Venial vs Mortal Sin

by Michael Shackleton · January 31, 2007

At one time the Church defined mortal sin, which if not confessed can lead to hell, as a transgression involving grave matter, full knowledge thereof and full consent thereto. This criterion left no doubt about whether a mortal or only a venial sin had been committed, and consequently provided considerable peace of mind for many Catholics. Is it still applicable, and if so, should it not receive more publicity?

The new Catechism has not changed the Church’s teaching on the distinction between mortal and venial sin. It says that mortal sin destroys charity in people’s hearts by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns people away from God, who is their ultimate end, by preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it (section 1855).

However, the Catechism has laid more emphasis on sin as a failure in genuine love for God and neighbour, and less on the breaking of God’s law, which makes God angry with us.

Because of the possible perception of God’s wrath, penitents in the past would often concentrate on that rather than on the need to practise daily acts of love for God and neighbour.

Today, the Church would prefer us to know and love God better as our Father (think of the Prodigal Son). Somehow in the depths of our hearts we can have an intuition if we have sinned grievously (mortal sin) or not so grievously (venial sin). By going to confession every now and then we gain the grace to know ourselves better.

It has been said that when you knowingly and willingly commit a mortal sin, you are aware that you are gambling away the life of grace that God freely gave you in baptism. You turn your back on the covenant of love that binds you with Christ and his Church. God, we know from Scripture, can be offended, but the New Testament shows that sin is as much an offence against ourselves as against God.

You have a good point in asking if preachers should not give us more teaching about the nature of sin and how it impacts on our communion with God and our neighbour. I would certainly like to hear more of the Good News that we were made for love, and despite our tendency to fall, our repentance and reconciliation with all the redeemed is why Christ came in the first place.