Another Mortal Sin Question

[Jake Huether]

In looking over the Deadly sins, it seems that there are degrees of graveness to which I am inclined to ask:

When does the sin become deadly, and in which case would it be concidered venial.

For example,

Glutony: at what point does it become a mortal sin. Maybe I'm failing in my view of the definition of glutony.

Lust also: I mean, looking, for instance, at nude photography (fine art) out of curiosity - or even to some extent visual lust, cannot be compared to physically lusting after another woman (such as the sin of adultery, or fornication). So, to what extent is visual lust still venial - if it is indeed only venial at a certain time. And how is it, if it is Mortal, that it can be compared to adultery. And then again, theres porn, hard and soft, outside of art. Again, maybe I'm failing in my definition of "Lust". What is it. And what is it not.

Envy: We all look at cool cars and wish we could drive them / have them. But would it be considered grave to "drule" so to speak over a car. I suppose this relates kinda to the Lust question.

Is there a place I can get a very clear definition of the seven deadly sins (at least) describing in detail what they consist of (like examples).

I'm a sinful man. But it would be very beneficial to know how grave of a sinner I am. I think I might have scruples a tad. I don't want to miss my Lord in the Eucharist. But sometimes I fail, yet, how do I know if the ties been severed?

Thank you so much in advance.

Edited March 2, 2004 by Jake Huether

[Adeodatus]

Dear Jake,

You know the three conditions for mortal sin: grave matter (against any of the 10 commandments), full knowledge that it's a sin, and full consent of the will.

So it's possible that if two people commit a sin involving the same grave matter, it may be that it's mortal for one and venial for the other, if the other guy does not have full knowledge (through non-culpable ignorance) and/or full consent of the will (under coercion, or force of habit in the young, etc).

It's very hard to say when a sin becomes 'mortal' because it depends on the individual case. The seven deadly sins are all 'deadly' to begin with. They are all grave matter. The best way to decide is to pray and do an examination of conscience, calmly and dispassionately. If a sin I've committed involves grave matter, then I have to ask whether I consented to it fully at the time. And if I knew what I was doing and chose to ignore that fact.

Mortal sin does injure charity and our friendship with God. If venial sins are like getting a parking ticket, a mortal sin is like committing treason. A big difference---and one that you can tell by examining your conscience. If in doubt, just go to confession anyway. Priests have heard everthing----we can never ever shock them!