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Also See: Sin (Topic Page)

"If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. Anyone who rejects the law of Moses [was] put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace? We know the one who said: 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' and again: 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (St. Paul, Heb. 10:26-31)

"Mortal sin is the currency of damnation."

"One purchases damnation by sinning mortally." 

"Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God." (Baltimore Catechism)

"The dead members of the Church are the faithful in mortal sin." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"[H]e who does not repent of even one mortal sin... remains an enemy to God." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Charity is lost by each and every mortal sin." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"[W]hoever cooperates with another in a mortal sin, sins mortally" (Summa Theologica)

"Knowingly to transgress a Precept of the Church in grave matter is a mortal sin." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Moreover, if anyone without repentance dies in mortal sin, without a doubt he is tortured forever by the flames of eternal hell." (Council of Lyons / Pope Innocent IV, 1254 A.D.)

"For mortal sin alone is the pain of hell due" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"No one was ever lost for having done too much evil; but many are in Hell for a single mortal sin of which they would not repent." (Catechism of the Cure of Ars)

"For a sin to be mortal three things are required: (1) Grave matter, (2) Full advertence, (3) Perfect consent of the will." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"[M]en are punished in hell for no other than mortal sin." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Q: "Who are they who go to Hell?" A: "They who do not die in the grace of God, that is, [those] who die in mortal sin." (Catechism of St. John Neumann)

"Those are punished in hell who die in mortal sin; they are deprived of the vision of God and suffer dreadful torments, especially that of fire, for all eternity." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Mortal sin destroys the merits of good works, corrupts every faculty of the mind, and leads the sinner on to certain death." (St. Cyprian)

Q: "How does God punish mortal sin?" A: "He punishes it by the everlasting torments of hell." (Catechism of St. John Neumann)

"The sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation to all who have committed a mortal sin after Baptism." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"When a person is in mortal sin nothing can be more salutary, so precarious is human life, than to have immediate recourse to confession." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"If we knowingly conceal a mortal sin in confession, the sins we confess are not forgiven; moreover, we commit a mortal sin of sacrilege." (Baltimore Catechism)

"If a mortal sin forgotten in confession is afterwards remembered we are certainly bound to confess it the next time we go to confession." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Mortal sin is a transgression of the divine Law by which we seriously fail in our duties towards God, towards our neighbor, or towards ourselves." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"For mortal sin alone is the pain of hell due" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"We should have contrition for mortal sin because it is the greatest of all evils, gravely offends God, keeps us out of heaven, and condemns us forever to hell." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Although the sinner does not believe in Hell, he shall nevertheless go there if he has the misfortune to die in mortal sin - even though he neither believes in Hell or even thinks about it." (St. Anthony Mary Claret)

"If we have the misfortune to commit a mortal sin, we should ask God's pardon and grace at once, make an act of perfect contrition, and go to confession as soon as we can." (Baltimore Catechism)

"He who, through shame or some other motive, willfully conceals a mortal sin in confession, profanes the sacrament and is consequently guilty of a very great sacrilege." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"He who goes to Communion in mortal sin receives Jesus Christ but not His grace; moreover, he commits a sacrilege and renders himself deserving of sentence of damnation." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"To constitute a mortal sin, besides grave matter there is also required full consciousness of the gravity of the matter, along with the deliberate will to commit the sin." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"A person in mortal sin can regain the state of grace before receiving the sacrament of Penance by making an act of perfect contrition with the sincere purpose of going to confession." (Baltimore Catechism)

"[A]ll whosoever die in mortal sin, neither faith nor works of mercy will free them from eternal punishment, not even after any length of time" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"We may not receive Holy Communion after committing a mortal sin if we merely make an act of perfect contrition; one who has sinned grievously must go to confession before receiving Holy Communion." (Baltimore Catechism)

"It (The Roman Church) teaches...that the souls... of those who die in mortal sin, or with only original sin descend immediately into hell; however, to be punished with different penalties and in different places." (Pope John XXII, 1321 A.D.)

"If without our fault we forget to confess a mortal sin, we may receive Holy Communion, because we have made a good confession and the sin is forgiven; but we must tell the sin in confession if it again comes to our mind." (Baltimore Catechism)

"[T]hose who are in mortal sin are without the grace of God, they are excluded from perfect communion in spiritual goods, nor can they accomplish works meritorious towards life eternal." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"According to the holy Doctors, for every mortal sin a man is obliged by God to seven years of penance in this world, or the equivalent in purgatory; the reason being that every mortal sin is an offense against the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost." (St. Vincent Ferrer)

"It is of faith that Heaven exists for the good and Hell for the wicked. Faith teaches that the pains of Hell are eternal, and it also warns us that one single mortal sin suffices to condemn a soul forever because of the infinite malice by which it offends an infinite God." (St. Anthony Mary Claret)

"Those who are damned do not belong to the Communion of Saints in the other life; and in this life those who belong neither to the body nor to the soul of the Church, that is, those who are in mortal sin, and who are outside the true Church." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"He who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in confession, must reveal to his confessor the sin concealed, say in how many confessions he has concealed it, and make all these confessions over again, from the last good confession." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"One who knows that he is in mortal sin must make a good confession before going to Holy Communion, for even an act of perfect contrition is not enough without confession to enable one who is in mortal sin to receive Holy Communion properly." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"To make a sin mortal these three things are needed: first, the thought, desire, word, action, or omission must be seriously wrong or considered seriously wrong; second, the sinner, must be mindful of the serious wrong; third, the sinner must fully consent to it." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Besides depriving the sinner of sanctifying grace, mortal sin makes the soul an enemy of God, takes away the merit of all its good actions, deprives it of the right to everlasting happiness in heaven, and makes it deserving of everlasting punishment in hell." (Baltimore Catechism)

"The Council of Trent has defined that no one conscious of mortal sin and having an opportunity of going to confession, however contrite he may deem himself, is to approach the Holy Eucharist until he has been purified by sacramental confession." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"Although each mortal sin turns us away from God and deprives us of His grace, yet some remove us further away than others, inasmuch as through their inordinateness they become more out of harmony with the order of the Divine goodness, than others do." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"He that falls into mortal sin, deadens all the good he has done before, and what he does, while in mortal sin, is dead: since by offending God he deserves to lose all the good he has from God. Wherefore no reward after this life awaits him who dies in mortal sin" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"A person who has knowingly concealed a mortal sin in confession must confess that he has made a bad confession, tell the sin he has concealed, mention the sacraments he has received since that time, and confess all the mortal sins he has committed since his last good confession." (Baltimore Catechism)

"For whoever offends God, even by one mortal sin, instantly forfeits whatever merits he may have previously acquired through the sufferings and death of Christ, and is entirely shut out from the gate of heaven which, when already closed, was thrown open to all by the Redeemer's Passion." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"What injury does mortal sin do the soul? (1) Mortal sin deprives the soul of grace and of the friendship of God; (2) It makes it lose Heaven; (3) It deprives it of merits already acquired, and renders it incapable of acquiring new merits; (4) It makes it the slave of the devil; (5) It makes it deserve hell as well as the chastisements of this life." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"It is well and most useful to make an act of contrition often, especially before going to sleep or when we know we have or fear we have fallen into mortal sin, in order to recover God's grace as soon as possible; and this practice will make it easier for us to obtain from God the grace of making a like act at the time of our greatest need, that is, when in danger of death." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"By mortal sin man becomes deserving of eternal death... On the other hand whoever has charity is deserving of eternal life... Now no man can be worthy, at the same time, of eternal life and of eternal death. Therefore it is impossible for a man to have charity with a mortal sin. Therefore charity is destroyed by one mortal sin." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"For since sin is an offense against God, excluding us from eternal life, as is clear from what has been said above (Q71,A6; Q113,A2), no one existing in a state of mortal sin can merit eternal life unless first he be reconciled to God, through his sin being forgiven, which is brought about by grace. For the sinner deserves not life, but death, according to Romans 6:23: 'The wages of sin is death.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"For he who falls into mortal sin of his own will puts himself in a state whence he cannot be rescued, except God help him: wherefore from the very fact that he is willing to sin, he is willing to remain in sin for ever. For man is 'a wind that goeth,' namely to sin, 'and returneth not by his own power' (Psalm 78:39). Thus if a man were to throw himself into a pit whence he could not get out without help, one might say that he wished to remain there for ever, whatever else he may have thought himself." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Mortal sin, in so far as it turns inordinately to a mutable good, produces in the soul a certain disposition, or even a habit, if the acts be repeated frequently. Now it has been said...that the guilt of mortal sin is pardoned through grace removing the aversion of the mind from God. Nevertheless when that which is on the part of the aversion has been taken away by grace, that which is on the part of the inordinate turning to a mutable good can remain, since this may happen to be without the other... Consequently, there is no reason why, after the guilt has been forgiven, the dispositions caused by preceding acts should not remain, which are called the remnants of sin. Yet they remain weakened and diminished, so as not to domineer over man, and they are after the manner of dispositions rather than of habits" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Consequently, just as the light would cease at once in the air, were an obstacle placed to its being lit up by the sun, even so charity ceases at once to be in the soul through the placing of an obstacle to the outpouring of charity by God into the soul. Now it is evident that through every mortal sin which is contrary to God's commandments, an obstacle is placed to the outpouring of charity, since from the very fact that a man chooses to prefer sin to God's friendship, which requires that we should obey His will, it follows that the habit of charity is lost at once through one mortal sin. Hence Augustine says (De Genesi ad literam viii,12) that 'man is enlightened by God's presence, but he is darkened at once by God's absence, because distance from Him is effected not by change of place but by aversion of the will.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"[M]ortal sin contains two things, aversion from God and adherence to a created good. Now, in mortal sin, whatever attaches to the aversion, is, considered in itself, common to all mortal sins, since man turns away from God by every mortal sin, so that, in consequence, the stain resulting from the privation of grace, and the debt of everlasting punishment are common to all mortal sins. This is what is meant by what is written (James 2:10): 'Whosoever ... shall offend in one point, is become guilty of all.' On the other hand, as regards their adherence they are different from, and sometimes contrary to one another. Hence it is evident, that on the part of the adherence, a subsequent mortal sin does not cause the return of mortal sins previously dispelled, else it would follow that by a sin of wastefulness a man would be brought back to the habit or disposition of avarice previously dispelled, so that one contrary would be the cause of another, which is impossible." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"But, when mortal sin - that act of the creature's boldest malice and worst ingratitude - enters the soul, it breaks the sacred compact which closely united the Christian and the Holy Ghost. He, the Spirit of love, is driven from the dwelling He had chosen for Himself and had enriched with so many graces. A greater outrage cannot be offered to God by man; for, as the apostle so strongly expresses it, he hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath esteemed the Blood of the testament unclean, by which hew as sanctified, and hath offered an affront to the Spirit of grace (Heb. x. 29). And yet, this miserable state of the sinner may excite the compassion of the Holy Ghost, who has been sent that He might ever be our Guest. Could anything be imagined more sad, than the wretchedness of a Christian, who, by having cast out the divine Spirit, has lost the soul of his soul, forfeited the treasure of sanctifying grace, and robbed himself of all past merits? But - O mystery of mercy, worthy of eternal praise! - the Holy Ghost longs to return to the dwelling whence sin has driven Him. Yes, such is the fullness of the mission given by the Father and the Son to the Holy Ghost: He is love, and in His love He abandons not the poor ungrateful worm, but would restore him to his former dignity, and make him, once more, a partaker of the divine nature. This divine Spirit of love labors to regain possession of His dwelling. He begins by exciting within the soul a fear of divine justice; He makes her feel the shame and anguish of spiritual death. He thus detaches her from evil, by what the holy Council of Trent calls 'impulses of the Holy Ghost, not indeed as yet dwelling within the soul, but moving her.' Dissatisfied and unhappy, the soul sighs after a reconciliation; she breaks the chains of her slavery; the sacrament of Penance then comes, bringing life-giving love, and her justification is completed. Who could describe the triumphant joy wherewith the divine Spirit re-enters His dear abode? The Father and the Son return to the dwelling that for days, or perhaps for years, had been defiled with sin. The soul is restored to life. Sanctifying grace returns to her, just as it was on the day of her Baptism. As we have already said, she had lost, by mortal sin, that fund of merit which had developed the power of grace; it is now restored to her fully and entirely, for the power of the Holy Spirit is equal to the vehemence of His love. This admirable raising from death to life is going on every day, yea every hour. It is part of the mission given to the Holy Ghost." (Dom Gueranger)

Also See: Mortal / Venial Sin | Original Sin | Venial Sin | Sin / Sinner | Sin / Repentance / Forgiveness (Coming Home Reflections) | Sin & Vice (Catholic Life Reflections) | Sin & Vice (Q & A) | Commandments | Concupiscence | Hell / Eternal Damnation | Few Are Saved | Evil / Satan | Grace | Judgment | Fear of God | A Single Unrepented Mortal Sin Is Sufficient to Condemn a Soul to Hell for All Eternity (Sacraments Section Reflections) | The State of a Soul at Death Determines Its Eternity | There is No Confession After Death (Sacraments Section Reflections) | Now is the Time for Repentance | The Church Can Forgive All Sin (Coming Home Reflections) | Penance / Confession (Sacraments Section) | Penance / Confession (Sacraments Section Reflections) | Penance | Repentance | Forgiveness | The Passion | Prayers: Sin / Sorrow for Sin / Mercy / Deliverance | Do All 'Good People' Go To Heaven? / No Salvation Outside the Church | Tough Love in the New Testament | Sin (Topical Scripture) | Hell (Topical Scripture)

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Also See: Sin (Topic Page)

"If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly." (1 Jn. 5:16-17)

"There are two kinds of actual sin: mortal sin and venial sin." (Baltimore Catechism)

"[A] venial sin, of its very nature, disposes to mortal sin" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"In mortal sin the inordinateness of the act destroys the habit of virtue, but not in venial" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"It is necessary to confess every mortal sin which has not yet been confessed and forgiven; it is not necessary to confess our venial sins, but it is better to do so." (Baltimore Catechism)

"[T]here is nothing to hinder mortal sin from arising out of venial sin, since venial sin is a disposition to mortal." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"A venial sin can remain after contrition for a mortal sin, but not after contrition for the venial sin: wherefore contrition should also cover venial sins even as penance does" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Venial sin always precedes mortal sin not as a necessary, but as a contingent disposition, just as work sometimes disposes to fever, but not as heat disposes to the form of fire." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"In mortal sin the soul comes into contact with a temporal thing as its end, so that the shedding of the light of grace, which accrues to those who, by charity, cleave to God as their last end, is entirely cut off. On the contrary, in venial sin, man does not cleave to a creature as his last end" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"[I]t is impossible to convince one who errs in the principles, whereas one who errs, but retains the principles, can be brought back to the truth by means of the principles. Likewise in practical matters, he who, by sinning, turns away from his last end, if we consider the nature of his sin, falls irreparably, and therefore is said to sin mortally and to deserve eternal punishment: whereas when a man sins without turning away from God, by the very nature of his sin, his disorder can be repaired, because the principle of the order is not destroyed; wherefore he is said to sin venially, because, to wit, he does not sin so as to deserve to be punished eternally." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Just as there are two kinds of bodily stain, one consisting in the privation of something required for beauty, e.g. the right color or the due proportion of members, and another by the introduction of some hindrance to beauty, e.g. mud or dust; so too, a stain is put on the soul, in one way, by the privation of the beauty of grace through mortal sin, in another, by the inordinate inclination of the affections to some temporal thing, and this is the result of venial sin. Consequently, an infusion of grace is necessary for the removal of mortal sin, but in order to remove venial sin, it is necessary to have a movement proceeding from grace, removing the inordinate attachment to the temporal thing." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"For every mortal sin is contrary to charity, which is the root of all the infused virtues, as virtues; and consequently, charity being banished by one act of mortal sin, it follows that all the infused virtues are expelled 'as virtues.' And I say on account of faith and hope, whose habits remain unquickened after mortal sin, so that they are no longer virtues. On the other hand, since venial sin is neither contrary to charity, nor banishes it, as a consequence, neither does it expel the other virtues. As to the acquired virtues, they are not destroyed by one act of any kind of sin. Accordingly, mortal sin is incompatible with the infused virtues, but is consistent with acquired virtue: while venial sin is compatible with virtues, whether infused or acquired." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"[A]n act of sin disposes to something in two ways. First, directly, and thus it disposes to an act of like species. In this way, a sin generically venial does not, primarily and of its nature, dispose to a sin generically mortal, for they differ in species. Nevertheless, in this same way, a venial sin can dispose, by way of consequence, to a sin which is mortal on the part of the agent: because the disposition or habit may be so far strengthened by acts of venial sin, that the lust of sinning increases, and the sinner fixes his end in that venial sin: since the end for one who has a habit, as such, is to work according to that habit; and the consequence will be that, by sinning often venially, he becomes disposed to a mortal sin. Secondly, a human act disposes to something by removing an obstacle thereto. In this way a sin generically venial can dispose to a sin generically mortal. Because he that commits a sin generically venial, turns aside from some particular order; and through accustoming his will not to be subject to the due order in lesser matters, is disposed not to subject his will even to the order of the last end, by choosing something that is a mortal sin in its genus." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"An eternal thing can never become temporal. But mortal sin deserves eternal punishment, whereas venial sin deserves temporal punishment. Therefore a mortal sin can never become venial... Venial and mortal differ as perfect and imperfect in the genus of sin... Now the imperfect can become perfect, by some sort of addition: and, consequently, a venial sin can become mortal, by the addition of some deformity pertaining to the genus of mortal sin, as when a man utters an idle word for the purpose of fornication. On the other hand, the perfect cannot become imperfect, by addition; and so a mortal sin cannot become venial, by the addition of a deformity pertaining to the genus of venial sin, for the sin is not diminished if a man commit fornication in order to utter an idle word; rather is it aggravated by the additional deformity. Nevertheless a sin which is generically mortal, can become venial by reason of the imperfection of the act, because then it does not completely fulfill the conditions of a moral act, since it is not a deliberate, but a sudden act... This happens by a kind of subtraction, namely, of deliberate reason. And since a moral act takes its species from deliberate reason, the result is that by such a subtraction the species of the act is destroyed." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"For sin, being a sickness of the soul...is said to be mortal by comparison with a disease, which is said to be mortal, through causing an irreparable defect consisting in the corruption of a principle... Now the principle of the spiritual life, which is a life in accord with virtue, is the order to the last end...: and if this order be corrupted, it cannot be repaired by any intrinsic principle, but by the power of God alone...because disorders in things referred to the end, are repaired through the end, even as an error about conclusions can be repaired through the truth of the principles. Hence the defect of order to the last end cannot be repaired through something else as a higher principle, as neither can an error about principles. Wherefore such sins are called mortal, as being irreparable. On the other hand, sins which imply a disorder in things referred to the end, the order to the end itself being preserved, are reparable. These sins are called venial: because a sin receives its acquittal [veniam] when the debt of punishment is taken away, and this ceases when the sin ceases... Accordingly, mortal and venial are mutually opposed as reparable and irreparable: and I say this with reference to the intrinsic principle, but not to the Divine power, which can repair all diseases, whether of the body or of the soul" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"[I]n mortal sin there are two things, namely, a turning from the immutable Good, and an inordinate turning to mutable good. Accordingly, in so far as mortal sin turns away from the immutable Good, it induces a debt of eternal punishment, so that whosoever sins against the eternal Good should be punished eternally. Again, in so far as mortal sin turns inordinately to a mutable good, it gives rise to a debt of some punishment, because the disorder of guilt is not brought back to the order of justice, except by punishment: since it is just that he who has been too indulgent to his will, should suffer something against his will, for thus will equality be restored. Hence it is written (Apocalypse 18:7): 'As much as she hath glorified herself, and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her.' Since, however, the turning to mutable good is finite, sin does not, in this respect, induce a debt of eternal punishment. Wherefore, if man turns inordinately to a mutable good, without turning from God, as happens in venial sins, he incurs a debt, not of eternal but of temporal punishment. Consequently when guilt is pardoned through grace, the soul ceases to be turned away from God, through being united to God by grace: so that at the same time, the debt of punishment is taken away, albeit a debt of some temporal punishment may yet remain." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The fact of a venial sin becoming a mortal sin may be understood in three ways. First, so that the same identical act be at first a venial, and then a mortal sin. This is impossible: because a sin, like any moral act, consists chiefly in an act of the will: so that an act is not one morally, if the will be changed, although the act be continuous physically. If, however, the will be not changed, it is not possible for a venial sin to become mortal. Secondly, this may be taken to mean that a sin generically venial, becomes mortal. This is possible, in so far as one may fix one's end in that venial sin, or direct it to some mortal sin as end... Thirdly, this may be understood in the sense of many venial sins constituting one mortal sin. If this be taken as meaning that many venial sins added together make one mortal sin, it is false, because all the venial sins in the world cannot incur a debt of punishment equal to that of one mortal sin. This is evident as regards the duration of the punishment, since mortal sin incurs a debt of eternal punishment, while venial sin incurs a debt of temporal punishment... It is also evident as regards the pain of loss, because mortal sins deserve to be punished by the privation of seeing God, to which no other punishment is comparable, as Chrysostom states (Hom. 24 in Matthaeum). It is also evident as regards the pain of sense, as to the remorse of conscience; although as to the pain of fire, the punishments may perhaps not be improportionate to one another. If, however, this be taken as meaning that many venial sins make one mortal sin dispositively, it is true...with regard to the two different manners of disposition, whereby venial sin disposes to mortal sin." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Forgiveness of sin...is effected by man being united to God from Whom sin separates him in some way. Now this separation is made complete by mortal sin, and incomplete by venial sin: because, by mortal sin, the mind through acting against charity is altogether turned away from God; whereas by venial sin man's affections are clogged, so that they are slow in tending towards God. Consequently both kinds of sin are taken away by penance, because by both of them man's will is disordered through turning inordinately to a created good; for just as mortal sin cannot be forgiven so long as the will is attached to sin, so neither can venial sin, because while the cause remains, the effect remains. Yet a more perfect penance is requisite for the forgiveness of mortal sin, namely that man should detest actually the mortal sin which he committed, so far as lies in his power, that is to say, he should endeavor to remember each single mortal sin, in order to detest each one. But this is not required for the forgiveness of venial sins; although it does not suffice to have habitual displeasure, which is included in the habit of charity or of penance as a virtue, since then venial sin would be incompatible with charity, which is evidently untrue. Consequently it is necessary to have a certain virtual displeasure, so that, for instance, a man's affections so tend to God and Divine things, that whatever might happen to him to hamper that tendency would be displeasing to him, and would grieve him, were he to commit it, even though he were not to think of it actually: and this is not sufficient for the remission of mortal sin, except as regards those sins which he fails to remember after a careful examination." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The Apostle says (1 Corinthians 3:15) that the man who builds up wood, hay and stubble, 'shall be saved yet so as by fire,' so that he will suffer punishment, but not everlasting. Now the debt of temporal punishment belongs properly to venial sin... Therefore these three signify venial sins... Some have understood the foundation to be dead faith, upon which some build good works, signified by gold, silver, and precious stones, while others build mortal sins, which according to them are designated by wood, hay and stubble. But Augustine disapproves of this explanation (De Fide et Operibus xv), because, as the Apostle says (Galatians 5:21), he who does the works of the flesh, 'shall not obtain the kingdom of God,' which signifies to be saved; whereas the Apostle says that he who builds wood, hay, and stubble 'shall be saved yet so as by fire.' Consequently wood, hay, stubble cannot be understood to denote mortal sins. Others say that wood, hay, stubble designate good works, which are indeed built upon the spiritual edifice, but are mixed with venial sins: as, when a man is charged with the care of a family, which is a good thing, excessive love of his wife or of his children or of his possessions insinuates itself into his life, under God however, so that, to wit, for the sake of these things he would be unwilling to do anything in opposition to God. But neither does this seem to be reasonable. For it is evident that all good works are referred to the love of God, and one's neighbor, wherefore they are designated by 'gold,' 'silver,' and 'precious stones,' and consequently not by 'wood,' 'hay,' and 'stubble.' We must therefore say that the very venial sins that insinuate themselves into those who have a care for earthly things, are designated by wood, hay, and stubble. For just as these are stored in a house, without belonging to the substance of the house, and can be burnt, while the house is saved, so also venial sins are multiplied in a man, while the spiritual edifice remains, and for them, man suffers fire, either of temporal trials in this life, or of purgatory after this life, and yet he is saved for ever." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Venial sin is so called from venia [pardon]. Consequently a sin may be called venial, first of all, because it has been pardoned: thus Ambrose says that 'penance makes every sin venial': and this is called venial from the result. Secondly, a sin is called venial because it does not contain anything either partially or totally, to prevent its being pardoned: partially, as when a sin contains something diminishing its guilt, e.g. a sin committed through weakness or ignorance: and this is called venial from the cause: totally, through not destroying the order to the last end, wherefore it deserves temporal, but not everlasting punishment. It is of this venial sin that we wish to speak now. For as regards the first two, it is evident that they have no determinate genus: whereas venial sin, taken in the third sense, can have a determinate genus, so that one sin may be venial generically, and another generically mortal, according as the genus or species of an act is determined by its object. For, when the will is directed to a thing that is in itself contrary to charity, whereby man is directed to his last end, the sin is mortal by reason of its object. Consequently it is a mortal sin generically, whether it be contrary to the love of God, e.g. blasphemy, perjury, and the like, or against the love of one's neighbor, e.g. murder, adultery, and such like: wherefore such sins are mortal by reason of their genus. Sometimes, however, the sinner's will is directed to a thing containing a certain inordinateness, but which is not contrary to the love of God and one's neighbor, e.g. an idle word, excessive laughter, and so forth: and such sins are venial by reason of their genus. Nevertheless, since moral acts derive their character of goodness and malice, not only from their objects, but also from some disposition of the agent..., it happens sometimes that a sin which is venial generically by reason of its object, becomes mortal on the part of the agent, either because he fixes his last end therein, or because he directs it to something that is a mortal sin in its own genus; for example, if a man direct an idle word to the commission of adultery. In like manner it may happen, on the part of the agent, that a sin generically mortal becomes venial, by reason of the act being imperfect, i.e. not deliberated by reason, which is the proper principle of an evil act" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Also See: Mortal Sin | Venial Sin | Original Sin | Sin / Sinner | Sin & Vice (Q & A) | Sin / Repentance / Forgiveness (Coming Home Reflections) | Sin & Vice (Catholic Life Reflections) | Grace | A Single Unrepented Mortal Sin Is Sufficient to Condemn a Soul to Hell for All Eternity (Sacraments Section Reflections) | The State of a Soul at Death Determines Its Eternity | There is No Confession After Death (Sacraments Section Reflections) | Penance / Confession (Sacraments Section) | Penance / Confession (Sacraments Section Reflections) | Penance | Repentance | Forgiveness | The Passion | Prayers: Sin / Sorrow for Sin / Mercy / Deliverance | Evil / Satan | Do All 'Good People' Go To Heaven? / No Salvation Outside the Church | Tough Love in the New Testament | Sin (Topical Scripture)

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Original Sin

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Sin / Sinner

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Also See: Sin (Topic Page)

"If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly." (1 Jn. 5:16-17)

"It cannot be doubted that by the Eucharist are remitted and pardoned lighter sins, commonly called venial." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"We should have contrition for venial sin because it is displeasing to God, merits temporal punishment, and may lead to mortal sin" (Baltimore Catechism)

Q: "How does God punish venial sin?" A: "He punishes it in this life by all kinds of temporal evils, and after death by the torments of purgatory." (Catechism of St. John Neumann)

"Venial sin is a lesser transgression of the divine Law, by which we slightly fail in some duty towards God, towards our neighbor, or towards ourselves." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Those are punished for a time in purgatory who die in the state of grace but are guilty of venial sin, or have not fully satisfied for the temporal punishment due to their sins." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Venial sin is a less serious offense against the law of God, which does not deprive the soul of sanctifying grace, and which can be pardoned even without sacramental confession." (Baltimore Catechism)

"To render the confession of venial sins more secure it is prudent also to confess with true sorrow some grave sin of the past, even though it has been already confessed." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Venial sin: (1) Weakens and chills charity in us; (2) Disposes us to mortal sin; (3) Renders us deserving of great temporal punishments both in this world and in the next." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"If one confesses only venial sins without having sorrow for at least one of them, his confession is in vain; moreover it would be sacrilegious if the absence of sorrow was conscious." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"Venial sin harms us by making us less fervent in the service of God, by weakening our power to resist mortal sin, and by making us deserving of God's punishments in this life or in purgatory." (Baltimore Catechism)

"When we have committed no mortal sin since our last confession, we should confess our venial sins or some sin told in a previous confession, for which we are again sorry, in order that the priest may give us absolution." (Baltimore Catechism)

"A sin can be venial in two ways: first, when the evil done is not seriously wrong; second, when the evil done is seriously wrong, but the sinner sincerely believes it is only slightly wrong, or does not give full consent to it." (Baltimore Catechism)

"Venial sins, which do not separate us from the grace of God, and into which we frequently fall, although they may be usefully confessed, as the experience of the pious proves, may be omitted without sin, and expiated by a variety of other means." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"Venial sin is never forgiven without some act, explicit or implicit, of the virtue of penance...: it can, however, be forgiven without the sacrament of Penance, which is formally perfected by the priestly absolution" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The chief benefits obtained by the use of the sacramentals are: first, actual graces; second, the forgiveness of venial sins; third, the remission of temporal punishment; fourth, health of body and material blessings; fifth, protection from evil spirits." (Baltimore Catechism)

"In the same way, as soon as you perceive a little stain on your soul, take some holy water with respect, do one of those good works to which the remission of venial sins is attached - an alms, a genuflection to the Blessed Sacrament, hearing a Mass." (Catechism of the Cure of Ars)

"We do not, of course, believe that the soul is killed by [venial] sins; but still, they make it ugly by covering it as if with some kind of pustules and, as it were, with horrible scabs, which allow the soul to come only with difficulty to the embrace of the heavenly Spouse, of whom it is written 'He prepared for Himself a Church having neither spot nor blemish.'" (St. Caesar of Arles)

"[A]ll degrees of venial sins are reduced to three, viz. to 'wood,' which remains longer in the fire; 'stubble,' which is burnt up at once; and 'hay,' which is between these two: because venial sins are removed by fire, quickly or slowly, according as man is more or less attached to them." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The infusion of grace is not necessary for the blotting out of venial sin. Wherefore, since grace is infused in each of the sacraments of the New Law, none of them was instituted directly against venial sin. This is taken away by certain sacramentals, for instance, Holy Water and such like." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The Catholic Church holds it better for the sun and moon to drop from heaven, for the earth to fail, and for all the many millions in it to die of starvation in extremest agony, as far as temporal affliction goes, than that one soul, I would not say, should be lost, but should commit one single venial sin, should tell one willful untruth, or should steal one poor farthing without excuse." (Cardinal Newman)

"The advent of venial sin neither destroys nor diminishes grace... Therefore...an infusion of grace is not necessary in order to remove venial sin... Each thing is removed by its contrary. But venial sin is not contrary to habitual grace or charity, but hampers its act, through man being too much attached to a created good, albeit not in opposition to God... Therefore, in order that venial sin be removed, it is not necessary that habitual grace be infused, but a movement of grace or charity suffices for its forgiveness. Nevertheless, since in those who have the use of free-will (in whom alone can there be venial sins), there can be no infusion of grace without an actual movement of the free-will towards God and against sin, consequently whenever grace is infused anew, venial sins are forgiven." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"[N]o infusion of fresh grace is required for the forgiveness of a venial sin, but it is enough to have an act proceeding from grace, in detestation of that venial sin, either explicit or at least implicit, as when one is moved fervently to God. Hence, for three reasons, certain things cause the remission of venial sins: first, because they imply the infusion of grace, since the infusion of grace removes venial sins...; and so, by the Eucharist, Extreme Unction, and by all the sacraments of the New Law without exception, wherein grace is conferred, venial sins are remitted. Secondly, because they imply a movement of detestation for sin, and in this way the general confession [i.e. the recital of the Confiteor or of an act of contrition], the beating of one's breast, and the Lord's Prayer conduce to the remission of venial sins, for we ask in the Lord's Prayer: 'Forgive us our trespasses.' Thirdly, because they include a movement of reverence for God and Divine things; and in this way a bishop's blessing, the sprinkling of holy water, any sacramental anointing, a prayer said in a dedicated church, and anything else of the kind, conduce to the remission of venial sins... All these things cause the remission of venial sins, in so far as they incline the soul to the movement of penance, viz., the implicit or explicit detestation of one's sins...but the remission may be hindered as regards certain venial sins, to which the mind is still actually attached, even as insincerity sometimes impedes the effect of Baptism." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Also See: Mortal / Venial Sin | Mortal Sin | Sin / Sinner | Concupiscence | Penance | Repentance | Sin & Vice (Q & A) | Sin / Repentance / Forgiveness (Coming Home Reflections) | Sin & Vice (Catholic Life Reflections) | Grace | Penance / Confession (Sacraments Section) | Penance / Confession (Sacraments Section Reflections) | Sacraments Section | Sacraments Section (Reflections) | Prayers: Sin / Sorrow for Sin / Mercy / Deliverance | Sacramentals / Pious Practices | Indulgences | Do All 'Good People' Go To Heaven? / No Salvation Outside the Church | Tough Love in the New Testament | Sin (Topical Scripture)

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