This week STEP class is about church teachings on morality. As Catholics, we distinguish between mortal and venial sin. The readings inform that:
There are three conditions for a sin to be a mortal sin: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent (freedom). Mortal sin destroys the loving relationship with God that we need for eternal happiness. If not repented, it results in a loss of love and God’s grace and merits eternal punishment in hell, that is, exclusion from the Kingdom of God and thus eternal death.
Is becoming intoxicated a grave matter especially when one knows the consequences from past experience? But can one deliberately consent if one's judgment is impaired as one gradually becomes intoxicated? Is it the ex ante consent to the first drink that matters?
Relatedly, suppose one commits what would ordinarily be a mortal sin when one is intoxicated. Does being intoxicated negate deliberate consent? But what if you got intoxicated on purpose?
Frankly, I often get confused when one digs down into the weeds of Catholic theology on (among other things) sin. The best advice a priest ever gave me on this issue was to make frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, tell the priest everything on your conscience and let God sort it out.
