Addiction doesn't qualify as mortal sin?

Short blogpost, sorry guys.
I had a conference with my priest today and I discussed addiction to masturbation/pornography. He said that since their addictions they don't qualify as Mortal Sin, and that I don't need to go to weekly confession for them (in fact, he recommended once every three months, which I thought the Church recommends monthly confession). This was very shocking to me, obviously I try to nofap, but I'm weak willed and I fail often. I was expecting to have to go to weekly confession, but he said he didn't want to see me in the confession booth every week. Is he right? I don't want to profane the Eucharist, but I also don't want to be overly scrupulous. What do? God bless brothers

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An addiction is something over which you have no control.

In cases of addiction, you're not very much in control of yourself. It's a disease that can be cleansed, but remember that it is a disease. You shouldn't need to say sorry for having a fever; you shouldn't need to confess all the time for being addicted. And beside, the Eucharist is for the forgiveness of sins - if you are bound by something outside of your control, the Eucharist is there to free you.

With that said, please listen to your confessor. He knows what is pastorally good for you. Instead of being overly scrupulous and seeking to confess every time you stumble, why not focus on prayer and reading the scriptures, and actually receiving communion at least once in a while?

Your conscience has already brought you to repentance and discernment, and when one is an addict one can repent but have difficulties with stopping the sin immediately. Still receive confession once every three weeks, as your priest told you to, but remember that God is merciful and wants a contrite heart, which you seem to have (or else why make this thread?).

addiction is a sickness, but we have to 'fight' to get better

At the very least, enter into repentence and make a full confession to God before you partake of the Eucharist.

oh well hey, that's great!

unless, well… knowing your mortality and that you could die any minute, you could build up 3 months worth of venial sins and kick the bucket with unconfessed evil that might (just might) be covered by the last rites, but if they aren't, then you'll have to spend time in the flames of purgatory for all that stuff your priest told you not to bother him with

what a swell shepherd to your soul he truly is

course that's if you buy into the idea that some sins are less that mortal, which kinda doesn't make sense since Christ Jesus had to die for every single sin every believer ever commits, pretty definitively making the case that all Sin is mortal, and demonstrating that there is no remission for sin without shedding of blood unto death

oh, and on top of that you have to trust to your priest's sage counsel that lusting after the prostitutes in pornography is merely an addiction, rather than as Christ said; an act of adultery… something which the Apostle Paul later elaborated on, stating that such adultery wounds your very soul

but hey, if your priest says you don't need to turn up until March, no worries huh?

no

worries

Mmmmm … no.

if you repeat your offenses to God as regularly as you do, are you really sorry?

Like say you had a wife. And one day you walked in on her cheating on you. She begs for forgiveness. So like a good Christian, knowing marriage is for life, you forgive her.

Next week, you find her again with another man. And the next week. Would you say that she was really sorry?

Please do try to make greater efforts to extricate yourself from sins of the 6th commandment. You cant get into heaven if youre sexually immoral. Do obey your priest, and thus try to go at least 2 and a half weeks without falling in sin again. Flee from near occasions of sin. If you truly are repentant, then you will think about losing the ability to commune with Our Lord.

Yeah, this is what i would suggest. Follow your priests advice. If you fall to temptation again, well its time to deny yourself the Eucharist, since you basically denied our Lord with your actions in the first place. This mindset may help you to make amends for your life.

Ask for the intercession of Our Lady. Whenever I am personally tempted to sins of lust, whether of the eyes, of the mind, or of the flesh, I immediately invoke her intercession by reciting the Hail Mary, and calling her to my presence. Her humility, purity, and virginity never fails in making me realize what a disgusting and disrespectful scum I am, to be in such a sinfully excited state with her so near.

Also ask for intercession of the saints, particularly again of Our Lady, but also St. Pio and any other saints you personally like, for the sake of both you and your confessor next time you go for confession, that he may guide you well, and that you may make an efficacious and firm resolution of amendment.

Remember that even the most sinful of men and women (look up St. Mary of Egypt) were converted completely to a state of sanctifying grace and true blessedness. Be well my brother, fight hard. You better start fasting if you arent already, all appetites come from the belly, once you conquer hunger you can conquer all other desires of the flesh. Do penance, whenever you stumble try and make up for it, by small deeds of love, mercy, purity. All the graces are there for you, you just have to really mean it.

The peace of Jesus be with you.

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tl;dr:

pray unceasingly

I am also addicted to porn and masturbation, but I'm slowly getting over it thanks to Jesus. I confessed it a couple times after struggling for years to make any really progress, and then one day it just kinda stopped. I've been clean for over 100 days now, but I know I'm never going to be in the clear totally. Just always remember that God loves you, and that He has stre gth enough for all of us when our strength fails. When you feel tempted, start praying, and don't focus so much on what you're trying to get away from but focus on the Lord. That's what has helped me a lot, hopefully it works for you too. I know your pain, and I pray that we can all break free from our addictions. Pic related is a screenshot I grabbed from this board a while ago, might be helpful.

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Weekly confession is the path to sainthood, many people do it as reconciliation reconciles you with God and brings you closer to Him along with extraordinary graces. If you are conscious of masturbating that is a mortal sin and I am appalled that your priest is suggesting you go 3 months without confession.

Good post.

Seriously, what kind of priest is this? This is a recipe for damnation.


Thank you

Where the will is weakened due to a bodily weakness (which includes the higher sense faculties, i.e., the mind), what may be considered mortal can be considered venial. If you maintain hope and charity, this is good evidence that you are not fully deprived of grace. However, you must combat these sins; you must try; the priest's words should not allow you to let your guard down. I would add, lastly, that receiving Eucharist should be done after Confession and only then. I have been in the same position as you and would advise against risking committing sacrilege, which is far worse than any sexual sin.

I agree with what others are saying: this priest's words about abstaining from Confession are absurd. Find another priest if possible. You should go to Confession as often as you need to, in conjunction with seeking a spiritual advisor if any are available.

Screw what I just wrote. This is better advice.

I can understand where the priest is coming from. When scrupulous people go to weekly confession, they do it out of unwilling obligation. Grinding their teeth and wearing gloomy faces. Feeling as though they have to tick all these boxes to make themselves clean. Meanwhile, when holy people go to weekly confession, they do it because they are full of joy, and have respect for the institution. They know that reconciliation is a true sacrament, and therefore, for a moment, they can encounter Christ in it.

The Sacrament of Penance is a sacrament. You would agree that it would be disrespectful to begrudgingly receive Eucharist because you think you have to. Same with the Sacrament of Penance. That is where I think he is coming from.

As for the question of addiction and mortal sin: Yes, it is true. Since the earliest days of the Church, it was taught that a mortal sin was a sin that was against the commandments of God, that was committed with full knowledge, and as was committed with full consent of the will. And addiction was thought to take away consent of the will. Thus disqualifying the action as a mortal sin.

But it is important to remember that the theory behind theological frameworks such as mortal sin and culpability and the gravity of sin are just there to help the Church, Doctors, Bishops and Priests guide their pastoral actions. To inform them when they council lay people. Listen to your priest. If something doesn't seem right, then go to another priest in good standing to the Vatican and get a second opinion. If they tell you to receive communion, then listen to them, and put your ego aside. The core of scrupulosity is ego, after all.

Is it any better if I only masturbate to Japanese ero-manga? pls respond

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Galatians 5:17

"The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions"

Yes addiction is sin, just because its hard to stop adiction doesn automatically make it not sin.

Its still sin against the body.

mortal sin consists of having full knowledge, full will and full cooperation with the sin.

addictions aren't engaged in with full will or cooperation, and so have reduced culpability.

an addiction to mortal sin is not necessarily a mortal sin, but the act itself is still mortally sinful. it's just better to call a sin a sin and pray for strength.

if you fap when even if you're addicted to porn you still have full knowledge, will and cooperation with the sin, you could just not look at the porn

Let's imagine you start taking heroine.
The first time you take it it's a mortal sin, so as the second one the third one etc.
Once you get addicted those extra times won't count that much for a sin, since it isn't in your normal power to stop.
But you are still in mortal sin so you're winnie the poohed either way.

Addiction is the final state of sin. You're utterly consumed by it. You could even go as far as to describe addiction as a kind of demonic possession. Yeah you could argue that each individual act isn't as sinful because you aren't in the right mind, but none of that matters because addiction itself is a massive sin.

Addiction is simply the failure to resist temptation. That said I just prayed for you and would suggest to seek God more often to help you in tempting moments. In case of pornography maybe these points may help you if you keep these in mind.

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