Mortal Sins CCC #1857 For a sin to be mortal, three Venial Sins CCC #1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is 6/9. You shall not commit adultery. serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the mor- grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and You shall not desire your neighbor’s wife. al law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but with- deliberate consent." ♦ Sexual acts with anyone to whom you are not married (intercourse, out full knowledge or without complete consent. oral/anal sex, intimate touching, passionate kissing) 1. You shall not have strange gods before the Lord your God. 1. You shall not have strange gods before the Lord your God. ♦ Masturbation (impure acts with yourself) ♦ Receiving Communion in the state of mortal sin ♦ Failure to pray every day ♦ Pornography (videos, pictures, writings) ♦ Intentionally withholding a mortal sin in confession ♦ Questioning the faith without seeking answers ♦ Using contraceptives (condoms, pills, withdrawal, etc.) ♦ Getting Confirmed or Married while in the state of mortal sin ♦ Indifference to learning more about the Church and the Bible ♦ Sterilization (vasectomy, tubal ligation) ♦ Being married outside of the Catholic Church ♦ Caring more about what others think than what God thinks ♦ In-vitro fertilization or artificial insemination ♦ Embarrassment for being Catholic ♦ Seriously engaging in Occult practices, e.g., witchcraft, Ouija ♦ Cohabitation prior to marriage (living together as if married) boards, séances, palm reading, tarot cards, hypnotism, ♦ Failure to defend the Church when she is criticized ♦ Allowing your children to be exposed to pornography astrology, crystals, horoscopes, sage ceremonies, etc. ♦ Refusal to share the faith with others ♦ Promoting, supporting, engaging in “gay”/“bi”/“trans” lifestyle ♦ Joining anti-Catholic groups e.g. Freemasons ♦ Failing to accept or offer up suffering as a sacrifice ♦ “Sexting” ♦ Involvement in pagan worship or practices ♦ Failure to bury ashes of the dead ♦ Refusing sex with spouse without a serious reason ♦ Rejecting a truth of the Faith ♦ Initiating divorce or desertion without serious reason 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. ♦ Deliberate entertainment of impure fantasies ♦Using God’s name habitually (“Oh my God”, “I swear to God”) ♦ Using God’s name intentionally to curse or to damn someone 7. You shall not steal. ♦Using vulgar language or swearing 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. ♦ Stealing money or items of a significant value 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. ♦ Carelessly coming late to Mass or leaving early ♦ Missing Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation without a ♦ Vandalism valid reason ♦ Saving unnecessary work or homework for Sunday ♦ Willful failure to make restitution (pay back what you stole) ♦ Not paying attention or participating at Mass ♦ Working unnecessarily on Sunday for more than several hours ♦ Refusal to give alms for the support of the Church and the care of ♦ Checking phone or texting during Mass 4. Honor your father and mother. the poor ♦ Failing to keep Sunday for family and recreation ♦ Serious failure to care for or abandonment of aged parents ♦ Failure to give an honest days work for one’s pay ♦ Failure to fast for 1 hour before Communion ♦ Wishing parents were dead ♦ Deliberate and extensive damage to public or natural resources (deliberate misuse of public assistance for substantial amounts, 4. Honor your father and mother. ♦ Failure to have your children baptized deliberately dumping contaminants in waterways, etc.) ♦ Disrespecting parents, priests, teachers, etc. ♦ Tolerating serious or habitual disobedience of your children. 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ♦ Lack of gratitude toward parents ♦ Serious neglect of religious education/upbringing of children ♦ Serious gossip, detraction (revealing the faults of another), or ♦ Unnecessary delay of child’s baptism (beyond a few weeks) 5. You shall not kill. calumny (harming the reputation of another by lies) ♦ Failure to teach children adequately about God ♦ Abortion, murder, infanticide ♦ Lying in a serious matter ♦ Nagging spouse or children or parents ♦ Too lax or strict with rules, boundaries and discipline ♦ Promoting, counseling or paying for abortion ♦ False witness or perjury ♦ Fighting with siblings ♦ Voting for publicly pro-abortion candidates when there was 10. You shall not desire your neighbor’s goods. another choice ♦ Envy to the point of hating someone who has what you want ♦ Attempting or intending or assisting in suicide or euthanasia ♦ Driving recklessly or under the influence ♦ Road rage that threatens grave harm “Whose sins you forgive, are forgiven them. ♦ Willfully getting drunk or high Whose sins you retain, are retained.” ♦ Giving scandal to a child in a serious matter (John 20:22-23) Version 31119s How to go to Confession 5. You shall not kill. ♦ Overeating When you enter the confessional, say: SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION ♦ Failing to care for one’s health or abusing medications 1. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, ♦ Failure to seek treatment for physical or mental health issues and of the Holy Spirit. ♦ Excessive watching of television or playing of video games ♦ Excessive use of the internet, phone or other devices 2. Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been Examination of ♦ Watching TV/playing video games/ listening to music that [approximately this many weeks, months, or years] promote sex or violence since my last confession. ♦ Driving carelessly or texting while driving 3. These are my sins . Conscience ♦ Road Rage, using dirty looks and/or evil gestures ♦ Giving scandal to another (setting a bad example) Tell the priest how many mortal sins you have committed since your last confession and how many times you committed them. For Adults ♦ Failure to pray for deceased parents or relative You may also tell the priest your venial sins. 6/9. You shall not commit adultery. Let the priest know you are done by saying: You shall not desire your neighbor’s wife. ♦ Lack of custody of the eyes (looking inappropriately at others) For these and for all my sins I am truly sorry. ♦ Dressing immodestly (tight or revealing clothing) The priest may give you some counsel and will give you a ♦ Telling or listening to impure or vulgar jokes or stories penance and then ask you to say an act of contrition: ♦ Brief entertainment of impure thoughts or fantasies 4. Act of Contrition: ♦ Emotional unchastity (sharing too much with one who is not your spouse, letting one’s heart stray from one’s spouse.) O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the ♦ Selfishness in marital intimacy loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all ♦ Emotional coldness towards one’s spouse (silent treatment) because they offend Thee, my God, who are all good 7. You shall not steal. and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with ♦ Theft of small or inexpensive items the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do pen- ♦ Sharing digital property without permission ance, and to amend my life. Amen. ♦ Wasting company time browsing the internet 5. The priest will absolve you from your sins. ♦ Living a disordered life by misuse of financial resources (dining out excessively, gambling, etc.), misuse of public or Listen for the words: natural resources (wasting food, energy, water, or misusing “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the public assistance meant for the poor, etc.), keeping late Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” hours so as to be unable to meet family or work obligations effectively, letting children’s schedules run the home. You answer: Amen. 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 6. The priest will conclude saying: ♦ Lying, gossip, flattery for manipulation, complaining, boasting, revealing secrets “The Lord has freed you from you sins. Go in peace.” ♦ Failure to seek to restore the good name of another You answer: Thanks be to God. ♦ Cheating in games, school, work, etc. 10. You shall not desire your neighbor’s goods. (Or he may say, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,” and you respond, “His mercy endures forever.”) ♦ Envy, jealousy, greed, materialism After you leave, do your penance as soon as possible. .