Just because it is wrong

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CuriousInIL

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Over time, certain feelings have changed for me and now there are certain sinful actions that I avoid solely because of the fear of hell (for example, often I meet my Sunday obligation solely because I fear hell as a punishment for failing to attend).

Is this attitude itself sinful? Or is it enough to avoid sinful acts (or sinful omissions) whatever the reason?
 
doing or not doing something because of the fear of eternal punishment in hell is, in my experience a very anxiety filled way to live your life.

I would suggest you try to find some other motivations such as wanting to spend time with the Lord or to receive the Eucharist for going to Mass.

I see hell as a very negative concept and do by best to believe that it does not exist 🙂
 
CuriousInIL said:
Over time, certain feelings have changed for me and now there are certain sinful actions that I avoid solely because of the fear of hell (for example, often I meet my Sunday obligation solely because I fear hell as a punishment for failing to attend).

Is this attitude itself sinful? Or is it enough to avoid sinful acts (or sinful omissions) whatever the reason?
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No, it’s not sinful. It is a “good start.” Ideally, we avoid sinful things through love of Christ. But lacking that (we’re all “in process,” remember), fear of hell is a good place to start.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 1:7)

🙂
 
Well it’s better than nothing!
However it’s really just fulfilling the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.
Bottom line of our spiritual life and action

catholicity.com/baltimore-catechism/lesson15.html

The two great commandments that contain the whole law of God are as follows, in Jesus’ words:

And one of them, a doctor of the Law, putting him to the test, asked Jesus
“Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment.
The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.(Matthew 22:36-40)

This love is the basis of Christian/Catholic life.

Jesus further underlines the necessity to love by going as far as indicating in Matthew 25 verses 31-46, that He as Judge of souls, has one basic criteria…love…practical acts of love for others, which He takes as being to Himself.
Jesus has given us the Church and the Sacraments, but we’re only fooling ourselves if we live these without love.

There are doubtless reasons why your heart has gone cold regarding the Sacrament, perhaps you’ve spiritually starved yourself, but perhaps also you are stressed and embattled with life’s difficulties, responsibilities, and hurts. God understands the latter, and it may be hard for you to live your faith with enthusiasm in the face of such hardships, or of facts of your nature, and maybe you’re doing the best you can manage at present.

The Lord said: Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future.
So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel,
My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept my promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.” [Ezekiel 37.11,12,14a]

I** will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of fles**h. [Ezekiel 36:26]

You can only do and be what is right now. I pray things will improve for you.

May I suggest you find a time and place to speak very honestly with the Lord how things are and how you wish they were…and even if you go no further than complete honesty with the Lord, you can trust Him to understand, to do what is possible, or to simply accept you as you are, with this very difficult cross you carry regarding faith. God’s kindest blessings to you. 🙂 Trishie
 
I pray this prayer a lot. It really gets a response from God. Oh Lord, I don´t love you enough. Send your Holy Spirit to inkindle my love, so that if it´s possible, I can love You as much as You love me. Have mercy on me a sinner. I really get a super good feeling that makes me want to go to the Mass, just because He´s there. God bless:thumbsup:👍👍
 
CuriousInIL said:
Is this attitude itself sinful?
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Definitely not. On the contrary, fear of hell is a good reason for avoiding sin - it’s just not the best reason.

This is related to the imperfect contrition which is repentance driven by fear of punishment. The Council of Trent said

“If any man assert that [imperfect contrition]. . . is not a true and a profitable sorrow; that it does not prepare the soul for grace, but that it makes a man a hypocrite, yea, even a greater sinner, let him be anathema.”

As Trent was mostly addressing protestant heresies, I suspect that this is a protestant notion, ie. that fear is not a sufficient reason for avoiding sin. As I recall now, from my protestant background, bad behaviour was often justified as being “honest”, because we should not try to be good out of “fear”. Of course, that only applied to one’s own bad behaviour and sins - people with different sins were going straight to hell!
Or is it enough to avoid sinful acts (or sinful omissions) whatever the reason?
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Absolutely!

I suspect that most of us, while we still on the road to perfect, have some areas where we can be virtuous out of pure love, and others where we just don’t really “feel” the issue (or law) very strongly, but must perform the action out of obedience, and sometimes even out of fear.
 
I just try to think to myself. Aside from the necessary things I need to do on a daily basis, I waste a lot of time on unnecessary things. If I can’t spend one hour with God, then I’m taking God for granted. We don’t like to be neglected on our important days, like weddings, birthday, anniversaries or gift giving holidays. All God wants is that one hour.

Also, I feel I need that spiritual nutrition. Reading the Bible and praying really helps, but church i necessary to me. I need to be in the church, in that sacred ground, to shut all the other stuff out. If I miss mass, Wednesday will come around and I’ll feel awful.
 
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