Keep on sinning!

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Dave,

Do you confess to your parish Priest or do you go elsewhere?
While you are in a state of mortal sin do you receive the Blessed Sacrament?
 
Chris W:
You have got to go back to the sin and examine how you got there. Look for the very last step that occurred before the sin. Then focus on that step. That is the warning sign from that point forward. I know I will sin if I take that step, even though that step was, of itself, harmless (by the time I take that step, the decision is pretty much already made).

Once I got used to that, I re-examined and looked for the step that preceded that last step and eliminated that near occassion of sin.

QUOTE]

Thanks, Chris W. Spot on!!:clapping: I’ll remember that myself (please God!)
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Dave,
I have a similar problem and what helped me out a lot was a promise I made to God to stop this particular sin. What made it more concrete for me was that I wrote it down and signed it.

Now, when I am tempted to sin, I think about or actually re-read what I wrote.

Also, this might seem weird but I read in the book Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco about a dream he had about purity. The dream is pretty long but to cut to the point when some of the boys were tempted to sin they looked to the right and saw Mary and she helped them. So another “concrete” thing I can do is actually look to my right and remember that Mary is always there to help me and be a model for purity.
 
Inkman-
I go to a different parish to confess my sins. No I do not receive the Blessed Sacrament when I am in a state of mortal sin. God Bless
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Inkman:
Dave,

Do you confess to your parish Priest or do you go elsewhere?
While you are in a state of mortal sin do you receive the Blessed Sacrament?
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The best help for avoiding mortal sin is to ask the Blessed Mother’s help. Wear a Miraculous Medal, get a Scapular, Consecrate yourself the the Blessed Virgin Mary. A good book for this is *True Devotion to Mary *by St. Louis De Montfort. Oh yes, and say the Rosary.

Go to EWTN’s website and get John Paul II encyclical on the Rosary. Really good stuff !!

Just the other day on Familyland, I heard Cardinal Arinze say that the Holy Father suggests we consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Mother.

Familyland is a good place to go for the daily rosary and the writings of the Holy Father. They are the only Catholic station on Sky Angel ( a part of Dish Network). It only costs $12.00 a month for Sky Angel. It’s worth it!!

—Hopeful
 
There is nothing wrong with seeing a therapist to address this issue also.
 
I go to a different parish to confess my sins. No I do not receive the Blessed Sacrament when I am in a state of mortal sin. God Bless
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If I were you I would make a promise maybe even put it in writing that I would, no matter what, see my parish Priest for confession. That should definitely help as a deterrent from acting out your sins. But I guess it all depend on how serious you are about stopping these sins.
 
Treat each day as though it may be your last.
If you were to die today, where would you go.
The fear of eternal damnation should scare you enough to stop sinning.
Sit for a minute and picture the worst most horrible thing that could ever happen to you. (someone burning off your flesh inch by inch,…)

Now, multiply that by a trillion and that’s what Hell will be like.

Read about the martyrs.
 
Pray that God the Father keep you away from temptations and deliver you from the evil one.

Try to keep away from all things leading to temptations as far as possible. Whether they are friends, situations, things that may bring about bad influence on you. Change your lifestyle, replace negative activity with positive ones, starting from the easiest. Slowly put your life in order and-- in Jesus Name-- master over it.

In time of temptations say this : “I am yours Lord Jesus, save me”. Say this many times. You can also declare your righteousness according to God’s promise : “I have the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Christ has died for me so that I can be free. God is my father. I am the prince of the kingdom of Heaven. I refuse to obey flesh in the Name of Jesus.”. Surely you will be spared from the dark hours!

Last but not least :

In any situation, be hopeful and expectant for God’s help always. Surely He will put you under His protection, He who answers those who cry for His Help and believe in His Faithfulness.

God protects you always, that is in your faith in Him.

God bless.
 
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dizzy_dave:
I have the tendancy to commit a mortal sin and once I have I think well your already damned you might as well keep on sinning until confession. I know this is wrong but I don’t know how to stop this cycle. How do I get that thought pattern to go away, I posted other threads somewhat related to this but this topic alone for me needs adressed.
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It may seem reasonable to think that “you’re already damned you might as well keep on sinning until confession”, however there is a reason to pray and fight not to allow yourself to act on that reasoning. Each time you commit the act, it’s as though the brain path the impulses take get deeper and have a more pronounced hold on you. Sorry I can’t express it better.

Joanna
 
Freedom from temptation is a form of freedom. But this is only a lower degree of freedom.

What we expect more is this : that God free us from the DESIRE to do that sin (the sin that makes me keep on sinning). When this happens, we do not feel anymore desire to do it anymore. This is the “ultimate freedom” from the slavery of that sin. God takes away sin from it’s root .

Sin is similar to faith. It grows from seed that we “chose” to sow (free will). When it was small, it is easy to root it out (and you’d better do it NOW). But if we “choose” to keep on watering this small tree, the tree of sin will grow bigger and bigger. When it is mature, it bears many fruits. And these many fruits have seeds inside them as well. Up to this point, it is not our free will anymore, because by choice one has submitted himself to it, now he has become it’s slave. This is biblical teaching about sin oppression.

There are different tree of sin inside each person with different sizes too. One particularly “the biggest”, is the one that we especially need to present to God to free us from.

So in the cases of “falling again” – although it is not right to ever expect to fall again in Jesus name, however-- in the case that we fall again, do not be discuranged (because this is the purpose of sin : to discourange us). Instead, get up and declare our faith again:

" Jesus, I know I can’t do this alone, You are my only hope. I put my trust and hope in You. May Your Divine Mercy spare me in"

Read Pslams 51:1-12

Psalms 51
1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion [and not according to my works - francisca] blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are righteous when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.

The perpose of all of these is to grow our tree of faith bigger and bigger, and at the same time to make the tree of sin wither and wither. As the tree of faith gets bigger, it will ultimately kill the tree of sin in God’s time.

We do not need to wait for the time of temptation to confess our faith. The more we realize that we are the sons&daughters of God, the less we sin.

God bless.
 
When considering whether a sin is mortal, note that it must be a willful act. As the Catechism notes, certain sins are in their nature habitual, and once one is in the habit, one can be less culpable if the force of habit compromised their ability to resist a given temptation.

For example, an alcoholic who gets drunk is not in the same category as someone who has no addiction but gets drunk for the fun of it. Of course, the alcoholic still needs to do everything in his power to break free of the addiction.

(In the Catechism, this point is made particularly regarding the subject of, um, shall we say, “self-gratification”? Not that this is the sin in question in this case – I make no assumptions.)

When you examine your conscience and when you go to confession, try to determine whether you are in fact guilty of mortal sin. Your confessor should be able to help, too. This won’t mean you can just accept the fact that you have this habit and live with it – you will have to struggle either way – but at least maybe you can let go of the attitude that, because you gave in on a given occasion, you’re damned anyway until you go to confession. In fact, the initial “giving in” might not be a mortal sin on your part, but the second act – submitting to mortal sin because of despair (“I’m going to hell anyway”) rather than the force of habit – might be. The devil loves to make us believe that the struggle is futile, just so we’ll stop struggling.

Finally, keep in mind that the reason an act is mortally sinful is not simply a matter of rules. If it is a mortal sin, it is because the act itself is so seriously disordered that one cannot commit the act and remain in a state of grace. The natural consequences of the act – against yourself and others – are multiplied each time you commit the act. In addition, the habit is reinforced and becomes even harder to beat.
 
I know that that the only way I could break my habitual sin–that of pornography–was only through working with others who had the same problem. Much like Alcoholic Anonymous sponsors, we called each other when we were weak and held each other accountable. Perhaps seaking out close friends who have the same problems with your sin might be an answer.

Good luck and God bless! 🙂

Eric
 
Hello Dave,

Instead of thinking of sin as damning you to hell, have you thought of obedience as love for Jesus and the Father?

Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com
 
Although it may shock you, I too am a sinner.

When I stand before Christ in judgment, if I have any opportunity, I will say, as Fr. Benedict Groeschel intends to say, “I’m sorry.”

I think it may help to consider the matter of temptation. I know that I have temptations to commit sins, but the temptations are not sins. You can take a mental break right there and reassure yourself that you are having a temptation. And, the temptations may persist.

So, you have two chances to address the matter. And, then, there’s faith.

Do you reject Satan?
Do you reject his works?
Do you reject his empty promises?

Believe me, I am not an expert. But, the experts say, we must develop and maintain an interior life, the life of a Christian. It is the interior life that protects us.

Do not overlook the advice of God’s word, the Bible:

Battle against Evil.
Ephesians
6:10** Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,
and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.
In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
**
New American Bible
 
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bquinnan:
… Your confessor should be able to help …
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Where do you find these confessors. Whenever I try discussing something during confession, the priests in my parish usually say things like: “Yes, yes. Get on with it. There are other people waiting to confess.”
 
Whatever you do, don’t stop going to confession. I have struggled with a moral problem for years. Maybe I will struggle with it for the rest of my life, but I know that we have two choices - carry on or give up, live or die, try or fail.
 
First of all, you are not alone. Second of all, be thankful that you understand that you are commiting mortal sin and that you have the desire to “do better”, even when you don’t feel strong enough to resist the temptation. Think of those who don’t care…they are in much worse shape. We are blessed that we have a forgiving God and when we discuss sin, we also should be discussing the “near occasion of sin”. Understand that whatever the sin is you are committing, what situation causes you to commit that sin, and try to avoid that situation. Praying helps, especially the rosary. Continue to pray and go to confession and you will become stronger, the sin will be committed with less frequency, and you will eventually be able to avoid it all together, and if you fall off the wagon, it will become rare, and you will recognize it very quickly and attempt to correct it. Honestly it will work. Pray, pray, pray…
 
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dizzy_dave:
I have a problem I keep sinning the same sins week after week after week. Yes they are mortal! I have the tendancy to commit a mortal sin and once I have I think well your already damned you might as well keep on sinning until confession. I know this is wrong but I don’t know how to stop this cycle. How do I get that thought pattern to go away, I posted other threads somewhat related to this but this topic alone for me needs adressed.
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I have been told once that there is a fine line between a sinner and a saint!!! Some of the greatest Saints were at one time some of the worst Sinners!!! (Look at Saul–persecutor and murderer—but he was choosen and he obeyed becoming Paul great leader of the Church). Satan knows your weaknesses and he will tempt. **Temptations are not SINS ** its only when you act on the temptations!!! When tempted seek God’s grace in prayer and ask him to bless you with the gifts of the spirit. Remember Jesus’ own words in the garden of Gethsemani “Be on guard, and pray that you may not undergo the test. **The spirit ** is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This still applies to this day and I’m sure he would say the same thing to you and to all of us!!!

God Bless
 
Sir Knight:
Where do you find these confessors. Whenever I try discussing something during confession, the priests in my parish usually say things like: “Yes, yes. Get on with it. There are other people waiting to confess.”
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You have to pray for God to provide you with a good confessor, and he will. I found one outside of my parish a little over a year ago, and he has been a great help to me as a confessor and a spiritual director (and believe me, I need it). Any reasonable time, day or night, he says he will be available to me. And he is.

If you commit a mortal sin, get to confession as soon as you possibly can. If it’s a weekday, give your priest a call and ask him if he has 5 minutes. Every confession doesn’t have to be a counseling session. Maybe your priest will find a few minutes before or after a morning Mass to hear you out, and then, by the grace of God, suggest another time when you both are free to explore things further.

If you don’t think your parish priest will be much help, by all means shop around at other parishes in your area. There is no rule that says you need to go to your own church. There are priests out there that understand the value of this sacrament and are longing for good Catholics to take advantage of it to its fullest.

Hope this helps. It’s an important topic relevant to every Catholic. We need to just do it.
 
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