Sexual Arousal: Sinful Or Natural For Catholics?

Sin is a break in a relationship with God and others, caused by our words, thoughts, actions, and inactions. The Catholic Church categorises sin into two types: venial and mortal. The former wounds our ability to love, while the latter seeks to destroy it.

Mortal sins are those that are committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent, and are objectively serious in nature. They are committed when a person places something else above God or turns away from Him.

The Church teaches that it is very difficult to commit a mortal sin, and that one must have a deep understanding of God's relationship with them to do so. However, this does not mean that one must explicitly say, Away with God! for their sin to be considered mortal.

Mortal and venial sins

In Catholic theology, sins are divided into two types: mortal sins and venial sins. Mortal sins are considered the gravest of sins, representing a deliberate turning away from God and destroying charity (love) in the heart of the sinner. They are committed with full knowledge of their gravity and with the full consent of the sinner's will. Such sins cut the sinner off from God's sanctifying grace until they are repented, usually through confession with a priest. If a person dies unrepentant of a mortal sin, they are believed to descend immediately into hell, where they suffer the separation from God that they chose in life. Examples of mortal sins include breaking the Ten Commandments, suicide, induced abortion, masturbation, rape, and murder.

On the other hand, venial sins are less serious breaches of God's law. They do not destroy charity or turn a person away from God entirely, but they weaken the sinner's union with God. Venial sins might involve minor violations of the moral law or a lack of full knowledge or consent on the part of the sinner. An example of a venial sin is telling a white lie. While venial sins are not as serious as mortal sins, they can still lead to mortal sin if left unaddressed.

For a sin to be considered mortal, three conditions must be met: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. Grave matter refers to the seriousness of the sin, such as an act that is intrinsically evil and immoral. Full knowledge means that the person committing the sin is aware that their actions are evil and immoral. Deliberate consent implies that the person freely chooses to commit the act without being forced or coerced.

While the Catholic Church does not provide an exhaustive list of mortal sins, some well-known examples include:

• Breaking the Ten Commandments
• Suicide
• Induced abortion
• Masturbation
• Rape
• Murder
• Adultery
• Incest
• Perjury

The nature of sin

Sin is a morally evil act, a transgression of the law, and a conscious variance of our moral being from the will of God. It is a privation of form, order, or due measure, and it deprives us of some moral good.

Sin is committed when we act in opposition to God's will, and in doing so, we separate ourselves from God. Not all sins are of equal degree, and Catholics categorise sins based on their gravity into three classes: original, mortal, and venial.

Original sin refers to the initial nature of people, and Catholics believe that all humans begin life in a state of sin due to the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This original sin does not affect the character of individuals and is erased through the sacrament of baptism.

Mortal sins are the most severe type of sin and concern grave matters. They result in a loss of the state of grace, and when outside this state, Catholics cannot fully participate in church activities. Examples of mortal sins include sacrilege, blasphemy, perjury, deliberately avoiding Mass, murder, hatred of one's neighbour, prostitution, and sexual relations outside of marriage.

Venial sins are less severe but can lead to serious repercussions if ignored. They are often committed through wicked thoughts rather than deliberate actions and weaken our ability to avoid committing mortal sins over time.

The true malice of mortal sin lies in the conscious and voluntary transgression of the eternal law, implying a contempt of the Divine will and a complete turning away from God. It is an offence against Christ, the Holy Ghost, and man himself, causing spiritual death and making man a servant of the devil.

The understanding of sin is vital for our salvation, as it impresses us with a salutary fear and the necessity of seeking God's help and grace to stand firm in His love and avoid falling into sin. While we cannot avoid all sin in this life, with God's grace, we can avoid deliberate sin, and if we do sin, we can seek His forgiveness and be redeemed through repentance.

Original sin

The biblical text that the Magisterium has appealed to as evidence for this belief is Romans 5:12: "Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned." The Council of Trent appeals to this verse in its Decree Concerning Original Sin.

The sin of Adam is transmitted by concupiscence, or "hurtful desire", resulting in humanity becoming a massa damnata (mass of perdition, condemned crowd), with much enfeebled, though not destroyed, freedom of will. When Adam sinned, human nature was thenceforth transformed. He believed that prior to the Fall, Adam had both the freedom to sin and not to sin (posse peccare, posse non peccare), but humans have no freedom to choose not to sin (non posse non peccare) after Adam's Fall.

The sin of Adam is the cause and source of original sin. Actual sin is committed by a free personal act of the individual will. It is divided into sins of commission and omission. A sin of commission is a positive act contrary to some prohibitory precept; a sin of omission is a failure to do what is commanded.

Confession and repentance

The Nature of Sin

According to Catholic theology, sin is defined as a "morally bad act" that is contrary to the Divine law. It is a result of human free will and a deviation from God's commandments. Sins can be categorised into mortal and venial sins. Mortal sins are those that are considered serious and lead to a separation from God, while venial sins are less severe and do not completely cut one off from God's grace.

The Importance of Confession

Confession is a sacrament in the Catholic Church, often referred to as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It involves an examination of one's conscience, acknowledging one's sins, and seeking forgiveness from God through a priest. The basic requirement for a good confession is a sincere intention to return to God and true sorrow for one's sins. During confession, one must confess all mortal sins since the last sacramental confession.

The Act of Repentance

Repentance, on the other hand, goes beyond confession. It involves not only admitting one's sins but also making a conscious decision to turn away from sin and strive for holiness. Repentance is a process of transformation and renewal, a turning back to God and a reintegration into the Body of Christ. It is not a one-time act but a continuous journey of self-discovery, growth, and striving for holiness.

The Relationship Between Confession and Repentance

The Process of Confession and Repentance

The process of confession and repentance typically involves several steps:

• Examination of Conscience: Reflect on one's actions, words, and omissions to identify sins since the last confession.
• Contrition: Feel true sorrow for one's sins and make a clear and decisive rejection of them.
• Confession: Confess all mortal sins to a priest and express sorrow for all sins.
• Penance: Listen to the priest's instructions for penance, which may include prayers or acts of charity.
• Absolution: Receive sacramental forgiveness from the priest, who pronounces the words of absolution.
• Amendment of Life: Strive to avoid the near occasions of sin and make a firm resolution to sin no more.

God's grace

There are two types of grace: sanctifying grace and actual grace. Sanctifying grace stays in the soul, giving it supernatural life and making it holy. Actual grace, on the other hand, is transient. It is a supernatural push or encouragement that acts on the soul from the outside, helping the will and intellect to seek and keep sanctifying grace.

Sanctifying grace is necessary for living in heaven. If it dwells in your soul when you die, you can live in heaven, though you may need to be purified first in purgatory. If your soul is spiritually dead by being in a state of mortal sin when you die, you cannot live in heaven and will face an eternity of spiritual death, or utter separation from God.

Mortal sins are deadly because they kill off supernatural life and sanctifying grace. They are committed when there is "grave matter," "full knowledge," and "deliberate consent." Mortal sins destroy sanctifying grace outright, while venial sins weaken us and make us more vulnerable to mortal sins.

God continually sends us actual graces, or helping graces, to lead us back to Him and regain supernatural life. These graces enable the soul to perform some supernatural act, such as an act of faith or repentance. If the soul responds to actual grace, it will receive supernatural life again.

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