The Priest at Prayer, May 5

The Priest and the Eternal Truths
Venial Sin

First Meditation

The Nature of Venial Sin

I. The catechism speaks of venial sins as an offense which is lightly committed and easily pardoned, but prepares the way for mortal sin. Theologians define it as "a free act of the will adhering to something forbidden by the Law of God, but without breaking with God our Last End". It is an attachment to something which, while not severing us from Life's appointed destiny, is not conducive to it and cannot be squared with it.

There are two kinds of venial sin:

1. Venial by reason of an imperfect act, through lack of knowledge or consent in the person committing it; such as negligence in prompdy rejecting a grave temptation to sensuality, or assent to an evil suggestion in a state of semi-consciousness.

2. Venial by reason of the object which in itself is of lesser moment and which therefore does not seriously impair one's love for God or for the neighbor; as, for example, the stealing of a small sum of money, or a jocose lie.

II. Venial sin suffers slight comparison with mortal sin: it does not infringe the essence of the moral order, that is, the primary purpose intended by the Divine Law­ giver; it does not wreathe the creature's brow sacri­legiously with God's own incommunicable Attribute of being our Last End; it does not take the soul out of the path of salvation, although there is undue diversion and a slowing down of progress; it leaves the spirit intrinsically alive to grace and endowed with the beauty and splendour essential to a child of God; no, it does not extinguish the vital principle of the supernatural life, grace; and therefore venial sin is a wound in a living body, and, as such, is curable, amenable to the healing force of grace; it is, as the catechism says: easy to remedy and pardon - veniabilis. The aforementioned contrast should in the first place make us detest and flee from mortal sin.

III. If the effects of venial sin, as outlined above, should persuade me that it is of slight importance, I have made a bad mistake; the only thing they prove is, that such is the enormity of mortal sin that all other evils hardly deserve the name; moreover, they provide me with a criterion for judging the terrible menace of venial sin, being as it is a disposition and road leading straight into the dark abyss of mortal sin.

In the case of venial sin ex imperfectione actus, the conclusion is legitimate, because a will that defends itself from grave temptation remissly, or half consents to it, is not far from entire surrender, should the assault intensify.

And as regards venial sin ex parvitate materiae, the momentum of its thrust will drive me to mortal sin, unless I re-establish the only barrier against it: complete submission of my will to the Will of God. But alas! I have got into a rebellious frame of mind concerning small things; my free-will has revelled in the furtive delight of by-passing the Laws. Will not a habit like this eventually drag me down to disobedience in things of greater moment?

"Little things despise, and little by little thou shalt come to ruin." (Eclus. xix,1)

Resolution
I shall meditate on the dangers of my lesser defects which I deal with so indulgently. I shall reflect on the process of my past and all-too-frequent falls from God's grace, in order to understand with meridional clarity what without reflection I have already perceived in a dark manner; namely, that when I plunged into mortal sin I had for several days been slipping and sliding towards the abyss down the gentle slope of puny attach­ments and of petty illicit actions that were, after all, but a mask for my love of the forbidden fruit of deadly poison.
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Adapted from The Priest at Prayer
by Fr. Eugenio Escribano, C.M. (© 1954)
Translated by B.T. Buckley, C.M.

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Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood!