Topic: What is a mortal sin?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: January 16, 2003

Moderator who originally posted this source: Kathy Martyn

Question:   What exactly is a mortal sin?  Is anger a gift from God?  Do we believe that mistakes and sins can be good because we do them so that we learn lessons, which is part of the reason we are here?

Answer: 

To answer your first question - There are essentially two types/categories of sin. I believe the following from our FAQ library, written by Fr. Phillip Leach will help you with the definition.

Catholics base our understanding of these two kinds of sin on an important passage of Scripture: I John 5:14-17. Here the Apostle distinguishes between those sins which are deadly, or "mortal," and those sins which are not deadly though still sinful. Catholics call these other sins "venial."

In order for a sin to be mortal, three conditions have to be met. First, the sin must be a serious offense against God and neighbor. Sometimes people want to say that a sin is not mortal because "it didn't hurt anybody but me" or because "nobody knew about it but God and me." They try to say that even though it may have been serious it was "private." But there is no such thing as "private" sin. To be sure, sin is PERSONAL, in the sense that a particular person commits the sin. But sin is never "private." Every sin that any person commits has a communal implication. Remember the poet who said that no person "is an island whole and entire unto" him or herself; that's right! Catholics believe very strongly that though Jesus calls us into personal relationship with Him, He also and always calls us into the community of believers. So, just as Christianity always has a "communal" dimension, in a similar way, sin always has "communal" implications. A mortal sin, then, is a serious sin which offends God and brings harm to our neighbors.

Second, in order for a sin to be mortal, I must know that it is a serious offense against God and neighbor. If, somehow, I do not know -- in a way that is appropriate to my ability and circumstance -- that a particular action, thought, or word is, in fact, a serious sin against God and neighbor, then it is not a mortal sin. Such a thought, word, or deed remains objectively wrong and does me harm, but I am not, in this case, culpable, that is, God does not account the sin against me because of my ignorance.

Third, for a sin to be mortal, it must have the full consent of my will. Of the three conditions for a sin to be mortal, this one is the 'trickiest.' While full consent of the will is not premeditation exactly, full consent of the will requires that I not only understand that what I am doing, thinking, or saying is very serious but that I also give myself over to the sin in an unreserved way. Full consent of the will means something like, "I know this is a big deal; I am aware that it's probably hurting me and others; but I'm choosing to do it anyway."

When all three of these conditions are met, I very likely have committed a mortal sin. Every time I am in a state of mortal sin, I need to make a good and complete sacramental confession to a (Catholic) priest.

Anger is considered one of the seven deadly sins because anger causes us to turn away from love. Anger is a desire for revenge. The Catechism of the Catholic Church does note that anger is praiseworthy IF it (anger)imposes "restitution to correct vices and maintain justice." (2302)

No, sins can never be constued as "good." When we sin we prefer ourselves to God. Sin is an offense against God. By our fallible nature, we are prone to sin again and again. Christ instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a source of forgiveness and grace.