Mortal vs. Venial Sins: A Complete Guide

In this video, I concisely go over the distinction between mortal and venial sins to the practical end of helping YOU be able to understand how to understand when and how you have sinned.

I not only go into distinguishing the three aspects of mortal sin, but, also the theological grounds for the distinction, and how one or more of those aspects of mortal sin may or may not be present, rendering it a venial sin.

Here are those two examinations of conscience which distinguish between mortal and venial sins (please let me know if you know of any others...I would like to expand my list),

Click the join button above to get all your livestream questions answered.

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[MilitantThomist]

I said “marriage” rather than “marital use.”

Oops!

[bloodwrage]

A complete guide, huh? Name every venial sin.

[IpCrackle]

Please, please, please, I hope you are a catechist for your parish. This is exactly what the faithful need.

[maxtrainor]

We need more videos of this production value

[AWSKAR]

This has the potential to help many people I think. I was for a while in a dilemma where I'd fall into Mortal sin every couple of weeks, and my confessor would suggest to make use of confession more often, such as weekly. But it was hard sometimes to make a good confession weekly, because I couldn't really understand what to confess other than my worst sins. Just another part of being poorly catechized I think. I did get better at making more frequent good confessions but I still need to keep clearing up my confusion on this.

[DJ_Frankfurter]

St. Alphonsus Liguori might be the most under-read and underappreciated of the Doctors of the Church. I wish there was more effort to push his writings on holiness and morality through YouTube and social media like there is with Thomism.

[chemx]

Good summary. It would also be nice to have a video on near occasions of sin and how to determine their gravity. I've seen is quite a confusing topic.

[jorsalaheim]

Thanks, very much appreciated!

Could you do more on St. Alphonsus, particularly on the conscience, what it is / how it operates, formation of the conscience etc, principles of discernment (not casuistry).

[sushifry]

All of this went way over my head but still appreciate it.

[Yosef]

Thank you very much! This was very helpful.

[williamrodriguez]

As with most of your content this has given me a lot to think about though I have questions if you have the time for them.

For someone with a Scrupulous conscience they would suspect many things to be sins that are likely imperfections and venial, but since “a broken clock is right twice a day.” They may also have correct suspicions of mortal sins being such due to their default disposition.

My questions are,
1.How great of a suspicion that something is mortal sin would constitute a grave violation of conscience? I understand one should not “determine/decide” that something is mortal sin without positive law but one can not fully control what one suspects or worries is mortal sin (especially scrupulous minds).

For objectively grave sins but imperfect knowledge of the character,

2. Is a man guilty of mortal sin if he chooses an objectively grave action with the faintest suspicion of it even being sinful at all with full advertence of that suspicion? Or does it have to be a reasonable or likely suspicion (i.e subjectively one sees a 60% chance of something being a sin and 40% no sin.)

3. Lastly to what extent can anyone, with this explanation of advertance, claim ignorance as a diminishing factor for culpability if one needs only a suspicion of gravity? This makes it seem likely that many people accidentally would commit sins with full and mortal guilt without even reasonable certainty that they were sinning in the first place, as long as they were actively aware of their uncertainty.

[thelonelysponge]

Yo, some Catholic turned atheist told me that the Church has changed her views on Slavery, interests, and cremation.

I was wondering if you have content that talks about these supposed contradictions? I am a new convert and I trust the Church, but it would be useful for me to understand more of her teachings and history.

[Blue]

Some questions;

1. What does liers with mankind mean? I always though 'the effeminate' meant homosex, so what I am confused here.
2. If not following one's own conscience leads to hell what about the scrupulous people?

Also at 23:59 it says venial can become moral... I think you meant mortal?

I will have to rewatch again another time as I struggle with understanding full consent and full knowledge. (I am scrupulous)

[karolswirniak]

Can you provide source for the claim that sin under compulsion makes the sin not commited with deliberate consent?

[CarlistaReaccionario]

Based. Wagner what do you think about Francisco Franco? I say based and tradpilled