Mortal sin and RCIA

[melvina07]

Hi everyone,
This is my first post, and I hope I am doing this on the right forum. My husband and I are about to begin RCIA at the end of this month. I am a prior Protestant, and was baptized in the Trinity in 2006. Anyway, during my teens and early 20s I had a life **full **of sin (including mortal). I guess what brought me to Christ was a crisis in my marriage. I was at rock bottom and didn’t know where else to turn. That was in 2003. On a whim I just went to a church one day, and they prayed for me and I said the “sinners prayer” and I was “saved”. That night and many more since, I prayed on my own asking for forgiveness of my lifestyle, and certain sins in particular. I think out of that darkness came something precious and beautiful to me- my faith. I started out in baby steps, and learned more and more, and was baptised in 2006. Shortly after that I felt the hunger to learn all that I could about Jesus and my faith, and Lord led me to the Catholic Church. As a follower of Christ, I felt like I had an obligation to be in the church that He founded. Now I am about to begin RCIA, and I am excited! However, RCIA doesn’t begin for two more weeks, and as I learn about the faith, I am terrified that if I die before the end of RCIA (when I can recieve the Sacrament of Reconcilliation) my soul will be damned. I did borrow a catechism from the library, and I read that sin (original, and mortal) were washed away with my baptism in 2006, but I still can’t shake this fear. I am not sure what to do at this point…

Anyway- thanks for reading this!

 

[DJgang]

Excerpt from Catholicism for Dummies, by Rev. Trigilio and Rev. Brighenti

*If you’re seeking God’s forgiveness, you can make a perfect act of contrition if you’r in danger of death and no priest is available. A perfect act of contrition means that that sinner is sorry for his sins out of love for God and remorse for offending him rather than just a fear of punishment in the afterlife, and that sinner must have the absolute intention of going to confesssion to a priest or bishop as soon as possible, if she/he survives. In situations where no threat to a person’s life exists, however the Church believes that mortal since can’t be forgiven and the soul damns itself to hell with absolution from a priest. *

Now, we know that non-Catholics can not receive absolution from a priest. So, my understanding is that at this moment, in your heart you are truly sorry for your sins and they are forgiven by Perfect Contrition. And you do have every intention of confessing those sins when you are able.

I am in the same boat.

I think I’m off to look at the Catechism.

Maybe someone can help us out…huh?

 

[po18guy]

Melvina07,

RELAX! You were baptized into the Body of Christ. Your slate was wiped clean at that instant. All of your sin up to that point was destroyed by God. It is GONE. All that’s left is your memory of sin. God allows the memory to linger so that you may recall having offended Him. This alone helps you to avoid sin in the future. Do not dwell on your sinful past. To do so not only insults God’s merciful forgiveness, it weakens you-which makes you susceptible to the evil one.

Will you fail in the future? YES. You are human. If Saint Paul felt he was a wretch, it’s completely normal for you to feel the same. Be patient. God still loved you all through your sinning years, as much as He ever had. Perhaps even more, since you wandered far away from Him. He is rejoicing now that your have turned away from a life of sin and back to Him.

Since God knows your heart, and His mercy is completely beyond understanding, just LET GO of your anxiety, offering it up to Him. He knows what you need before you ask, and He knows of your desire for forgiveness.

When you do participate in the Sacrament of reconcilliation, you will notice that the penance you receive seems in no way related to the seriousness of your sin. Do not be disturbed by this. That is precisely God’s mercy! He Who created the entire universe out of nothing, destroys sin with a twitch of His Divine hand.

Look at the repentant thief in Luke 23:39-43. He entered into paradise through his desire for salvation. He was not even water baptized, and you ARE.

Grab your anxieties tightly in both hands, then LET GO and drop them. God Himself will sustain you.

Christ’s PEACE be with you.