Mortal sin requires that all of three criteria be met - (1) objectively serious matter; (2) full knowledge of the seriousness of the act; and (3) full consent of the will.

A mortal require all 3 above to suffice,but my question is

What is a " objectively serious matter" An eg;- case 1 : lets say I murder 1 guy, i committed a mortal sin because of the above.

Case 2 :now i kill 2 guys, i committed another mortal sin because of the above right.

and ok the 3rd time aroung, i kill only 1, comparing case 2 over case 1 my sin is not so serious right?

So my question is (not that i can kill so many people) what is consider serious matter?TQ

-- (james@hotmail.com), August 17, 2004

Answers

Murder is always serious matter. If the other two criteria are also met, it is a mortal sin. If the other two criteria are not met, it is not a mortal sin. We know what is objectively serious matter by the moral teaching of the Church.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), August 17, 2004.

Thank you. I understand now,why it takes 3 to make a mortal. Thanks....

-- james (James_how@hotmail.com), August 17, 2004.

james, you asked, if you murdered two men, then turned around and murdered two more... would your 'second' sin be less than the first?

the answer is a bit more complex than yes or no. your act of murdering two men was in truth the extinguishing of two unique and completely seperate human identities. therefore your sin in case two of your projected example is not really greater than in case three, because it is in fact TWO sins presented in case two.

as to what forms the bulk of serious matter, the best place to turn for your answer would be the catechism and the bible.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), August 17, 2004.

There is a natural order in life. A person doesn't have to have to have knowledge of the 10 Commandments to know that killing is against the law of nature. Animals know this much. Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight." Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our herts away from it. There are diff. types of sins which are mentioned in scripture, e.g., the Let. to the Galatians contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: "Now the works of the flesh are plain: Fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishmess, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like...... Then the GRAVITY of Sin: Mortal and Venial sin..... Since are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scrilpture, bewcame part of the Tradition of the Church. Mortal sin DESTROYS charity (love) in the hearts of man by a GRAVE violation of God's law, it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude. Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us, that is, charity (love). For a sin to be mortal, three (3) conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object if grave matter and which is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments. Murder is graver than theft. There is an element here regarding the sanctity and dignity of a human life. It is the ultimate violence against man. Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. Mortal sin results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace.....if not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell. This is what a tremendous gift our Lord has bestowed on us....THE GIFT OF FREE WILL. We ultimately will CHOOSE by OUR ACTIONS WHERE WE WILL SPEND ETERNITY. God in HIS MERCY allows us the time on this earth to repent of our sins, make reparation for our sins.......once we die, our time here to make choices will cease.............then.............It's SHOWTIME!!!

-- Rita L. Rast (rita_rast@earthlink.net), August 26, 2004.