Conversion?

[Dj_Roy_Albert]

Do you believe that anyone can undergo a deep conversion of self & leave behind a life of sin & follow Christ? Any life of sin? Even a sex offender or murderer?

• Remember that Moses once killed a man & St. Paul persecuted the Church & stood by as the Jewish leaders stoned Stephen to death.

 

[Joan_M]

Dj Roy Albert:

Do you believe that anyone can undergo a deep conversion of self & leave behind a life of sin & follow Christ? Any life of sin? Even a sex offender or murderer?

• Remember that Moses once killed a man & St. Paul persecuted the Church & stood by as the Jewish leaders stoned Stephen to death.

Of course! The Grace of God is always there for us. We have only to stop placing obstacles in its way.

There is no sin too horrendous for God’s Grace to conquer!

There are times, though, that we are so obtuse that God gets our attention first! Then, when we are suitable chastened, we will be open to His Grace.

 

[Teresa9]

Dear Friend

I believe God can conquer anything that man allows to happen or does. God prevails and always will. He can renew any life, break it and remake it. Those who do not live in His love are the walking dead, there is no life in them, those who live in His love are truly alive and alive for all eternity.

God’s mercy and forgiveness is unending, infinite and eternal, God is the ever present moment and in Him, in a moment, at absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are restored to union with Him whatever our past has been. The grace to possess a truly repentant heart is the most sublime gift because it leads to the gift of God’s forgiveness. This is what God desires for all souls if they unite their will to His.

In God our Father, through Christ Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit all things are possible. It is only humanity that lingers on the past and is unwilling to forgive, God is all mercy and forgiveness.

To err is human to forgive is Divine. This is the most beautiful expression of God’s love, His eternal forgiveness and this is what He asks of us, that we also forgive each other, that we forgive the murderer, the thief, the child molester, the rapist and we forgive each other in love of God.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[Mary_s_Lamb]

If you look back in history, God has done this numerous times. One example is the man who tried to rape, then murdered Maria Goretti. He eventually was converted and became a monk.

 

[jrabs]

I absolutely believe that God can bring about amazing conversions. Look at Norma McCorvey -who was “Roe” from “Roe vs. Wade”.

Also Fr Corapi. I had an opportunity to see him speak - what an awesome conversion story that man has!

I am praying daily for conversions in some of my loved ones who have been led astray. While not hardened criminals, their hearts are hard and the world is so alluring! I keep the hope alive that God will prevail in bringing about conversions.

That’s why I love the Green Scapular.

 

[Dj_Roy_Albert]

Thank you all for responding.

Do you all believe that once God forgives you of sin through the sacrament of Confession, then the sins are truly forgiven & your soul is cleansed completely?

I’ll give an example on how this has confuse me in my next post, so I hope more people respond. I’m interested in your answers.

 

[oriel36]

Dj Roy Albert:

Thank you all for responding.

Do you all believe that once God forgives you of sin through the sacrament of Confession, then the sins are truly forgiven & your soul is cleansed completely?

I’ll give an example on how this has confuse me in my next post, so I hope more people respond. I’m interested in your answers.

Confession is a beautiful part of Catholic tradition which often bewilders outsiders.It sometimes happens that genuine remorse can be expressed anonymously in the confessional while outsiders fuss and fret their way through shrinks who charge them a 100 dollars an hour and useless and unecessary 12 step programms,ect.

We forgive our own sins when we care enough to acknowledge it quasi-openly in the confessional,pity the non-believers don’t realise just how good an experience that is.

 

[Teresa9]

Dj Roy Albert:

Thank you all for responding.

Do you all believe that once God forgives you of sin through the sacrament of Confession, then the sins are truly forgiven & your soul is cleansed completely?

I’ll give an example on how this has confuse me in my next post, so I hope more people respond. I’m interested in your answers.

Dear friend

Without the Sacrament of Reconciliation it is impossible to live in this life at peace with God, the profound effect of confession is the restoration of peace between man and God and this is only possible by Christ Jesus’ absolution by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus spent alot of His Ministry forgiving sins.

The burden of the sin upon a repentant soul is lifted by God’s mercy and the soul at that point when a person has confessed their sins and has truly repented and received absolution is perfect, is saintly and is at that point totally free of sin. If you should die as you walk out of the confessional you are a soul fit for heaven! The soul is spotless and beautiful.

The damaging effects of sin may have lingering effects and this is what purgatory sorts out as well as any venial sins not confessed. Also for anyone God sees fit to send there in order to be pure to receive the Beatific Vision.

The lingering effects of sin are something that does not impair the soul, the soul once absolved is Saintly, cleansed and made new. Christ Jesus makes all things new.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation we take ownership of our sins and failings, we recognise them and solemnly pledge by the grace of God we will try not to repeat them. It is a healing Sacrament, not just mentally but spiritually. It heals not just the penitent but also when the penitent tells the person they may have sinned against they are sorry, it is also healing for the community at large, for the church and for the whole of humanity.

Yes I believe my sins and all those who confess their sins are forgiven. God does not lie and Jesus would not have invested the authority to forgive sins to His Apostles and their successors (Priests) if it wasn’t the case…‘Whatever you bind on earth is bound in Heaven and whatever you lose on earth is loosed in Heaven’

God sets much store by forgiveness, even our own judgement is based on how merciful we are to others and how we forgive others as well as our faith in God and works for others.

No-one is more forgiving than God, His mercy and forgiveness is Eternal and Infinite.

I trust in Him.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[caroljm36]

oriel36:

It sometimes happens that genuine remorse can be expressed anonymously in the confessional while outsiders fuss and fret their way through shrinks who charge them a 100 dollars an hour
.

And the goal of the shrinks is to convince you that you shouldn’t feel guilt! At least that’s how it used to be. But let’s face it, psychology is a positivist religion-substitute, and since it has no basis in objective moral truth, they can’t acknowledge that we would have anything to feel guilty about. So you spend all that time and money trying to finesse the issue.

 

[jrabs]

caroljm36:

And the goal of the shrinks is to convince you that you shouldn’t feel guilt! At least that’s how it used to be. But let’s face it, psychology is a positivist religion-substitute, and since it has no basis in objective moral truth, they can’t acknowledge that we would have anything to feel guilty about. So you spend all that time and money trying to finesse the issue.

I am liking what you are saying! I used to go to see a counselor about some anger issues in my life. I was depressed about a relationship. I had started dating a man who I loved dearly - while at the same time setting my religion aside and committing mortal sins.

At each counseling session, the counselor would affirm that my reasons for being angry with this man, anger for my ex-husband, anger at my parents, and what not - was all legitimate anger. These people had all wronged me in some harsh way - that is true - but he never discussed the religious side of things and the aspect of forgiveness.

Well, it dawned on me one day. This counselor just affirms my anger and wants me to continuously talk of it. It sounded like sheer happiness to the ears of the devil for me to dwell in misery and how others have wronged me.

But at confession you talk of it and more on. You are forgiven and that’s it - done - no more talk.

So I decided that I needed to have a good confession, get rid of the counselor and stop meditating on my problems week after miserable week. Meditating on misery opens the door for the devil to gain a foothold of unforgiveness, bitterness, anger.

I also realized that relying on the gifts of Holy Spirit was the only way I could free myself. Confession was the way, which led to Adortation, which in turn led to daily mass, etc.

Confession is the best medicine I have ever taken. Followed up with a hefty dose of Adoration and healthy food, the Eucharist.

 

[oriel36]

caroljm36:

And the goal of the shrinks is to convince you that you shouldn’t feel guilt! At least that’s how it used to be. But let’s face it, psychology is a positivist religion-substitute, and since it has no basis in objective moral truth, they can’t acknowledge that we would have anything to feel guilty about. So you spend all that time and money trying to finesse the issue.

I lived in the United States for many years (a country I love btw) and as a European I was surprised and somewhat irritated that the words catholic and guilt were used frequently whereas I had rarely known it growing up Catholic on the other side of the Atlantic.

I have only known ‘guilt’ as a loss of innocence of sorts followed by remorse hence the need for confession but as we get older.experience should at least temper our judgements on how to approach occasions which would generate remorse and not to get too hung up on guilt or anything that bottles it up inside a person.

Christmas Eve is an excellent day for non-Catholics to experience this little gem of Catholic tradition and considering that most Catholics have’nt gone to confession in years and forget what to say,all that is required is to remember that expressing remorse is a voluntary act and the whole point of the exercise regardless of who is behind the curtain.

(Open confession !!! - dear oh dear,oh dear)

In any case, Merry Christmas to all here…