Assurance of Salvation

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pegley85

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I have recently lost my wife of 23 years to cancer…She was only 55 and I am 55…
I have so much fear, worry and confusion in my life…
I have been a loser and failure most of my life and have recently repented of my sins. How do I know that God will show mercy and grace on me and allow me into heaven
Thanks
Ken
 
Regarding your past — trust in God’s mercy. If you have made a good sacramental confession of all your serious sins and have received absolution, you have certainty that you have been forgiven. Trust Him!

Regarding the future — we are all wounded by original sin and inclined to fall prey to temptation. Again, trust in God. He never allows us to be tempted beyond our capacity to resist, and He always gives us help when we ask for it. And if despite our best efforts we do fall into sin again, He is always ready to welcome us back if we repent.

On our own, we can do nothing. With God’s grace, we can do everything. Do the best you can to correspond to God’s grace, with daily prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments of Holy Communion and Reconciliation.
 
Ken, Philothea is absolutely right!

“There is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.” [Luke 15:7]

“Have mercy on me, O God in Your goodness,
in Your great tenderness, wipe away my faults;
wash me clean of my guilt,
purify me from my sin.

For I am well aware of my faults,
I have my sin constantly in mind,
having sinned against none other than You,
having done what You regard as wrong.

You are just when You pass sentence on me,
blameless when You give judgement.
You know I was born guilty,
a sinner from the moment of conception.

Yet since You love sincerity of heart,
teach me the secrets of wisdom.
Purify me with hyssop until I am clean;
wash me until I am whiter than snow.

Instil some joy and gladness into me,
let the bones You have rushed rejoice again.
Hide Your face from me sins,
wipe out all my guilt.

Be my saviour again, renew my joy,
keep my spirit steady and willing;
and I shall teach transgressors the way to You,
and sinners will return.

Save me from death, God my saviour,
and my tongue will acclaim Your righteousness;
Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will speak out Your praise.

Sacrifice gives You no pleasure,
were I to offer holocaust, You would not have it.
My sacrifice is this broken spirit,
You will not scorn this crushed and broken heart.” (Psalm 51)
 
My sympathy for your loss of your wife, Ken, especially having gone through this distressing illness with her.

I thank God for inviting you to return to Him by putting this desire to repent in your heart.
He has thus shown you that He welcomes you and wants you to find peace in Him.
 
Ken, I’m so sorry for your loss.

I’m certain that God will show mercy to anyone who repents. He has promised this… remember the story of the prodigal son? It seems from the story that he didn’t do one thing right in his life yet his father still forgave him. That is how God is with us… He loves you without any conditions, and He loves you for you… not for anything you’ve done or not done, but because He made you and you are His child. Of course He will show you mercy after He died for you 🙂 if He loved us more than His life, will He leave us now?
Try to trust in His mercy…
maybe it would help you to read St Faustina’s book “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” It’s all about this… it’s available online: our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy/

I posted this in another thread, but I’ll post it here too 🙂 I read this sometimes when I’m doubting God’s mercy. It’s from St Faustina’s book.

*The Goodness of God. *
The mercy of God, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, the voice of the Lord who speaks to us from the throne of mercy: Come to Me, all of you.
*
Conversation of the Merciful God with a Sinful Soul. *
Jesus: Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with Your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart.

Soul: Lord I hear Your voice calling me to turn back from the path of sin, but I have neither the strength nor the courage to do so.

Jesus: I am your strength, I will help you in the struggle.

Soul: Lord I recognize Your holiness and I fear You.

Jesus: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness does not prevent Me from being merciful. Behold. for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth - the tabernacle - and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not surrounded by a retinue of guards. You can come to Me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace.

Soul: Lord, I doubt that You will pardon my numerous sins; my misery fills me with fright.

Jesus: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire World. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed Myself to be nailed to the Cross; for you I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to Me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.

Soul: You have conquered, O Lord, my stony heart with Your goodness. In trust and humility I approach the tribunal of Your mercy, where You yourself absolve me by the hand of your representative. O Lord, I feel Your grace and Your peace filling my poor soul. I feel overwhelmed by Your mercy, O Lord. You forgive me, which is more than I dared to hope for or could imagine. Your goodness surpasses all my desires. And now, filled with gratitude for so many graces, I invite You to my heart. I wandered, like a prodigal child gone astray; but You did not cease to be my Father. Increase Your mercy toward me, for You see how weak I am.

Jesus: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy.
 
*Conversation of the Merciful God with a Despairing Soul. *

Jesus: O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy.

But the soul, deaf even to this appeal, wraps itself in darkness.

Jesus calls out again: My child, listen to the voice of your merciful Father.
In the soul arises this reply, “For me there is no mercy,” and it falls into greater darkness, a despair which is a foretaste of hell and makes it unable to draw near to God.

Jesus calls to the souls a third time, but the soul remains deaf and blind, hardened and despairing. Then the mercy of God begins to exert itself, and, without any co-operation from the soul, God grants it final grace. If this too is spurned, God will leave the soul in this self chosen disposition for eternity. This grace emerges from the merciful Heart of Jesus and gives the soul a special light by means of which the soul begins to understand God’s effort; but conversion depends on its own will. The soul knows that this, for her, is final grace and, should it show even a flicker of good will, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest.

My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace.

Jesus: What joy fills My Heart when you return to Me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father.

Soul: (as if awakening, asks fearfully): Is it possible that there is yet mercy for me?

Jesus: There is, My child. You have a special claim on My mercy. Let it act in your poor soul; let the rays of grace enter your soul; they bring with them light, warmth, and life.

Soul: But fear fills me at the thought of my sins, and this terrible fear moves me to doubt Your goodness.

Jesus: My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does - that after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness.

Soul: O Lord, save me yourself, for I perish. Be my Savior. O Lord, I am unable to say anything more; my pitiful heart is torn asunder; but You, O Lord…

Jesus does not let the soul finish but, raising it from the ground, from the depths of its misery, he leads it into the recesses of His Heart where all its sins disappear instantly, consumed by the flames of love.

Jesus: Here, soul, are all the treasures of My Heart. Take everything you need from it.
Soul: O Lord, I am inundated with Your grace. I sense that a new life has entered into me and, above all, I feel Your love in my heart. That is enough for me. O Lord, I will glorify the omnipotence of Your mercy for all eternity. Encouraged by Your goodness, I will confide to You all the sorrows of my heart.

Jesus: Tell Me all, My child, hide nothing from Me because My loving Heart, the Heart of Your Best Friend is listening to you.

Soul: O Lord, now I see all my ingratitude and Your goodness. You were pursuing me with Your grace, while I was frustrating Your benevolence. I see that I deserve the depths of hell for spurning Your graces.

Jesus (interrupting): Do not be absorbed in your misery - you are still too weak to speak of it - but, rather, gaze on My Heart filled with goodness, and be imbued with My sentiments. Strive for meekness and humility; be merciful to others, as I am to you; and, when you feel your strength failing, if you come to the fountain of mercy to fortify your soul, you will not grow weary on your journey.

Soul: Now I understand Your mercy, which protects me and like a brilliant star, leads me into the home of my Father, protecting me from all the horrors of hell that I have deserved, not once, but a thousand times. O Lord, eternity will hardly suffice for me to give due praise to Your unfathomable mercy and Your compassion for me.
 
Repentance comes from the Holy Spirit 🙂 the very fact that you have repented shows that God is working in your soul, which means that you definitely can be forgiven. If there was no hope, you would not have repented.
God bless you
 
Yes indeed.

I simply dare add this:

If I am not mistaken, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that it is a sin to despair of salvation when one has behaved correctly, just as it is a sin to take salvation for granted if one does nothing to deserve it.

So, I humbly say: Do not despair. Just make sure you honestly want to please God and He will love you as only He can do.

God NEVER REFUSES A REPENTANT HEART
 
Dear Ken

If you pray and do what you ought you will be saved. God is not like an ogre waiting for us to slip up so he can get us. He takes us when we’re at our best. Pick up those rosary beads and pray it every day and you’ll make it. God loves you warts and all. Trust in him. Just love him and all will be well.

God bless you dear friend:thumbsup:🙂
 
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