Several
months ago, in my "other" column (yes, I've
been cheating on you with other publications), I wrote
about the sinfulness of masturbation. Honestly, I never
thought it would be controversial. I just had what I thought
was a clever angle, and I figured, "Catholic publications,
Catholic teaching, no problem."
Wrong. The (mostly anonymous) mail is still flooding in.
People are mad. They apparently don't like hearing that
certain activities are sinful.
What I'm finding most amazing is how many folks seem genuinely
surprised that this particular sin is a "mortal"
sin. This is apparently big news to a lot of people. In
fact, a lot of people don't seem too clear on the distinction
between mortal and venial sin at all.
So no, I'm not writing another column on masturbation.
(You'll have to look up the old one on my website.) But
I do think it's important for us as evangelists (we are
out there evangelizing, right?) to take a fresh look at
this distinction. Because if we're giving people the facts,
we'd better be sure the facts are right.
Most Protestants make no meaningful distinction between
degrees of sin. They believe that we're all sinners, but
if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior,
although we remain in our sinfulness, we are saved because
Jesus "covers" our sin. Of course, if a person
sins too much, they assume this person was never really
"saved" to begin with.
It really doesn't have to be that hard.
The Church's teaching is simple.
There are two categories of sins, mortal and venial. Mortal
cuts us completely off from God. Venial doesn't (see 1
John 5:17).
Sin is, by definition, a failure to love. And when we
fail to love, we damage our relationships - not only with
each other, but with God. There are, however, different
degrees of offense.
It's like a human relationship. If I were insensitive
to your feelings, it would hurt our relationship, but
it wouldn't necessarily destroy it. If, on the other hand,
I murdered your entire family, chances are we wouldn't
be getting together to play canasta again anytime soon.
It's the same with God. When I'm insensitive, when I'm
lax about my spiritual life, or when I'm selfish in any
one of a thousand petty little ways, I'm hurting my relationship
with God. That's a venial sin.
But when I'm outrageously selfish, when I do something
that has the potential to do serious damage, I'm making
a statement. I'm saying, "Not Your will, but mine
be done." I'm cutting myself off from God. And that's
a very bad position to be in, especially if I should happen
to die. Because, my friends, being cut off from God is
hell.
Most mortal sins are pretty obvious. Murder, significant
theft, maliciously destructive gossip - these do serious
damage. But sexual sins are also mortal sins. Why? Can
we really put masturbation, or fornication for that matter,
on a level with murder?
Just take a look around you. See the damage done by sexual
sin in this society? Of course you do. It's severe. That's
why those sins are mortal.
Of course, all the Church (or anyone else) can do is define
external actions. Only God reads the heart. So although
we know someone is doing something mortally sinful, we
can't know his heart. That's why the Church teaches that
we don't know who gets to heaven and who doesn't. Certain
factors can make a difference, the Church says, in determining
culpability. Maybe the person wasn't acting freely. Maybe,
through no fault of his own, he didn't understand the
gravity of the sin.
Or maybe he doesn't know because we didn't tell him. And
then it's on our heads.
Mary
Beth Bonacci can be reached at Real Love, Inc., 6732
W. Coal Mine Ave., #228, Littleton, CO 80123. Visit
her website at www.reallove.net.
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