According to Roman Catholicism, a venial sin (meaning "forgivable" sin) is a lesser sin that does not result in a complete separation from God and eternal damnation in Hell. A venial sin involves a "partial loss of grace" from God.
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A venial sin meets at least one of the following criteria:
As the above criteria are the three criteria for mortal sin stated negatively, a sin which met none of these extenuating conditions would necessarily be considered mortal.
Each venial sin that one commits adds to the penance that one must do. Penance left undone during life converts to punishment in purgatory. A venial sin can be left unconfessed, though (so long as there is some purpose of amendment) it is helpful to confess, for one receives from the sacrament grace to help overcome it.
According to the Magisterium, venial sins usually remain venial no matter how many one commits.[1] They cannot "add up" to collectively constitute a mortal sin, but their accumulation does lead to mortal sin.[2] There are cases where repeat offenses may become a grave matter. For instance, if one were to steal small amounts of property from a particular person, over time one would have stolen enough that it would become a serious theft from that person.[3] Furthermore, the Magisterium clearly expresses that deliberate and unrepented venial sin can lead to eternal loss.[4]
In all this, one ought not to take venial sin lightly, especially when committed deliberately. No one without a special grace (according to the Magisterium, given only to the Blessed Virgin Mary.[5]) can avoid even semi-deliberate venial sins entirely (according to the definition of Trent). But one must, even to avoid mortal sins, seek as far as possible to overcome venial sin. The Magisterium teaches that although a number of venial sins do not themselves add up to a mortal sin, each venial sin weakens the will further, and the more willing one becomes in allowing such falls, the more one is inclined towards, and will inevitably fall into (if one continues along this path), mortal sin.[6]
The New Testament distinguishes among sins in various contexts.
In 1 John, the author distinguishes between two types of sin (1 John 5:16-17). According to a Roman Catholic commentary on the Bible, however, these verses do not refer precisely to venial and mortal sins.[7] One class of sin leads to the loss of eternal life, but eternal life can be regained if a fellow Christian prays that the sinner be forgiven. The other class of sin leads to eternal damnation, and the Christian is instructed to pray that a fellow Christian repent for such a sin while still alive. Since either class of sin puts one's eternal life in jeopardy, both would fall in the category of mortal sin.
The New Testament also mentions the unforgivable sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28-29).
The Lord Himself clearly explains the inevitability of sin and the necessity, after baptism, for penance, confession, and reconciliation (John 13:3-15).
"The Venial Sin is a short story by Honoré de Balzac.