I cannot find an examination of conscience for sins of omission. Does such a list exist?
I have not seen such a list, but you ask a very good question. In the penitential rite at the start of Mass, one of the options is the “I confess” prayer, which expresses sorrow “for what I have done and for what I have failed to do.” Jesus affirms most of the Ten Commandments in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but when he describes the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31–46), he focuses exclusively on sins of omission (failing to feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison).
You can easily imagine that those condemned here asked: “Who knew they counted? Those things are no big deal! Besides, no matter what I do, there will still be people needing all those things.” Devout Christians who have enslaved other human beings have sometimes said: “It’s no big deal. That’s simply the way the world is.”
How to identify sins of omission? When you tell yourself and others, “It’s no big deal,” are you being reasonable or simply trying to excuse yourself? Every sin can be described by someone committing it as “no big deal.”
Sins of omission are usually a violation of justice, a failure to respect some group of people as individuals created in God’s image. Some Christians, unfortunately, see sin as exclusively individual and never as social. Thus, murder is wrong, but racism is simply a personal preference. Catholic social teaching, which firmly rejects that assertion, acknowledges there can be “structures of sin” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1869). Pope John Paul II addressed such sins in his 1987 encyclical On Social Concern (36–37) and elsewhere.
People who are scrupulous tend to accuse themselves of sin constantly. By doing so, however, they fail to take sin seriously. My responsibility toward others reflects my possibilities: I cannot erase world hunger by myself, but that does not excuse me from doing what I can.
Social sin often hides under the cover of smugness, a claim of “Let’s be realistic.” Recognizing that tendency may be the first step toward identifying a sin of omission.
Was That Sin Forgiven?
Sometimes I feel that I have not been forgiven for my past sins. What can I do about that?
If you have been honest in confession, not hiding a grave sin, you have indeed been forgiven. Satan is often called “the father of lies” because of his ability to discourage us from thinking that genuine repentance is possible. In the musical Les Misérables, Javert (a police inspector) tells Jean Valjean (a former thief), “Men like you can never change.” A decision to repent requires many future and smaller decisions.
Is God’s forgiveness truly in doubt here? Or is it a failure to forgive oneself? If God can forgive us, who are we to refuse that forgiveness? In all honesty, before God each of us is a forgiven sinner.
Confession Right Away?
Can a person who has had an abortion go to confession right away?
Yes, that is permitted. It is, however, not very likely because it usually takes some time to admit what someone has done or has encouraged someone else to do. Post-abortion ministries such as Project Rachel can identify confessors who have been specially trained to deal with women who have had abortions, people who have performed them, and those who have encouraged or morally coerced them.
Differences between the Gospels
What are the differences between the Gospels of Luke and of Matthew?
According to Robert Karris, OFM, in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Luke was probably written between AD 80 and 85, after the Gospel of Mark (written by AD 70). According to Benedict Viviano, OP, in the same volume, Matthew was probably written closer to the year 90. Luke and Matthew use the Gospel of Mark, but each also has unique material.
Luke was written in Greek by a gentile convert to Christianity, perhaps for the community of faith in Syria. Matthew was definitely written by a Jewish Christian, perhaps first in Aramaic and later translated into Greek.
Over the centuries, a few Christians have engaged in a forced harmonizing of the common details in Luke and Matthew. The Catholic Church does not accept that approach. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. In Matthew, however, they could have lived there before his birth. A fundamentalist reading of these two Gospels must discard one of those possibilities. We, however, need to accept both Gospels as inspired by God—as the Church does.
Matthew includes a genealogy going back to Abraham, the Magi, and the flight into Egypt. It also has a longer version of the beatitudes and the Our Father. Luke has a genealogy going back to Adam and includes Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, the story about Zaccheus, and the story of two men praying in the temple.
Short Questions & Answers
Can only a priest cast out demons?
Before 1970, there was a minor order of exorcist, received by seminarians. Now a priest must be designated by his bishop as an exorcist after an appropriate training.
Is it OK to watch Mass on TV? I use a walker.
Yes, if that is absolutely necessary. Many times, I have seen people using a walker at Sunday or weekday Mass. Most Catholic churches are more accessible to those with disabilities than they were 50 years ago. If transportation can be arranged and if a walker is the primary challenge, it is preferable to participate in person. However, the person who uses the walker needs to make the decision here.
