Dear Agatha:

I am not sure where you get the idea that there are no sins worse than others. Such a novel idea does not come from the Bible.

The Old Testament, for example, is filled with Jewish Law that makes some sins worse than others. Are you going to suggest that murder is no worse than stealing a pen at Walmart?

Yes, all sin of any sort offends God, but not all sin is of the same degree. God Himself identifies five sins that cry our to heaven for Vengeance are:

• The Blood of Abel -- willful murder (Genesis 4:10)
• The sin of the Sodomites -- sins against nature (Genesis 18:20, 19:13)
• The cry of the Oppressed in Egypt - oppression of the poor (Exodus 3:7-10)
• The cry (oppression) of the alien, widows, and orphans (Exodus 20:20-22
• Injustice to the wage earner (Deuteronomy 24:14-15, James 5:4)

These sins are in a category that is worse than other sins and God Himself created the category.

Then there is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29) that is so serious that forgiveness is not possible. This is yet another category of sin that is worse than all the rest.

St. Paul gives lists of major sins. These lists do not give all sins, just the worst ones, thus there must be at least two categories of sin. St. Paul's lists may be found at 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5, 1 Timothy 1:19-20

This categorization of sins can be since in relationships with friends. A friend can sin (offend) against you in a small way that is reconciled easily or in a way that severs your relationship completely.

The teaching on mortal and venial sin from the Catholic Church is in the Bible. ALL teachings of the Catholic Church are either overtly taught or implied in the Bible. This makes sense since the Bible is a Catholic book. The New Testament was written by Catholics, compiled by Catholics, and vetted by Catholics. It is an expression of Catholic teaching. The Catholic Church, as a matter of fact, is the ONLY Church on the planet that is actually 100% Biblical.

The Apostle John tells us that there is a category of sin that is NOT deadly (1 John 5:16). For John to make this point it is obvious that there are also sins that ARE deadly. These are two categories of sin.

Deadly (mortal) sin is sin that severe our relationship with God. It destroys grace. (see 1 John 5:16-17). The term "mortal" comes from the Latin morte meaning death.

Non-deadly (venial) sin is sin that damages our relationship but does not destroy our relationship with God. Venial sin weakens grace, but does not destroy it. (see Matthew 12:31). The terms "venial" comes from the Latin venia meaning pardon.

This is what the Apostles taught and what the Church has taught since the 1st Century.

The man-made doctrine that there are not distinctions in sin was an invention of bigots who refused to follow the Christian teaching from the Apostles about the Sacrament of Confession (which is also in the Bible: James 5:13-15; Matt 18:18)

The reason the Catholic Church teaches these things is because the Catholic Church MUST teach these things. This teaching is dogma, it is the Truth that was taught by Jesus and the Apostles and neither the Catholic Church, the Pope, or any other person or group can legitimately change the dogma of the faith.

Common sense, Jewish Law as recorded in the Old Testament, the teaching of the Jesus and the Apostles, the teachings in the New Testament, and the continuing teaching of the Church for 2000 years all affirm that there are degrees of sin. ALL SIN is contrary to God but not all sin has equal severity.

If anyone wishes to believe that all sin is the same, then the next time one tells a little white lie, or steals a pencil from a friend or an employer, or any other sin, then we must treat that sin in the same way we treat the sin of murder.

So tell a white lie (such as a family member telling a person on the telephone that you are not home, when in fact you are home) should receive a penalty of life in prison (the same penalty as murder), or if we do not do that, then unless we are hypocrites we must give a murderer a penalty of a $50 fine as would a person who steals a pencil. This is what "all sins are the same" would imply.

Yes, ALL SINS offend God, but not all sins are equal in their severity or in their penalty. And thank God for that.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary