Are these a sin?

[suko]

Hello everyone, I was hoping to get some advice on some things, so any help is truly appreciated. Anyway, I’m one of many, that’s well, dealing with scruples, and it’s been having me questioning EVERYTHING I’m doing lately. One of them being when I’m out on the rode driving. I guess being a fast driver since I got my license, I can’t help but speed all the time unconsciously, and well, sometimes consciously since it drives me a bit nuts to drive 40 mph in a 40 zone, and well, 5 mph in a parking structure. Which brings me to another thing I’ve been questioning myself on. Well, since I’m a contractor that works for the IRS, I’m suppose to ALWAYS park on the 9th floor of the parking structure every single day when I go to work, and I have been lately. But from what I’ve always been told by other contractors that work there, that it’s ok to park down there with them since there’s basically hardly any IRS employees that work the midnight shift (which is what I work), thus, lots, and lots of parking spots on the first floor are available.
The way I see it though, I feel that I’m not following the rules if I park down on the first floor even though there’s basically no one there (since it’s the midnight shift), thus I feel like I’m sinning if I do since I’m not suppose to. Plus, I also feel like I’m sinning since I just can’t for the life of me, follow the 5 mph rule of the parking structure… it’s one thing to drive that slow going up one floor, but having to go THAT slow 9 floors up, and then 9 floors down at the end of the day would take forever… I think about half an hour just to get all the way up and another half an hour all the way down if I were to go 5 mph… so do you see this as sinning too that I just can’t follow the 5 mph rule of the parking structure (I usually go about about 15mph through the parking structure - which still takes about 5 minutes), and most other speed limits like on the highway (which I generally still go about 5 mph over the limit)?

Thank you all for any help and advice you can give for me, this stuff has really been bugging me everyday… among LOADS and loads of other stuff I can’t stop thinking about now, whether it’s right or wrong, and whether it’s a sin or not.

 

[bcuster]

You may want to talk to your confessor about these issues. He may be able to help you clarify these issues.

It might help to read through the section of the Catechism on The Human Community. It begins with paragraph 1877

 

[royal_archer]

I’m pretty sure there aren’t any references to speeding in the bible. However such laws are normally for public safety and putting others at risk would be sinful. As for parking, you may want to ask building security or HR for permission to park there. If the other parking spaces are closser to the entrance and you are there at night there might be a safety bennefit to parking there.

 

[CarrieH]

Speeding is a sin if it puts others at risk. Speed limits are usually there for a reason, even if we might think that reason is rather lame. As far as the parking structure goes, that’s no big deal. I am a nurse and I have worked 2nd and 3rd shifts for the better part of 30 years. In every place I have worked, the people on those shifts have been permitted to park up-close in the visitors’ parking areas. Only a few people are using those spaces anyway, and it makes it easier for the security guards to keep watch over people coming and going, and to keep an eye out for break-ins. My current employer has a rule that anyone working nights has to be out of the visitor parking area by 9 a.m. (sometimes we would have to stay over for meetings), and other than that, the best parking spots are fair game. Check your employee handbook if you have one, or you could always ask the security guard or the people in HR.

 

[Other_Eric]

The building administrators are exercising legitimate authority, allowed them ultimately by God, in dictating parking restrictions and speed limits within the parking structure. To casually ignore any of these rules is to disparage authority that comes from God in preference for the way one wants to do things for oneself. It is the very definition of pride.

 

[suko]

Thanks guys for all the responses.
As for the parking, I think it’s actually in the handbook that all contractors, no matter what shift, are suppose to park at least on the 9th floor.
So because of this rule, would you still see it as a sin to park on the first even if the security guards or HR say it’s ok? Because to me, the rule is kinda set in stone already, (well in the handbook anyway), so it shouldn’t really matter what HR or the security guards say, right? I guess the way my head sees it, that until that rule gets changed on paper, I feel I’m forced, no matter what, to park on the 9th, even if it’s safer and easier for guards to keep an eye out for my car, and even if all the other contractors park on the first also, and have been for years and years (well, except 2 others since their conscience is getting to them too like mine is now).
As for the 5 mph rule in the parking structure, I’ve seriously tried to go that speed 9 floors up, but it just seriously starts to drive me insane, considering there’s like no one there at the midnight hour, not to mention, I think it’s pretty safe to travel about 10-15 mph as that’s about the speed everyone else does. I actually talked to one of the Apologists on here about this recently, Father Vincent Serpa, and he told me that it’s ok to go over the limit within the parking structure so long as it is safe (and trust me, it is), and that it’s even ok to park on the first. This actually contradicts what my confessor told me yesterday (cuz I went to confessions yesterday), as he said no matter what I have to park on the 9th, since it’s a rule, and he compared parking on the 1st as to like parking in the handicapped area.
So, the way I’m feeling right now, I think I’m going to continue parking on the 9th (until that rule gets changed on paper, although I already know it never will though), I just don’t think though I’m going to be able to follow that ridiculous 5 mph speed limit though, but of course, I’ll be driving slow enough where I won’t be endangering other people’s lives, or myself.

 

[wcknight]

For all folks dealing with scruples, here is what a priest recently told us during mass. “Don’t worry. ALL worries comes from the devil !! Jesus is more concerned with our salvation than we are. SO rest assured that when you take your last breath, you will join Him in Heaven.”

He then told us a story of how when he was hearing confessions at a convent. Some one came in and in the middle say " Oh S***, I forgot to mention something… Oh Jesus, I just cursed… Oh my God,… I just used the Lord name in vain… Oh well, I didn’t think I was cut out to be a nun anyway…"

When we get so tied up that we work ourselves into a nervous wreck, we have really gone too far. Place your trust in the Lord. We need to do our best but we are human. We will fail and when we fail go to confession, but you don’t have to remember every little sin, tell what you remember and move on, The ones you forget to mention are covered anyway. Just don’t try to hide any big sins.