Hello community…I’d like some opinions or (name removed by moderator)uts on this question.
Lately, I’ve been going to confession just about every single week to confess the same sins. I just can’t get myself past my old sinful habits that I developed before I became a Catholic and my conscience is REALLY getting to me.
I’m sincerly sorry for my sins and those that I keep confession to my priest. But how many times can one be forgiven for the same sins? Over and over and over again? Does God’s love and forgiveness transcend the boundaries that any human mind can ever grasp?
Some sins can work their ways into a force of habit. This means that while they remain objectively grave matter, guilt can be mitigated by the level of habit. A confessor is the one who can determine this.
However, some people think that because they have allowed something to become a difficult to control addiction of some kind - an inordinate attachment - that it is a free ride to continue.
Not the case. Rather, the best thing to do is to go frequently as you are. I suggest, that provided you have a good confessor who is not disoriented in his understanding of doctrine, you continue to see the same priest and tell him that you want to discontinue this, but that it has progressed into a habit or addiction.
By going to the same priest, you have somewhat of an accountability partner. People who play musical confessors have a more difficult time ending the problem.
However, there is hope. No sin is beyond ceasing. It is not you who will stop on your own. Rather, it is the grace of God through the Sacrament of Penance and other prayers that will deliver you from your bondage.
I’ve met people in these forums and in life who were addicted to gossip, to lying or cheating, and someone else to stealing things he didn’t need. These forum are full of people struggling with various sexual addictions. These are crosses - and crosses we must keep carrying no matter how many times we mess up. The only sin not forgiven, is the one not confessed.
I’m not assuming this is your issue, but I think everyone can agree that nothing could be worse than sins of a sexual nature because of how we are wired, and because of concupiscence (i.e., porn addiction, self-abuse, and related). To show that even those types of things can be overcome, visit
TrueKnights.org. It was created by a man, Ken Henderson who once had a deep addiction to porn and overcame it. He then created a system to help other Catholic men out of it. He has been on many TV and radio programs often and is a class act.
Prayer life is essential here. Try the Divine Mercy chaplet as it is quite easy and short. Pray to Our Lady and talk to her, as well as to St. Michael.
Another important thing is to make use of mortificaiton. That is, train yourself in saying “no” to small things - things that are ordinarily fine. For example, choose to abstain from meat for a time, or to forgo a piece of cake when you really want it. This is part of taming the will so that your will doesn’t control you. Practice getting up without hitting the snooze. In learning to control little things, you learn to control the heavy hitters.
