
The Catholic Church classifies sins into two types: venial sins and mortal sins. Mortal sins are considered more serious because they cut off one's relationship with God and must be resolved through confession. The Church identifies three conditions that must be met for a sin to be considered mortal: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. While venial sins are minor offenses that can be atoned for without confession, they can still cause spiritual harm and must be repented.
The Church does not provide an exhaustive list of mortal sins, but some examples include idolatry, heresy, atheism, abortion, euthanasia, suicide, murder, theft, and adultery. These sins are considered to be a deliberate turning away from God and His commandments.
The Church teaches that there is no sin, regardless of its seriousness, that cannot be forgiven. God's mercy is believed to be more powerful than any human ability to do evil. However, humans also possess free will, and God does not force reconciliation but rather gives individuals the freedom to accept or reject divine mercy.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
The Catholic Church treats some sins as more serious than others | The seven deadly sins are: pride, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, and envy |
The Church categorises sins as either mortal or venial | Mortal sins are those that lead to a separation from God's grace, while venial sins weaken a person's relationship with God |
Mortal sins require specific conditions to be met | These are: the sin must be of grave matter, committed with full knowledge, and deliberate consent |
Mortal sins result in damnation if not repented before death | Examples of mortal sins include: murder, adultery, apostasy, desecration of the Eucharist, and abortion |
Venial sins are less serious but still require repentance | Examples of venial sins include: minor lies, unfair wagers, and cheating at games |
The Church teaches that all sins can be forgiven | While some sins are more serious than others, the Church teaches that no sin is beyond God's mercy and forgiveness |
The Church does not consider interfaith marriages as sinful | However, it poses challenges and conditions, such as the Catholic spouse working for the consecration of the non-Catholic spouse |
What You'll Learn
Pride vs. Humility
Pride and humility are opposing forces, with pride being considered the "deadliest of vices" and the root of all sin. Pride is an excessive love of self, a desire to be better or more important than others, and an attitude of contempt and indifference towards others. It is a sense of entitlement and a constant need for acknowledgement and praise. It is self-absorption and a desire for self-exaltation, seeing oneself as the centre of the universe and the measure of all truth and morality.
Pride is dangerous to the soul, hindering our intimacy with God and our love for others. It is the chief cause of misery in every nation and family since the world began, and it is the devil's most effective and destructive tool. It was through pride that Lucifer became the devil, and it was the sin that led to the downfall of Eve and the spiritual ruin of humanity.
On the other hand, humility is often seen as a sign of weakness, but it is actually our greatest friend. It is the foundation of virtue and the root of all virtues. Humility is having an accurate opinion of oneself, seeing oneself as God sees us, and recognising the infinite distance between the Creator and the creature. It is a self-emptying that allows God to work in us with His grace.
Humility is not thinking less of oneself, but thinking of oneself less, and it is having a realistic sense of who we are in relation to God and others. It is being open to God's plan for us and trusting in His power and grace. It leads to intimacy with God and increases our hunger for His word.
Pride and humility are incompatible, and one cannot exist in the presence of the other. They represent two very different ways of living and relating to God and others. Pride is a sin that separates us from God and others, while humility is a virtue that brings us closer to God and opens us up to His grace and mercy.
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Lust vs. Chastity
The Catholic Church considers lust to be one of the seven deadly sins. It is described as a "disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure". Lust is considered a sin when the sexual pleasure is sought outside of its "procreative and unitive purposes".
Chastity, on the other hand, is a virtue that involves "the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being". It is about surrendering one's sexual passions to the will and design of God. Chastity is essential for all people, including spouses, as it allows one to love and express that love in a human way without objectifying the other.
For unmarried people, chastity is equivalent to sexual abstinence. Sexual acts outside of marriage, such as adultery, fornication, masturbation, and prostitution, are considered immoral due to lust. In marriage, chastity means that spouses commit to a lifelong relationship that excludes sexual intimacy with other persons.
While lust is about seeking sexual pleasure for oneself, chastity is about ordering one's sexual desires towards the good of another and expressing them properly within each relationship. Lust can lead to the objectification of others and the distortion of human love, while chastity allows one to express love in a selfless and holy way.
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Gluttony vs. Temperance
Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins in the Catholic Church, along with lust, greed, sloth, anger or wrath, envy, and pride. Gluttony is the overconsumption of food or drink, and it is not limited to those who are overweight. As St. Thomas Aquinas explains, avoiding gluttony requires being concerned with how much, what, how, and how often one eats. Temperance, on the other hand, is the virtue that moderates our desire for pleasure, especially those attached to food, drink, and sex.
Gluttony is a pervasive sin in Western culture, where people often eat as much food as they can, as quickly as they can, without giving their bodies time to digest. This sin extends beyond food and drink to other areas of life, such as clothing, where people fill their closets with more clothes than they need. Gluttony is also related to modern media consumption, where people can become addicted and spend excessive amounts of time.
The cure for gluttony is temperance, or moderation. As St. John Cassian says, "Food is to be taken in so far as it supports our life, but not to the extent of enslaving us to the impulses of desire." Temperance allows us to avoid becoming enslaved to our appetites and distracted from doing good. It helps us to focus on others and share life with them, rather than being selfish and thinking only of ourselves.
Fasting is another practice that can help cultivate temperance and overcome gluttony. By abstaining from food and drink on a regular basis, we strengthen our willpower and learn to say "no" to our hunger and thirst. This, in turn, helps us to gain greater self-control and avoid becoming controlled by our appetites.
In summary, gluttony is the overconsumption of food or drink, and it can extend to other areas of life, such as an addiction to modern media. Temperance, or moderation, is the key to overcoming gluttony. Fasting can also help to cultivate temperance and strengthen our willpower. By practicing temperance and fasting, we can avoid becoming enslaved to our appetites and maintain a healthy balance in our lives.
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Greed vs. Generosity
Greed, or avarice, is one of the seven deadly sins in the Catholic Church. It is considered a "deadly" or "capital" sin because it gives rise to other sins. Greed is the disordered love of riches, which often leads to actions that are obviously sinful, such as stealing and cheating. It is characterised by an excessive desire for money or material possessions, and can also manifest as any act of selfishness.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that these "capital" sins are so-called because they engender other sins and vices. Greed, in particular, elevates material possessions above spiritual ones and begins with the lie that "more is good and less is bad". However, material possessions do not add to our fulfillment or true human satisfaction.
The cure for greed is generosity and poverty of spirit. Generosity is acting with true wisdom, using what one has for the glory of God, and the good of oneself and others. It means providing for one's family, giving to charities, the Church, or the poor, and living a simple life without indulgence. Spiritual generosity involves using one's mind, talents, and time for the glory of God and the spiritual good of oneself and others.
Jesus performed an act of ultimate generosity on the cross, giving his life for the salvation of humanity and giving his mother to John, who symbolises humanity, as his own mother. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 4:3). This calls on us to depend completely on God and to recognise that greed leads to a false belief in self-sufficiency, resulting in the accumulation of money and possessions in the pursuit of supposed happiness.
In contrast, generosity and poverty of spirit enable us to trust in God's providence and recognise that all we have are gifts from God, to be used according to His will. This includes being responsible with our material and spiritual possessions and seeing them as tools for serving our neighbours.
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Sloth vs. Diligence
Sloth, or acedia, is one of the seven deadly sins in the Catholic Church. It is often misunderstood as simply a lack of productivity or ambition. However, sloth is about laziness in the activities that matter most. Sloth leads to a person neglecting their duties towards God and others, choosing rest over work, and disinterest over diligence. It can also manifest as a disinterest in spiritual matters and neglecting spiritual growth. Slothful people may seek comfort and rest over discipline and work, leading to spiritual sorrow, despair, sluggishness, and indignation.
The opposite virtue to sloth is diligence (or zeal), which enables people to take responsibility for their daily duties and fulfill them according to God's will. Diligence helps people find the right balance in their actions, doing what God calls them to do while avoiding excessive obsessions that cause stress and burdens. It is about being faithful to daily prayer and not giving in to the temptation to abandon spiritual practices.
To combat sloth, one must slow down and reorder their activities to focus on what is truly important. This involves being diligent in one's relationship with Jesus, listening to His word, and then serving others. Diligence also means loving your neighbour and finding ways to serve your community and church. It is about turning your attention away from your own preferences and focusing on how you can show love and concern for those around you.
In summary, sloth is a vice that leads to laziness and neglect of duties towards God and others, while diligence is the virtue that enables people to take responsibility and fulfill their duties according to God's will, finding joy in sacrifice and service.
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Frequently asked questions
A sin is a morally evil act that goes against the law of God.
A mortal sin is a grave or serious sinful act that can lead to damnation if a person does not repent before death. It is distinguished from a venial sin, which simply leads to a weakening of a person's relationship with God.
According to the Catholic Church, a sin is considered mortal when its object is grave matter, and it is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.
Some examples of mortal sins include worshipping false gods, abortion, euthanasia, suicide, murder, adultery, theft, and blasphemy.
According to Catholic teachings, a person can seek forgiveness for a mortal sin through sincere repentance, confession, and absolution.