Frustrated with myself

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catholicgamer

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Damn…

I’m working on one particular sin that has been dogging me since come back to the Church a year ago. Sometimes, I can go 3 weeks without doing this sin, sometimes just a week. I’m starting to understand the relationship between my sin and my prayer life…though the understanding is painfully slow. When I don’t pray regularly as well as don’t do deep relaxation (…I skipped both this past weekend…), my stress level goes up, I tend to fall.

I know I need to be patient, but when I do fall, I just get so frustrated with myself. The thought in my head is “Damnit! Now I have to go to Confession and say I fell on this issue again!!” The priest must think I’m hopeless. It’s embarrassing to go every 2-3 weeks and confess the same thing over and over. Is this just the way it goes with everyone? Am I stuck with this vice forever or will I eventually figure it out?

…just venting. Going to Confession tomorrow…so pray that I don’t get hit by a bus between now and then 😉
 
I think we all repeat the sins we commit on a regular basis. Just like a detective knows that a criminal always has the same modus operandi. A cat burglar does not suddenly go in for armed robbery and a forger does not suddenly start house breaking so with us sinners.
 
Maybe you should ask the priest you confess to about the advice on how to struggle with the sin.
One day a man was walking by a monastery and saw a monk standing in front of it. The man asked, “O holy man of God, what do you and your fellow monks do in there?” The monk replied, “We fall and we get up. We fall and we get up.”
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😉
 
Well it depends on what the sin is if its mortal or not and as we know some sins are easier to overcome than others , temptation is not a sin it’s when you act on it this becomes a sin , just pray throught it if you feel like committing that sin go pray the holy rosary or somthing and distract yourself form things leading to the sin , try to relax and pray throught it and ask for forgiveness , hope I have helped , your in my prayers . Chuck .
 
It’s not uncommon to struggle with the same sins for a long period of time. Sometimes I feel like I should just type out my Confession and laminate it to bring with me for how much it stays the same. 😛

It sounds like you have made a wonderful stride in recognizing the connection of this sin with your prayer life. That’s a great step in the right direction. Let that thought motivate you to be more attentive to spending that time with God.

It most certainly is a great opportunity to grow in humility. Nothing quite hammers that point home more than confessing the same thing to the same priest time after time after time. It certainly minimizes the chance of us getting an inflated ego over how holy we are!
 
you know what is great about sin? It means you are doing something right because the devil is working doubly hard to get you to do the sin.

Confession is a wonderful thing
 
catholicgamer said:
Damn…

I’m working on one particular sin that has been dogging me since come back to the Church a year ago. Sometimes, I can go 3 weeks without doing this sin, sometimes just a week. I’m starting to understand the relationship between my sin and my prayer life…though the understanding is painfully slow. When I don’t pray regularly as well as don’t do deep relaxation (…I skipped both this past weekend…), my stress level goes up, I tend to fall.

I know I need to be patient, but when I do fall, I just get so frustrated with myself. The thought in my head is “Damnit! Now I have to go to Confession and say I fell on this issue again!!” The priest must think I’m hopeless. It’s embarrassing to go every 2-3 weeks and confess the same thing over and over. Is this just the way it goes with everyone? Am I stuck with this vice forever or will I eventually figure it out?

…just venting. Going to Confession tomorrow…so pray that I don’t get hit by a bus between now and then 😉
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Habitual sin is a special case. The more you concentrate on it, the greater the temptation to sin. Satan knows this and uses it to tempt us to sin. I recently discussed this with a friend who has a Dr. of Theology. The more you focus on eliminating the sin, the longer it will persist. It is most important to recognize you have sinned, immediately repent to God, and seek sacramental forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As for the bus, don’t worry. God knows your intent, and will have mercy on your soul as long as you are sincere about wanting to receive the Sacrament.

The CCC has information about culpability for habitual sin. I loaned my CCC and don’t recall the exact reference. It is under the sixth commandment, I think around article 2352 if memory serves me well. It applies to all sins, not just those centered on the sixth commandment.

Most habitual sins involve a measure of pleasure, or you wouldn’t be tempted so often. According to my Dr. of Theology friend, you can choose an alternate pleasure which will redirect your focus to something healthy and more satisfying when you are abel to thank God for the virtue practiced as opposed to the vice.

I am including you in my permanent prayer intention list. May God bless you and grant his favor in your quest for virtue.
 
Some sins have very definite “occasions of sin”. IOW, you may find that when you put yourself in certain situations of temptation to sin, you sin. So one area to focus on is avoiding those occasions.

Also, if it is a sin of the flesh, consider two traditional, time-tested remedies recommended by many saints: fasting and prayer. By practicing self-denial, you train your body not to give into worldly pleasures (legitimate or illegitimate). By praying, you stay close to God, keep a channel of grace open, and maintain a relationship that is harder to turn your back on when you are tempted to stray.
 
Hi there

You remind me of myself and what I went through a while back. Firstly, God appreciates your many attempts to try come back to him and completely overcome this sin. Your many efforts and confessions tell me that you will eventually overcome this sin. You are doing the right thing in going to confession every time you fall and I urge to keep on doing so. The graces received in that sacrament are extremely important in helping one overcome a particular sin

In trying to overcome a sin one needs to realise what is the reason one fell into a particular. You yourself rightly identified that cause which is being lax in your prayer life.

There is a deep happiness and fulfilment which man longs for. However man can only really find that in God. When man is not totally united with God through prayer, he begins to look for other things which temporarily but not fully satisfies him. Often, in order to find satisfaction man will turn to sinful things.

Therefore you need to realise that having a fulfilling prayer life is extremely crucial. Stay united to Christ and trust in his Divine Mercy and he will help you. Do not lose heart. Even Christ fell beneath the weight of the cross on his way to calvary. Just keep on trying. Receive our Lord Jesus Christ frequently in Holy Communion. Start going to daily mass if you aren’t already, spend time in front of the tabernacle praying to Christ, read up on the lives of certain saints which appeals to you and ask our Blessed Mother for her intercession

When you feel you are about to commit that sin, pray and ask God for strength. The St Michael the Archangel prayer comes in extremely helpful at that point as well.

Holy Michael the Archangel, defend us in our hour of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray and then do thou O prince of the heavenly hosts by the power of God thrust down into hell Satan and all his wicked spirits who wonder through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
 
I have worked to overcome some of my old sinful ways…I still struggle with Alcohol but Its a day to day struggle. The more Spiritual I get the more It seems to have a affect on me. Don’t know if I should go to confession for it, well actually I really cant anyways. I am still in RCIA… Sin is a mofo though…and as someone said, when the you are making progress in your life the Devil really works hard to drag you down…keep up the good fight.:cool:
 
Don’t focus on the sin. Focus on your Christian transformation, and on others. Focus on the sin makes you focus too much on self. Real transformation comes when you realize “it’s not all about me”. Sin damages your relationship with God but also with others.

Focus instead on how you can improve your relationship with God and with others.

If you do that God will show you the rest of the way.
 
catholicgamer said:
Damn…

I’m working on one particular sin that has been dogging me since come back to the Church a year ago. Sometimes, I can go 3 weeks without doing this sin, sometimes just a week. I’m starting to understand the relationship between my sin and my prayer life…though the understanding is painfully slow. When I don’t pray regularly as well as don’t do deep relaxation (…I skipped both this past weekend…), my stress level goes up, I tend to fall.

I know I need to be patient, but when I do fall, I just get so frustrated with myself. The thought in my head is “Damnit! Now I have to go to Confession and say I fell on this issue again!!” The priest must think I’m hopeless. It’s embarrassing to go every 2-3 weeks and confess the same thing over and over. Is this just the way it goes with everyone? Am I stuck with this vice forever or will I eventually figure it out?

…just venting. Going to Confession tomorrow…so pray that I don’t get hit by a bus between now and then 😉
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It could be worse, I am in Confession 2-4 times a WEEK for my sin, but then I may go 15-21 days, then back into it again, I just keep seeking the Lord and trusting that eventually He will help me see what I need to do differently and He will then do the rest of what I cannot do for myself.
 
…thanks everyone for your words of encouragement and support.
 
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