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Pilgrim_Elaine
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Just last night I was praying on regrets of my past and remembered Paul’s words in Phil. 3. These words are so timely and not a coincidence. Thank you for sharing. - Pilgrim Elaine
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BarbaraTherese
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Actually I was doing exactly the same last night…and prayed that I would be able to forgive myself, for I know that Jesus has forgiven and in fact wiped it all from His Memory as if my failures just never existed…in fact in Him they never did. It is self forgiveness I think that comes hard and is a journey. Thank you for this post for it has reminded me of the Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila, which I am going to now copy and print and put in my Intentions Book. Thank you…The Holy Spirit is with us.
May He be ever praised more and more.Blessings and my regards…Barb
Phillipians 3:
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PhilotheaZ
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BarbaraTherese, thank you so much for posting this. There are times when I really need to hear this.
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LilyM
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I’ve seen that prayer before - beautiful, and useful for me when I get down on myself over past regrets.
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mommyof4
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Thank you for posting this. I spend so much time feeling guilty over my wasted years of living neck deep in sin, not going to church, etc. I wish there was a “rewind” button on my life, 'cause I’d go back and do so many things differntly.
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Pilgrim_Elaine
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Barbara, I’ve returned late this evening awestruck at how God works as another is thinking on the same subect and Verses the same day or night! This happens with a friend of mine. God bless you for sharing your response to my words and the quotes!
Barbara, since reading these words last night, I thought about Saul (Paul). Jesus waited till HIS time to call him. And so I see God would use my past to help others, to forget myself, and redeem the time in a way as God chooses. I think He allowed this “dark night of the soul” in my life to pare areas of the world so that I would draw close to Him.
Barbara, since reading these words last night, I thought about Saul (Paul). Jesus waited till HIS time to call him. And so I see God would use my past to help others, to forget myself, and redeem the time in a way as God chooses. I think He allowed this “dark night of the soul” in my life to pare areas of the world so that I would draw close to Him.
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BarbaraTherese
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You are most welcome Philothea (beautiful name!)…I posted it because it had touched me…how wonderful to think that if one does have “a past” God, to whom all things are possible, can turn it into our “wedding garment”. It is a beautiful prayer!..as is the quote from St. Paul which really says the same thing…only differently.
The plus from having been there and done that…is that we can truly empathize with others who may be going through the same thing. And if we had not been there and done that, then we would not be able to be the comfort that we actually now are.
Hi Mom of Four!..what a wonderful vocation!..ONe of the greatest saints and theologians we have - St. Augustine had quite a past and score of sins and look what The Lord made out of him with His Grace. We cannot change the past but in God, we have no past there is only the Now. This is one of the wonderful theologies of the Sacrament of Penance : that God not only forgives us our sins…but wipes them from ‘His Memory’ and the truth of the matter is that once confessed whatever we confessed has never existed and we are returned to that state as if we never had any sort of past in the first place. This is not wishful thinking…it is the reality of The Sacrament of Penance. In this we can clearly sight the difference between the children of this world and the Children of God…for those in this world the past if they have one is always there…for the Children of God it has been totally erased and has never existed.
How I too would love a rewind button for my life…and yet when I really think about things, God Permitted things to be as they were and because He knew that He could bring out of that past far greater good than the past itself. But I know what you mean about feeling guilty…and hurting…but in reality it is totally illogical guilt, irrational and neurotic guilt. The core of matters is to ask God to help me to forgive myself - that is the real problem and self forgiveness is a journey that begins and continues to its happy conclusion with prayer. And if I do not have any happy conclusion (meaning forgiving myself) until after death…then Praise The Lord and give Him thanks. And if I should have a happy conclusion and forgive myself while here on earth…then Praise The Lord and give Him Thanks.
There are theologically two aspects to God’s Will…what He directly wills in all the good there is…and what He Permits in all that is not good. Let us Praise The Lord and give Him thanks.
Next time you are tempted to feel guilty about the past, instead thank The Lord for allowing it, for He intends to bring out of it a far greater good than the past itself. And when you think about it…oh happy terrible past which was so miserable because The Lord intends to turn it into a good greater than its terrible nature.
I wrote in another post somewhere that The Church is direly in need of real sinners of terrible pasts that The Lord makes saints of, great saints - and all is possible to Him…for what wondrous comfort and encouragement it would be to all without any exemptions at all. I really believe that!
I sometimes do tell The Lord He needs people like me…how else can He truly reveal withstanding all arguments, just how Merciful and Powerful He is with only something miserable and lowly to work with.
Blessings…and my regards…Barb
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