/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

>>754577

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?

>I don't want to profane the Eucharist

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.

> 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…

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

>>754610

>don't listen to your priest! listen to me!

Mmmmm … no.

>>754577

>>754622

tl;dr:

pray unceasingly

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.

>>754622

Good post.

>>754683

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

>>754634

>>754610

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.

>>754966

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.

>>754622

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.

>>754577

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.

>>754577

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.

>>760013

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.

>>760013

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

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.

>sins wile addicted

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.