What is the difference between a mortal sin and a venial sin?
The Church distinguishes between two degrees of sin: mortal sin and venial sin, based on the gravity of the offense against God and neighbour.
Mortal sin destroys charity in the human heart by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end. For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be met simultaneously: it must concern grave matter (such as idolatry, murder, adultery, or grave theft), it must be committed with full knowledge of the sinful act, and it must be committed with deliberate and complete consent.
Venial sin differs because it offends and wounds charity, but does not destroy it. It involves a lesser matter, or grave matter without full knowledge or complete consent. While venial sin weakens charity and merits temporal punishment, it does not rupture our relationship with God or cause the loss of sanctifying grace.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1857
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1862
- 1 John 5:16-17
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.