MERGED: Confessing Horrible Sins/First time confession/Absolved

[vera_dicere]

What if the sins one has committed are against the law and if one were to confess to a police officer or judiciary, would likely result in a jail term? How does a penitent catholic deal with those types of sins. Do priests get those types of confessions all the time? Just a question.

I asked a priest friend this once, he said that if someone was truly repentant they woudl be willing to face the civil ramifications of their actions.

I mean, it’d be kinda easy for someone to confess to a priest they murdered someone and then say a few hail Mary’s, where’s the sincerity in their desire for forgiveness?

We offend God, we make reparations to Him, likewise, if we offend society we must also take responsibility.

 

[kentuckyliz]

I’m a licensed counselor. People have the urge to confess.

The confessional is the last safe place on earth.

I can be subpoenaed to testify in court. I would resist cooperating, but I can be legally compelled.

A priest cannot.

The confessional is the safety valve for society in general.

If a murderer felt remorse and went to confession and intended to sin no more and avoid the near occasion of sin, and receive the absolution and the graces to help live the way God wanted him or her to live, that is better than the murderer thinking they were beyond forgiveness and the priest might call the police and he/she was a lost cause and might as well keep wallowing in the stink of sin…and perhaps commit more murders.

A murderer going to confession and never telling the police is better than a murderer who didn’t go to confession and never told the police.

I’ve had a lot of priest friends tell me they have the gift of forgetting what they heard in the confessional. I think that’s God working–once God forgives sin, it’s gone and forgotten. God prophesied and promised it would be this way in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31). I will remember their sin no more!!!

God has vast oceans of mercy and grace for you!

God is the Father in the Prodigal Son story. The Father loves you and is running down the road with joy, to meet you, embrace you, and give you a robe and ring and roast a calf to feast upon your return!!!

Instead of Bless me Father, for I have sinned…start out by saying, “Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”

You aren’t talking to a priest, you’re talking to Jesus.

You are going to feel so great afterwards, I promise you!!!

 

[jwinch2]

I went to my first confession yesterday. It was a pretty powerful experience. I had been struggling all along with how I was going to accept God’s forgiveness through the sacrament when I am not really able to forgive myself. Nevertheless, I went in and gave a detailed confession that the Priest later told me was his longest in his 20 year vocation. I laughed a bit at that but was glad that I was so detailed and open. There were a few scary moments when I seriously considered holding something back, but I pushed on with God’s help and I said it all. I was easily the most honest moment of my life. I was also worried that I would get emotional during the actual confession because I have a tendency to do that sort of thing, but it ended up being almost clinical in the delivery and discussion.

Here are some things that helped me. Perhaps they will help others who are fighting the uncertainty that comes along with making a first.

A: Do a meaningful examination of conscience. I approached this in three ways. 1 - through different phases of my life, what types of sin was I struggling with (early childhood, junior high, high school, college, etc…), until I reached where I am at in the present time. 2 - I went through the 10 commandments and the various meanings that they have. There are a ton of good resources on how to use those in confession and they were very helpful. 3 - I went through the 7 deadly sins in similar fashion as I did with the commandments.

B: Go through that same process during the confession. By doing this, I was able to identify trends in my sin and realize just how long I had been dealing with some of these things. That really helped the Priest and I have a good conversation about strategies to avoid this and ways to overcome my problem areas.

C: Provide the Priest with an understanding of who you are today compared to who you used to be, and what you are trying to accomplish in your life. For me, I am in the RCIA program and am trying to be a better man than I have been in the past after leading a less than stellar life for many many years. The Priest was able to help me to see that I am a very different, and much better, man than I was even a couple of years ago, let alone the man I was 10 or 15 years ago.

The power of the sacrament manifested itself at the moment of absolution. When the Priest asked me to bow my head and he started speaking I lost it completely and wept. It was literally instantaneous. When I finished, I didn’t have any problems accepting God’s mercy anymore. It was truly magical. I can also already feel the grace that comes with the sacrament making it easier for me to avoid sin. Things that are typically daily issues with me I found myself starting to do them and suddenly stopping last night and already this morning.

Every night for the past year or so I have gone to bed praying and begging God to forgive me for my sins. Last night, I went to bed praying and THANKING God for forgiving my sins. It was an incredible difference and I could hardly keep from smiling as I lay there getting ready to so to sleep.

 

[puzzleannie]

My gra

The truth is, I don’t think I could ever confess my sins to another person. But I never feel the forgiveness I ask for in my prayers.

I don’t know what to do.

quite right, that is why we confess to Christ in the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. The priest IS Christ in the sacraments.

Trying to think of any sin that is not horrible, if you think about it while you are looking at a crucifix.

 

[504Katrin]

Y’all gave some wonderful answers so wonderful

I’m reading this thread because I done some horrible, horrible things
That was before I found my way back to church tho, and I would never do those things again.

Those sins are killing me and I long for confession but there’s a problem. If I go to confession I have to confess everything, right?
I must admit there’s one thing that even tho I try hard I can’t stop doing, and it does not make any sense to confess a sin that I will probably commit afterward again
So can I just admit the other sins and leave that one out?

 

[jwinch2]

I went to my first confession yesterday. It was a pretty powerful experience. I had been struggling all along with how I was going to accept God’s forgiveness through the sacrament when I am not really able to forgive myself. Nevertheless, I went in and gave a detailed confession that the Priest later told me was his longest in his 20 year vocation. I laughed a bit at that but was glad that I was so detailed and open. There were a few scary moments when I seriously considered holding something back, but I pushed on with God’s help and I said it all. I was easily the most honest moment of my life. I was a very open process and actually took place in the Priest’s rectory with him sitting in his recliner and me sitting on the sofa like two normal people having a conversation.

Here are some things that really helped me make the process meaningful. Perhaps they will help others who are fighting the uncertainty that comes along with going through the sacraments for the first time. I am far from an expert on this but having gone through my first one literally less than 24 hours ago, perhaps others will find it helpful.

A: Pray for the grace to accept God’s mercy and seek help from others. I had been really struggling with how I was going to do this because I struggle big time with both forgiving others and particularly myself. I beat myself up on daily basis for things I have done wrong in my life. For several months prior to my first confession I would pray for God to give me the ability to forgive others and to accept his forgiveness so that I could also forgive myself. I also made an appointment to talk to a Priest about it, brought it up during our RCIA meetings to the RCIA team, fellow candidates, as well as the parish Pastor and one of the Deacons who help out with the RCIA program, and asked my sponsor about it. Talking to others about it was very helpful. The Priest I spoke to encouraged me to seek out the story of St. Paul and also to look at other Saints who started out as dreadful sinners. That helped significantly. I took comfort in the fact that even Jesus needed help to carry his Cross and he fell down along the way.

B: Do a meaningful examination of conscience. I approached this in three ways:
1 - through different phases of my life, what types of sin was I struggling with (early childhood, junior high, high school, college, etc…), until I reached where I am at in the present time.
2 - I went through the 10 commandments and the various meanings that they have. There are a ton of good resources on how to use those in confession and they were very helpful.
3 - I went through the 7 deadly sins in similar fashion as I did with the commandments. Knowing that I was prepared really helped me to accept the sacrament as I walked out of there feeling as if I had truly held nothing back.

C: Pray before the actual confession. I went in and asked the Priest to open the chapel for me prior to the confession time. I spent about 20-30 minutes praying and just trying to listen to God before I was to perform the actual confession. I started off begging God for the grace to accept the sacrament for what it is meant to be and followed up with multiple Hail Mary’s, Our Father’s and Glory Be’s in succession. I finished my prayers by asking for St. Paul and St. Michael’s intercession and prayers.

D: Go through that same process that you went through during your examination during the confession. I brought several pages of notes along with me. By doing this, I was able to identify trends in my sin and realize just how long I had been dealing with some of these things. That really helped the Priest and I have a good conversation about strategies to avoid this and ways to overcome my problem areas.

E: Provide the Priest with an understanding of who you are today compared to who you used to be, and what you are trying to accomplish in your life. For me, I am in the RCIA program and am trying to be a better man than I have been in the past after leading a less than stellar life for many many years. The Priest was able to help me to see that I am a very different, and much better, man than I was even a couple of years ago, let alone the man I was 10 or 15 years ago. I flat out asked the Priest, “this is where I am trying to go, can you please help me”? He was very receptive and we had a fantastic conversation after I finished the actual confession and before he gave the absolution.

F: Ask for a meaningful penance that will actually help you along your conversion process. I hear about a good deal of generic penances but I think one that is tailored to you and your situation will be more meaningful. For me, as I have stated, I am in the RCIA process and my wife is also. The Priest gave me a penance of spending time in prayer daily for both my wife and myself as we go through the process together from now until we receive the sacraments at Easter. I was happy to get this rather than “do 50 Hail Mary’s” or something along those lines.

The power of the sacrament manifested itself at the moment of absolution. When the Priest asked me to bow my head and he started speaking I lost it completely and wept. It was literally instantaneous. When I finished, I didn’t have any problems accepting God’s mercy anymore. It was truly magical. I can also already feel the grace that comes with the sacrament making it easier for me to avoid sin. Things that are typically daily issues with me I found myself starting to do them and suddenly stopping last night and already this morning.

Every night for the past year or so I have gone to bed praying and begging God to forgive me for my sins. Last night, I went to bed praying and THANKING God for forgiving my sins. It was an incredible difference.

 

[jwinch2]

Y’all gave some wonderful answers so wonderful

I’m reading this thread because I done some horrible, horrible things
That was before I found my way back to church tho, and I would never do those things again.

Those sins are killing me and I long for confession but there’s a problem. If I go to confession I have to confess everything, right?
I must admit there’s one thing that even tho I try hard I can’t stop doing, and it does not make any sense to confess a sin that I will probably commit afterward again
So can I just admit the other sins and leave that one out?

If you deliberately hold back a mortal sin during confession it is my understanding that A) that is a mortal sin also; and B) it invalidates the sacrament. So, I would suggest that you confess it even knowing that you are likely to repeat it. As long as you have remorse and WANT to get better at dealing with sin you are on the right track. EVERYONE keeps repeating sins. I know I will even after my amazing experience yesterday. We are fallen and thus it is a lifelong struggle. Our team members in RCIA talk all the time about how they keep having to confess the same sins over and over again. Our Deacon and one of our Priests have said the same thing. The Priest who heard my confession yesterday said that when he gives confession he finds himself confessing the same things all the time as well.

The last thing you want to do is walk out of the sacrament feeling like you did not do your part in terms of being open and honest with the Priest who is acting in the person of Christ. You can do it! Believe me if I did it, so can you! I just kept telling myself over and over that Jesus himself said that he came to call sinners not the righteous. Well, that’s me because I sure as heck am not righteous! You can do it!

God Bless!

 

[Bookcat]

Since you have been away for a long time…perhaps focus mostly on any mortal sins you have done in life for this first confession (venial sins need not be directly confessed…though it is recommended we do so regularly).

We are obliged to confess all mortal sins in number and kind (adultery 2x, murder 4x, missing Mass all Sundays and Holy Days except Christmas for the last 20 years, perjury in court 2x etc) and if something changed the mortal sin…like it was your brother you murdered. Of course after a good examination we may not …after so many years…remember everything…that is ok…we do what we can…God forgives the forgotten ones too (we need of course to be sorry for all our mortal sins…and amended)…then if we later remember one we forgot…we are to confess it in the next confession after we remember it. (this is different from if we intentionally hide a mortal sin…that is a sacrilege and one is not forgiven but has another sin)

Also we may not know the numbers …we do what we can…and if we do not know…we make an approximation…3-5x, 5-10 a month for the last 20 years, somewhere around 50 times, around 10x, or even if needed “many times”, “many many times” etc

(I should note that if one is “remarried” or “married” to a divorced person…one needs to take care of that first…or speak to the Priest about perhaps the possibility living as brother and sister until one can get things worked out)

Remember Jesus loves you and wants to forgive you and to give you again his life. So that you may return to Holy Communion and receive him there (one needs to wait until confession…and if one does not know about the Eucharist …or forget…speak with the Priest etc for one will need to know more too first)

And do not be afraid…the Priest has prob heard much worse!!!..perhaps make an appointment to see the Priest outside normal confession time…and ask him to help you

Here is an overview of the Faith vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

(you can get it as a book…also get the Catechism at some point it is a treasure chest!)

Jesus is the Good Shepherd …he loves you and desires to give you* true life*.

 

[504Katrin]

If you deliberately hold back a mortal sin during confession it is my understanding that A) that is a mortal sin also; and B) it invalidates the sacrament. So, I would suggest that you confess it even knowing that you are likely to repeat it. As long as you have remorse and WANT to get better at dealing with sin you are on the right track. EVERYONE keeps repeating sins. I know I will even after my amazing experience yesterday. We are fallen and thus it is a lifelong struggle. Our team members in RCIA talk all the time about how they keep having to confess the same sins over and over again. Our Deacon and one of our Priests have said the same thing. The Priest who heard my confession yesterday said that when he gives confession he finds himself confessing the same things all the time as well.

The last thing you want to do is walk out of the sacrament feeling like you did not do your part in terms of being open and honest with the Priest who is acting in the person of Christ. You can do it! Believe me if I did it, so can you! God Bless!

o.k. I will. Thanks for your kind advice
God bless you, too!

 

[Incomplete]

Y’all gave some wonderful answers so wonderful

I’m reading this thread because I done some horrible, horrible things
That was before I found my way back to church tho, and I would never do those things again.

Those sins are killing me and I long for confession but there’s a problem. If I go to confession I have to confess everything, right?
I must admit there’s one thing that even tho I try hard I can’t stop doing, and it does not make any sense to confess a sin that I will probably commit afterward again
So can I just admit the other sins and leave that one out?

Go. Confess. Tell him about that sin, and that it is very difficult for you, that you will probably commit again because of that. He can help you find a solution. We all have our habitual sins. Confess.

 

[jwinch2]

o.k. I will. Thanks for your kind advice
God bless you, too!

Glad to help! I know exactly what you are going through…

 

[Incomplete]

UPDATE

Thank you, everyone, for the prayers and encouragement.

I’d like to tell everyone I did go to confession today. I didn’t hold anything back.

I wish I could say the experience was totally uplifting… the truth is, I still feel very, very low for the things I’ve done, and find it difficult to accept that I can truly be forgiven. But I will try.

I’ve been going to a Catholic church for a few weeks now, after a life changing event that happened to me in early December that made me want to renew my faith.

I really enjoy this church, especially the priest.

A few things kept this from being the life-changing experience I prayed it would be.

Unfortunately, when the girl ahead of me in line came out, she closed the door behind her, which locked us out. The priest had to come out and open the door: of course he saw my face.

I wanted to be confirmed at this church, but am now honestly feeling like I have to find a new church out of shame. Like I alluded to earlier, I let out some horrible, horrible things I have done. I appreciate the comments (“they’ve heard it all,” etc. Again, let me assure you I had VERY grave sins).

As you all said he would be, he was very, very kind. In fact, it made me feel worse that he was so nice. I don’t know. And there was no penance, just forgiveness.

I did have a slight problem: I listed many, many sins I’ve done over the course of ten plus years… The worst of which are things I’ve long since put behind me…

The priest, of course, not knowing this, suggested I seek counseling for these issues. I’m not sure if this was penance, or mandatory. But the truth is, like I’ve said, short of confessing, these are parts of my life I have long put behind me and moved on from…

Am I doing something wrong by NOT seeking the counseling?

Also, he suggested I make amends with my parents. I have a great relationship with both of my parents now and have for awhile.

I didn’t want to be petty and say, "Well, yes Father, but I’ve ALREADY done so and so.…"

Do I need to do anything?

I just gratefully accepted the forgiveness. But I’m still on a journey…

Be confirmed here! There is nothing better than attending where the priest knows the worst about you and sees through that to your desires to grow in holiness.

Regarding sounding petty in confession, it is not petty to let your priest know where you are currently at. It helps them a lot. In fact, at my last confession I was given a penance that I had already done. When the priest asked if I could do it, I said, sure, I already did. And by the look on his face, I think he was delighted. And that way he could give a more appropriate penance.

 

[AnneTeresa]

Wow, this is wonderful. Thank you for sharing your experience. There are some great ideas in here for first confessions as well as subsequent ones.

 

[SeekerCV]

Thank you so, so very much for sharing your experience. My first confession is coming up shortly, and although I’ve been looking forward to it with great excitement and anticipation, I’ve also become quite nervous as the date draws closer. I, too, have a lifetime of dreadful sins to confess. I wonder many times if I will be tempted to hold anything back. Reading your post has given me a new perspective. Thank you again. God bless you.

 

[jwinch2]

Thank you so, so very much for sharing your experience. My first confession is coming up shortly, and although I’ve been looking forward to it with great excitement and anticipation, I’ve also become quite nervous as the date draws closer. I, too, have a lifetime of dreadful sins to confess. I wonder many times if I will be tempted to hold anything back. Reading your post has given me a new perspective. Thank you again. God bless you.

Thanks for your comments and your blessing. I sincerely hope that my experience can help you as you are getting ready for the sacrament.

One other thing I would suggest is to schedule an appointment so that you can be sure that you have plenty of time rather than just going to the normal confession hours that your parish might offer. We spent a good 45 minutes just chatting after the receipt of absolution about normal stuff. In fact, as soon as I finished sobbing he simply changed the subject and asked me about my job, where I am from, that sort of thing. It was like he no longer saw the same person and what was in the past was in the past.

Good luck and God Bless!

 

[COLOS]

I must admit there’s one thing that even tho I try hard I can’t stop doing, and it does not make any sense to confess a sin that I will probably commit afterward again
So can I just admit the other sins and leave that one out?

Nope, don’t intentionally withhold any mortal sin. That’s a very bad idea. It will lead to an invalid confession and a sacrilegious communion.

You will never have the power to stop your habitual sin on your own. By the injury done to our fallen nature by the wounds left from original sin, we are naturally slaves to our passions. While Baptism erases original sin by giving Sanctifying Grace to our souls, the four wounds remain. We have to overcome by grace.

Only the grace of God can give you the power to stop a particularly powerful habitual sin. That’s not religious mumbo-jumbo. I’ve personally experienced that kind of grace. I was immediately released from something which had plagued me for my whole life. That total freedom lasted long enough for me to come to the understanding that God really can immediately free me from any habitual sin, but will also allow me to struggle with overcoming sin in order for me to build my character.

It seems like the more usual thing is for people to have to struggle with sin and the occassions of sin. You’ll be given the grace to overcome, but you WILL have to struggle. It’s good to struggle. It shows us how truly powerless we are without grace. It also makes us come to a place in life where we really and truly hate our usual sins.

Pray for the grace to desire to struggle against sin rather than immediately giving in to sin. And when the temptations start coming against you again, you will fight harder because you know for certain that victory is always near. When you fail, know that confession is always nearby in order to raise you from the dead so that you can engage in battle again.

It’s not a bad idea to make a Novena to the Divine Infant of Prague for the grace to overcome your usual sins and for the desire to fight sin.

 

[bearer]

I left the Church for over 15 years, and when I came home, I had to confess literally thousands of sins. The most difficult were the sins against God. I bawled like a baby and began to shake uncontrollably in the confessional, but when I finished and recited the Act of Contrition, the priest stood up, put his hands on my head, gave me absolution, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, gave me such a sense of peace that I almost felt as though I could float above the ground.

I’m glad you went to confession. You did the Lord and yourself so much good. God bless you, and welcome back!

 

[504Katrin]

Nope, don’t intentionally withhold any mortal sin. That’s a very bad idea. It will lead to an invalid confession and a sacrilegious communion.

You will never have the power to stop your habitual sin on your own. By the injury done to our fallen nature by the wounds left from original sin, we are naturally slaves to our passions. While Baptism erases original sin by giving Sanctifying Grace to our souls, the four wounds remain. We have to overcome by grace.

Only the grace of God can give you the power to stop a particularly powerful habitual sin. That’s not religious mumbo-jumbo. I’ve personally experienced that kind of grace. I was immediately released from something which had plagued me for my whole life. That total freedom lasted long enough for me to come to the understanding that God really can immediately free me from any habitual sin, but will also allow me to struggle with overcoming sin in order for me to build my character.

It seems like the more usual thing is for people to have to struggle with sin and the occassions of sin. You’ll be given the grace to overcome, but you WILL have to struggle. It’s good to struggle. It shows us how truly powerless we are without grace. It also makes us come to a place in life where we really and truly hate our usual sins.

Pray for the grace to desire to struggle against sin rather than immediately giving in to sin. And when the temptations start coming against you again, you will fight harder because you know for certain that victory is always near. When you fail, know that confession is always nearby in order to raise you from the dead so that you can engage in battle again.

It’s not a bad idea to make a Novena to the Divine Infant of Prague for the grace to overcome your usual sins and for the desire to fight sin.

I can’t thank you enough for your post; this post was so helpful. I feel so alone with this. I think the way I am, I will tell the priest everything anyway once I get started. Thing is I’m so afraid to confess this sin, get absolution through my priest, and to committ the same sin later again. I would rather not confess, because it’s like asking the Lord for help and still not listening, which would be even worse, which would even be the worst case scenario imo.
Actually I’ve already done this, and I will have to confess this also. I prayed for a guiding hand, and I get so many signs now telling me why this sin only brings harm to me, and still I won’t listen.

Seems nothing comes easily, and the Novena is a very good advice that I will follow.
Shall I first start a Novena and then go to confession or the other way around?

 

[COLOS]

I can’t thank you enough for your post; this post was so helpful. I feel so alone with this.

You’re welcome!
…and you most certainly are not alone. I doubt that there are very many sins which you could confess that your Priest hasn’t heard from other people many, many times.

I think the way I am, I will tell the priest everything anyway once I get started. Thing is I’m so afraid to confess this sin, get absolution through my priest, and to committ the same sin later again. I would rather not confess, because it’s like asking the Lord for help and still not listening, which would be even worse, which would even be the worst case scenario imo.

You should make an appointment with your Priest. Tell him exactly what you’ve said here. He will help you to understand. That’s one of the reasons he’s there for you.

I understand what you are saying, though. I’ve felt the same way. It’s like you feel as if you’re “spurning” the grace of God. God knows how to fix you, though.

Why don’t you also mention to your Priest the reality that you will probably commit this sin again and don’t quite know how to gain the power to fight against it. Sometimes these battles take awhile and you will end up confessing the same sins over and over and over again. Satan wants you to despair. Your enemy wants you to give up and not confess anything at all.

Shall I first start a Novena and then go to confession or the other way around?

Novenas are awesome! I would start one immediately! Heh, at one point I had three seperate Novenas going on at the same time, lol. One to the IOP, one to Our Lady of Sorrows, and one to St. Gemma.

You can always pray. Even when you are in mortal sin, if your prayer is sincere, the least that you will be given is the grace to move toward true repentance. God is always looking for you to move closer to Him by grace.

Don’t despair. Yes you are sinful, just like all the rest of us, but God is much greater than our habitual sins. It will be a battle, but the children of God are made fit to fight that battle. And, to quote Father Corapi, Our Blessed Mother wears combat boots!

In the Little Offfice of the Blessed Virgin Mary she is described as being like a “terrible army set in array for battle”. Every demon flees from before her face and no wicked habit will overcome one of her little ones if they will turn to her for her great help. Wrapped in the mantle of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Queen of Heaven, you are forever safe. Don’t forget your Blessed Mother.

The Priests of the Old Testament carried the ark of the covenant in the front of their ranks. They carried the ark into battle on their shoulders. Whenever the ark was brought to the battle, they could not lose.

Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant. Carry Her with you into battle. You cannot lose.

Peace to you,
Andrew

 

[504Katrin]

You’re welcome!
…and you most certainly are not alone. I doubt that there are very many sins which you could confess that your Priest hasn’t heard from other people many, many times.

You should make an appointment with your Priest. Tell him exactly what you’ve said here. He will help you to understand. That’s one of the reasons he’s there for you.

I understand what you are saying, though. I’ve felt the same way. It’s like you feel as if you’re “spurning” the grace of God. God knows how to fix you, though.

Why don’t you also mention to your Priest the reality that you will probably commit this sin again and don’t quite know how to gain the power to fight against it. Sometimes these battles take awhile and you will end up confessing the same sins over and over and over again. Satan wants you to despair. Your enemy wants you to give up and not confess anything at all.

Novenas are awesome! I would start one immediately! Heh, at one point I had three seperate Novenas going on at the same time, lol. One to the IOP, one to Our Lady of Sorrows, and one to St. Gemma.

You can always pray. Even when you are in mortal sin, if your prayer is sincere, the least that you will be given is the grace to move toward true repentance. God is always looking for you to move closer to Him by grace.

Don’t despair. Yes you are sinful, just like all the rest of us, but God is much greater than our habitual sins. It will be a battle, but the children of God are made fit to fight that battle. And, to quote Father Corapi, Our Blessed Mother wears combat boots!

In the Little Offfice of the Blessed Virgin Mary she is described as being like a “terrible army set in array for battle”. Every demon flees from before her face and no wicked habit will overcome one of her little ones if they will turn to her for her great help. Wrapped in the mantle of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Queen of Heaven, you are forever safe. Don’t forget your Blessed Mother.

The Priests of the Old Testament carried the ark of the covenant in the front of their ranks. They carried the ark into battle on their shoulders. Whenever the ark was brought to the battle, they could not lose.

Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant. Carry Her with you into battle. You cannot lose.

Peace to you,
Andrew

You are so awesome! I’m speechless. Thank you so much for your help! I feel so much better now.
Yes, I will set up an appointment with the priest and tell him everything I said on here. You are so right, there’s no reason to hesitate really cause as you said God is always looking for us to move us closer to him. I’m gonna start my Novenas today, and I’m now actually looking forward to going to confession. Thank you so much! :hug3: