Article — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Article Second.
Conditions of Venial Sin.
317. What they are. Also for venial sin considered subjectively three things are required:
Light matter, i.e. an obligation which is apprehended by the agent as light, whether it is light in itself or is held as light from invincible ignorance.
At least half-full advertence to the malice of the action.
At least half-full consent to the evil thing.
a. But if the matter is light in itself, advertence and consent can be a perfectly human act, yet the sin is nothing except venial. If advertence is half-full, whatever the matter may be, the sin will be venial.
b. Sins which are committed with half-full advertence and half-full consent are customarily called half-deliberate sins, which therefore even in grave matter are venial from imperfection of the act.
c. Indeliberate sins, if this word is taken strictly, cannot be true sins. But if nevertheless the nature of sin is attributed to them, they must be conceived in such a way "that the action itself, which is denominated sin, was done in itself with no advertence, as distraction in prayer, but proceeded from some preceding negligence," so that the action is a sin not in itself but in the cause.1
1 Lehmkuhl I, n. 221.
318. A sin light from its genus can in the individual become grave:
By reason of an erroneous conscience, by which someone holds a light sin for grave: for then he freely consents to a thing which he apprehends as gravely evil. Therefore children who hold every lie or theft, even of a light thing, as a grave sin not rarely sin gravely from an erroneous conscience.
By reason of a gravely evil end. Thus theft of a light thing perpetrated for committing homicide is a grave sin, not indeed on account of an injury in goods of fortune, but on account of the intention of committing homicide: for the means participates in the malice of the end; but the end is gravely evil.
He who, from the intention of gradually arriving at a grave quantity, in repeated instances steals some small amount, or who, from the intention of violating the fast, often eats some small amount, sins gravely in the individual acts: for the intended end is gravely evil; but the means which are applied to the end participate in the malice of the end; therefore the individual acts have grave malice. Nevertheless the individual acts, by reason of the intention from which they proceed and by which they are informed, are gathered into moral unity and morally constitute one sin, unless they are acts plainly independent of one another.
By reason of grave scandal which is foreseen as going to arise from a venial sin. Thus the venial levities of a priest before seculars, and the venially evil words of parents before children, can become grave sin on account of scandal.
By reason of formal contempt, whether of law or of the legislator: for he who transgresses a law from formal contempt contemns the legislative power itself; but he who contemns this, although in only a light matter, inflicts grave injury upon God and his ordination.
A twofold contempt of law or of the legislator must be distinguished: formal, by which the law or legislator as such, namely his authority, is contemned; and material, by which the matter of the law, e.g. as of light moment, as inept for the end, as unjust, or the legislator as man, e.g. as imprudent or wicked, is contemned. Therefore he sins from formal contempt who transgresses the law because he does not wish to be subject to the law or to the legislator, or precisely because it is commanded. To violate the law from material contempt of the precept or of the human one prescribing is ordinarily a light sin; but to violate the law from material contempt of divine law or of the divine legislator is a grave sin.
By reason of proximate danger of falling into grave sin, if by sinning lightly someone exposes himself to such danger: for by the same obligation by which we are held to avoid sin, we are also held to avoid its proximate danger. Thus he who seeks lightly prohibited conversation with companions, in which for the most part he sins gravely, by exposing himself to the danger of grave sin sins gravely.
By reason of excessive affection toward some thing, as if someone is so affected toward a game that he is actually prepared rather to offend God gravely, e.g. to omit Mass on a feast day, than to abstain from the game. Not the vehemence of the passion by which he adheres to the game is a grave sin, but the evil disposition by which he is prepared to prefer the creature to God, if indeed that disposition has passed into act.
By reason of matter coalescing with the matter of other venial sins, concerning which matter there is the following question.
Note. From the objective gravity of sin must be distinguished the subjective gravity of sin. For judging this gravity, namely, not only objective elements but also subjective ones must be considered, such as ignorance, infirmity, fear, contempt, etc., which in a determined subject can increase or diminish the malice of sin. It not rarely happens that the subjective gravity of sin is far distant from its objective gravity. In the practice of confession, attention must especially be paid to those circumstances which make a sin grave in itself light. Ordinarily, indeed, sins grave in themselves are also grave subjectively; but sometimes those which are grave in themselves and objectively become light subjectively, or at least do not have the same degree of malice in the subject which they have in themselves, because they are committed from ignorance, from infirmity, from fear, from shame, etc., all of which diminish moral malice.
319. Whether several venial sins constitute mortal sin.
- Venial sins by multiplication alone, however great, never constitute mortal sin unless their matter coalesces: for number alone does not change the essence of sin; but between mortal and venial sin there is an essential difference.
a. Therefore a priest who in recitation of the office daily omits one psalm, even if in the course of the year the omissions are many, sins only venially; and if at the beginning of the year he proposes daily to omit a psalm, this purpose does not exceed venial sin: for the purpose does not have greater malice than the acts intended through the purpose, which individually are venial and are not united with one another.
b. Therefore a master who on a feast day enjoins thirty servants to the labor of one hour sins only venially: for the acts of the individuals do not morally coalesce.
c. Therefore he who proposes to avoid only mortal sins, not caring about venial sins, indeed he who proposes to commit all venial sins which occur, by this will of itself does not exceed venial fault: for the malice of this purpose of itself is taken from the object; but its object is constituted by venial sins alone. It is said of itself because accidentally there can be joined with this purpose of the will a danger of sinning gravely; but to will this danger, known as such, would be a grave sin.
- Venial sins multiplied by reason of coalescing matter or by reason of an effect caused can constitute mortal sin, with advertence nevertheless supposed to grave matter or to an effect prohibited under grave obligation.
He who, without the intention of gathering a grave quantity, in repeated instances steals some small amount, sins gravely when, with advertence to the grave effect, he steals the quantity which completes grave matter: for although the matter of that theft, considered in itself and absolutely, is light, nevertheless together with the preceding things with which it coalesces it completes and constitutes grave matter. But the thief, before the last theft, adverting as supposed to grave matter and grave damage, by that small theft consents to grave sin. By equal reason a priest who in different hours of the same office omits some small amount sins mortally by that omission which completes grave matter, if he adverts to the gravity of the matter.