We know God’s will through our reason, through the Bible, through Sacred Tradition, and through the teaching office or Magisterium of the Church, which is God’s living voice.

Adam, the first man, abused his freedom by disobeying and rejecting God’s care. He wanted to search for happiness in his own way. This, coupled with the sin of Eve, was the Original Sin. God created man in a state of holiness, but man abused his freedom as a result of Satan’s temptation. He defied God and sought happiness apart …

When Adam sinned, he lost original holiness and justice. He cut himself off from God, and his human nature was harmed in its natural powers, and sickness and death entered his life. In losing these gifts, he could not pass them on to his descendants. As a result, people are born into this world separated from their loving Father and …

In Baptism, God unites our soul to Himself. God’s love, the Holy Spirit, is poured into our soul. Our soul is lifted to a new kind of life which is a sharing in God’s own life. Although Baptism gives us the supernatural gift of sanctifying grace, it does not bring us some special gifts which Adam and Eve alone received, …

The Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, and thus she was preserved, from the very first moment of her conception, from the spiritual darkness of Original Sin. She was always united with God; her soul was flooded with His love. We call this privilege her Immaculate Conception. The Church celebrates this great …

Actual or personal sin is an offense against God. Personal sin, as opposed to Original Sin, is the willful disobedience to God’s will. This disobedience may be an action, a thought, a desire, or an intention. A sin must be a conscious and deliberate violation of the moral law. Thus, to sin is to actually say “no” to God. We …

When someone commits a personal sin, he: (1) fails to love God; (2) turns away from pursuing his lifetime goal of doing the will of God; and (3) by means of a serious offense (mortal sin), ruptures his relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To sin is to refuse to let God have His way in …

Mortal sin is a serious or grave violation of the law of God. It is the fully deliberate choice of a person who knows that what he chooses is gravely forbidden by God. The result of committing a mortal sin is the destruction of the life of God in the soul. By committing a mortal sin, we lose God’s life …

As explained before, the effects of mortal sin are separation from God and damage to ourselves and others. If we do not wish to change and if we always refuse to do what God wants us to do, the separation from God is permanent. The permanent separation from God after death takes place in Hell.