Many Catholics who engage in the process of discernment that’s described in the papal exhortation Amoris Laetitia conclude that God is calling them to return to full participation in the Eucharist and in the life of the Church. But even if this process is done “with honesty, charity and discretion, by the so-called “internal forum” – the conscience of the person who lives in a voluntary sexual union with a married person other than his or her spouse – there is actually a conflict of interests.
After the discernment process is ended under the direction of the local pastor, the person can feel he or she is living “in peace with God.” However, it is a “bad” confession and the absolution is ineffective because the occasion of sin remains unforgiven.
Repentance does not exist and neither is the will to not sin again or avoid the occasion of sin which remains through their cohabitation.
In repentance we pray: “I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.” Therefore it is impossible to admit to the sacraments, a person who is living more uxorio (as husband and wife) with someone who is not his or her spouse.
This “process of discernment” destroys the sacraments of confession, Eucharist and marriage. The only allowance is for these persons to live “as brother and sister,” in absolute chastity, as both St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI declared. Scripture cannot be more explicit – “Whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Mt.5:32).
Known by different names – penance, reconciliation, contrition – confession is the sacrament in which the priest, in God’s name, forgives sins committed after baptism, and reconciles the sinner with God and the Church. The priest has the authority to forgive and absolve sins because Christ said to His apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” (Jn.20:20).
As you know, there are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several lists of them; for example, the Ten Commandments. But sins can be distinct, according to the commandments they violate.
Sins can be classified according to whether they concern God, neighbour, or oneself. They can also be divided into spiritual and carnal sins, or as sins of thought, word, deed, or omission.
The root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free will, according to the teaching of the Lord: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile our souls” (Mt.15:19-20). But in the heart also resides love and charity, the source of good and pure works, which are wounded by sin.
Today, the sense of sin is disappearing. Modern society, proclaiming that human rights allow the individual to satisfy personal desires, has forgotten that the law of God must be observed. While many years ago confessionals were visited by long lines, today they are pieces of antiquity. Couples living common law go candidly to receive Communion without remorse. Catholics call themselves “practising” Catholics yet miss their mandatory Sunday Mass without regret and see no need to confess this mortal sin.
Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin became part of the tradition of the Church. Mortal sin destroys the love of God in our souls by a grave violation of his law. It turns man away from God who is his ultimate end by preferring an inferior good, thus losing the state of grace. Venial sin allows the love of God to subsist in the soul even though it offends and wounds him by a light fault.
For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be met.
The first condition is grave matter. This is specified in the Ten Commandments and reiterated by Jesus in his reply to the rich young man: “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honour your father and mother” (Mk.19:19). But even in these commands there is an escalation according to their gravity. Murder is graver than theft.
Violence against parents is graver than violence against an unknown. Adultery is graver than a cunning lie.
The second condition is full knowledge. One must know the sinful character of the act. For instance, an immature teenager may not be aware that abortion is not only a mortal sin but that the Church punishes it with excommunication. Feigning ignorance, however, does not diminish but increases the gravity of intentional mortal sin.
The third condition is true consent and will to commit the sinful action. The deliberate decision is not made under duress of fear and force. Therefore external pressures and pathological disorders can diminish the voluntary character of the offense.
