Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume I › Book I. On the General Principles of the Christian Life › Treatise II. On Motion in Order to the Final End, or on the Human Act, Considered according to Moral Being › Dissertation II. On Human Acts Considered according to Moral Being › Part II. On Morality in Particular › Section III. On the Evil Act, or on Sin › Chapter II. On Some Classes of Sins in Particular

Article — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

Article I. On Sin of Commission and Omission

275.

I. Notion. Sin of commission is situated in the placing, sin of omission in the omitting, of a commanded act. It is disputed whether a free and culpable omission can physically be given without any positive act morally affecting the omission. Certainly, however, it ordinarily occurs with a positive act, namely with the will of omitting or with another act which is known to be incompatible with the commanded act.

SinAdvertence required for sin

276.

II. Morality. With respect to the morality of sin of commission, nothing special needs to be noted.

  1. With respect to sin of omission, these things must be observed specifically:

a) Sin of omission begins to be imputed as soon as someone wills to omit the prescribed act, or places an act incompatible with the prescribed act.

b) Sin of omission, in the case in which the depraved will has not been retracted, is externally completed or consummated at the time when the prescribed act begins to bind; and the consummation lasts until the time for fulfilling the precept expires. If the depraved will is truly retracted before the precept binds, the sin is not consummated; if it is retracted after the precept has begun to bind, the consummation ceases (St. Alphonsus, V, 10; cf. St. Thomas, II-II, q. 79, a. 3, ad 3).

  1. With respect to acts joined with omission, such as playing, eating, etc., I note:

a) They become sinful if they are the cause of the omission, as if someone from love of play omits Mass. An act causing malice is necessarily itself infected by the malice. Nevertheless, its malice is not diverse from the malice of the omission, so that it suffices to confess the omission alone. Except if the cause of the omission is gravely evil in itself, as if someone omits Mass in order to steal. Nevertheless, in that case "theft can be stated in confession separately from the omission of Mass, because then theft is only a cause aggravating, not changing, the species" (St. Alphonsus, cited place) of the omission.

b) They do not become sinful, and therefore do not have to be confessed, if they only accompany the omission, as if someone omits Mass and meanwhile, lest he remain idle, reads a book (St. Alphonsus, cited place).

SinAdvertence required for sin