How do you deal with feeling guilty about sin?

[mjb472012]

When I’m feeling close to God in my life I notice that my sins really bother me. I struggle mainly with sexual sins. (mainly masturbation and fornication with my fiancee)

When I commit a mortal sin, I feel guilty about it because I know I’ve offended God and broken His law. I pray to God, admitting that I did wrong and I ask for forgiveness. I go to confession and confess my sins to the priest as well for reconciliation. However, sometimes I still feel guilty and distant from the Lord even after confession.
Another issue is that I start beating myself up because I know that even though I’m sorry, I’ll do it again in a week or two. (such is the case with masturbation)
I know it’s a struggle against the sinful desires of the flesh, but I dont want to disappoint the Lord. It’s just hard going to confession every week, confessing the exact same thing I did the previous week. Before walking into the confessional, I cant help but think that when the priest sees me come in, he is thinking “Oh, it’s him again. Here we go…”
I’m afraid of going to hell when I die too. I want to live with Jesus forever in heaven someday, but im afraid my sins will send me to hell if I keep commiting them.

What advice can you offer to me about this?

thanks

-Matt

 

[fred_conty]

All I can say is that one should feel guilty, and if one does not, then they have a problem.
Guilt is not a problem if something is done to correct a bad situation.

It is also a problem if one quits trying to conquer the problem.
The proper and right thing to do is to get up after a fall and continue on.

If you feel terrible and suffer from this, then tell Jesus that you deserve to suffer and are sorry and ask his help to be strong. That is what he is looking for.

Increase your prayer life. Grace comes from asking which comes thru prayer. No ask, no grace. In your weakness you need more help. Increase your prayer life and you will have more help.

Noone is a fortress unto themselves, but everyone is dependent on Jesus. Jesus himself spent all night in prayer (Lk. 6;12-13). If he spends all night, what does that say to us?

You will be what Jesus wants you to be, but not without asking. Because it shows really how much we want it.

Just a hopeful thought.

 

[JRKH]

Well you actually have a couple of different questions here…lets’ see if we can answer them…

I deal with guilt by using it as a reminder to not sin again. In this sense guilt is a great gift. However satan would like to turn that gift of encouragement into a gift of despair. That is why he is trying to get you to “beat yourself up”…it moves you closer to despair.
So my advice on that aspect is to stop beating yourself up and instead use that guilt for good…So that you DON’T commit the same sin in a week or two.
Which brings us to the second main question…habitual sin…

Growing in holiness is sort of like weight training or distance running or dieting to loose unhealthy weight. It takes commitment and perseverance. It also takes time, and the improvements are generally incremental. Temptation will continue to be there…and we will occasionally fall, but the successful person gets up and starts again.
So - don’t worry about whether you might sin tomorrow…just don’t sin today. Then when tomorrow comes, commit to not sinning “today”…and keep that up for as many “todays” as possible. Enlist your fiance in this as well…she needs to help you stay pure.

Your whole life is a work…seek to conform yourself to Christ in Love. So that you are worthy of Him AND of your fiance…

Peace
James

 

[DavidSears]

When I’m feeling close to God in my life I notice that my sins really bother me. I struggle mainly with sexual sins. (mainly masturbation and fornication with my fiancee)

When I commit a mortal sin, I feel guilty about it because I know I’ve offended God and broken His law. I pray to God, admitting that I did wrong and I ask for forgiveness. I go to confession and confess my sins to the priest as well for reconciliation. However, sometimes I still feel guilty and distant from the Lord even after confession.
Another issue is that I start beating myself up because I know that even though I’m sorry, I’ll do it again in a week or two. (such is the case with masturbation)
I know it’s a struggle against the sinful desires of the flesh, but I dont want to disappoint the Lord. It’s just hard going to confession every week, confessing the exact same thing I did the previous week. Before walking into the confessional, I cant help but think that when the priest sees me come in, he is thinking “Oh, it’s him again. Here we go…”
I’m afraid of going to hell when I die too. I want to live with Jesus forever in heaven someday, but im afraid my sins will send me to hell if I keep commiting them.

What advice can you offer to me about this?

thanks

-Matt

Wow. I’m actually feeling like I’m reading something I wrote myself… I have these same fears, same sin, same falling into it again… Hold on, let me inbox you something that helps me.

 

[DavidSears]

Well you actually have a couple of different questions here…lets’ see if we can answer them…

I deal with guilt by using it as a reminder to not sin again. In this sense guilt is a great gift. However satan would like to turn that gift of encouragement into a gift of despair. That is why he is trying to get you to “beat yourself up”…it moves you closer to despair.
So my advice on that aspect is to stop beating yourself up and instead use that guilt for good…So that you DON’T commit the same sin in a week or two.
Which brings us to the second main question…habitual sin…

Growing in holiness is sort of like weight training or distance running or dieting to loose unhealthy weight. It takes commitment and perseverance. It also takes time, and the improvements are generally incremental. Temptation will continue to be there…and we will occasionally fall, but the successful person gets up and starts again.
So - don’t worry about whether you might sin tomorrow…just don’t sin today. Then when tomorrow comes, commit to not sinning “today”…and keep that up for as many “todays” as possible. Enlist your fiance in this as well…she needs to help you stay pure.

Your whole life is a work…seek to conform yourself to Christ in Love. So that you are worthy of Him AND of your fiance…

Peace
James

love it!

 

[Nigel7]

What advice can you offer to me about this?

thanks

-Matt

Hi Matt,

I think the best advice for overcoming your carnal lust is found in the words of our Lord.

Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Christ.

Pray for the strength to carry your cross. Every morning before your feet hit the floor then abandon yourself into His hands.

• Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it…"
  -Mat 16:24-25*

 

[Liquid47]

When I’m feeling close to God in my life I notice that my sins really bother me. I struggle mainly with sexual sins. (mainly masturbation and fornication with my fiancee)

When I commit a mortal sin, I feel guilty about it because I know I’ve offended God and broken His law. I pray to God, admitting that I did wrong and I ask for forgiveness. I go to confession and confess my sins to the priest as well for reconciliation. However, sometimes I still feel guilty and distant from the Lord even after confession.
Another issue is that I start beating myself up because I know that even though I’m sorry, I’ll do it again in a week or two. (such is the case with masturbation)
I know it’s a struggle against the sinful desires of the flesh, but I dont want to disappoint the Lord. It’s just hard going to confession every week, confessing the exact same thing I did the previous week. Before walking into the confessional, I cant help but think that when the priest sees me come in, he is thinking “Oh, it’s him again. Here we go…”
I’m afraid of going to hell when I die too. I want to live with Jesus forever in heaven someday, but im afraid my sins will send me to hell if I keep commiting them.

What advice can you offer to me about this?

thanks

-Matt

You’re just like every devout, beautiful Catholic out there

What sucks about being Catholic is that God asks us for the impossible: to be absolutely perfect. What’s awesome about being Catholic is that we trust in his Divine Mercy to bring us to Heaven. That’s why we believe it is only through Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice, that we will attain the glory of heaven.

It’s my opinion that if you fear Hell, it’s only because you fear in your weakness and incompetence. If fear in your weakness is stronger than your love for Our Blessed Lord, Hell is the logical place you will end up. So don’t fear in your own weaknesses, but in God’s Divine Mercy.

Keep going to Confession if you need to, it’s a fantastic sacrament. I think your priest would be worried if you stopped going!

Here’s a link to an article on how a Priest feels on the other side of the Confessional. It’s very uplifting

 

[JamesATyler]

I just want to say that I think Jesus is very understanding and forgiving. I wouldn’t worry so much about hell. Especially since all you are talking about is mastering your sexuality. That’s a difficult task and it sounds like you are already on your way.