MORTAL AND VENIAL SINS 17 



I. Sacred Scripture distinguishes between sins 

 of greater or less gravity in such passages as: 

 "Whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be 

 in danger of judgment; and whosoever shall say 

 to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the 

 council ; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall 

 be in danger of hell fire ;" 2 in the parables of the 

 moat and the beam, 3 of the king who took account 

 of his servants, 4 in the similitude of the blind 

 guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel, 5 

 and so forth. The Bible moreover expressly 

 mentions sins that are "worthy of death," 6 the 

 doers of which "shall not possess the kingdom of 

 God;" 7 sins "that beget death," 8 and others that 

 are regularly committed by all men, even the just. 9 

 Comparing the texts one cannot but see that there 

 is a difference, not only of quantity or degree, but 

 likewise of quality or essence, between different 

 sins {differentia in ipsa ratione peccati). Mortal 

 sin robs man of sanctifying grace, destroys the 

 supernatural life of the soul, and entails eternal 

 damnation; whereas venial sin merely weakens 

 grace and diminishes that love which is poured 

 out in the heart by the Holy Ghost. 



We have purposely refrained from citing in support 



2Matth. V, 22. Cfr. Matth. X, 6 Rom. I, 32; cfr. Ex. XXXII, 30 



15; XI, 22; XVI, 10; John XIX, 11. sq.; 1 John V, 16. 



3 Matth. VII, 3 sqq. 7 1 Cor. VI, 9 sq.; Gal. V, 19 sqq. 



4 Matth. XVIII, 23 sqq. 8 Jas. I, 13 sqq. 



6 Matth. XXIII, 24. »Jas. Ill, 2; 1 John I, 8. 



