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Guest
I listened to a talk this weekend on CD; I believe it was Father John Ricardo; it was about Confession. (Father Larry Richards also has an amazing talk on Confession!)
He asked, “What is the greatest sin of our time? Is it abortion? Adultery? Murder?” He then answered, “Perhaps the greatest sin of our time is the loss of awareness/our sense of sin.” (or something like that…) Clearly, a large percentage of our (US) population does not see abortion as a sin, nor fornication, nor missing Mass…even our Catholic brethren.
People will say that they haven’t committed a mortal sin, and don’t need to go to Confession. We aren’t required to confess our venial sins during Confession, but are required to go once a year, plus anytime we have a mortal sin to confess. People will say, “I have nothing to confess.” WHAT?
I think we generalize and use the 10 commandments as an excuse. It’s easy to say I didn’t create a golden idol, or miss Mass, or commit adultery, or steal a car, or any of the things that appear on the SURFACE of breaking the commandments. But we need to delve deeper, and use a deeper examination of conscience.
Many Popes confessed daily; I believe it was Mother Teresa (Blessed!) who confessed regularly if not daily. If these people we admire, of whom we really do put on a pedestal, need to confess, why not us?
Someone wrote on another thread that the unhappiest people he saw in practice (Psych) were those that kept track of every little thing that they did wrong. (Maybe that’s because they are holding onto those sins.) But, do we need to do that? We have this great opportunity to keep track of our sins, and then GIVE THEM TO GOD, and be released from them and their power. Perhaps we DO need to be depressed about our true sinfulness; from that can come the true REJOICING in our salvation, in Christ dying for our sins!
I’m a little ‘crazy’ about Confession. Sometimes, OUCH, it really really hurts. But keeping the sins to ourselves hurts us even more, when our Lord and Savior is asking us to give Him our sins.
I challenge each and every person who reads this to go to Confession sometime within the next 2 weeks. Find a deeper examination of conscience online or in a book or a pamphlet. I too need to do a deeper examination. I know what’s holding me back…my attachment to these sins (such as laziness, procrastination, selfishness). But I’m working on it. I invite you to work on it too. My first Confession in 15 years last year cleared out all the elephants in the room; now it’s time to clean the cobwebs and dustbunnies too.
God bless each of you. Please pray for me that I may make a good, sincere, deep confession (putting aside my pride first of all!).
google.com/#q=examination+of+conscience+for+confession
ncregister.com/info/confession_guide_for_adults/
fatima.org/essentials/requests/examconc.asp
usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments/penance/examinations-of-conscience.cfm
Laudate app for iPhone and Android
He asked, “What is the greatest sin of our time? Is it abortion? Adultery? Murder?” He then answered, “Perhaps the greatest sin of our time is the loss of awareness/our sense of sin.” (or something like that…) Clearly, a large percentage of our (US) population does not see abortion as a sin, nor fornication, nor missing Mass…even our Catholic brethren.
People will say that they haven’t committed a mortal sin, and don’t need to go to Confession. We aren’t required to confess our venial sins during Confession, but are required to go once a year, plus anytime we have a mortal sin to confess. People will say, “I have nothing to confess.” WHAT?
I think we generalize and use the 10 commandments as an excuse. It’s easy to say I didn’t create a golden idol, or miss Mass, or commit adultery, or steal a car, or any of the things that appear on the SURFACE of breaking the commandments. But we need to delve deeper, and use a deeper examination of conscience.
Many Popes confessed daily; I believe it was Mother Teresa (Blessed!) who confessed regularly if not daily. If these people we admire, of whom we really do put on a pedestal, need to confess, why not us?
Someone wrote on another thread that the unhappiest people he saw in practice (Psych) were those that kept track of every little thing that they did wrong. (Maybe that’s because they are holding onto those sins.) But, do we need to do that? We have this great opportunity to keep track of our sins, and then GIVE THEM TO GOD, and be released from them and their power. Perhaps we DO need to be depressed about our true sinfulness; from that can come the true REJOICING in our salvation, in Christ dying for our sins!
I’m a little ‘crazy’ about Confession. Sometimes, OUCH, it really really hurts. But keeping the sins to ourselves hurts us even more, when our Lord and Savior is asking us to give Him our sins.
I challenge each and every person who reads this to go to Confession sometime within the next 2 weeks. Find a deeper examination of conscience online or in a book or a pamphlet. I too need to do a deeper examination. I know what’s holding me back…my attachment to these sins (such as laziness, procrastination, selfishness). But I’m working on it. I invite you to work on it too. My first Confession in 15 years last year cleared out all the elephants in the room; now it’s time to clean the cobwebs and dustbunnies too.
God bless each of you. Please pray for me that I may make a good, sincere, deep confession (putting aside my pride first of all!).
google.com/#q=examination+of+conscience+for+confession
ncregister.com/info/confession_guide_for_adults/
fatima.org/essentials/requests/examconc.asp
usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments/penance/examinations-of-conscience.cfm
Laudate app for iPhone and Android
And if you have numerous churches…then you get to choose from many times already. How awesome!
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