If anyone sees their sister or brother commit a sin that is not a deadly sin, they have only to pray, and God will give life to this sister or brother --- provided that it is not a deadly sin. There is sin that leads to death and I am not saying you must pray about that. Every kind of wickedness is sin, but not all sin leads to death.
---1 John 5: 16-17

This short text from the First Letter of John provides the traditional foundation for the doctrinal distinction between venial and mortal sin. And while the text itself stresses the real difference between two kinds of sin, concerns about understanding the pastoral implications of God's revelation in this passage still abound.

Today's clergy, lay pastoral ministers and dedicated catechists have a similar refrain when discussing the meaning and importance of sin in a Christian's life. They point to the fact that the contemporary understanding of the concept of "mortal sin" is all too ambiguous among the people of God.

An illustration:

Chaim is considering entering the Catholic Church and so is a very active participant in a local parish's RCIA process. She has found so much of the experience rich and valuable. She strongly believes that for the first time in her life she is finding church, religion and God a powerful influence in her life. She is yearning for the sacraments of initiation, especially the Eucharist.

This past week she and her fellow catechumens were continuing their discussions on the moral life of Catholics and the Church's fundamental teachings about sin. She finds herself a bit conflicted and confused for the first time in the process. She politely but firmly addresses Patricia, the Parish Life Director, who is one of the three RCIA team leaders:

"I do accept that mortal sin is real and that it does exist. My problem is recognizing it. Is it automatic when I break one of the Church's rules? Are all the rules equal? For example, I know I have to be willing to commit myself to attend Mass every Sunday to be a good Catholic and also I have to commit myself to fasting one hour before Communion. If someone goes to Communion when they know they haven't kept their fast, is that a mortal sin? Is missing Mass on Sunday just as big a sin as adultery or murder? Are some mortal sins 'bigger' than others?

"It doesn't seem fair that a person who breaks their Communion fast or misses their Easter duty commits the same kind of mortal sin as the one who tortures a prisoner of war or cheats on their spouse."

In today's society the appreciation of mortal sin ranges all the way from a shrug and dismissal of its reality --- and, thus, its importance in the life of Christian discipleship --- to an extreme of scrupulosity that in effect externalizes discipleship by defining it according to rubrics, and turns God into a severe and punishing judge, rather than a concerned and caring Father.

One major cause of the problems surrounding an authentic understanding of the concept of mortal sin is found in the fact that, too often, two legitimate questions about mortal sin are asked as if they were a single inquiry.

If we want to understand the concept and reality of mortal sin we can first ask: What IS mortal sin? This question seeks to comprehend the heart of the concept by seeking the essential nature of mortal sin. In other words, how can a disciple recognize the real potential for mortal sin when she or he is confronted with a significant temptation? Will we know when we have chosen to sin mortally? Are there visible criteria?

The second question is important but entirely different: What are the effects of mortal sin? In other words, what happens to us, to our relationship with God, to our discipleship when we sin mortally?

Baby boomer Catholics will generally have no trouble recalling their lessons from the Baltimore Catechism. While the question and answer format has become generally accepted fodder for jokes about the "pre-Vatican II" church, it is interesting to recognize how deeply ingrained were the learnings from that Catechism. Many theologians and contemporary catechists have reminded us that the mere memorization of formulae and doctrine can never be absolute proof of authentic Christian discipleship.

On the other hand, the contemporary church has been similarly reminded that authentic discipleship is based on "living the Word," and that catechetical instruction without both serious and age appropriate interaction with the Word is hardly effective in helping the people of God "put on the Spirit of Christ."

How to define sin
Question 54 of the Baltimore Catechism can provide a starting point:

Q. What is mortal sin?
A. Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.

How does the new Catechism of the Catholic Church define mortal sin?
Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of a person by a grave violation of God's law; it turns a person away from God, who is every person's ultimate end and beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to God (n. 1855).

Both Catechisms agree that mortal sin is essentially a breaking of one of God's laws.

The second question is raised now. What are the effects of this "grave violation" of God's law on the sinner? Despite this clearly legal language, it is vitally important that we not reduce Christian discipleship, our relationship with our God and our attendant moral life, to a judicial system.

In its essence, the Church has always understood that mortal sin is so much more than the "act" of breaking a law; rather, it is a personal commitment to a deliberate divorce from God. It is a sad but thoughtful choice to abandon one's personal and ecclesiastical relationship with God. Mortal sin is mortal precisely because it is deeply and altogether personal, not judicial.

Also, both Catechisms would agree that the violation must be grave. Unfortunately, these two definitions still have not responded to the concerns raised by Chaim in the scenario above.

Simply taking these definitions alone, we might even seriously misinterpret the essence of mortal sin. The Church in fact has never said that a "grave violation of God's law" is automatically a mortal sin. Mortal sin involves both an "objective element" (the matter) and two personal elements (full knowledge and deliberate intent). Mortal sin can never be defined simply by the objective element or grave matter, in and of itself.

Thus mortal sin is the result of the congruence of a serious issue, or "grave matter" as it was also called, with a mature understanding of the significance of the issue and finally a conscious act of the will to "prefer an inferior good to God" (CCC, n. 1855).

For example, a five-year-old who finds a loaded handgun while playing and shoots his sister has committed the same act (shooting an innocent person) as a teenage gangbanger who participates in a drive-by shooting. But no one would suggest that the five-year-old is guilty of a mortal sin, while it is certainly possible that the teenager might be.

Mortal sin is a deliberate choice for something that is incompatible with love, incompatible with a relationship with God. Mortal sin can be either a direct and deliberate attack on God like blasphemy or on our neighbor like adultery, refusing life-saving aid to an undocumented immigrant, or knowingly supporting an unjust war. The operative word here is really "choice," not act, since Jesus himself reminded us that "If you as much as lust in your heart, you have already committed adultery." The consequence: to cut oneself off from any hope for eternal salvation until forgiveness is sought.

How to weigh sin
We still must address Chaim's question about how to weigh sin. What in fact is "grave matter?" This issue has been a center of discussion among the Church's moral theologians since the Penitential books of the Celtic monks in the 6th century.

Apart from the area of human sexuality where the Church teaches clearly that there "is no light matter," there is no universal norm for determining how serious an issue is. Adjudicating the seriousness of a choice is usually done when the Church examines individual decisions or commandments. The "seriousness" may in fact depend on a greater or lesser quantity of the "matter" involved.

For example, the Church, following the commandments, has always taught that stealing was a sin, but at the same time, stealing small and insignificant amounts of money or property was not generally considered as grave matter. Moral texts throughout the centuries are filled with thoughtful considerations about what level or kind of content might move a choice from light to grave matter. At the same time, the Church acknowledges that even when serious or grave matter is involved, mortal sin is not automatic since there are three essential elements: serious matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent.

The tragic reality of mortal sin is that it is a completely intentional choice that involves full knowledge of the choice and its implications for one's relationship to God and the Church. Yes, mortal sin does exist. Its truly catastrophic outcome on our relationship to God cannot be underestimated. It is important that its reality should not be made insignificant by making it trivial, nor should it be seen as contrary to an authentic spirituality of hope and charity.

On the other hand, mortal sins do not necessarily lurk under every rock along life's path. But, if the possibility for mortal sin were not a reality for Christians neither would a loving response to God's call be imaginable. Free will makes feasible both authentic love of God and deliberately spurning God's offer of love.

Dismissing the reality of mortal sin does not do justice to the fact that we were all made "in the image of God." This means that we have the gifts of intellect and free will, and we have the power to use them for good or for ill.

"Choose life, then, so that you and your family shall live."
--- Deuteronomy 30: 20

Vincentian Father Richard Benson is academic dean and professor of moral theology at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo. His column appears monthly in The Tidings.