Day Without Sin - Possible?

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Over the past few weeks I found it nearly impossible to go a whole day without sin. For example today I called someone a gossip spoke rudely to a few people and brought attention to someone’s racist joke. How can we avoid mortal sin. I try to pray a Rosary every night and I always try and say a prayer to St. Michael. I last confessed on Saturday and I think I have already committed 3 sins. How do I not loose hope?
 
Loose hope? No of course not…no reason to loose hope. Continue to follow Christ …including seeking to overcome sins.

Know though that while we can basically avoid each sin…we can not go too long with some venial sins (unless one has a special grace from God). Such is the teaching of the Church.

(humm 24 hours without any sin?..sleep all day?..oh wait that is prob laziness…)

Hence we pray “forgive us our trespasses…” daily. (many early Christians prayed the Lords Prayer 3 times a day).

Now of course the is meaning venial sins.

Certainly one can avoid all mortal sins.

Remember the reality of your baptism…of your being “in Christ” as Paul puts it…of your being a saint…a disciple…and keep seeking by his grace to follow and be more and more like him…within your state etc…being more and more holy and growing in the life of prayer and virtue.

“At the beginning of Christianity, the members of the Church were also called “saints”. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul addresses “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor 1: 2). Indeed, Christians are already saints because Baptism unites them to Jesus and to his Paschal Mystery, but at the same time they must become so by conforming themselves every more closely to him.” --Pope Benedict XVI

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20071101_all-saints_en.html

But do not become discouraged at all if one finds one still sins venially each day…such is our lot. And good for your humility. But live in the Christ…and as Paul puts it “walk in the Spirit”…“walk in love”.
 
 
FAH said:
Over the past few weeks I found it nearly impossible to go a whole day without sin. For example today I called someone a gossip spoke rudely to a few people and brought attention to someone’s racist joke. How can we avoid mortal sin. I try to pray a Rosary every night and I always try and say a prayer to St. Michael. I last confessed on Saturday and I think I have already committed 3 sins. How do I not loose hope?
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In the Divine Liturgy it is one of the petitions we pray for, “May this day be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless,”. Is it possible? We should always be hopeful it can and will happen 😉
 
Bookcat said:
But do not become discouraged at all if one finds one still sins venially each day…such is our lot. And good for your humility. But live in the Christ…and as Paul puts it “walk in the Spirit”…“walk in love”.
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Good advice. Indeed, if we managed to go a whole day without sinning even venially, we would probably then become susceptible to pride!
 
I am usually okay until I open my mouth. (too old to do any of the fun sins)
wonder what James would say about facebook, email and other modern methods of communication? as the gecko says, can people use a smart phone to do stupid things?
 
FAH said:
Over the past few weeks I found it nearly impossible to go a whole day without sin. For example today I called someone a gossip spoke rudely to a few people and brought attention to someone’s racist joke. How can we avoid mortal sin. I try to pray a Rosary every night and I always try and say a prayer to St. Michael. I last confessed on Saturday and I think I have already committed 3 sins. How do I not loose hope?
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in this life God does not ask us to be perfect all at once, but only to reach for perfection, and to never give up, that is what matters most, not that we never offend God, but that we never willingly offend Him(without caring).

just try your best, and be humble with yourself, acknowledging that you are a weak and sinful creature is humility, but being dissapointed in yourself and getting depressed or despaired for sinning is a hidden type of pride, because it’s not regarding yourself as the weak creature you really are, who is completely dependent on Gods grace to do any good whatsoever.
you need to learn and grow in virtue, it won’t happen all at once, and in order to learn how to be virtuous, you must know yourself, which you learn by a daily examination of conscience, by looking at your sins and falls and mistakes each day, knowing what you can expect from yourself, and then thinking of ways to better yourself, which is what a spiritual director is really helpful for(i’d highly recommend a priest from the fssp if you have one nearby)
remember that God brings good out of evil, and so you should never get despaired over your falls, but instead try to find the good that can be brought out of them, which may just be to learn from them.
and when you do fall, just make sure to say you’re sorry, maybe with an act of contrition, and then do some small penance for the sin…because it’s not that we shouldn’t care if we’ve sinned(of course we should) it’s just that our sorrow should be in the right place, when we get disappointed in ourselves because we’ve sinned, that is a sign of pride(it’s like saying, “I should have done better” when in reality it’s just what you can expect from yourself when you don’t ask God for help.), but when we become sorrowful that we have offended God, then that’s a sign of love for God.

it may be a long and difficult process, but remember you never do it alone, God is always with you, even if it doesn’t feel like it, and you always need His grace to do any good, so always remember to ask for His help in even the smallest temptations or troubles,
and just be patient with yourself, you need to grow at the pace that is best for you, and God is helping you to do that, so just keep at it,
and if there’s something you just don’t think you can do(or not do) then just pray on it, and ask God to do it for you.

i would recommend reading the lives of the saints, these ones in particular are very good, and affordable - store.saintbenedict.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=12&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
and check this out too - audiosancto.org/

so, just keep going to confession, keep praying, and place your hope in God, not yourself.

alright, so i hope this helps, take care.
 
FAH said:
Over the past few weeks I found it nearly impossible to go a whole day without sin. For example today I called someone a gossip spoke rudely to a few people and brought attention to someone’s racist joke. How can we avoid mortal sin. I try to pray a Rosary every night and I always try and say a prayer to St. Michael. I last confessed on Saturday and I think I have already committed 3 sins. How do I not loose hope?
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First of all, those which you describe sound like VENIAL sins, not mortal! Do you know the difference? Mortal sins are sins that are so bad they completely break our friendship with God which can only be restored by sacramental confession. Venial sins are those little everyday sins that don’t break, but harm, our friendship with God. These can be forgiven simply by saying an Act of Contrition. It is not possible to go through a day without committing venial sins, unless you’re Christ, the Blessed Mother, or in a coma!

If you are committing mortal sins on a daily basis, then it is time to make some serious changes in your life.

Some obvious mortal sins (just so you see the difference) would be sexual relations outside of the sacrament of marriage; missing Mass without a good reason (i.e. sickness or travel), having an abortion, masturbation, pornography, illegal drug use.

Simply calling someone a “gossip” or speaking rudely to people are not mortal sins.

I hope I put your mind at ease.
 
Day without sin?

I’ve wondered if I could go 15 minutes without sin.

In my mind, I seem to be thinking two or three things all the time, at the same time. It’s very hard for me to concentrate.

So, while I am praying, I’m also thinking something about atheism, for example.

I can say the Rosary with my voice and be thinking about one or two completely different things.

Even in my thoughts, I don’t always seem to be totally in control and thinking the things I want to be thinking about.

Nobody talks about things like this, but it happens to ma all the time. I don’t seem to have the proverbial one-track mind.

I don’t think that the evil thoughts that I have are sinful, although they might be under other circumstances. But, if evil thoughts ARE sinful, it must be the willful thoughts that are sinful – at least I hope so.

I live with my mother, and I don’t see her commit any sins, that I can tell. She’s misinformed about some things, and she can’t help herself, I think. But, I don’t see her commit sins.

She used to have unbridled thoughts and speech about our neighbor. I tried to correct her about that, mostly by ignoring her, or directly telling her that I didn’t want to hear any of her nonsense.

I try to distinguish temptations from sins, which are really different. I don’t worry about temptations. I may have to work on getting rid of them, but I don’t worry excessively about having temptations. I think many people do.

On various general topics, I’ve heard people from around the country say things that I have thought, too. So, I don’t think all my thought processes are too wierd, either.
 
FAH said:
Over the past few weeks I found it nearly impossible to go a whole day without sin. For example today I called someone a gossip spoke rudely to a few people and brought attention to someone’s racist joke. How can we avoid mortal sin. I try to pray a Rosary every night and I always try and say a prayer to St. Michael. I last confessed on Saturday and I think I have already committed 3 sins. How do I not loose hope?
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Trust and believe in the blood of Jesus Christ. No need to ever lose hope.

Matthew 19:

16And behold one came and said to him: Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?
Code: 
**17**Who said to him: Why asketh thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 
**18**He said to him: Which? And Jesus said: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. 
**19**Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
**20**The young man saith to him: All these I have kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me? 
**21**Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me. 
**22**And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions. 
**23**Then Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
**24**And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
**25**And when they had heard this, the disciples wondered very much, saying: Who then can be saved?     **26**And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: :(, but with God all things are possible.:)
Also see:

Daniel 12:1-13
2 Cor. 12:1-10
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Titus 1:1-2
Titus 3:7
1 Corinthians 15:19
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
1 Peter 1:3
Romans 5:2-5
Romans 8:24-25
Romans 12:12
Romans 15:4
Romans 15:13
1 Corinthians 2:9
Many others

May God bless you and lift you up, and fill you with hope for His promised life eternal,

Steven
 
Thank You for all taking the time to reply.
I think one of the reasons I keep falling into sin could be the fact that my conscience isn’t very well formed. It will be a year on the 1st Sunday of Advent (vigil) that I made the second confession in my life. Since that time I’ve been quite scrupulous at times and I don’t think I’m the best at evaluating my faults and failings. When ever I slip up I just kind of give up and don’t see any point in praying the Rosary asking Mother to keep me from sin when I’ve already fallen.
Maybe my conscience is out of tune, too sensitive. For example if someone is really trying their best to annoy me and I say in a very harsh tone STOP I feel I need to confess that.
And when my mother asked me to do something I really didn’t want to do I sulked around, I feel I need to confess this now.

Does it sound like my conscience is really out of tune to you guys?
 
FAH said:
Thank You for all taking the time to reply.
I think one of the reasons I keep falling into sin could be the fact that my conscience isn’t very well formed. It will be a year on the 1st Sunday of Advent (vigil) that I made the second confession in my life. Since that time I’ve been quite scrupulous at times and I don’t think I’m the best at evaluating my faults and failings. When ever I slip up I just kind of give up and don’t see any point in praying the Rosary asking Mother to keep me from sin when I’ve already fallen.
Maybe my conscience is out of tune, too sensitive. For example if someone is really trying their best to annoy me and I say in a very harsh tone STOP I feel I need to confess that.
And when my mother asked me to do something I really didn’t want to do I sulked around, I feel I need to confess this now.

Does it sound like my conscience is really out of tune to you guys?
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Your conscience is what your conscience is. You do need to inform your conscience with good catechesis, but the conscience, in the end, is the voice of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think any of us are qualified to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be confessing. Have you considered talking about any of this with your pastor? Your confessor can help you with this whole topic. That is part of his priestly function. The CCC is also helpful. Remember the sacraments, and John 3:16. God bless you, and best wishes,

I’ll pray for you.

Please pray for me as well.

Steven
 
FAH said:
Thank You for all taking the time to reply.
I think one of the reasons I keep falling into sin could be the fact that my conscience isn’t very well formed. It will be a year on the 1st Sunday of Advent (vigil) that I made the second confession in my life. Since that time I’ve been quite scrupulous at times and I don’t think I’m the best at evaluating my faults and failings. When ever I slip up I just kind of give up and don’t see any point in praying the Rosary asking Mother to keep me from sin when I’ve already fallen.
Maybe my conscience is out of tune, too sensitive. For example if someone is really trying their best to annoy me and I say in a very harsh tone STOP I feel I need to confess that.
And when my mother asked me to do something I really didn’t want to do I sulked around, I feel I need to confess this now.

Does it sound like my conscience is really out of tune to you guys?
Click to expand...
Then you need to have a good “regular confessor” …and slowly with his help overcome any scruples and form your conscience.
 
It’s absolutely impossible to live a single day or even hour I think without sin. We have thoughts and actions, even our own eating or sitting around can be gluttony or putting carnal needs over spiritual… it’s just what we are.

So no, you can’t live without sin but you can cut back on it considerably, which is a wonderful thing to do and it looks like that’s what you are doing.

I always do a few things every day and I think “I’m a sinner, why did I do that again.” Maybe it’s to keep us humble, in service, and focused on God.

~Lily
 
lily20 said:
It’s absolutely impossible to live a single day or even hour I think without sin.
~Lily
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I’m sorry but this is not true, although it takes extraordinary grace from God and alot of hard work, it can and has been done, many of the saints worked up to a life of little to no sin, and there were a small number of saints who did not sin at all, with only the stain of original sin on their soul before baptism,
although the number of saints who did not sin at all is very very small, there is certainly many more who could go from day to day or hour to hour without sinning, because they had the grace of God to help them,

it’s not by any means impossible, because with God nothing is impossible, it may be hard or take a long time, but with Gods help and guidance, it can most certainly be done,
the church does not and has never taught that it’s absolutely impossible to go from day to day or hour to hour without sinning, because it’s just not true.

we should be humble and patient with ourselves regarding sin, but to think that it’s impossible to avoid all sin from one day to the next(or hour to hour) is just setting you up to sin, and even worse than that it can make you careless…

i’m not saying that it’s easy not to sin from day to day or hour to hour, and i know it’s not at all common, but it is possible, by the grace of God.
 
You mentioned stopping prayer because you think you have sinned. Even if you have sinned mortally you should pray! We need it the most then. It is a trap to think you should ever stop praying. It will only make the situation worse. Especially with the Rosary. Mary always helps guide us to her son.

I wish I could give you better advice but I have much the same problems and scruples you have. God bless you. As someone said, lay your doubts at the feet of Christ on the cross. Praise God for He is good! His mercy endures for ever!

I hope this helps give you some peace. 🙂

PSALM 19

13
Who can detect heedless failings? Cleanse me from my unknown faults.
14
But from willful sins keep your servant; let them never control me. Then shall I be blameless, innocent of grave sin.
15
Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, keep the thoughts of my heart before you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

I memorized 15 and pray it often now. Let God guide you and protect you!
 
Shema Israel Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!

Hear Oh Israel the LORD is God, the LORD alone!

You shall love the LORD with all your heart,with all your soul, (with all your mind - Mk 12:29), and with all your strength. Dt 6:4ff.

Jesus confirmed the old testament command and expanded it. we are to focus our entire self on God.

Jewish commentators explain that “with all your heart” means to be in prayer with God.

“with all your soul” means even to the point of sacrificing your life for your belief.

“with all your strength” Judaism interprets as meaning even with all your wealth and all your effort.

“with all your mind” – loving God should be the focus of all our thoughts.

But, what is “loving God”? Loving God refers to what we do with God in mind.
 
I was taught to pray the [Te Deum](http:// Catholic First Te Deum) every day, and part of it reads “vouch safe, this day oh Lord, to keep us without sin,” but I still can’t seem to get thru the day without committing a venial sin.

Is God refusing to answer my prayers (and not giving me the grace I need to get thru the day without sinning), or are these sins I referred to as venial really more serious than that?

Could I really get thru the day without sinning at all if I really wanted to?

And are these sins therefore wilful?
 
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