Mortal Sin

     According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a "mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.  Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God's mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation (confession):  When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object...whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery....

     For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met:  'Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.'  Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man:  'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.'   ....Mortal sin require full knowledge and complete consent.  It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law.  It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice.  Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

     Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense.  But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man.  Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.  Mortal sin results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace.  If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices forever, with no turning back.  However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."

     "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.'  There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.  Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss."

                                                                                                                      Catechism of the Catholic Church
                                                                                                                      Nos. 1855-1861, 1864