Confession--and disturbing incident

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The title of this post is slightly misleading as I have a deeper issue to discuss, but it ties in with my finally making it to Confession.

I’ve really been struggling to get to the Confessional…I have ordered CD’s, prayed, and finally began a devotion to Padre Pio. This site has been instrumental to my finally becoming clean in the eyes of God.

Anyway, I attended Daily Mass for the first time last evening and was overwhelmed with the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. I did not recieve communion and did not attend Confession last night.

So I prayed last evening, asking for the intercession of Padre Pio (he is the patron saint of Confession…read his history if you are not familliar with him!). When I had arrived home from Mass yesterday, I remember finding sweet fragrances in various places in my house and hoped they were a comforting sign from God.

Well…I had taken today off for the sole purpose of going to Church, then Confession. Last night as I got ready for bed I set my digital clock-radio to go off at a little before 7 am. All night I dreamed of demons trying to prevent my attending church…and other people actually escorting me there anyway to be sure I arrived.

When I awoke, the clock read 4:30 am. It was WAY too BRIGHT to be that early. So I grabbed my watch…it was 5:30! I simply set the clock ahead and returned to my disturbing dreams for awhile.

Well, I made it to Mass and Confession, and just a little while ago I realized that there was no way I could possibly have set my clock BACK an hour. Even if I had bumped the hour button while I was adjusting the wake-up hour, the time would have jumped ahead, causing me to get up an hour early. As it was, when I awoke, my clock was reading an hour late!

Had I not awakened, I would have missed mass entirely!

Others here have talked about demon attacks after Confession…but they all seemed to be in the form of bad dreams, bad thoughts…etc. Has anyone had any “physical world” attacks like changing a clock BACK???

And how does one approach a priest to have a home blessed?
 
Well, your post has had 22 views and no responses - I guess nobody (including me) really knows what to say! That’s just an amazing story, which says to me that the devil perceives you (in a state of grace) to be a dangerous adversary, so whatever it takes to prevent you from getting to confession, he’ll do. I’ve never had an experience with evil like that - all my supernatural happenings appear to be good ones.

I would definitely see about having your house blessed. You can simply ask your priest to do it - when we bought our house 20 years ago, we invited the priest and a few friends, had the blessing and a little dinner afterward. It was a nice occasion.

Betsy
 
I believe in every portion of our lives, evil works hard to stop our path to God. In small things, and in large ones too. I find when I pray hard, and follow the path, things get thrown in the way to try and stop me. My mother-in-law who is a devout Catholic, also agrees. One thing that has always helped me in fear of evil and the temptations that arise from it, is to ask for protection in the name of Jesus. He did say anything we ask of Him in His name will be granted. So I do. And I am protected. Remember, though, when you are on the path, you have much protection as your faith is growing, and you are growing closer in your faith. Evil does try to throw us off, often, but know that God prevails always. Don’t give strength to what does not deserve strength, but to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit alone. Padre Pio led me back to confession as well, and obstacles get thrown in my way too, but we must persevere and not lose faith in God’s presence in our lives.
 
3 things (well my counting skills are off, it seems like three, but I’m an accountant so give me some lattitude if I only make it to 2 or go all the way to ten 😃 )
  1. God did a pretty good job of getting you up for Mass despite all of the tricks, didn’t He 🙂 ?
  2. Reread point 1 😛 . That is the key to a healthy perspective. God made us, He made the devil, the devil rejected His authority, but the devil is nonetheless a created being, just as we are and therefore his power is much more limited than most give him credit for… he works by tricks and chicanery but not with real power that is equivalent to God’s.
  3. Absolutely I have had that kind of stuff happen. The key again is to keep 1 and 2 in mind and instead of being frightened and becoming fearful of the devil 😦 to use it as an opportunity to give glory and praise to God :gopray2: for being so incredibly interested, loving and kind that He would personally defend you during these attacks, that He values you coming to Him enough to send 1, 2, 10 or a hundred guardian angels just for you, to fight off whatever is transgressing your path to Him. The following helps me a lot when stuff like that happens:
**Romans 8:38 **
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord
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Just keep in mind not to become an unintentional devil-“worshipper” by giving too much credence to his tricks and believing his lies that he is as/more powerful than God. And know ultimately that God wants you and is fighting for you. And humbly thank Him and praise Him for helping you and give glory and honor to Him alone. :bowdown2:

my :twocents: (and only worth the paper it’s written on 😉 ).
 
I found that praying for the intersession of St Joseph and The Blessed Virgin Mary really helped me back to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Also making the first Saturday devotions and the First Friday (Sacred Heart of Jesus) devotions made a huge impact and progress.

Pray the rosary each day.

Check out the prayers in the Pieta Prayer Book too
Some prayers are:

Novena to Sacred Heart of Jesus (Padre Pio)
St Briget of Sweden 15 Prayers
and more
 
Our pastor (who is wonderful) gave a sermon on the importance of the sacrament of reconciliation. He talked about how our spiritual enemy hates this sacrament, and if we didn’t believe this, to make it a point to get to confession and then see how many obstacles arise before you can get there! I, too, have had this happen!

One thing I find very comforting, along with all the other great suggestions already posted, is to pray the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel:

“St. Michael the Archangel, defens us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him we humbly pray. And do thou, O prince of the heavenly hosts, by the Divine Power, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”

I also find it helpful to ask Mary and the saints to pray for me, ask my guardian angel to be at my side, and I pray before bedtime that Our Lord will help us have good dreams and good thoughts through the night (the kids especially remind me of this if I forget!).

Also be mindful of the spiritual attacks that often happen after receiving any of the sacraments. But, as others have mentioned, we need not fear the evil one because God is on our side and the battle has already been won! When Father Corapi would start complaining to his mother about the fate of the world and all its corruption, his mom would grab a bible and say – “Don’t worry. We know how it turns out it the end!”
 
Thank you–all of you for your responses.

I actually have the Pieta Prayer book…and a tattered copy, at that! I’d had another once and gave it to a friend who was really in need at the time. And she was DEFINITELY a much better Catholic than I!

Anyway, you all make wonderful points and I’ll do my best to keem them in mind…and keep praying!

One comment, though…if the devil would consider me to be an adversary while in a state of grace…aren’t we ALL a danger to him? I have experienced his attacks even when not in a state of grace and I suspect others have as well.

I guess that, to me, means that although we have seperated ourselves from God, he still “knows” us and the devil is aware of that…so continues to attack? Sure, in a state of grace we are true soldiers for Christ, but I would think that after we have committed mortal sins we would be easier targets.

Just a thought…and a reason to continue going to confession very regularly!

Thanks again for your help and suggestions! 🙂
 
I’m not sure if anyone answered the last question in your original post, but having your house blessed should be pretty straight forward. Call your parish and ask a Priest to come bless your home. They will schedule it with you. My experience is that they often come around dinner so be sure to feed them! :bounce:

I’m glad you made it to Reconciliation! Welcome back!
 
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JCPhoenix:
Sure, in a state of grace we are true soldiers for Christ, but I would think that after we have committed mortal sins we would be easier targets.
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When we are in a state of mortal sin, we are already separated from God, so the evil one’s work is accomplished (for the moment). When we are doing things well, receiving the Sacraments, offering our day to God, praying, etc., that’s when the enemy wants to get us back in his hold. For me, anyway, the attacks seem to be more apparent and bolder the closer we try to follow Jesus.
 
My weakness has been scrupulosity, so I think the devil preys (while I pray) on this. This morning, while at Mass, I remembered something that I did six or seven years ago. At the time, and about 15 years up to that point, I had taken the road of the Catholic who receives Communion every Sunday, but does whatever during the week. Some not very good. Anyway, I remembered this thing and starting getting very agitated, to the point of wondering if I should receive Holy Communion. I did, and in order to pacify myself, I will go to Confession on Thursday. Confession is difficult, because even though I think I am the worst sinner in the world, when Confession rolls around, my hands sweat, my mind goes blank and everything sounds to me stupid. Sometimes I leave the confessional in a worse state than when I went in.

So that is my experience.
 
Coeyanne,

Have you ever tried to write down your sins before confession? It has helped me tremendously. I remember sweating and shaking, and having this fear that upon hearing my sins, the priest was going to run from the confessional pulling his hair and screaming, “It’s just so horrible! It’s just so horrible!!” But then I read a portion of “Lord, Have Mercy” by Scott Hahn and realized I needed to prepare before I went in. An examination of conscience. No kidding, I filled two pages, front and back. And prayed for assistance. I had to write down the act of contrition, so I wouldn’t have to try to remember it, or read it off the one taped in the confessional. And, would you know, when I went in there, I was calm. I read my sins. All of them. And when I read my Act of Contrition (the one I wrote down), I was more focused on reconciling with the Father, as opposed to getting the heck out of there and back to the sweet relief of outdoors. That day, although undeserved, I experienced the relief of absolution (of course, after all those nasty sins) and I experienced grace from God. For about two weeks, I felt calm, peaceful and completely loved. It hasn’t been like that always. But the preparation helped immensely. And I realized confession is about the love of reconciling with the Father, not about my guilt and terror. Now when I go in, I go to God and tell Him how sorry I am, so I can repair my relationship with Him and grow even closer.
 
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Trinitatem:
Coeyanne,

Have you ever tried to write down your sins before confession? It has helped me tremendously. I remember sweating and shaking, and having this fear that upon hearing my sins, the priest was going to run from the confessional pulling his hair and screaming, “It’s just so horrible! It’s just so horrible!!” But then I read a portion of “Lord, Have Mercy” by Scott Hahn and realized I needed to prepare before I went in. An examination of conscience. No kidding, I filled two pages, front and back. And prayed for assistance. I had to write down the act of contrition, so I wouldn’t have to try to remember it, or read it off the one taped in the confessional. And, would you know, when I went in there, I was calm. I read my sins. All of them. And when I read my Act of Contrition (the one I wrote down), I was more focused on reconciling with the Father, as opposed to getting the heck out of there and back to the sweet relief of outdoors. That day, although undeserved, I experienced the relief of absolution (of course, after all those nasty sins) and I experienced grace from God. For about two weeks, I felt calm, peaceful and completely loved. It hasn’t been like that always. But the preparation helped immensely. And I realized confession is about the love of reconciling with the Father, not about my guilt and terror. Now when I go in, I go to God and tell Him how sorry I am, so I can repair my relationship with Him and grow even closer.
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Preparation for confession is important. I use a prayer book that lists the Ten Commandments - each with three questions you ask yourself. If you answer them honestly, you may find that you’ve sinned!:eek: It also lists the seven deadly sins and the the scripture verses from the Gospel of John and the Epistle of James that talk about confessing and forgiving sins. Writing sins down is also a good idea. I first heard of this from Father James Buckley of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter about ten years ago. If you do this, you should remember to destroy the lists soon after confession to ensure that your sins don’t accidently become known to others.

JCPhoenix, by all means have a Priest bless your home. You can also sprinkle Holy Water around your house yourself!
 
Thanks for your advice. I have written down sins, and I will just mention this because my imagination ran away with me and afterwards, actually, I thought it was kind of funny. I was reading my list, and the priest interrupted me, said a few words, and started closing the door while I was saying the Act of Contrition. I wanted to say, “hey, wait, wait, I’m not done”. So, my fear is, some priests don’t want to hear a whole list of imperfections or venial sins. Sometimes, I can’t make the distinction anyway. One of the confessionals I go to is pitch black, so I can’t read anything anyway. My problem is, when I examine my conscience, I am blank, and I mean, I can’t think of anything, except generalities. Yet, I am so unworthy and certainly a sinner. I start reverting to my past, where I can come up with real zingers, but I have confessed past sins, sometimes three times. That is not a good thing. I am now praying for Padre Pio’s intercession to help me with a good, concise and sincere confession. I ask your prayers also.

God Bless.
 
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coeyannie:
Thanks for your advice. I have written down sins, and I will just mention this because my imagination ran away with me and afterwards, actually, I thought it was kind of funny. I was reading my list, and the priest interrupted me, said a few words, and started closing the door while I was saying the Act of Contrition. I wanted to say, “hey, wait, wait, I’m not done”. So, my fear is, some priests don’t want to hear a whole list of imperfections or venial sins. Sometimes, I can’t make the distinction anyway. One of the confessionals I go to is pitch black, so I can’t read anything anyway. My problem is, when I examine my conscience, I am blank, and I mean, I can’t think of anything, except generalities. Yet, I am so unworthy and certainly a sinner. I start reverting to my past, where I can come up with real zingers, but I have confessed past sins, sometimes three times. That is not a good thing. I am now praying for Padre Pio’s intercession to help me with a good, concise and sincere confession. I ask your prayers also.

God Bless.
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A good Priest will listen to anything that you think is sinful. I always err on the side of caution. If I even think something I’ve done is neutral, I’ll mention it. If the Priest doesn’t believe it’s a sin, he usually says so. Once you confess a sin, it’s forgiven. You shouldn’t forget it, but don’t dwell on it. I say shouldn’t forget it because you don’t wnt to repeat it or have it become habitual. You should pray about sins like that and ask God for the courage and strength of Faith to avoid them. It’s good to pray for Padre Pio’s intervention. I also recommend praying for the intercession of the Cure of Ars, St. John Vianney. He is the Patron Saint of Parish Priests. He heard confessions for up to 18 hours each day, often telling people their sins before they told him.
 
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Didi:
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JCPhoenix:
Sure, in a state of grace we are true soldiers for Christ, but I would think that after we have committed mortal sins we would be easier targets.
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When we are in a state of mortal sin, we are already separated from God, so the evil one’s work is accomplished (for the moment). When we are doing things well, receiving the Sacraments, offering our day to God, praying, etc., that’s when the enemy wants to get us back in his hold. For me, anyway, the attacks seem to be more apparent and bolder the closer we try to follow Jesus.
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Gonna agree with both of you on this one… I think it’s just two different perspectives… when we are weaker we are easier prey and more sensitive to the attacks…so when we are in a state of mortal sin we are going to be attacked and we are going to notice the attacks at a higher level. When we are in a state of grace, at a spiritual plateau that is a restful path on the journey, we are more insulated from the attacks and therefore less likely to notice them.

However when we are ready to make a step closer to God, that is when we are yet again fragile…and the attacks step up again… imagine if you will being in a state of grace but being called to a closer relationship with God. So picture it as walking along a path and reaching a set of stairs… while the evil one would not have much reason or resource to attack us when we are on stable ground and in God’s grace (keeping in mind that his powers are not so great as he would have us believe) when we get to a set of stairs that will bring us closer to God and to a better relationship with Him, we are now on unsteady ground, somewhat fearful of what changes God has in store for us, on one leg at a time. Here, even though we are still in a state of grace, we are no longer on stable ground and we are therefore prone to powerful spiritual attacks, and one can count on the enemy to use many resources against us. We have God however 🙂 and He wins 😃 . We must turn to Him at these times and remember to pray as Christ Himself taught us… “Thy will be done.” Trust is essential at those times that He is calling us to a closer relationship with Him.

That is why we must take the time to get strong along each part of our journey and why we must be so careful in judging another person’s spiritual journey. For if we rush them along it, we create opportunities for the evil one rather than spiritual fruit for God.

You can tell my little sister is coming home… I’m in preachy mode 😛 . Sorry. But it’s well intended if you take it only for what it’s worth 🙂 .
 
Thank you so much for your concern and advice. I like the confession where the priest tells you your sins. That sounds good to me. Just kidding, of course. I think I probably do care more about the words I use, and of course, now, I am thinking that the whole thing is pride. Duh, huh?

Thanks again.
 
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Maggie:
When we are in a state of grace, at a spiritual plateau that is a restful path on the journey, we are more insulated from the attacks and therefore less likely to notice them.
However when we are ready to make a step closer to God, that is when we are yet again fragile…and the attacks step up again…
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Great insight, thank you! I do notice that sometimes when I am on the “plateau” I am less aware of sin and attacks. When I start on the “stairs” again, then I do feel as though the attacks are worse or heightened, or maybe I’m just more attuned to them.
 
You could always start with confessing PRIDE – (and please don’t think I mean YOU). C. S. Lewis said it is the sin that we all struggle with and the lynch-pin of all the rest. And the one we seldom recognize. He always confessed pride, every week at confession. He met with a friend, I think. The Seven Deadlies are always a good bet, too.
 
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