Difficulty in finding "material" for confession

[DebChris]

Laudatur Iesus Christus.

Thank you for your comments.

The point I was trying to highlight is that the time to end mourning was not at the moment of forgiveness.

This creates some problem for those who say, ‘your sin is forgiven, put it behind you and forget about it.’ It also causes one pause when interpreting claims that God does not remember our sins once they are forgiven. Whatever such statements mean, it cannot be what they seem to say on their face.

Pax Christi nobiscum.

John Hiner

We never want to substitute cheap grace for the costly grace of the cross. We are called to conversion, to follow the will of the Father.
I was looking for the scripture passage, “The accuser of our brothers is cast out, who night and day accused them before God.” One thing we do not want to do is wallow in our guilt and thereby deny the forgiveness and grace that we have received.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. As a result we have been acquitted and reconciled in our relationship with God. The woman caught in adultery was told to “go and sin no more.” As St. Paul says, we are to die to sin in order to live in Christ.

 

[John_Hiner]

We never want to substitute cheap grace for the costly grace of the cross. We are called to conversion, to follow the will of the Father.
I was looking for the scripture passage, “The accuser of our brothers is cast out, who night and day accused them before God.” One thing we do not want to do is wallow in our guilt and thereby deny the forgiveness and grace that we have received.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. As a result we have been acquitted and reconciled in our relationship with God. The woman caught in adultery was told to “go and sin no more.” As St. Paul says, we are to die to sin in order to live in Christ.

Laudatur Iesus Christus.

Dear DebChris:

I agree with each of these statements, in some sense. However, I have trouble seeing how they tie together.

It might be that a distinction must be drawn between the guilt of sin and the consequences of sin. I will try my hand at such a distinction:

Guilt may refer to both (1) the separation from God and the Church that is the essence of sin and (2) the feeling of shame that such separation occasions. This separation is ended in the sacrament of Confession, when one expresses contrition and the desire to be reconciled and the Lord accepts one back into His grace.

The consequences of sin, however, include the mess that one makes when he acts separate from or contrary to Christ. This damage is done to the world, to the Church, and to oneself: Damage to the world because of the suffering inflicted on others by ill-tempter, theft, or whatever else the material of one’s sin might have been. Damage is done to the Church because of the rupture between the sinning member and the unity of the Body of Christ. Damage is done to oneself in the un-chastity, disintegration, and weakening of discipline which each sin inflicts on the sinner.

Though the separation and the feelings of shame associated with it are ended with forgiveness, the hard work and serious attention required to deal with the ill effects of sin only really begin at the moment of forgiveness. Once one is again aligned with the will of Christ, he can begin to meaningfully address the mess he has made. This work can only be done in Christ, and so it begins when the breach between the sinner and the Lord is healed.

In this sense, one should not dawdle in guilt – either the fact or the feeling – however, one cannot neglect the work of repair, healing, and improvement which each sin makes necessary.

Spiritus Sapientiae nobiscum.

John Hiner

 

[DebChris]

Laudatur Iesus Christus.

Dear DebChris:

I agree with each of these statements, in some sense. However, I have trouble seeing how they tie together.

It might be that a distinction must be drawn between the guilt of sin and the consequences of sin. I will try my hand at such a distinction:

Guilt may refer to both (1) the separation from God and the Church that is the essence of sin and (2) the feeling of shame that such separation occasions. This separation is ended in the sacrament of Confession, when one expresses contrition and the desire to be reconciled and the Lord accepts one back into His grace.

The consequences of sin, however, include the mess that one makes when he acts separate from or contrary to Christ. This damage is done to the world, to the Church, and to oneself: Damage to the world because of the suffering inflicted on others by ill-tempter, theft, or whatever else the material of one’s sin might have been. Damage is done to the Church because of the rupture between the sinning member and the unity of the Body of Christ. Damage is done to oneself in the un-chastity, disintegration, and weakening of discipline which each sin inflicts on the sinner.

Though the separation and the feelings of shame associated with it are ended with forgiveness, the hard work and serious attention required to deal with the ill effects of sin only really begin at the moment of forgiveness. Once one is again aligned with the will of Christ, he can begin to meaningfully address the mess he has made. This work can only be done in Christ, and so it begins when the breach between the sinner and the Lord is healed.

In this sense, one should not dawdle in guilt – either the fact or the feeling – however, one cannot neglect the work of repair, healing, and improvement which each sin makes necessary.

Spiritus Sapientiae nobiscum.

John Hiner

We do seem to be seeing things alike. Conversion is a lifelong process. We were reconciled to God through the cross, not by any action of our own “while we were yet strangers.” Christ died that I might live. Cheap grace says my sins are forgiven, I can keep doing what I have always done. Costly grace on the other hand recognizes my need to respond to the forgiveness given, to enter the covenant. It requires a committment on my part to the relationship.
Like the children of Israel, there are times when I look back on my life in Egypt. At such times I need forgiveness. I seek healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. By myself I cannot repair the damage done in my relationship to God, the Church, or to others I may have hurt by my sin. After completing the penance assigned, I may, led by the Holy Spirit, need to do more. “If you bring your sacrifice to the altar and there remember that your brother has a grievance against you; go first, be reconciled, and then return with your gift.” I may need to take steps to repair damage done in a personal relationship by sin.