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brian
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 803 |
| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 02:17 am |
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| sin seems to be so much more cmplex than i imagine. in some writings i feel like there is an emphasis on just how sinful we are and how repentant we should be. this is good. but sometimes i think things that we think are sins are not sins and just faults and maybe we really do go hours at a time without sinning until our next willful consenting action shows up. but other times i think sin simply meaning to miss the mark as the greek archery term, we are terribly sinning all the time for none of us loves perfectly as we ought. but what should i worry about. only the willful sin or all of it. should i walk around always in repentance, or should i generally feel healed and forgiven until i am made conscious of more sin that i need to repent of. i know there are differences in type of sin and in being guilty versus the lasting effect of sin. really it is all difficult to understand in how i should view myself on a minute to minute basis.
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 09:29 am |
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This is a question everybody has to face inwardly: What, really, is sin, and how must I deal with it in my own personal life? As you say, this can be a really complex consideration. But it need not be.
First, we must distinguish between original sin and actual sin. The former is the consequence of Adam’s sin, leading us towards actual, personal sin. The latter is our personal sin.
So we are born into a “condition of sin,” which we must be repentant of always. Our part in the guilt of this sin is washed away in baptism, but the effects will linger on throughout our lives in the form of temptation and weakness with regard to actual sin.
Regarding actual sin, there are three levels to be distinguished:
• Mortal sin, which cuts us off from the grace of God and merits hell;
• Venial sin, which is a culpable act for which we must do penance either here on earth or after death in purgatory, even though it does not cut us off from grace; and
• Faults, effects of the human condition which, because they are non-voluntary, are not real sins, although they do “miss the mark” and are to be regretted and worked on as far as possible
It is important that we keep in mind the constant effect of sin in our lives, and for this reason we should be always in an attitude of repentance. However, this does not mean that we must go around with long faces and constantly doing acts of penance. We need to rejoice as well in the forgiveness and grace God has provided. As the bible says, there is a time for mourning and a time for rejoicing (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:1–9). This is best accomplished through the virtue of humility, whereby we recognize our status as creatures and allow God to rule our lives as Lord of all.
A regular examination of conscience is necessary to maintain proper balance of mourning and rejoicing. As a regular practice, these examinations should be brief — just a few moments of reflection each day. Day to day, not minute to minute, or we will become obsessed and scrupulous. Never should anyone dwell on his sins to such an extent that they become a burden. (Worry, by the way, is a sin if allowed to continue, because it is a mechanism of morbid obsession.) God supplies through the Church all the remedies we need. Our part is to avail ourselves of these remedies and so promptly resume our proper place among the People of God.
Over time, the bigger sins (mortal sins) should disappear from our lives. This will allow us to concentrate on the lesser ones (venial sins). Let us not get the cart before the horse by worrying about the lesser sins before their time.
Brian, you know the three conditions for the commission of a mortal sin. Simply apply them during your examination of conscience, take care of your business in the confessional as needed, and think no more of your sins. They are in the past; in this way each day is new and pure. A sincere Christian leading an ordinary moral life according to the Ten Commandments is not likely to commit many mortal sins. Any specific uncertainty can be cleared up in the confessional, and in short order distinguishing whether you did or did not give full assent will be clear at a glance.
David
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brian
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 803 |
| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 03:18 pm |
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| Thank you for the helpful reply. It is comforting...however, is it not also god to have an active conscience and at times if minute to minute we notice a fault or a sin to immediately deal with it or repent? I mean, if we are always to be in prayer and practicing the presence of God, it is possible that i might be doing well for half the day then really wrestle with some faults the next hour, should i not at least talk to God about this as the day is going on, or should i wait till a specific time? I understand what you are saying about not worrying, but i am just curious to know how to deal with our moment to moment relationship with God in regards to the moments where we feel weaknesses. should we immediately talk to god about them, or should we just keep going in the weakness and confess it later? how do we use our conscience in regards to this. i mean, i would think you would agree that if my conscience is botheringme justly about an act or attitud it would be best to immediately flee the act before it leads to anything worse. but maybe this is simply a matter of wisdom and conscience rather than one of repentance?
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Thu Nov 23rd, 2006 12:59 am |
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Brian, your tendency to fret over things like whether the sin you committed was mortal or venial has prompted me to prefer a once-a-day approach to examination of conscience. You need to concentrate on living life, not on playing hide and seek with sin.
If we are always to be in prayer and practicing the presence of God, it is possible that I might be doing well for half the day then really wrestle with some faults the next hour, should I not at least talk to God about this as the day is going on, or should I wait till a specific time?
You should momentarily acknowledge your fault and then get on with the business at hand. Then you can return to that moment at the end of the day, make mental note of exactly what happened and why, say an act of contrition, and resolve to confess all and only those things that need confessing at your next reception of the sacrament of penance. Just prior to stepping into the confessional, you should pray for divine guidance in what you are about to do. Then leave everything to the Holy Spirit.
If you are subjected to a temptation, acknowledge it, say a brief prayer for divine assistance, then plunge back into your work, leaving the temptation to fend for itself. You’ll find that in many cases the temptation disappears completely as you ignore it. Even if it doesn’t, occupying yourself with your duties will dull its impact. Dwelling on it or fretting over it is the worst thing you can do. Never let a temptation take over your mind, because that is its shortcut to your will.
What should I worry about, only the willful sin or all of it?
Only a wilful act can be sinful. Never worry. Leave everything to God.
David
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Truthseeker
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
| Location: | Costa Mesa, California USA |
| Posts: | 376 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | lapsed and returned CATHOLIC!!!!!! |
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Posted: Mon Nov 27th, 2006 12:13 pm |
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Brian,
Don't feel bad. I think I will NEVER understand sin. Sometimes, I ache to have had learned my faith when I was younger. It would save a lot of heartache, now, when I am so afraid that everything is sin and so afraid to act like it might not be. I am, at least, starting to trust that God will not smite me because I may have done something terribly wrong, and have not repented "in time".
Laura
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Lord, please make my will your Will!
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
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| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Nov 30th, 2006 03:34 pm |
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I have to admit, the Lord does have a knack of maintaining a good sense of humor when it comes to our ponderous or not-so-ponderous discussions of sin. Just as I came across th is discussion, I found myself listening to fellow Catholic Jimmy Buffett's "Wasting away again in Margaritaville" and I couldn't decide if I was in a state of sin or not just by listening to his catchy tune.
Oh c'mon fellow Catholic, non-Catholic, Christian or non-Christian hedonistic "Parrotheads" or non-hedonistic non-"Parrotheads," there are times when I'm sure even the Good Lord's not going to stir up a hurricane in your harbor for having a momentary blush with tropical bliss.
I still get a blast from hearing all my Protestant friends (y'know, all those folks who want us to be "reasonable" and join the rest of the American religious polyglot scene of this or that brand of puritanical anarchy) telling me there's "sin and only sin, none of this venial stuff."
Wow, that was some pretty hard stuff they were serving up. Not even a good old 3.2 venial for a thirst quencher on a hot afternoon. (Which perhaps explains why Southern Baptists never seem to recognize each other in their hometown's local state liquor store.) But, that's another story of iniquity.
Catholicism's relatively complicated set of sins tells me it's got the best handle on sin and man's continually inventive ways to step deep into it.
Protestants are wont to speak of depravity, but when they get into practicing it, they don't have a sacrament to deal with it. That's because when it came to pulling off their "reformation," (i.e., the first rebellion known for the purpose of deliberately shrinking human liberty). With some of these folks, either your "elect" or not. If ya ain't, tough luck. All the forgiveness and repentance won't help you with these warm-hearted folks. Forget that "sinner's prayer" Jack, you're "future toast."
We Catholics may never be able to figure out our system of explaining sin to ourselves, much less get around trying to make any sense of it all to any evangelical or non-Lutheran/Anglican Protestant. You'd have better luck
trying to explain baseball's infield fly or free-agency rules to cannibals.
So long as we have the Sacrament of Confession (I confess, I'm a "Trad" on this) and hear those wonderful words spoken by the priest telling us we're forgiven..but not to go out and repeat our sins...we've got something that no outside shrink or mega-church mega-smooth-talking-mega-preacher can top. Period.
C'mon: does anyone realistically think disobeying Sister and putting his chewing gum on the bottom of the pew is as heavy on God's "sin scales" as murder?
Try that with a Protestant friend and see how fast his face turns blank.
____________________
For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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