Greatly Sinned and How to be Forgiven

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Dina

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I had been going through a hard time, and was crying out to God to help me and for a change in my life for months. Well, I made a huge stupid sin and mistake. I thought God was sending me a sign, when really I realize the devil was at work. I had prayed to God during this that if this was not sent from Him, to lead this situation out of my life. He did, but not before I made a mistake thinking it was God’s will. In retrospect it was so dumb. I have gone to confession and been praying hard for forgiveness, but I still feel numb and plagued by guilt. What makes it worse is that I keep seeing random numbers and feel an urge to look up those numbers in the bible. This has happened at least 15 times now, and every single time, it is a specific verse about my sin, condemnation, etc. What can I do to be forgiven and be cleansed of my mistake?
 
Dina said:
I have gone to confession and been praying hard for forgiveness, but I still feel numb and plagued by guilt. . . What can I do to be forgiven and be cleansed of my mistake?
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Did the priest give absolution? If so, you are forgiven. Do the penance he gave you if you haven’t already, learn from your mistake, and move on and be at peace.
 
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Frankly, you sound like you might suffer from OCD or scrupulosity. Your sin and guilt are gone. You even heard the words of absolution from Christ through the Priest. Certainly, you do not doubt Christ! Yet, something is leading to you to think otherwise. That may be the influence of the evil one, but practically, you are looking backward and not forward. What was done was done and forgiven. Learn from it and be comforted.

If you cannot move on, speak with Father and consider that counseling might be appropriate.
 
Also, the feeling of guilt is not the same thing as not being forgiven. Wounds take time to heal, but you have been absolved.
 
Those numbers and the corresponding Bible verses are not a sign from God. Many verses in the Bible are about sin, so it is just a coincidence.

You sinned, repented, and went to confession. Have faith that God forgives you, and move on with your life (without this type of sin in the future). Don’t dwell on past sins. Pray and trust God.
 
Trust God. You are forgiven.

ETA

This is why posts telling people “go to Confession and you will feel like you are walking on AIR”

“Go to Confession and you will feel the weight of the world lift off your shoulders”

are so dangerous.

It is NOT about feelings. I have one time felt that “light feeling” after Confession, once. And believe me, I have been to Confession many times!
 
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I understand your feelings of guilt. I also have felt this way after confession. Remind yourself that God has forgiven you. It will help you also to tell you feelings to God, even though He already knows your heart. “Lord Jesus, I know that you in your great love and mercy have forgiven my mistakes and cleansed me of my sins. Thank you, O Lord. Put my mind at rest, Lord, I beseech you, and enable me to continue on the path of goodness and virtue, free from all guilt or sin.”
 
Did you have CONTRITION for your sin before
confession, in other words were you SORRY for
your sin? If so, even tho you may not be sitting
on the ashes w/ dust on your head and fasting,
it is IMPERFECT contrition, BUT enough to be
granted absolution. ALL you have to do now is
follow up with the penance given by the priest
AND live a life of humble trust in the Mercy of
God and grateful that you have been redeemed
by the grace of Christ!!
 
One of my favorite prayers-not sure what source it came from-is “Lord I believe, help my unbelief”. There’s always room to believe in God’s words more and more.
 
margaret42 said:
One of my favorite prayers-not sure what source it came from-is “Lord I believe, help my unbelief”. There’s always room to believe in God’s words more and more.
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Mark 9:24
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

bible.usccb.org

Mark, CHAPTER 9

Daily Bible Readings, Podcast Audio and Videos and Prayers brought to you by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
bible.usccb.org bible.usccb.org
 
Dina said:
What makes it worse is that I keep seeing random numbers and feel an urge to look up those numbers in the bible. This has happened at least 15 times now, and every single time, it is a specific verse about my sin, condemnation, etc. What can I do to be forgiven and be cleansed of my mistake?
Click to expand...
Confirmation bias. You’re noticing these numbers because your guilt-ridden brain is trying to establish patterns that validate your scrupulosity.

We may be made in God’s Image, but we’re also flesh bags full of weird chemicals that don’t always jive the way they should, which occasionally results in us feeling needlessly crappy about ourselves. How you feel about yourself =/= how God feels about you.
 
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Dina said:
What makes it worse is that I keep seeing random numbers and feel an urge to look up those numbers in the bible. This has happened at least 15 times now, and every single time, it is a specific verse about my sin, condemnation, etc. What can I do to be forgiven and be cleansed of my mistake?
Click to expand...
You have repented and gone to Confession, and you have received absolution. You are forgiven already.
The Evil One is trying to make you afraid.

Dina, this is why Christ gave us the Sacrament of Confession. It was so that we could know for certain that we are forgiven. “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them.”

The random numbers sounds to me like a new temptation, meant to make you feel condemned and stop you from seeing that you are forgiven already.
You have repented and confessed. You have been absolved. Do not let the Father of Lies trick you. Do not look up passages based on those random numbers.
 
Dina said:
I have gone to confession and been praying hard for forgiveness, but I still feel numb and plagued by guilt
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If you made a good confession and were sorry, then you are fine. I usually “feel” good after confession, but not always. Sometimes the guilt stays there, which isn’t fun, but it serves to imprint in your brain the awfulness of the sin, and helps you not to fall again.

If the guilt persists, just reason it out, you are forgiven, and have nothing more to worry about.
It’s the stupid devil trying to rake up problems, make you feel depressed, and give you scruples.
Just live your life, move on, and trust God, and don’t give the devil satisfaction by worrying about it.
 
I’d keep on confessing IF it still is on your conscience,
unless the priest says in the confessional that it is
not necessary any more. The devil KNOWS that your
conscience is weak and will KEEP on attacking you
for your guilt.
 
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