Personal Sin

1. What is sin?
2. What is actual sin?
3. Are there different kinds of personal or actual sin?
4. What is mortal sin?
5. How can we know if a sin is mortal?
6. Can anything lessen or increase our responsibility for mortal sin?
7. What are the effects of mortal sin?
8. Is God responsible for personal sin since God permits certain temptations?
9. What is venial sin?
10. What are the effects of venial sin?
11. Should we avoid venial sins? 
12. What are sins of omission? 
13. Are sins of omission mortal or venial?
14. What are the chief reasons why people commit sin?
15. What are the seven capital sins?
16. What are the "sins that cry to heaven"?
17. What are the sins against the Holy Spirit?
18. What is an occasion of sin?
19. Do we ever share responsibility for the sin of another?
20. What is social sin?
21. What is the false theory called "situation ethics"?
22. What is the "fundamental option" theory?

1. What is sin?
Sin is disobedience to God, an offense against him. It is also, as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods." (1849-1850)

Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (Jn 8:34).

2. What is actual sin?
Actual sin is the personal sin which we commit. (1868)

Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight… (Ps 51:4).

3. Are there different kinds of personal or actual sin?
There are two kinds of personal or actual sin, mortal and venial. (1854)

All wrongdoing is sinful, but there are some sins which are not mortal (1 Jn 5:17).

4. What is mortal sin?
Mortal sin is a grave offense against God's law by which we prefer something created to the Creator. (1855)

Put to death those parts of you which are earthly-fornication, impurity, passion, evil desires, and that greed which is idolatry (Col 3:5).

5. How can we know if a sin is mortal?
A sin is mortal or grave when these three conditions are present:

•  grave matter, that is, a serious wrong or what is thought to be seriously  wrong; 

•  full knowledge, that is, before or while committing it, the person clearly is aware  that it is wrong; 

•  complete consent, that is, the person freely gives full consent to it.  (1857-1859)

6. Can anything lessen or increase our responsibility for mortal sin?
Yes, responsibility for mortal sin can be lessened by "unintentional ignorance," passions, external pressures and pathologies. Greater responsibility is imputed to anyone sinning through malice or hardness of heart, or to one who pretends not to know the seriousness of the sin. (1859-1860) (Refer to Lk 16:19-31)

7. What are the effects of mortal sin?
By mortal sin a person turns away from God and so loses the gift of charity and sanctifying grace. Mortal sin takes away the merit of the person's previous good actions and deprives one of the right to eternal happiness in heaven. Sincere repentance can reverse these effects. (1861)

8. Is God responsible for personal sin since God permits certain temptations?
God is not responsible for personal sin because he is all good and all holy, and for everyone who prays, God always provides sufficient grace to overcome temptations.

Do not say, "Because of the Lord I left the right way"; for he will not do what he hates. Do not say, "It was he who led me astray" (Sir 15:11-12).

9. What is venial sin?
A sin is venial when one of the conditions for a mortal sin is missing. For example, the thought, desire, word, action or omission is wrong but not seriously so, or it is seriously wrong but a person does not clearly see this, or does not fully consent to it. (1862)

10. What are the effects of venial sin?
Venial sin lessens our charity and weakens our practice of the Catholic faith. It makes us weaker when faced with temptations to serious sin, and hinders our spiritual growth. (1863)

11. Should we avoid venial sins?
Although they do not destroy the life of grace, we should avoid venial sins because they are an offense to God and weaken our friendship with him. They also turn our hearts away from God and toward some created good instead, which makes it easier to commit more serious sins. (1863)

12. What are sins of omission?
Sins of omission are the failure to do something one should have done.

13. Are sins of omission mortal or venial?
Sins of omission may be mortal or venial depending upon what we have failed to do.

14. What are the chief reasons why people commit sin?
The chief reasons why people commit sin may be found in the seven capital sins. (1866)

15. What are the seven capital sins?
The seven capital sins are:

•  pride-inordinate or uncontrolled self-esteem;
•  avarice (or covetousness)-an excessive desire for created goods;
•  envy-sorrow at another's good fortune;
•  lust-uncontrolled sexual desire;
•  wrath (or anger)-a strong, uncontrolled passion of displeasure;
•  gluttony-excessive indulgence in food and/or drink;
•  sloth-spiritual, mental or physical laziness which causes one to neglect one's  duties. (1866)

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (Jas 4:8).

16. What are the "sins that cry to heaven"?
The sins that cry to heaven are:

•  voluntary murder

The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground (Gn 4:10);

The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is grave… (Gn 18:20);

And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them (Ex 3:9);

You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry (Ex 22:21-23);

Behold, the wages you withheld from the laborers who reaped your fields are crying out (Jas 5:4).

17. What are the sins against the Holy Spirit?
The sins against the Holy Spirit are despair of one's salvation, presumption of saving oneself without merit or repentance, resisting the known truth, envy of the graces received by others, obstinacy in one's sins, and final impenitence. (1864)

Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven you, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (Mt 12:31).

18. What is an occasion of sin?
An occasion of sin is any circumstance (person, place, thing) which leads one to sin.

19. Do we ever share responsibility for the sin of another?
Although sin is a personal act, we share in the responsibility for another person's sin if we cooperate with them in any of the following ways:

•  by directly and freely taking part in the sin;
•  by our advice, encouragement or approval;
•  by not reporting them or trying to stop them when we are obliged to;
•  by protecting or hiding them. (1868)

Their hands are upon what is evil, to do it diligently; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together (Mic 7:3).

20. What is social sin?
Social sin arises when people copy or cooperate with one another in allowing and promoting sin. This is often evident in what becomes socially acceptable or what is institutionalized in the social structure or laws. Some examples would be slavery, child labor, neglect of the poor or marginalized. (1869)

21. What is the false theory called "situation ethics"?
Situation ethics teaches that there is no fixed moral code given to human beings by the Creator. It holds that individuals must make moral choices according to a particular situation-that is, what is right or best in this moment for me. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object, such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery." (1756)

22. What is the "fundamental option" theory?
The "fundamental option" theory teaches that a good person can do something considered gravely sinful, and yet that particular action is not gravely sinful for him or her. This is because the person's basic choice, or fundamental option is for God and the good. The theory holds that one gravely sinful act (a mortal sin) is not enough to separate one from God; a series of gravely forbidden acts would be required to prove that one's option has changed. This teaching is false. It is not what the Church teaches regarding sin, free will and personal responsibility for each of one's actions.