Abbey-Roads2

I don’t know, did you give full consent?

Most Catholics know that for a sin to be mortal, there must be grave matter, the person must know the action is a grave offense, and that full consent of the will must take place.  So how do you know if you completely consented?  Tanquerey has a neat section on that subject.

The struggle against temptation.

“Consent is full and entire, when the will, weakened by first concessions, lets itself be drawn to taste willingly the sinful pleasure, despite the protests of conscience, which recognizes the evil.  In such a case, if the matter be grievous, the sin is mortal; it is a sin of thought.  If to the thought is added desire, the fault is graver still.  Lastly, if one passes from desire to act, or at least to the quest and pursuit of means adapted to the execution of one’s designs, then there is the sin of action.” - Spiritual Life V; 909-910 

Wow!  That’s pretty strict.

However, in the next paragraph, there may be a loophole of sorts;

“Doubts arise at times regarding the consent or half-consent given.  Then we must make the distinction between the delicate and lax conscience; when it is question  of the former, one may rule out consent, for the person is not in the habit of yielding consent, and if he consented in this particular case he would know it.  When it is the question of the latter, the presumption is that the person has given full consent, for if he had not, his soul would not be troubled.” - Spiritual Life V; 909-910 

I think I better make a general confession.  (Don’t go getting all scrupulous on me now!)