October 4, 2012 – Catechism 1852 – 1864

The 3 things needed for a mortal sin.  Grave matter, Full Knowledge, and Complete Consent.  Without it, it is not a mortal sin.  That is why, even though it seems wrong, a person with a well formed conscious that steals a candy bar from the store commits a mortal sin whereas a uniformed and vulnerable young woman who may be uniformed or feel pressured and gets an abortion may have only committed a venial sin.  That may seem unfair, but we are all called to form our conscience and then live by what we know.  You can try to go through life ignorant of everything so that you can be blameless of mortal sin, but what kind of life is that.  It is more fulfilling to know and understand the rules and then live by them. 

Venial sin is not harmless though.  It clouds our judgment and as we commit more and more of them, it will lead, inevitably, to mortal sin.