Can I Sin in My Dreams? 

"If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take🙏"

My reason: “of course not!” My scrupulosity: “Maybe… idk, I’m scared”

As someone who's been recovering from pornography addiction, in times where I'd been free of relapse for a week or so, I'd on occasion be hit with dreams where I was relapsing. It'd feel like an attack from the enemy. I feel the best attitude for getting past such instances is to not be fearful of the fact that the dream happened and being afraid that it'd tempt me into relapse, but instead to have an attitude of "thank God, it was only a nightmare, I'm free, and that's not changing." Fear is the weapon of the enemy, and dreams are simply dreams, best to not carry the dreams the enemy might try to hit you with into the waking world.

To anyone who struggles with lustful thoughts/temptations while trying to go to sleep or while sleeping here's something I've been doing recently that has helped extremely well I grab my rosary wrap it around my hand and just start praying the rosary or say some Hail Marys I also say in Jesus name get out hope this was helpful. It also helps me get a good night's sleep usually.

i’ve struggled with OCD intrusive thoughts for over a year at this point!!! trust me, they are NOT sins, they go against what you love/believe. for those of you who are struggling with OCD (real ocd not like how it’s portrayed in media), trust me God loves you no matter what you think🫶🏻

The irony of this video! Didn't sin in the dream. But, I had a dream recently where I had met with Father Mike in his room seen in this video and he kept giving me things to help heal my grandfather of bone cancer. Books, oils, prayer cards, the works! I had watched one of his talks just before I went to bed. So, it would only make sense Fr. Mike appears in my dream! I remember feeling at ease in the dream, knowing that a priest was trying to help my grandpa. ❤

A week before holy week I finally just confessed the sins that I commit in my dreams hoping that it will stop.❤

My children and I pray "dear guardian angel, my guardian dear. With God's love that brings you here. Be forever this day and night at my side, to help watch, rule, love and guide me. Help me to have dreams that are good, help me to listen and do as I should". Amen.

Father Mike God bless you always! You are the reason i came back to church after 20 ish years! ❤️ Praise God!

I just recently had a Sex Dream. I feel like I Can't control My Subconscious. But, I just pray to Jesus for strength and understanding. I don't want to over-think it.

Thank you. I have had horrible dreams and gone to confession over them. Scrupulous me….😢 the priest was so gracious with me.

Men can especially feel this because of bodily functions... Remember, you have no control over it, don't let satan bring you down.

Worst thing is those thoughts lingering around. Never let that happen.

To those of you who struggle with such dreams, I fund that clutching or wrapping a rosary around your arm works tremendously ❤️

Wow, I needed to hear this. Watching TV in bed before sleep is not a good habit

the night time prayer from the Chosen has brought me so much comfort to my sleep

Perfect timing, since I do have sinful dreams from time to time 😢

I've been on a way better path since Easter has ended, I'm praying daily and actively trying to be a better Catholic person. I've found that my dreams are more active, and it was hard for me to deal with what I was seeing. This was what I needed, thank you Father.

May God bless everyone with His peace at all times, even when we are asleep.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us!

Amen I trust you with faith amen

I find that sleeping with a Bible under my pillow is a big help. Just any Bible. It comforts me. I have many nightmares based on past experiences in life, and as you said, we have no control over them, they are our subconscious.

Thank you for this video. I struggle with bad dreams in which I commit horrific acts. So bad that when I wake up I feel shocked that I could even dream of such a thing. I always tell myself it's not my fault that I thought such things while sleeping. But it's hard not to feel guilty or gross upon waking. I think the things I see in the news which I find repulsive, such as abuse or m*rdr, often find their way into my dreams

Father, faithful, lifelong Catholic person here. Good point. Don’t we have enough guilt to deal with in our faith without now postulating if we are guilty of our subconscious thoughts and or beyond our control dreaming. I don’t think I am alone in feeling like I am always questioning myself as it is.. I say a rosary every day, but is that enough, i do this thing, is that enough, I do that thing was that too much, it can be very fatiguing being a Catholic sometimes Father. When I step back and think about it, this may be the true distraction of one’s faith. Can’t we just relax a little and say, I love Jesus I believe I am a good person and I hope to do my best today.

I legit really needed to know this. Lately I've been struggling with unwanted dreams

I've often repented of this very thing because i thought i had sinned, inspite of praying every single nite before bed. Huge relief. Thank u Fr Mike.

Ever since I started sleeping in my rosary beads, I haven't had any disturbing dreams.

Freaking love Fr Mike 🥲💜

HAHAHA this video was definitely for me and the like but on the serious note my dreams are the worst, borderline discouraging when I realize I had a full-on graphic dream. I should start praying that I only dream nothing.

Thanks once again Father Mike!

Profound, and most comforting. Thanks Father.

Thank you soooo very much Fr. Mike for this video It brings me peace .

Thank you, Fr Mike, for your loving care.

Excellent points, Father Mike!

Thank you Father Mike

Thank you Father Mike 🙏

Listening from Uganda, may God bless the work Ascension presents is doing

Thank you Fr. Mike for this video, I needed to hear this! God bless you 🙏🙏🙏Amen ❤

Jesus loves you and is with you

I watched this video because last week I had a dream where I fell to temptation. It scared me because even though I didn't think I had sinned, it showed me how weak I am to temptation. I thought, "What if God tempts me like this as a final test when I die?" Would I fail? Is this why the Hail Mary ends with "and at the hour of our death"? The Rosary is even more important to me now.

Thanks for this topic, Fr. Mike. I have had a few freaky dreams.

Thank you Fr Mike for clarifying that subject. God Bless you 🙏 ❤

Thank you father Mike.

Oh man I really needed this video, I’ve been struggling with scrupulosity over my dreams

God Bless you Fr. Mike for affirming this! I dream a lot .. almost every night and very vivid dreams in forms of stories or about a particular person and one time a verse of the Bible that’s not even there 😮and I don’t know what they mean..but when I have nightmares.. they’re really scary but not often.. I mean scary😢and I used to sleep walk when was younger😮😮thank God I don’t anymore ❤️✝️🌎Take care Fr Mike .. your homilies are the best❤❤

I get weird dreams all the time. But I forget them.

Fr. Mike. What timing for your video! Lately I've had some really odd dreams. In one of them I had no idea who any of the people were!

Thanks Fr Mike, you are a treasure and a gift to the Church. You cover so much that are never covered elsewhere, but are often things that would be on my mind.

Thank God and thank you Father Mike. I needed this today. I hope i could do more good things ❤

Thank you for explaining this very important information on dreams to us. Good to know that while we sleep and dream, whether good or bad, we do not sin.

So thoughtful, thank you! I remember waking up crying years ago because I had dreamt of killing someone (on accident but still). I woke up feeling so guilty of having dreamed that!

Thank you Father

Thanks for the video father

Thank you, Father. This is really good. I appreciated this. 😊

Thanks, Father💚

Father Ripperger has a prayer for this in his Deliverance Prayers book. Worked for me.

Thank you!

Praise to you God and Jesus Christ😇🙏❤

Father Mike, I think we need some more clarity on this topic because a bunch of us here have very vivid lucid dreams where we CAN control our dreams and our decisions in them. I actually will have more lucid dreams than not and in a stable lucid dream I can control/summon people, places, things by simply thinking about them and I have certainly abused this power by choosing to sin in these dreams as a sort of escapism or a way to act on fantasies...basically doing things I would never do out in the real world, but I chose to do them simply because I knew I was in a dream. Not sure how to reconcile this because I wake up and feel like I should be taking these dreams straight to confession

Great video- I often think about this!

I once dreamt that a cute asian girl kissed me in the forehead. I don't know what that means subsconsciusly, but I liked it.

I have felt this many times. Definitely the day before effect what i see in my dreams. I have used it as a warning to chose more wisely what I see the next day.

What about lucid dreams?

Thank you 🧡💙🧡💙🧡💙🙏🏻

Praise be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Lord, our God Holy is Your Name. May God bless y’all prayers out for y’all. We humbly pray and wish all of this in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior’s Holy Name, Amen.

Thank you! Some nightmares are not about scary things happening to me, but weird things I do...

Devil is always on the attack.

🙏🙏🙏.Thank you

thanks!

Word.

I've experienced dreams I was free in. And I surely am not alone.

I would like to present another kind of dream where you are able to control it, called lucid dreams. I think if you were to indulge in something bad in that kind of dream it would be a sin because your conscious is aware of reality (usually you know it’s a dream when your lucid dreaming) God bless! ❤

I’m free in my dreams. I fly almost every night…and yes, I regulate my behavior in my dreams almost as much as I do in my waking life. Sometimes I’ll even wake myself up and pray if the dream is oddly dark because it is a projection of something negative that has gotten in during the day. It’s actually quite useful to lucid dream like this because it allows you to purge the gunk in your subconscious.

Gorgeous man

Thank you, Fr. Mike! Could you make a video on how you can tell if your dream has significant meaning?

Row row row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, life is but a dream. If only it were our sins wouldn't be counted against us. Thank God for Confession/Reconciliation. Beware of the succubus 🙏🙏🙏

Im commenting before listening - one of the symptoms of PTSD are reaccuring night mares so who's sin is it? When I have dreams when I'm drinking am I sinning NO because I didn't really pick up. Yes I have had dreams I would not want to play out. Ethical people will question ones self. God gave use the gift of working through stuff in a safe space - our sleeping brains.

Sometimes my dreams are benign, sometimes my dreams haunt me, and on the odd occasion, God tries to reach me through my dreams. The dreams that bother me are the ones I feel like my soul is being attacked. I do pray the St. Michael Prayer every night, I have for a while now. And I will continue. That's good advice Father.

LDS friends were discussing free will and sinful behavior. Drugs, alcohol, being arrested and now dreaming influence what we are responsible for

God grants us free will. The acts we freely take which are contrary to the Commandments or what we know to be God's will for us are sinful acts. Those ideas which occur unbidden in our mind are not sin unless we willfully indulge or encourage them.

If I wake from a bad dream I immediately call on Jesus.. I’m able to fall back to sleep and no more nightmares ✝️🎄🌹

Thank you so much. I've had very violent dreams. I should be careful about movies I watch.

St Michael defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

Interesting to bring the idea of freedom into it. Seems like the only time you could sin within a dream is if it was lucid. Or a dream where you're aware that you're in a dream and have the ability to do anything in your imagination such as flying.

Amen.

Flying dreams are the best!!!

Sono costretta a dirti che ho fatto sogni d'oro

I once had a thought at the end of a very unusual dream (Which was about a strangely colored cloud and a strange man standing near me in this barren rocky terrain-to briefly explain what it was.) that woke me up. The thought was so disgustingly blasphemous (it was quote: "I will overthrow God") that it scared me awake, and I prayed for forgiveness completely terrified of what seemed to be my own thought. I have no idea if it was from my actual mind or a demonic voice trying to make me doubt Gods power, but I believed that thought was from my mind because how audible and clear it was (though I can't actually think in words in dreams-so I don't know why I believed that). Since then I had really blasphemous thoughts worm into my mind (even against God the Holy Spirit to make matters worse) even when I am awake. But I know these thoughts are intrusive and from the enemy. God won't condemn me for what Satan plants in my mind, for who can be against those who God is for. However despite that knowledge I ask God to forgive me anyways in case the thought is my own or I mistakenly agree with it instead of fighting it (they sometimes slip further into my mind).God still keeps hold of me, even when I do end fail in fighting these. I struggle still, but this reminded me that I can't pluck out the weeds growing in my heart, that were sown their by Satan. I need Gods hand in my heart to uproot these things. (But I guess the only way to know what plants are weeds are the plants that are fully grown-maybe that's why these things are allowed to come up in my thoughts, so they can be uprooted successfully?). For anyone that battles this as well, it is hard, and God understands that. He still loves you, and is calling us to himself, he will protect us from the enemy, he will strengthen us to fight these battles. So don't give up, lean on God, on Jesus.

I had a dream about someone close to me suddenly daying and I was shocked,scared, sad after I woke up because it felt so real anyway one week after this dream my husband mum went to hospital with pain in the stomach test results showed everywhere cancer she passed away few days later we are still shocked it was few weeks ago 😢

Thank you Father. What about lucid dreaming?

It is a check of reality.

The enemy is desperately struggling for my soul right now. He's got all twelve of his main guys on overtime. While they are busy with me, this is you guys' time to strike. Use those rosaries like never before.

Can you make a video about dream interpretation. Should people do it or Not. Is it a Sin to interpret a dream using modern methods ? A lot of psychologyst do it and also a lot of other people do it recriationally. I would like to hear your thoughts on that topic also.

Maybe I’m not completely free in my dreams. But even there I have a moral conscience: I’ve dream that I’m sinning, knowing it’s wrong and feeling horrible about it…

Catholic spirituality and the journey God allows us to take is powerful. Dreams are a huge blessing that God gave humanity. You are sleeping, but are still ‘seeing’. You are able to reject sin in your dream. The devil is real and he will cause temptation. Be aware that we must pray for spiritual strength.

What about Lucid dreaming

I sometimes have lucid dreams, in which I have a measure of control. I haven't explored them enough to determine whether I am actually in control because most commonly I wake shortly after making a decision that directs the dream. Theoretically then, I could make a decision which is sinful, if indeed I have control of my thoughts in the dream.

I have done that before I was like wow why did I dream that .

So, this is a summary of what I understand about the theology of sin and grace, let me know if something is off: Sin (aka iniquity or immorality) is the choice to reject God, who is Love Truth and Life, with our heart (will), head (mindset), and/or hands (actions). The root of sin is pride, its fruit is indifference, and its fulfillment is nihilism/despair. Sin is self-damning (the complete rejection of the Spirit of God) when committed deliberately, fully aware, and with full consent, especially regarding gravely evil matters. All ten commandments and every other principle of moral law extends from the Greatest Commandment, “Love God with all your mind, heart, and strength. Love your Neighbor as yourself (for God created us all in His image and likeness).” We fear all things in life from our weakness, failures, and incompetence. Peace and hope in all circumstances comes by surrendering to and cooperating with God’s omnipotent strength and unfailing Love. The Love (caritas, agape) of God transforms and makes all things new, for God is love and out of love God created the world. We surrender to God through honest humility and repentance, asking God to take over our circumstances and guide our choices. We cooperate with God through participation of the covenantal sacraments, acting on divine grace to develop virtue, and walk with God in daily prayer (conversation with God in reflection, repentance, petition, and thanksgiving.)

Hey. I heard you respond to emails (there is much more to say than I think RU-vid needs to hear right now. Lol) and could use some encouragement and guidance in conversion to Catholicism from Protestantism. This very much started this journey for me and could use some guidance. Thanks.