mortal sin and eucharist

[dairygirl4u2c]

giddy up

[Apotheoun]

To receive communion while in a state of mortal sin actually compounds the problem, because to receive communion when one is not properly disposed for its reception is a sacreligious act, i.e., it is a mortal sin. A man cannot remove mortal sin by committing another mortal sin.

God bless,
Todd

[Mrs. Bro. Adam]

Apotheoun:

That's exactly what I was going to say. Allow me, however, to add one thing.


Sin is the seperating between God and man. The more you sin, the harder it is going to be to confess what you've done. It's like if you were to talk about your friend behind their back. The more you do it, the less you want to tell them.

To receive the Eucharist with a mortal sin upon your sould is probably one of the most dangerous things you could ever do.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Mrs. Bro. Adam' date='Feb 2 2005, 02:28 PM'] [. . .]
To receive the Eucharist with a mortal sin upon your soul is probably one of the most dangerous things you could ever do. [/quote]
I agree.

God bless,
Todd

[God Conquers]

Plus, instead of making you more ready for confession, or liable to go, it could do the opposite.

"hmm, I just recieved the eucharist while in mortal sin. It wasn't so bad. I didn't die. I think I could continue doing this."

[AngelofJesus]

This is like asking " Can you put out a fire with a flame torch?" Going to confession is an excercise in humility. Receiving the Eucharist while in mortal sin says that you know better than the scriptures. Which displays pride. So the question really is, "Does receiving the Eucharist while in a state of mortal increase pride or increase humility?"

[Benedict]

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 1 Corinthians 11:27-30

St. Paul says, quite emphatically, "no".

[XIX]

[quote name='Mrs. Bro. Adam' date='Feb 2 2005, 04:28 PM'] To receive the Eucharist with a mortal sin upon your sould is probably one of the most dangerous things you could ever do. [/quote]
Agree 99.999%

What if you receive the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, and you don't know you're in mortal sin? Particularly if you examine your conscience honestly and you don't think you're in mortal sin?

I imagine it's not sinful because you don't know you're doing someting wrong...but does it still hurt you even if you're not morally culpable?

[Mrs. Bro. Adam]

Then you don't commit sacrilege, I don't think, however, when it dawns on you that there is a mortal sin, you need to get to a confessional ASAP.

[Dave]

You can't not know if you're in the state of mortal sin. If you truly don't know that a certain action or omission is objectively a mortal sin, then you're not guilty of mortal sin (although it wouldn't make what you did/didn't do any less morally wrong in and of itself).

[Mrs. Bro. Adam]

I think the question, at lesat the way I read it was, if you were to commit a mortal sin, but forgot about it, and then receieved communion, would it be sacrilege? And to that, I think my answer would apply.

[Cam42]

[quote]I think the question, at lesat the way I read it was, if you were to commit a mortal sin, but forgot about it, and then receieved communion, would it be sacrilege?[/quote]

There are two types of ignorance with regard to sin. The first is invincible. The second is vincible. The first, one may be excuse from, the second, one may not. The question then becomes, if one forgets what kind of ignorance is it?

Ignorance is said to be invincible when a person is unable to rid himself of it notwithstanding the employment of moral diligence, that is, such as under the circumstances is, morally speaking, possible and obligatory. This manifestly includes the states of inadvertence, forgetfulness, etc. Such ignorance is obviously involuntary and therefore not imputable.

Invincible ignorance, whether of the law or of the fact, is always a valid excuse and excludes sin. The evident reason is that neither this state nor the act resulting therefrom is voluntary. [i]It is undeniable that a man cannot be invincibly ignorant of the natural law, so far as its first principles are concerned, and the inferences easily drawn therefrom.[/i]

Now, when one commits a mortal sin and then forgets about it, I don't think that it falls into the category of invincible ignorance, because one cannot be invincibly ignorant of the natural law.

Mortal sin is defined by St. Augustine (Contra Faustum, XXII, xxvii) as "Dictum vel factum vel concupitum contra legem æternam", i.e. something said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law, or a thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law.

St. Ambrose (De paradiso, viii) defines sin as a "prevarication of the Divine law." Sins that violate the human or the natural law are also included, for what is contrary to the human or natural law is also contrary to the Divine law, in as much as every just human law is derived from the Divine law, and is not just unless it is in conformity with the Divine law.

With all that being said, I don't think that one can simply say, "Oops, I forgot that I committed a mortal sin, therefore it is not mortal any longer." It doesn't apply to the idea of invincible ignoranace in this particular case. Because it is contrary, not only to the human or natural law, but also to the divine law and eternal law.

Cam42

[Norseman82]

[quote name='Mrs. Bro. Adam' date='Feb 2 2005, 11:14 PM'] I think the question, at lesat the way I read it was, if you were to commit a mortal sin, but forgot about it, and then receieved communion, would it be sacrilege? And to that, I think my answer would apply. [/quote]
Forgetting about a mortal sin shows that one is being desensitized to sin in their own lives. Mortal sin is such a serious thing that one should never forget it.

[Mrs. Bro. Adam]

If one, however, is truly contrite for their sins, and they forget (they get nervous and they draw a blank), then when that sin is remembered, they have to confess it as soon as possible.


To say that if a person forgets to confess a mortal sin is a desenstizing of sin in their own lives, I must disagree with. There are times, waiting for confession, that I repeat over and over and over what I'm going to confess, and I'll get in the confessional, and draw a blank, especially on those that I came spefically to confess.

We're human. We're prone to errors.

[thessalonian]

I don't see the question as one of forgetting (though I agree, to forget would be neglect). She says "doesn't have the gumption" which implies fear of confession. I would also have to say that in my past, when I was one of those Catholics who neglected confession, I have experienced her question. The Eucharist did not help me get to confession because my guilt and sin could not be healed until I opened myself up to it. The Eucharist has no effect on a hardened soul. I was not totally hard but I was not obedient to his word and his church.

Paul is pretty clear about this question.

25. 46N [\transBooks] 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
26. 46N [\transBooks] 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
27. 46N [\transBooks] 11:27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28. 46N [\transBooks] 11:28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29. 46N [\transBooks] 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30. 46N [\transBooks] 11:30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31. 46N [\transBooks] 11:31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
32. 46N [\transBooks] 11:32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

One cannot go to the table of the Eucharist and expect to be healed until he is obedient to God in confessing his sins.