Archive
Week of 12/22/07
Week of 12/22/07
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Why is Sin Such a Big Deal?
What is sin anyway?
Sin is not just breaking the rules. How many of us have failed to stop at a stop
sign? When you got home, did you realize what you had done and feel intense
sorrow and remorse? Probably not, unless you got a traffic ticket. So how is sin
different? Why do we feel guilty when we commit sins? Sin, at its simplest, is a
refusal to love. God has given us only two commandments: love God and love
neighbor. When we fail to do these, we sin. And our sorrow, hopefully, comes
from the knowledge that we have hurt someone we ought to love.
Mortal Sin And Venial Sin
St. John says: “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if this is not deadly, he should
pray to God that he will give him life. This is only for those who sin is not
deadly. There is such thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you
should pray.” (1 John 5:16). He makes a clear distinction between deadly mortal
sin and lesser venial sin.
Mortal sin is a complete severing of the relationship between the sinner and God.
God is no longer welcome to share in the sinner's life and so His life departs from
the sinner’s soul. This is not to say He will not try to call the sinner to
repentance; He will! But the sinner must respond to that call with repentance and
sacramental confession. If the sinner should die in such a state, his decision to
sever his relationship with God will be ratified and he will be allowed to remain
separated from God for ever – it’s the sinner's choice; but it's made in this life
and doesn't change in the next. A more extensive discussion can be found in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1852-1869.
As St. John says, some sins are not deadly. The relationship between God and
sinner is damaged a bit; it can be repaired and God remains indwelling in the
sinner's soul. We'll talk more about mortal and venial sends in a later issue more
information can be found on Catholic Answers website under Mortal Sin.
So how horrible can venial sin be anyway?
St. Teresa of Avila, who experienced an exceptional closeness to God during her
lifetime, said, follow the advice to please God until you find you have such a fixed
determination not to offend the Lord that you would rather lose a thousand lives,
and be persecuted by the whole world, than commit one venial sin. Oh sure, you
say, being so holy, she is exaggerating how bad it is. The fact is, however, that
her very closeness to God is what allows her to see sin – even venial sin – for what
it truly is.
We, on the other hand, have the false idea that sin is not that bad. We are de-
sensitized to sin. We are like the cold-blooded frog. If a frog is put in a pot of
water which is slowly brought to a boil he will not sense the increasing
temperature and how bad his situation is…until it is too late. Let us listen to the
saints. Out of love they warn us of the peril in which we have placed ourselves.
For further discussion on the real nature of sin, see “The Horror of Sin” on the
Catholic Faith Alive website. There are two ways to re-sensitize ourselves to the
seriousness of sin: frequent Confession and frequent reception of Holy
Communion. For the times of Confession, see St. Peter's Parish schedule.
What is sin anyway?
Sin is not just breaking the rules. How many of us have failed to stop at a stop
sign? When you got home, did you realize what you had done and feel intense
sorrow and remorse? Probably not, unless you got a traffic ticket. So how is sin
different? Why do we feel guilty when we commit sins? Sin, at its simplest, is a
refusal to love. God has given us only two commandments: love God and love
neighbor. When we fail to do these, we sin. And our sorrow, hopefully, comes
from the knowledge that we have hurt someone we ought to love.
Mortal Sin And Venial Sin
St. John says: “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if this is not deadly, he should
pray to God that he will give him life. This is only for those who sin is not
deadly. There is such thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you
should pray.” (1 John 5:16). He makes a clear distinction between deadly mortal
sin and lesser venial sin.
Mortal sin is a complete severing of the relationship between the sinner and God.
God is no longer welcome to share in the sinner's life and so His life departs from
the sinner’s soul. This is not to say He will not try to call the sinner to
repentance; He will! But the sinner must respond to that call with repentance and
sacramental confession. If the sinner should die in such a state, his decision to
sever his relationship with God will be ratified and he will be allowed to remain
separated from God for ever – it’s the sinner's choice; but it's made in this life
and doesn't change in the next. A more extensive discussion can be found in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1852-1869.
As St. John says, some sins are not deadly. The relationship between God and
sinner is damaged a bit; it can be repaired and God remains indwelling in the
sinner's soul. We'll talk more about mortal and venial sends in a later issue more
information can be found on Catholic Answers website under Mortal Sin.
So how horrible can venial sin be anyway?
St. Teresa of Avila, who experienced an exceptional closeness to God during her
lifetime, said, follow the advice to please God until you find you have such a fixed
determination not to offend the Lord that you would rather lose a thousand lives,
and be persecuted by the whole world, than commit one venial sin. Oh sure, you
say, being so holy, she is exaggerating how bad it is. The fact is, however, that
her very closeness to God is what allows her to see sin – even venial sin – for what
it truly is.
We, on the other hand, have the false idea that sin is not that bad. We are de-
sensitized to sin. We are like the cold-blooded frog. If a frog is put in a pot of
water which is slowly brought to a boil he will not sense the increasing
temperature and how bad his situation is…until it is too late. Let us listen to the
saints. Out of love they warn us of the peril in which we have placed ourselves.
For further discussion on the real nature of sin, see “The Horror of Sin” on the
Catholic Faith Alive website. There are two ways to re-sensitize ourselves to the
seriousness of sin: frequent Confession and frequent reception of Holy
Communion. For the times of Confession, see St. Peter's Parish schedule.