Venial sins are lesser sins that do not separate one from God like mortal sins but that can still harm us. Venial sins weaken our will and resistance to evil, making it easier to commit mortal sins. They also make us deserving of punishment in this life or purgatory. Some examples of venial sins include failing to pray daily, using God's name without reverence, gossiping, lying, wasting time, and having impure thoughts. Frequent or willful venial sins can lead one to mortal sin if left unconfessed.

1. Venial Sins

2. Venial Sins
•It is a lesser sin that does not
result in a complete separation
from God and eternal
damnation in Hell as an
unrepented mortal sin would.

3. Venial Sins
•They do not break our
friendship with God, although
they injure it.

4. HOW DOES VENIAL
SINS HARM US?

5. Venial Sins harms us by making us
less fervent in the service of God, by
weakening our power to resist mortal
sin, and by making us deserving of
God's punishments in this life or in
purgatory.

6. If often committed, venial
sin weakens the will, lessens
our power to resist evil, and
makes it easier for us to fall into
mortal sin.

7. EXAMPLES OF
VENIAL SINS:

8. FIRST COMMANDMENT:
•Failure to pray daily
•Failure to accept that each person is
responsible for his/her own sins
•Failure to accept that Hell is real
•Not Loving God with your whole
Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength
•Tempting God

9. •Trying to control things, rather than
seeking God’s Will
•Failure to learn about the Teachings
of the Church
•Indifference or Ingratitude towards
God
•Not trusting God
•Being Angry to God
•Giving in to Depression or Self-Pity

10. •Being embarrassed at being a
Catholic
•Failure to Examine One’s Conscience
daily
•Failure to Pray when tempted
•Failure to defend the Church when
it’s being ridiculed
•Failure to support the Church
financially

11. •Refusing or denying the Mercy of
God
•Failure to accept suffering
•Being willfully distracted at Mass
•Being willfully distracted at Prayer
•Failure to bow, remove your hat, or
bless yourself, etc. when passing a
church

12. SECOND COMMANDMENT:
•Cursing thoughtlessly
•Using the Lord’s Name in surprise, or
anger (without thinking or habitually)
•Irreverent, Improper, or Inappropriate
Use of the Scriptures
•Vulgar or Inappropriate Language

13. •Speaking Badly about the
Church
•Using the Names of the Saints,
Blessed Mother, or the Pope
irreverently
•Telling irreverent jokes about
Sacred persons, or objects

14. THIRD COMMANDMENT:
•Arriving late to the Mass, or
leaving early, without a good
reason
•Failure to pay attention, or
participate at the mass
•Being irreverent at the Church

15. •Failure to spend extra time on Sunday
in Study of the Faith, or Prayer
•Failure to reserve Sunday for Family or
Recreation
•Allowing Sports, or other schedules to
dictate the Sunday Schedule
•Desecrating Sunday or a Holy Day of
Obligation by Sinful Amusements, or
Inappropriate Entertainment, Keeping
Bad Company, or Impure Thoughts

16. FOURTH COMMANDMENT:
•Fighting with Brothers, Sisters, or
Relatives
•Making Fun of the Elderly or the
persons with disorders
•Failure to help the Elderly or the
persons with disorders

17. •Not praying for those in authority over
you (Parents, Teachers, Employers,
etc.)
•Being too strict with rules, boundaries
and discipline
•Failure to properly respect parents or
authorities
•Feeling ashamed of or Embarrassed
about your parents

18. •Lack of Gratitude toward your parents
•Not trying to cultivate peace in your
family
•Failing to be a good example to your
family
•Spoiled or pampered your children,
instead of giving them attention &
affection

19. •Failed to lead your children to Mass,
Communion and Confession
•Treating those under your authority
disrespectfully
•Taking advantage of others for your
own selfish purposes
•Hired others for the care of your
children, without good cause

20. •Failure to teach your Children
adequately about God, or their
Spiritual life
•Failure to spend significant quality
time with your children
•Has your wife unnecessarily taken
employment away from home, and
children

21. FIFTH COMMANDMENT:
•Vanity
•Stubbornness without good reason
•Listening to Bad Music
•Selfishness
•Unnecessarily risked your life or the
life of another

22. •Wishing Evil upon another
•Seeking Revenge or Retaliation
•Harbouring a Grudge
•Prejudice
•Using obscene or vulgar gestures
•Anger
•Fighting or Arguing over slight
matters

23. •Rudeness
•Failure to Apologize
•Excessive use of the Internet
•Violating Friendships
•Willfully doing things to others to
Anger them
•Treating others unjustly

24. •Habitual Lack of Punctuality
•Procrastination
•Failure to Respect the Dignity of
Yourself
•Failure to Respect the Dignity of
Others
•Laziness
•Smoking or Chewing Tobacco

25. •Failure to Care for One’s Health
•Driving Carelessly
•Driving while Intoxicated
•Intemperance (Overeating or
Drinking too much)
•Refusing to Forgive another
•Failure to Pray for Sinners

26. SIXTH COMMANDMENT:
•Lack of Custody of the Eyes
(Looking Inappropriately at others)
•Selfishness in Marital Intimacy
•Seeking Wrongful Attention from
another

27. •Failure to respect persons of the
opposite sex
•Treating others as objects
•Dressing somewhat Immodestly
•Allowing your heart to stray from your
spouse
•Watching Television, Movies, or
DVD’s that promote Sex or Violence

28. SEVENTH COMMANDMENT:
•Wasting Time
•Failure to Practice Charity, or to
Help the Poor
•Theft of small or inexpensive
items
•Attachments to persons or things

29. •Willful Failure to Return
Borrowed Items
•Failure to keep a promise
•Squandering or Wasting
Money on needless items or
pursuits

30. EIGHTH COMMANDMENT:
•Gossiping
•Lying
•Spreading Rumours
•Talking behind another’s back
•Making Rash Judgements

31. •Being Unjustly Suspicious
•Being Negative, Critical, or
Uncharitable in thought, about
others
•Cheating at Games or School
Work, etc.
•Bragging or Boasting

32. •Speaking Unkindly to, or
about others
•Exaggerating the Truth
•Complaining, whining, or
Seeking Attention

33. NINTH COMMANDMENT:
•Looking at Immodest Pictures or
Persons
•Not trying to control your
imagination
•Telling or Listening to Impure or
Vulgar Jokes or Stories

34. TENTH COMMANDMENT:
•Sadness or Anger the Good Fortune of
Another
•Desire for the Goods of Another
•Failure to distance yourself from the
world’s wealth
•Materialism
•Attachments to Riches or Material
Goods