“Is This a Sin?”
Summary
TLDRFather Mike Schmitz discusses the moral implications of intentions to sin that are stopped by internal or external factors. He differentiates between being prevented from sinning due to circumstances beyond one's control and choosing not to sin due to an act of virtue. Schmitz suggests that while external prevention may require confession, internal restraint is virtuous and may not. However, he advises that feeding negative emotions, even without acting on them, could be a matter to address in confession to maintain a healthy spiritual state.
Takeaways
- 💌 The scenario discussed involves someone who writes a hurtful letter but decides not to send it, questioning whether this act requires confession.
- 🤔 Father Mike Schmitz addresses the question of whether an intention to sin that is not acted upon requires confession.
- 🚫 External circumstances can prevent sin, such as the presence of police preventing a bank robbery, which may still require confession due to the intent.
- 🔄 Internal reflection and decision not to act on a sinful intention, like not sending the letter, is considered an act of virtue and may not need confession.
- 🤝 The act of stopping oneself from sinning is virtuous and shows a sensitive and awake conscience, which is a positive sign.
- 😡 Even if the letter wasn't sent, feeding anger or a desire for vengeance while writing the letter might be something to address in confession.
- 💬 Confession can be a helpful process to surrender not only actions but also internal states like lust or anger that have affected one's heart.
- 🙏 The act of confessing can be a form of surrendering to God, acknowledging that one's understanding may be limited but seeking divine guidance and forgiveness.
- 🧐 It's important to discern the gravity of one's actions or intentions; not all internal consent to sin requires confession, but it can be beneficial.
- 🌟 Father Mike encourages a living relationship with God, where one is open to discussing and surrendering even the uncertainties of one's spiritual journey.
Q & A
What is the main topic discussed by Father Mike Schmitz in the script?
-Father Mike Schmitz discusses the concept of sin and confession, particularly focusing on situations where one intends to sin but is stopped, either externally or internally, and whether such intentions need to be confessed.
What is the scenario described by the person who wrote to Father Mike Schmitz?
-The person described a scenario where they wrote a nasty letter to someone who had hurt them, but then decided not to send it, tearing it up and throwing it away.
Why did the person who wrote the letter decide not to send it?
-The person decided not to send the letter because they thought better of it, realizing that the letter would only cause destruction and they didn't need to cause harm to someone else's life.
According to Father Mike Schmitz, what are the two things that can stop someone from sinning?
-Father Mike Schmitz explains that two things can stop someone from sinning: being stopped externally by circumstances beyond one's control, or being stopped internally by one's own moral decision.
What is an example of being stopped externally from sinning as given by Father Mike Schmitz?
-An example of being stopped externally is planning to rob a bank but being prevented from doing so because of the presence of police cars and officers at the bank.
Why does Father Mike Schmitz suggest that one might need to go to confession even if they were stopped externally from sinning?
-Father Mike Schmitz suggests that one might need to go to confession if stopped externally because the intention to sin was present, and it was only external circumstances that prevented the act, not an act of virtue on one's part.
What does Father Mike Schmitz consider an act of virtue in the context of the letter scenario?
-Father Mike Schmitz considers it an act of virtue when the person internally decides not to send the nasty letter, as it shows a moral decision to not cause harm to another.
Why might someone still need to confess even if they did not act on their sinful intentions?
-Someone might still need to confess if they fed their negative emotions, like anger or lust, even if they did not act on them, because internally consenting to these feelings can still affect one's heart and soul.
What does Father Mike Schmitz recommend doing in cases of uncertainty regarding sin and confession?
-Father Mike Schmitz recommends being honest and vulnerable before God, laying one's heart and intentions at the foot of the cross in confession, even if there is uncertainty about whether an act is a sin.
What is the significance of confessing sins, even minor ones, according to Father Mike Schmitz?
-Confessing sins, even minor ones, is significant because it represents a living relationship with God, where one is willing to surrender and entrust their actions and intentions to God for guidance and healing.
Outlines
📝 The Internal Struggle with Sinful Intentions
Father Mike Schmitz discusses a scenario where an individual contemplates a sinful act, such as writing a hurtful letter, but refrains from carrying it out. He explores the concept of sin and whether the intention to sin without execution requires confession. He differentiates between being externally stopped from sinning, like encountering police while planning to rob a bank, and internally stopping oneself, which he considers an act of virtue. The speaker advises that while external circumstances may prevent sin, internal restraint is virtuous and may not necessitate confession, but acknowledges that feeding negative emotions during the process could be a matter for confession.
🙏 The Role of Confession in Spiritual Growth
Father Mike continues the discussion on sin and confession, emphasizing the importance of honesty and vulnerability in one's relationship with God. He suggests that even if one is unsure whether an act is sinful, it can be beneficial to confess it as an act of surrender and trust in God's judgment. The summary highlights the idea that acknowledging and surrendering to God any distortion of the heart, even from lesser sins, can be a part of spiritual growth and maintaining a close relationship with God. Father Mike concludes by encouraging individuals to entrust all aspects of their lives to God, including their uncertainties and struggles with sin.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sin
💡Confession
💡Conscience
💡Intention
💡Virtue
💡Internal Stopping
💡External Stopping
💡Anger
💡Vengeance
💡Lust
💡Sacrament
Highlights
Father Mike Schmitz discusses the moral implications of intending to sin but being stopped by external or internal factors.
The scenario of writing a nasty letter out of anger but deciding not to send it is presented as an example of a moral dilemma.
The importance of a sensitive and awake conscience is emphasized through the question of whether to confess the intention to sin.
External factors stopping sinful actions, such as police presence preventing a bank robbery, are contrasted with internal moral decisions.
The act of not sending the letter due to a change of heart is considered an act of virtue, distinguishing it from external prevention.
The difference between confessing an intended sin that was externally prevented and one that was internally overcome is explored.
The internal struggle with sin, such as the decision not to gossip or act on lustful thoughts, is highlighted as virtuous.
The act of writing the letter, even if not sent, may have fed anger or vengeance, suggesting a need for confession.
The concept of feeding sinful desires internally, even without external action, is discussed in relation to confession.
The importance of honesty and vulnerability in confession, regardless of the clarity of the sin, is emphasized.
The value of entrusting one's sins to God, even when unsure of their severity, is presented as a form of surrender and trust.
Father Mike encourages the audience to reflect on their actions and intentions, and to seek guidance through prayer and confession.
The potential for growth and understanding through the process of confessing and surrendering to God is highlighted.
The video concludes with a reminder of the importance of maintaining a living relationship with God through open communication and confession.
Father Mike Schmitz signs off, wishing blessings upon the viewers and encouraging them to reflect on the discussion.
Transcripts
this happens to any one of us right
where we intend to sin
but something stops us
[Music]
hi my name is father mike schmitz and
this is ascension presents so um someone
had asked me recently they described
this scenario in their life where they
said
someone had hurt them someone had upset
them someone had maybe kind of even
infuriated them and so they wrote this
kind of like
nasty letter to someone where they kind
of just
leaned into them and criticizing them
and yelling at them back
okay but then they said after a little
bit they thought better of it and said
i'm not going to send this letter
tore it up threw it away and then they
wrote to me and said
but do i need to go to confession over
this because
it was like it was pretty bad letter do
i need to put a confession over this
even though i didn't send it and i
thought that's a really good question in
fact that's a
a great sign of a a sensitive and awake
a live conscience is
asking that question of like well i i
did
this thing but i didn't send this thing
so
where do i stand where's my soul when it
comes to this thing remarkable question
um actually there um have been a number
of occasions when
this happens to any one of us right
where we intend to sin
but something stops us now there's two
things that can stop us two things that
can stop us
one is we can be stopped externally and
when we can be stopped internally
so if i'm stopped externally so the
classic example would be this me and my
uh
ten friends we decide we're gonna rob a
bank maybe a casino or something like
this
and so we have this elaborate plot we
get everything in position
and we drive up to the bank and as we're
about to go into the bank we see a bunch
of uh cop cars right outside the bank a
bunch of uh police inside
the bank and realize okay wait let's not
do this let's let's leave let's not rob
the bank
so our intention was to rob the bank but
we were prevented from robbing the bank
because
well someone else right so i had made
the act of the will
to choose to do the thing but i was
prevented from doing the thing
by external circumstances this can
happen and
pick whatever kind of sinful scenario
you would like
do i need to go to confession over that
probably yes
right because that wasn't an act of
virtue i didn't stop myself i did stop
myself
but it was more along the lines of i
stopped because i was prevented from
doing it externally
there was cops there i didn't have the
opportunity to act on my sin
so i should bring that to confession
because my act of the will was
if i had the opportunity i would have
done it and i intended to do it
intended to do it make sense now for
this person
their perspective was i wrote the letter
and then i thought better of it i
thought i don't need to send this letter
this letter will only do destruction i
don't need
to cause that in someone else's life and
so they stopped themselves
that i would say is an act of virtue
it's just it's something similar
maybe you could even say the person
who's gonna rob the bank they are gonna
go down to rob the bank
solo maybe not their their them and them
them them and their friends
you're gonna rob the bank solo and you
start driving down to the bank you're
like you know what
this isn't me this isn't what i'm called
to do i'm gonna turn the car around
that's an act of virtue this happens a
bunch of times when i'm talking to
students with whatever area
of sin in their life is there and they
say yeah i booted up the computer and
then i thought you know what
no not this time like great that's an
act of virtue or they're like they said
you know
when it came to i started mentioning you
know gossip about my
one roommate with the other roommate and
i thought you know what no
i don't need to say this i don't need to
be that kind of person that
internal stopping yourself is making the
decision
of virtue and that doesn't need to be
confessed now
last caveat for this particular person
who was writing this
you know quote unquote nasty letter to
whatever degree
they had fed their anger for whatever
degree they had fed their vengeance by
taking the time to write the letter
in order to hurt the other person that
might be something they would need to
bring to confession
you know even though they didn't send
the letter they might have to say like
yeah but you know what
i allowed that anger to fester in me and
we could say the same thing with
something like lust like
i didn't act on the lust externally but
like i really
really kind of grabbed onto it
internally and i
the word would be i consented to it
internally
and maybe i should bring that to
confession now
a person might not necessarily have to
bring that to confession depending on
the gravity of that depending
on the seriousness or um i think kind of
the elements
of that like sin of thought but
there are times when it can be really
really helpful to say
ah you know i really did feed this anger
i really did feed this this desire for
vengeance
and um even though i thought better of
it that's our active virtue but even
though i thought better of it
i do want to lay it down at the foot of
the cross in confession
or even even though i fed this i really
did feed this lust
and i didn't act on it but you know what
i realized it did something to my heart
internally because i was choosing it
at the time even though i didn't act on
it which is again an act of virtue
so it's not always super clear-cut on
um what was this mortal or was it venia
was this was this uh
external was it internal nonetheless
the great gift we have is even when we
don't know
we get to like open our open our hearts
before the lord we get to actually be
honest
and vulnerable and and just say lord
i humbly come before you to whatever
decree this was a sin
i surrender it because you recognize it
with some it's
different than if you were to say i
don't know if it's the same but i'm just
going to confess it that
that's that's not good we'll make
another video about that i feel like i
if you ever are thinking like i don't
know if this is a sin but i'm going to
confess it anyways even after you've
asked someone and they're like oh no not
at all or you looked up in the
catechism and there's no no it's not a
sin but if you knew
like now that i knew that this was a sin
i knew that i shouldn't
be consenting to this even if it wasn't
grave even if it wasn't a mortal sin it
can be
really good to simply say lord you know
and whatever to whatever degree this
grab down to my heart whatever degree it
to
whatever degree it distorted my heart i
hand it over to you i surrender it to
you
because there's something really good
about that living relationship with god
where we are willing to say god you know
better i've thought about this i prayed
about this
and i still don't know so i'm just going
to lay it at your feet i'm going to
entrust it to you
just like just like we entrust
everything in our lives to god
anyways that's what i got from of us
here at ascension presents my name's
father mike
god bless
you
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