In the book "imitation of the sacred heart" it is writen:

Even if you could save the whole world from it's destruction by commiting the slightest sin, you must not sin.

Saint Augustine says:"even if you could save your father's life by telling a lie, don't lie.
Now my question: Sometimes, in special situations (like when somebody is in danger of death) things that are normally sinful, are allowed. like working on sundays or wearing the cloths of the opposite gender. It seems that some commandments can never be broken (like thou shall not lie) while some can be broken in extreme cases. What are those laws that can never be broken?

But, are theft and immodesty intrinsically evil?
I have heard that one can watch an immodestly clad person, if this action can save that person's life. Is it true?
And about theft, is it true that one can use/ruin what belongs to another person even without his permission, when doing so can prevent a great evil?

Thank you, Chant!

I didn't say so, I just asked a question.

St. Paul sounds a little Jansenistic but it can't hurt to be too careful.

I also read in Butler's Lives of the Saints about many saints who would only be drawn into conversation with females through duress.  For instance, if one of them was going to donate money to build a monastery and first wanted to discuss things at length with the monk, as bored females are wont to do.  

At church there are a couple girls who float about and to keep safe I huddle together with other men, although in my case marriage is still an option.  I am actually more afraid of getting married than a passionate sin of the flesh ( which doesn't appeal anymore ).  I don't think it would be right for me.  On that St. Paul and I agree -- the unmarried life is superior to the married.

Actually, it's easy to reconcile.

There's Catholic doctrine, and then there's Lives of the Saints.

Extraordinary things happen in lives of the saints, which aren't meant for the average person. Things are done by the saints to make a point, etc. and we must look to Catholic doctrine to form our moral judgments.

For example, it is not sinful to live among mankind, even though St. Simon Stylites lived on top of a pole. Same for pretty much all the hermits -- though we should learn from their lives that the world is dangerous and is an occasion of sin. But as far as "the law" goes, we can stay in the world if that is our vocation.

Some saints gave away most of their possessions -- but a married man with children to support would be presumptuous and improvident if he did so.

The saints have lessons for all of us, but those lessons must be filtered through the time we live, and our vocation. We can't go off to fight the crusades, and a married man can't live the life of a cloistered nun.

Moreover, God wants us to be saints in the countries he placed us. A German saint will be different from a Spanish saint, who in turn will be different from an American saint. The people and challenges are different in each country, in each era.

You don't want to mix up the mystical experiences of the saints with actual textbook Catholic principles.

That is why we must read Lives of the Saints AND Catholic doctrine. If you ignore one or the other, you will fall into one of two errors.

Too much lives of the Saints: We expect the extraordinary, the miraculous to be manifest in our lives. We might expect God to reveal things to us forcefully, etc.

Too much Catholic doctrine: We might become pharisees, and lose the spirit of what it is to be Catholic (charity, etc.)

Matthew