November "Theme Support" #2

Today we want to distinguish between two degrees of personal sin: mortal and venial.

Mortal Sin: A sin which destroys the grace of God in the heart of the sinner. By its very grave nature, a mortal sin cuts our relationship off from God and turns man away from his creator. Three conditions must all be present at the same time for a sin to be considered mortal - 1) It must be grave matter (serious, i.e. "missing Mass on Sunday"); 2). It must be done with full knowledge; 3). It must be freely done. This means that mortal sins cannot be done "accidentally." A person who commits a mortal sin is one who knows that their sin is wrong, but still deliberately commits the sin anyway.

Venial Sin: A sin of less grave matter, which does not cut us off from Christ. However, venial sin does weaken grace in the soul and damages our relationship with God. A person who frequently indulges in venial sin is very likely to collapse into mortal sin if they persist in their evil ways.

One who has committed a mortal sin should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) at the next possible opportunity. Until going to Confession, one should not receive holy Communion at Mass.