MORTAL AND VENIAL SINS 27 



Mortal sin, therefore, is a wilful transgression of the 

 law of God in a matter which one knows or believes to be 

 important. It robs man of sanctifying grace, deprives 

 him of the friendship of God, and renders him deserving 

 of eternal damnation. 



Venial sin, on the other hand, is either a violation of 

 an important law without full advertence or consent, or 

 a transgression of a law of slight importance. 33 Venial 

 sin does not destroy sanctifying grace and is more easily 

 pardoned than mortal sin because it does not involve for- 

 mal contempt (contemptus) but merely neglect of God 

 {neglectio Dei). 



1 



III. If there were no distinction between mor- 

 tal and venial sin, then either all sins would be 

 mortal or all would be venial. The former prop- 

 osition would entail Rigorism, the latter Laxism. 



It has been objected that the Catholic teaching 

 on this subject is derogatory to virtue and breeds 

 lax opinions and carelessness. This accusation 

 is unfounded. The Church expressly teaches 

 that venial sin is incomparably worse than any 

 temporal injury or evil, and can be expiated only 



stateras dolosas, ubi appendamus, amicitiam cum Deo solvit poenamque 

 quod volumus et quomodo volumus, aeternam meretur. Dicitur mortale, 

 pro arbitrio nostro dicentes: hoc quia spiritualis vitae principium, gra- 

 grave, hoc leve est, sed afferamus tiam scil. habitualem, tollit et mor- 

 divinam stateram de scripturis sane- tern animae affert. Veniale est, quod 

 tis tamquam de thesauris dominicis, ob suam levitatem gratiam et amici- 

 et in ilia quid sit gravius appenda- tiam non tollit, etsi fervorem cari- 

 mus, immo non appendamus, sed a tatis minuat et temporalem poenam 

 Domino appensa recognoscamus." mereatur. Dicitur veniale, quia sal- 

 (Migne, P. L., XLIII, 132). vo vitae spiritualis principio, scil. 

 33 Cfr. St. Alphonsus, Theol. gratia, languorem animae facile cura- 

 Mor., 1. V, n. 51: "Mortale est, bilem infert veniamque facile con- 

 quod ob sui gravitatem gratiam et sequitur." (Ed. Gaude, II, 747). 



