What is sin?

 


Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father,
we come before You with humble hearts, acknowledging our need of Your mercy and grace. You created us in Your image, and You call us into friendship with You. Yet we have often chosen lesser things, wandered from Your way, and allowed sin to enter our lives. Grant us the gift of true repentance, the courage to examine our hearts, and the strength to turn back to You. Open our minds to understand what sin is, how it works in our lives, and how we are called to live in freedom through Your Son, Jesus Christ. May Your Holy Spirit guide us in truth, cleanse us from every stain, and renew us in holiness. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.



What is sin?

Definition and Nature

  • The Catechism teaches that sin is “an offence against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbour caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods.” (CCC 1849)

  • Sin is also “any deed, word, or desire contrary to the eternal law” (CCC 1849).

  • It wounds us: it harms our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. It diminishes the freedom and dignity with which we were created.

Effects of Sin on Us

  • Because of sin we lose God’s friendship and sanctifying grace; our relationship with God is wounded.

  • Sin distorts our nature: it weakens our will, darkens our intellect, inclines us to more sin (the “vicious cycle”).

  • Sin alienates: from God, from others, from creation, and even from our true self (the person God made us to be).

  • Sin has consequences: it can lead to suffering, broken relationships, loss of meaning, and ultimately eternal separation from God if unrepented (mortal sin).

  • However, through forgiveness in Christ and the sacrament of Reconciliation, we are restored, healed, renewed, and called back to friendship with God.

Different Kinds of Sin

  • Venial sin: less serious offence that wounds but does not destroy our relationship with God.

  • Mortal sin: a grave matter, committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent, which destroys the life of grace in the soul (CCC 1855-1857).

  • The Catechism also speaks of capital (or “head”) sins: sins which engender other sins and vices. (CCC 1866) Catholic Exchange+3USCCB+3Catholic Culture+3

Why is sin so serious for catechumens?
As a catechumen (one preparing for baptism or full initiation into the Church), you are being drawn into a new life in Christ. Understanding sin is integral:

  • You come to know why we need Christ’s salvation.

  • You become aware of how you’ve been healed by baptism and how you must live in the grace you receive.

  • You are forming habits of virtue and turning away from sin, so you can live in the freedom of God’s children.

The Seven “Capital” Sins – Explanation, What They Do to Us, and Application

These are sometimes called the “seven deadly sins” but more precisely in Catholic teaching they are the “seven capital sins” because they are the roots from which many other sins spring. (CCC 1866–1868) Catholic Culture+2Catholic Exchange+2

Here they are, one by one, with what they are, how they affect us, and how we can apply the teaching.

1. Pride

What it is: An excessive love of self, a desire to be better than others, to be the centre, to rely on one’s own power rather than God’s. (See also: Vatican theology of the seven sins describes pride as often the “first” sin). Encyclopedia Britannica+1
What it does to us:

  • It cuts off our dependence on God and acknowledges God’s grace less.

  • It alienates us from others by making us competitive, arrogant, unwilling to serve.

  • It blinds us to our need of conversion and mercy.
    Application for you (and for catechumens):

  • Recognise moments when you think “I can do this on my own,” “I deserve more,” or “I am better than X.”

  • Practice humility: ask for help, acknowledge God’s gifts, give thanks, serve others.

  • In your prayer, invite God to show you where pride is blocking your relationship with Him.

2. Greed (Avarice)

What it is: A disordered desire for earthly goods, for more than what one needs, or placing material things above God or neighbour. catholic.net
What it does to us:

  • It makes us possessive, anxious about loss, selfish.

  • It distorts our relationship with creation and others: we treat things and persons as means.

  • It dulls our generosity and gratitude.
    Application:

  • Reflect on what you truly need versus what you want.

  • Practice simplicity and generosity: give of your time, talent, treasure.

  • Ask yourself: does my attachment to possessions or comfort block my love for God and neighbour?

3. Lust

What it is: Disordered sexual desire—when sexual desire is sought for its own sake, detached from its proper place (i.e., marriage, love, procreation, as taught by the Church). catholic.net+1
What it does to us:

  • It reduces the human person to an object of desire.

  • It disrupts the gift-exchange dimension of love, and thus wounds relationships.

  • It may lead to shame, secrecy, broken relationships, guilt.
    Application:

  • Understand the dignity of your body and the bodies of others (see CCC on human sexuality).

  • Cultivate chastity appropriate to your state in life (single, married).

  • When tempted, turn to prayer, redirect your thoughts, avoid occasions of sin.

4. Envy

What it is: A sadness or resentment at the good of another; a desire to have what another has, and to see them lose it. laycistercians.com+1
What it does to us:

  • It turns us inward with bitterness, contrast, comparison.

  • It destroys peace—rather than rejoicing in another’s good, we begrudge it.

  • It weakens our gratitude for our own blessings.
    Application:

  • Practice rejoicing in other people’s successes ("I am glad for you").

  • Count your blessings and express gratitude.

  • When you sense envy rising, pray for the other person and ask God to heal your heart.

5. Gluttony

What it is: Over-indulgence or over-consumption of food, drink (or more widely: any consumption) to the point of excess; placing the appetite above reason and moderation. Encyclopedia Britannica+1
What it does to us:

  • It becomes a form of slavery to appetite rather than freedom.

  • It reduces the body and its functions to mere gratification.

  • It can lead to physical, moral and spiritual consequences (lack of self-control, neglect of service, etc.).
    Application:

  • Practice temperance: moderate eating/drinking and other pleasures.

  • Use fasting or discipline (as your state in life allows) to strengthen your will and focus on God.

  • Ask: Does my desire for comfort or pleasure block my service to God or neighbour?

6. Wrath (Anger)

What it is: Unchecked anger or hate, when the emotion moves us to seek vengeance, harm others, hold grudges, refuse forgiveness. Encyclopedia Britannica+1
What it does to us:

  • It wounds relationships, sows discord, isolates us.

  • It distorts justice: turning rightful anger into destructive vengeance.

  • It can lead to further sin (e.g., violence, hatred, malicious speech).
    Application:

  • Recognise triggers of anger and learn to pause, pray, reflect.

  • Practice forgiveness (we are forgiven by God; we must forgive others).

  • Channel righteous anger into constructive love and justice rather than destruction.

7. Sloth (Acedia)

What it is: Apathy, spiritual laziness, failure to act for good; neglecting what we ought to do for God and neighbour. Encyclopedia Britannica+1
What it does to us:

  • It prevents us from growth in virtue, from service, from relationship with God.

  • It can lead to despair, inertness, choosing comfort over challenge.

  • It empties our lives of meaning and joy.
    Application:

  • Set concrete goals for service, prayer, growth.

  • Use discipline, schedule, accountability to resist inertia.

  • Ask: am I neglecting what God calls me to because I’m comfortable in passivity?

Why These Matter for Our Lives

  • These capital sins are not just “big” sins—they are roots. They lead to many other sins and vices. (CCC 1866) Catholic Culture+1

  • As catechumens and Christians, recognising them helps you to:

    • Examine your conscience in a deeper way.

    • Grow in virtue (the opposites of these sins) and holiness.

    • Live with greater freedom, authenticity, and love.

  • The virtue-counterparts to each sin help us to build new habits: e.g., humility for pride, generosity for greed, chastity for lust, etc. The Catholic Company

  • Sin affects not only our individual relationship with God but our community, our service, our witness. A Christian life calls for repentance, conversion, and transformation by grace.

Practical Steps and Application for Catechumens

  1. Examination of Conscience – Regularly review your life in light of these capital sins: in which area am I most prone?

  2. Confession & Reconciliation – Make use of the sacraments (once you are baptized/received) to ask for mercy and receive healing.

  3. Daily Prayer – Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the hidden roots of sin in your heart, and to strengthen you in virtue.

  4. Fasting & Discipline – Use small sacrifices (fasting, abstinence, service) to weaken the power of these sins and strengthen freedom.

  5. Virtue Practice – Intentionally cultivate the opposite virtue to the sin you struggle with most.

  6. Service & Community – Love your neighbour, serve those in need—sin often pulls us inward; virtue sends us outward.

  7. Accountability & Community – Sharing your journey with a sponsor, spiritual director, or fellow catechumen helps you stay aware, grounded, supported.

  8. Ongoing Conversion – Conversion is lifelong. Even after baptism, we keep returning to the Lord in humility, asking Him to cleanse us, lift us, renew us.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You came into the world to save sinners and to restore us to the Father. We confess that we have sinned: in thought, word and deed; by what we have done and by what we have failed to do. Forgive us, heal us, and draw us into the fullness of life in You.

Grant us the grace to see clearly where the roots of sin lie in our hearts: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, or sloth. Deliver us from their power; grant us the virtues that overcome them. May we live in the freedom of the children of God, walking in love, service and truth, sustained by Your Spirit.

Holy Spirit, renew us. Guide us. Transform us. So that we may live worthy of the calling we have received, for the glory of God the Father. Amen.



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