Stone & Incense Search
Start hereCurious, or no faithEvangelical, Pentecostal or ProtestantFrom another faithSomeone I love is CatholicBecoming CatholicI was Catholic once Today in the ChurchLibraryHard questionsVoices of the revivalTake the next stepAboutSources & methodSupport the site

Questions / Confession and the sacraments

What is venial sin?

Church teaching

Answered on video by The Thomistic Institute (Dominican friars)

Video: What's the Difference Between Mortal and Venial Sins? (Aquinas 101), The Thomistic Institute, published Feb 10, 2025. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

In short: A lesser sin. It weakens love but doesn’t break your friendship with God, and it’s forgiven in many ways, including the Eucharist. CCC 1855 CCC 1863

The answer, in writing

Church teaching

Venial sin allows charity to remain, even though it offends and wounds it. CCC 1855

It weakens charity and, if deliberate and unrepented, little by little disposes us toward mortal sin. CCC 1863

Our words

Small cracks matter. But they don’t end the friendship, and God is quick to heal them.

Next step: Start Coming home

Honestly? The best answers come from people, not websites. Take the next step: find a parish near you

Related questions

How long does becoming Catholic take? Catholic Answers · 8 minAre the sacraments just symbols? Catholic Answers · 5 minDo I have to confess small, everyday sins? Catholic Answers · 2 minWhy baptize babies who cannot yet believe? Ascension Presents · 19 min

Sources on this page

How we know · 2 Catechism paragraphs
  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1855, 1863 (official text on vatican.va).

Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words and cites every teaching claim. Our own wording is not an official Church text. Found a mistake? Report an errorCorrections.