I have commited a grave sin!

[mikworld]

I am going to reccomend listening to Christopher West. He sounds like a good resource for you.
Something he suggested was to stand up and hold your arms out in the shape of a cross and pray: “Lord, untwist this lie, and reveal the truth behind it.” And don’t just hold your arms up and say the prayer, then wait for a cure. He says to hold your arms up as long as it takes, even if it means having your head fall off!
Stay strong and pure, good luck!
God Bless,

Justin

 

[DeniseTOCarm]

I used to have a problem with sins against purity (which by the way is the best way to confess it, the priest does not want gory details). I made myself confess it and though I did not want to keep going back to the same priest with the same sins, I made myself do so. I have found that in the moments of struggle before I actually committed the sin, the thought of having to go to that priest AGAIN, helped me to keep from committing it.

 

[GoodForm]

I concur 100% on having a crucifix nearby, and go kneel in front of it when the temptation comes. Very effective.

Also, try to be attentive to just when the first inklings of temptation begin with this sin. It takes just a little bit of time, but you will get to know when the enemy is coming and then you can scramble the fighters so to speak. If this sin requires privacy, perhaps when you do get the first inklings, go get yourself around some other folks.

 

[lifeline]

I agree. Knowing that I have to confess my sins to a priest definately makes me think before I sin. I mean I want to be as good as I can for God, but it also helps to know I have to confess it if I sin. You could pray when bad thoughts start entering your mind(the rosary would be good because it takes 20 min. to pray. It might be just enough time to make the bad thoughts go away). Also, like another poster stated, try to avoid as much as possible things that can cause you to want to sin. If it’s the t.v., then just keep it turned off, or give it away. Instead of watching t.v. you could study the Bible or volunteer somewhere. They say to get rid of a bad habit, it’s good to replace it with a good habit. Lastly, having friends who are christian, & are trying to live faithfully to God is a good thing. You can learn from each other how to be better, & you both can go out & do things that are wholesome, staying away from places that might cause you to stumble. God bless you.

 

[Veronica_Anne]

rianredd1088:

You see, my sin is of a Sexual Nature, I get these strong urges to parake in Sexual activity, and i do. I am truly sorry for what i do. I just dont know how to put into words the sin i have commited.

It’s PNNTNI (Pretty Near Next To Nigh Impossible) to commit a sin against purity when our hands are holding a rosary… think about it!

:dancing: :ehh:

 

[Regi]

From Rianredd: “Well everyone, guess what, i just got back from confession!”
What a wonderful testimony to the power of God’s love - through this forum! Rianredd, do you realize that your life has been changed!

Networking with all of these people and having them ALL praying for you, plus listening to the voice of God, led you to confession and, I am sure, inner peace.

It is amazing what prayer can do and it is amazing that this little forum helped you with so great a struggle. Thanks to Karl Keating and Catholic Answers for such a wonderful tool!

 

[Gratias_Grace]

Regi:

From Rianredd: It is amazing what prayer can do and it is amazing that this little forum helped you with so great a struggle. Thanks to Karl Keating and Catholic Answers for such a wonderful tool!

I second that! :tiphat: :clapping: :tiphat:



G.G.

 

[misericordie]

There are certain sins that turn into habit, and come from something else. One problem I have is I become greatly distracted when I see a beutiful woman, and I turn my head to look, then look some more, etc. I notice that from the eyes, the thoughts, and from the thoughts can come sinful acts. I know how hard a habit is to break, and when an “urge” is very powerful. This becomes almost like an addiction. Well, anyway, the important thing is confession, and avoid focusing your eyes on what can lead to certain thoughts, etc. pray the Rosary. I go to a parish where the priests don’t know me, and which has confessionals with screen grails.

 

[Wampa]

rianredd1088:

The devil took the guilt away from me and after i did it, threw it back onto my sholders,

Exactly! That is exactly how it works for me. I recently went through a process similar to yours and it is nice to see that other people struggle in the same way. You are not alone!

rianredd1088:

Well everyone, guess what, i just got back from confession!

Excellent! I kept putting off confession because I wanted to be sure I had the problem solved, so that I could know that I would not commit the sin again once I said that I wouldn’t. Big mistake! Once I went to confession, and not until then, did it stop. I am now accountable to not wanting to have to face Jesus (the priest) about the sin again. And God’s grace helps you avoid it once you’ve confessed it.

In my recent RCIA class, the priest addressed the issue of “what he would think of us”. Not only did he point out that he has already heard FAR worse that any of us could tell him, but also that priests have a special grace where their minds are wiped clean of the information sometime afterwards. Not that they just forget about it in the way that we forget about things, but that the memory is actually wiped clean (my apologies if I did not get that quite right - going off of memory on this).

I suggest reading Christopher West’s “Good News About Sex & Marriage”. I wish I had had this book when I was a teenager. It all makes sense now.

 

[EsclavoDeCristo]

I would suggest prayers to Mary for purity. She is the purest human ever to live and a great example. Also, if you are alone and feel temptation, run out of the room; go where there are other people who are positive influences or go to an open Catholic church and be with Jesus. Don’t allow time to ponder the temption. You must resist from the very start.

 

[FrMatt]

rianredd1088:

yea but the thing is, im a lector at church and the priest knows who i am, actually most of the priest know me, and im scared that if i tell him what i do, he will look down on me.

Hi Rianredd1088,

As a priest, let me be the first to say that any priest worth his salt will never look down on someone who comes to them in the confessional. We are human and we too know the weakness and frailty of human nature. We are all tempted in various ways, so we recognise the great courage that is required to go to confession when something shameful is there. I have been ordained for only a year and a half, but I am still filled with awe at the responsibility and privilege of hearing confessions. I pray for the grace to forget confessions, and believe me, it works! Even if I saw someone right after confession, I don’t think “oh, you’re the person who just confessed (insert sin here)”, but rather “you’re a person that I’ve had the opportunity to help through the grace of Christ’s sacraments”. I can honestly say that I’d be extremely hard pressed to remember what people say. I don’t care, as the sins are forgiven and the penitent reconciled.

Really, we don’t look down at the weaknesses of others as we are all tested in so many different ways.

Also, I understand what you say about the devil. He is the tempter and the accuser, whispering sweet nothings and words of encouragement to convince you to sin, then accusing you afterwards. Misery loves company. But - he has been beaten!

My advice is to pray and stay close to the sacraments. Avail yourself of the sacrament of penance as often as you need, as the reality of the grace of Christ will help you. Don’t fear the confessional. Ask the saints to intercede for you, and know that there are people out there praying for you.

Confession - what a fantastic sacrament!

I’ll keep you in my prayers. If I can be of any further help, feel free to PM me.

God bless,
Fr Matt

 

[ATexasCatholic]

rianredd1088:

Oh my gosh, i cannot believe i did it again. I often have these STORNG urges to fall into this sin i have been doing for a while now. I really just wish i could stop it, i know it is really against the church. When I do the sin, i just say in my head, " God will forgive me, and i do it". The devil took the guilt away from me and after i did it, threw it back onto my sholders, any suggestions on what i can do to stop this grave sin, please help!!!

I would recommend that you talk with the Pastor of your church