mortal sin

[Agent]

How can I discern my motives and whether or not I give full free consent to anger and lust for example? It is not clear to me. I cannot fathom my heart and its motives, my motives. Help!

I then tend to beat myself up and make myself feel like a failure and condemn myself. . .

 

[nicolep]

Discuss it with your confessor. He would be able to tell you better than anyone here. It would be helpful to go to the same confessor each time. Together, the two of you will figure it out.

 

[Dtmccameron]

I then tend to beat myself up and make myself feel like a failure and condemn myself. . .

Well, first, welcome to the club, and second, only you do this. Well, you and the accuser. This, as it was explained to me, was the unforgivable sin, denial of the Holy spirit, denial of redemption, denial of hope, despair. So do not despair!

Heh, Our Lord didn’t die so He could toss us into the lake of fire.

 

[Agent]

It seems to me that the priests in our parish are far too busy to be able to delve into my mind and motives. Also, how does one objectively account for conditions of anxiety and other psychological problems? I do not want to be too hard on myself but I don’t want to be too easy. I agree with the gist of the post about the accuser: I use my sins against myself to prove to myself that I am worthless and a failure and I think my reaction to my errors/sins is actually more damaging than the sin itself if that makes sense.

For example, I may commit some sin of lust, obejectively but I will use this occasion for lust to prove that I am no good, that I am going to hell, and that I am a worthless person. . . I know I have to examine my own conscience but I know I am not a good judge. . .

 

[Dtmccameron]

It seems to me that the priests in our parish are far too busy to be able to delve into my mind and motives. Also, how does one objectively account for conditions of anxiety and other psychological problems? I do not want to be too hard on myself but I don’t want to be too easy. I agree with the gist of the post about the accuser: I use my sins against myself to prove to myself that I am worthless and a failure and I think my reaction to my errors/sins is actually more damaging than the sin itself if that makes sense.

For example, I may commit some sin of lust, obejectively but I will use this occasion for lust to prove that I am no good, that I am going to hell, and that I am a worthless person. . . I know I have to examine my own conscience but I know I am not a good judge. . .

Ahh! Sort of like a self fufilling prophecy, you feel worthless, so sin to prove you are! Well then! Talk to your shrink!

Personally though, I think a risk assesment would result in you being harder on yourself than necessary, simply because the danger lies far greater in going to easy on sin—Ha! Be hard on sin, not yourself!

ahem Sorry for not capitalizing Accuser. I meant that as one of the many personas the devil does adopt, and use to drag us down. Just in case that wasn’t clear.

 

[Agent]

not quite: I sin in an act and then feel worthless and then just feel worthless.

 

[Dtmccameron]

not quite: I sin in an act and then feel worthless and then just feel worthless.

Oh…well…Try to carry that feeling with you to the confessional. And be sure to leave it there. Though a certain small amount of it helps with humility, I’m sure.

And even without God, you’re not worthless! Why, I’ve been told were you to be sold atom by atom, you’ld be worth around six million dollars!