. But he is not necessarily wrong. We do not walk blindly into hell, but we can look at the path and walk it with a self imposed blindfold.

But it does not seem you are doing that. Also beware of taking online advice over that of your confessor, who knows you better than any of us. I can see exactly what your confessor meant by how you describe your practices. I think he is trying to tell you that you are focusing too much on the fear of committing sin.

My advice runs counter that those in this thread about keeping your confessor. I say keep him. He obviously is trying to make a point. Have you had discussions about scrupulosity with him? I ask because if he is coming at this from a point of view of your situation and how you are not close to mortal sin, nor are you of the mindset to go there...he is trying to mitigate the edges of a moral scrupulosity that can be very dangerous in your life.

In my opinion and experience if someone has a high degree of scrupulosity be very careful about accepting message board advice over that of the confessor(s). Understanding, of course, that me giving that advice on a message board is a contradiction.

But your priest is not wrong but also not entirely accurate. In one way Mortal sins are not easy to commit and can not be committed by accident. But it is easy to convince ourselves a sin is not mortal for selfish reasons that we view as somehow a valid reason. In that way it is easy. In your situation and given what you describe about your conscience and spiritual practices...no, a mortal sin would not be easy to commit. Your priest has made a bit of a hyperbole but he is not wrong in general.

 

[pdudgeon]

You have to knowingly and deliberately commit a mortal sin is my understanding.

agreed.
it is a choice we knowingly agree to make, acknowledging and overriding what our conscience says, believing instead the lie that says we are helpless against the temptation to sin, and instead willingly agree to justify to ourselves and believe what satan says.

 

[Catherineanne]

Some quick reminders.

Aiui, we may speak of our own confessions, although some certainly say that it is not appropriate. Complaining about what a priest says at confession and in persona Christi is particularly tricky, though, because he cannot defend himself.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/en...holic-faith/the-seal-of-the-confessional.html

http://www.ourladyofloreto.org/RCIA/03_DOCTRINES/in_persona_christi.pdf

 

[Athanasias]

By all means. Judge our priests, and if they are not good enough for us, find new ones.

And what happens if none is quite up to our standard? What do we do then?

Ok I will and yes some are not teaching up to Christ standard! We have a magisterium for a reason.

 

[Catherineanne]

Ok I will and yes some are not teaching up to Christ standard! We have a magisterium for a reason.

Indeed so. But I think you will find that a church where every member considers him or herself part of the magisterium is a protestant one.

 

[Athanasias]

Some quick reminders.

Aiui, we may speak of our own confessions, although some certainly say that it is not appropriate. Complaining about what a priest says at confession and in persona Christi is particularly tricky, though, because he cannot defend himself.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/en...holic-faith/the-seal-of-the-confessional.html

http://www.ourladyofloreto.org/RCIA/03_DOCTRINES/in_persona_christi.pdf

In Persona Christi or acting in the person of Christ does not mean they can never error while doing those actions. Goodness we have had priest acting in persona Chrisiti that have purposely used improper wording on the altar at consecration(saying things like "This means my body") and the Magisterium has said this can render the sacrament invalid. I suppose the Anglicans are different because they do not have a magisterium like we do.

 

[Athanasias]

Indeed so. But I think you will find that a church where every member considers him or herself part of the magisterium is a protestant one.

I think you have no idea what your talking about. Lady listen I have the same issue as the writer. I am scrupulous and over came it. I am not part of the magisterium nor claim to be. I do have some authority to teach that I received from 2 universities in Catholic theology that is accredited by the Vatican congregation for the clergy and I do teach adults theology at parishes. Yes Priest can be wrong and we can know thier advice is solid or not. I had to deal with this myself because I had the same issue. Most are good but some are stinkers. Its ok to judge the bad advice given by a priest if that bad advice can help lead your soul to hell.

 

[Anhelyna]

I think this is where we ALL have to be careful about making judgements.

We are all human and fallible .

Lord have mercy