What is Sin?
A sin is any deliberate thought, word or action against the law of God. The word ‘deliberate’ means ‘on purpose’. The ‘Law of God’ means the Commandments of Jesus and the Ten Commandments.
There are three criteria an action must meet to be labelled a sin, they are:
The thought, word or action must actually be against the law of God (not something we may simply ‘feel’ to be wrong or guilty about)
The person must know at the time that the thought, word or action is against the law of God (not have learned this later)
The thought, word or action must have been on purpose (or deliberate) – not an accident or unintentional.
Types of Sin:
You may recall that there are two types of sin, mortal sin and venial sin.
For a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be:
Serious
Done with sufficient knowledge of its gravity
Done with sufficient freedom of will
Mortal sin destroys friendship with God and separates us from him. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1415), it states that anyone who is aware of having sinned mortally must not receive Communion without having received absolution in the Sacrament of Penance.
Venial sin is a minor offence against God’s law that hurts our relationship with God but does not destroy it.
Helping children to identify sin
Children are too young when preparing for their first experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to have knowingly committed mortal sin, therefore you should help them think about the minor offences they have committed. To help them recognise their actions as sins, you may ask them to reflect on the following questions:
Was it actually against a commandment?
Did I know at the time that it was against a commandment?
Did I do it on purpose (and it was not simply an accident)?
Children should never be discouraged from confessing whatever they wish to, however they should be discouraged from thinking that a long list of sins is required. It is better for parents to help children think of two or three sins that they commit most frequently.
A sin is any deliberate thought, word or action against the law of God. The word ‘deliberate’ means ‘on purpose’. The ‘Law of God’ means the Commandments of Jesus and the Ten Commandments.
There are three criteria an action must meet to be labelled a sin, they are:
The thought, word or action must actually be against the law of God (not something we may simply ‘feel’ to be wrong or guilty about)
The person must know at the time that the thought, word or action is against the law of God (not have learned this later)
The thought, word or action must have been on purpose (or deliberate) – not an accident or unintentional.
Types of Sin:
You may recall that there are two types of sin, mortal sin and venial sin.
For a sin to be a mortal sin, it must be:
Serious
Done with sufficient knowledge of its gravity
Done with sufficient freedom of will
Mortal sin destroys friendship with God and separates us from him. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1415), it states that anyone who is aware of having sinned mortally must not receive Communion without having received absolution in the Sacrament of Penance.
Venial sin is a minor offence against God’s law that hurts our relationship with God but does not destroy it.
Helping children to identify sin
Children are too young when preparing for their first experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to have knowingly committed mortal sin, therefore you should help them think about the minor offences they have committed. To help them recognise their actions as sins, you may ask them to reflect on the following questions:
Was it actually against a commandment?
Did I know at the time that it was against a commandment?
Did I do it on purpose (and it was not simply an accident)?
Children should never be discouraged from confessing whatever they wish to, however they should be discouraged from thinking that a long list of sins is required. It is better for parents to help children think of two or three sins that they commit most frequently.