Dear Catholic Exchange:
As a Catholic growing up in the Church and attending Catholic schools all the way through college, I am disturbed to hear high school lay instructors preparing high school candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation advising the candidates that missing Mass without just cause is a “grave sin” but not a mortal sin as I was taught. Who is right?
Terry Nelson
Dear Terry,
Peace in Christ! We at Catholics United for the Faith were pleased to receive your question which you originally sent to the Catholic Exchange.
Speaking of “grave sin” is simply another way of referring to mortal sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines mortal sin as “A grave infraction of the law of God that destroys the divine life in the soul of the sinner…, constituting a turn away from God.” There are three essential elements that must be present for an action to be considered mortally sinful, one of these is the sinful action involves truly grave matter, that is, matter that is specified by the ten commandments (Catechism, no. 1858).
It is true to say that all sin is grave, whether mortal or venial, because all involve the offense of the Creator by the creature. The Catechism states, “To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world” (no. 1488). Nevertheless, the Church teaches that there is a real distinction between sin which “destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law,” and sin that “allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it” (Catechism, nos. 1854-56). The former type is a truly grave or serious matter, for it brings death to the soul.
For additional information on sin, please refer to our FAITH FACT entitled, “Persevering to the End: The Biblical Reality of Mortal Sin.”
The second part of your question regarding attending Sunday Mass is addressed in another of our FAITH FACTS, “Is Missing Sunday Mass a Mortal Sin? ”
I hope this response adequately addresses your concerns. If you have further questions on this or any other subject, please let us know. If you have found this information to be helpful, please consider a donation to CUF to help sustain this service. We offer this service free of charge, and would appreciate any donation you could give to help us help others. You can call us at 1-800-MY FAITH, visit us at www.cuf.org, or send your contribution to the address below. Thank you for your support as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Kathleen Rohan
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
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