Sexual Sins non Binding?

[Robert_Burns]

In posting to a Catholic on another thread - the followinf statement was made:

“I don’t think people go to Hell because of sexual sins or alcoholism or not going to church on Sundays”

Rather than derail that thread I decided to start a thread to see what the Forum thinks of that statement.

Personally , I believe that the 6ths and 9th Commandments are binding and that St Paul spoke openly about the Sanctity of the body as a temple of the Holy Ghost in 1 Cor 6 And our Lord likewise condemned Adultery in thought .

So what do the rest of you think? I am curious. Is the Gravity of Sin meaningless today or is it because we are surrounded by so much immorality on all sides - have we become complacent and no longer are as cognisant of the Gravity of Sin as we should be?

 

[Azurestone]

It’s because of the secular relativism that has become dominate in society.

You are correct though on your thinking.

Going to church? God mentioned that, “honor the sabbath”, its one of the 10 commandments, that’s not even needing to crack a bible.

Alcoholism and sexual sins? Lust and Gluttony are mortal sins for many reasons. Here’s an excerpt to help back that up.

Galatians chapter 5 (NLT)

16 I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. …

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.

 

[maurin]

In posting to a Catholic on another thread - the followinf statement was made:

“I don’t think people go to Hell because of sexual sins or alcoholism or not going to church on Sundays”

Rather than derail that thread I decided to start a thread to see what the Forum thinks of that statement.

Personally , I believe that the 6ths and 9th Commandments are binding and that St Paul spoke openly about the Sanctity of the body as a temple of the Holy Ghost in 1 Cor 6 And our Lord likewise condemned Adultery in thought .

So what do the rest of you think? I am curious. Is the Gravity of Sin meaningless today or is it because we are surrounded by so much immorality on all sides - have we become complacent and no longer are as cognisant of the Gravity of Sin as we should be?

One can be reasonably certain that the poster, as misguided as he is, is only expressing his fervent hope, being motivated either by his resignation to his own imperfections or that of a loved one, because clearly the sentiments expressed are in absolute contradiction to the Church’s Teachings of both Faith and Morals.

I don’t know if this person is a semi regular or regular Mass attender, and if he is, if he is responding to bad preaching, or disregarding good teachings espoused from a good Priest. But such is today’s circumstances; one cannot be certain what message is being preached when there is hardly any consistency between Parishes in a Diocese, nor among Dioceses, as is evidenced by events such as in. El Paso,Texas and in the Archdiocese of New York, for example.

 

[OraLabora]

Is the Gravity of Sin meaningless today or is it because we are surrounded by so much immorality on all sides - have we become complacent and no longer are as cognisant of the Gravity of Sin as we should be?

The gravity of the sin remains. Culpability though is questionable, since the bad influences are so overwhelming.

The “sexual revolution” is hurting a lot of souls. Put 100 people in a winery for a weekend and tell them they can drink as much wine as they want. The alcoholics will quickly surface, and some that wouldn’t normally become alcoholic in a situation of restraint, may become so. I bet you’ll end up with 90 drunkards.

Now put 100 men on a street where young women walk practically naked; tell the men that there’s nothing wrong with sex as long as it’s with a “consenting adult”. Say the same thing to the women. Tell them that a perversion is a “preference”. Hammer the message repeatedly via instantaneous communications. Bombard them with images.

That’s the society we live in. People are weak and fall into the trap. Who wouldn’t? It takes almost superhuman strength to overcome a temptation that is now so easy to give in to.

We can only rely on God’s infinite mercy and hope He has mercy on the weak who have fallen prey to it. It’s not new incidentally. Any reading of the Pauline letters will certainly show that widespread sexual immorality is not a phenomenon of the modern age.

We’re just more efficient at now.

 

[Robert_Burns]

One can be reasonably certain that the poster, as misguided as he is, is only expressing his fervent hope, being motivated either by his resignation to his own imperfections or that of a loved one, because clearly the sentiments expressed are in absolute contradiction to the Church’s Teachings of both Faith and Morals.

I don’t know if this person is a semi regular or regular Mass attender, and if he is, if he is responding to bad preaching, or disregarding good teachings espoused from a good Priest. But such is today’s circumstances; one cannot be certain what message is being preached when there is hardly any consistency between Parishes in a Diocese, nor among Dioceses, as is evidenced by events such as in. El Paso,Texas and in the Archdiocese of New York, for example.

Robert: Yes - it was a direct quote so I cannot say the motivations behind the statement conclusively - I agree with you and with Azurestone.

 

[Robert_Burns]

The gravity of the sin remains. Culpability though is questionable, since the bad influences are so overwhelming.

The “sexual revolution” is hurting a lot of souls. Put 100 people in a winery for a weekend and tell them they can drink as much wine as they want. The alcoholics will quickly surface, and some that wouldn’t normally become alcoholic in a situation of restraint, may become so. I bet you’ll end up with 90 drunkards.

Now put 100 men on a street where young women walk practically naked; tell the men that there’s nothing wrong with sex as long as it’s with a “consenting adult”. Say the same thing to the women. Tell them that a perversion is a “preference”. Hammer the message repeatedly via instantaneous communications. Bombard them with images.

That’s the society we live in. People are weak and fall into the trap. Who wouldn’t? It takes almost superhuman strength to overcome a temptation that is now so easy to give in to.

We can only rely on God’s infinite mercy and hope He has mercy on the weak who have fallen prey to it. It’s not new incidentally. Any reading of the Pauline letters will certainly show that widespread sexual immorality is not a phenomenon of the modern age.

We’re just more efficient at now.

Robert: But doeesnt that fly in the face of “No man is Tempted beyond their Strength” ?

1 Cor 10 : 13 ???

 

[Barbkw]

The ethics of relativism.

“Your sin is o.k., My sin is o.k.”



“I don’t think people go to Hell because of sexual sins or alcoholism or not going to church on Sundays.”

 

[Azurestone]

Robert: But doeesnt that fly in the face of “No man is Tempted beyond their Strength” ?

1 Cor 10 : 13 ???

It’s not that he can’t resist. Culpability refers to a legalistic view that knowledge of the crime is needed to be guilty of it.

Are the actions still sinful? No doubt.Is he separated from God in these actions the same if he is in full knowledge of their wrongness? (assuming he isn’t forcing his thought through hopeful reasoning)

Many would like to think that God will take this into account when you die. Others will say, the separation from God is the same knowing or unknowing, he is not with God in his heart and actions.

 

[Robert_Burns]

It’s not that he can’t resist. Culpability refers to a legalistic view that knowledge of the crime is needed to be guilty of it.

Are the actions still sinful? No doubt.Is he separated from God in these actions the same if he is in full knowledge of their wrongness? (assuming he isn’t forcing his thought through hopeful reasoning)

Many would like to think that God will take this into account when you die. Others will say, the separation from God is the same knowing or unknowing, he is not with God in his heart and actions.

Yes - I understand the concept. So let me ask you this - what is meant by giving Bad Example? Lets say that a Catholic who knows you are Catholic and lets say for example they understand properly what the Church teaches. Then they see you do that which is against what the Church teaches and yet your own lack of knowledge has precluded you from sinning personally under the parameters laid out - are you culpable for the bad example if they sin? You see? Sometimes the Gravity of Sin goes beyond our own knowledge. As when a Woman or Man dresses Immodestly for example. Any thoughts?

 

[ConstantineTG]

The gravity of the sin remains. Culpability though is questionable, since the bad influences are so overwhelming.

The “sexual revolution” is hurting a lot of souls. Put 100 people in a winery for a weekend and tell them they can drink as much wine as they want. The alcoholics will quickly surface, and some that wouldn’t normally become alcoholic in a situation of restraint, may become so. I bet you’ll end up with 90 drunkards.

Now put 100 men on a street where young women walk practically naked; tell the men that there’s nothing wrong with sex as long as it’s with a “consenting adult”. Say the same thing to the women. Tell them that a perversion is a “preference”. Hammer the message repeatedly via instantaneous communications. Bombard them with images.

That’s the society we live in. People are weak and fall into the trap. Who wouldn’t? It takes almost superhuman strength to overcome a temptation that is now so easy to give in to.

We can only rely on God’s infinite mercy and hope He has mercy on the weak who have fallen prey to it. It’s not new incidentally. Any reading of the Pauline letters will certainly show that widespread sexual immorality is not a phenomenon of the modern age.

We’re just more efficient at now.

You hit the bullseye here. The Church’s message is clear, but a contradictory and louder message is telling everyone to give in to their whims. Sometimes even good people who in a different circumstance wouldn’t fall into the same sin, does today because the contradictory message is overwhelming us. In most any movie or TV show they always show when two people fall in love, they end up having sex. So most people now think, falling in-love = sex. Even ads are very sexual. You hardly can leave your home and not get this message nowadays.

Also, its not just modern media but people are bolder nowadays. I don’t think there were no illicit affairs in the 1500s or in the Dark Ages. But today people are so bold about their sins they proudly tell other people of it. I guess people feel empowered that there is a loud voice out there supporting what they want to do.

 

[PaulinVA]

Episcopalian Bishop Stacy Sauls once said, when talking about “blessing” same sex unions, something to effect that, once you have turned against the absolute admonition in the Bible against divorce, the rest comes easily. And he is an advocate of Same Sex Blessings!

There is an undercurrent in Christianity nowadays that says we shouldn’t judge others and that loving others is the only thing that is important. Well, of course it’s the people advocating acceptance of certain sins as not sins that are advancing this idea. A lot of people find it an attractive way to be a “Christian”.

 

[Melchior_1]

It’s hard to say. On one hand you must ask if habitual sin/addictions reduces culpability due to lack of free choice in the matter. Things like addiction to porn and masturbating are two things which could fall into this category.

On the flip side you have the fact that people got into that mess in the first place through free choice, and that sin is sin. You can paint it up nice and pretty and try to justify it, but it’s still a sin.

I will admit I struggle with the concept of habitual sins, and not just sexual ones but all of them (please note this does not mean I struggle with 3920774348664763468 habitual sins!!). There has been times in my life I have tried to justify my sins and say “it’s a habit but it isn’t as bad as other sins due to reduced culpability”, with some others (including a Priest) saying that. The Priest also said I could receive Communion as well. I did for a bit because the Priest said it was alright, but I eventually decided that habit or non-habit, sin is sin and to me (and in the eyes of God) it was a Mortal one. So I stopped receiving unless I went to Confession before I screwed up again, which it turns out was the right thing to do as I was then corrected by several other Priests who told me the first guy meant well, but was incorrect (or I may have misheard him and he didn’t say it at all and I thought he did).

This past summer we held a Life Teen retreat which I helped organize and run. These retreats are obviously designed for the youth, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get anything out of them myself. There was a Priest there who I went to Confession before, a solid guy. I was struggling not just with habitual sins, but with other stuff too. I didn’t want to go see him, I knew he’d challenge me and it would be an intense Confession. And I was embarrassed about stuff so I thought I would go see the Priest who I never talked to before who was there (we had three Priests for Confession). So then this guy, this Priest who I didn’t want to see says “I challenge you step out of your comfort zone. Don’t think about who you will go see for Confession, just go”.

So I thought “I’ll show him! Even though I don’t want to go see him I’ll do it now!”.

The Confession lasted an hour, and yes it was intense. The second most intense Confession I ever had, second only to the one during my “reversion” several years previous. It literally felt like I was wrestling with God. He challenged me, and I challenged him. We went back and forward and he gave me the most hardcore penance I could have imagined; three hours of Adoration for three months during the summer. And he confirmed for me the importance of the Sacrament, that my thoughts were right; mortal sins are mortal sins. This guy works out of the Divine Mercy Center nearby. He’s ALL ABOUT the Divine Mercy, and he’s telling me sin is sin.

I left then knowing my initial thoughts on the matter were right. That started a long summer. I recovered from those sins for a bit, but fell every so often. And I fell short of the penance a few times, and when I did do the penance my ADHD would kick in during the Adoration visits. What I didn’t fall short of was Confession. It was rare when I didn’t go once a week. One week I went TWICE. And just this past week I was so angry going in there saying to our Pastor (it was his turn) that I was angry with having to go every week, that this week I didn’t even want to go, that SEVERAL weeks this summer I didn’t want to go. But I knew I had to, and that throughout the summer God continually put me in a position where I had no good reason NOT to go to Confession. It was a bit therapeutic. And the funny thing is…I haven’t screwed up too bad since that admission.

So this guy I respect so much, he came back two weeks or so ago and I saw him again in Confession. I saw him throughout the summer, three or four times (with each time lasting about 50 minutes. When he comes to visit he ALWAYS stays at our Life Nights for several hours just to hear Confessions). I gave him an update about things and he said “I’m proud of you for seeing me again, it can’t be easy”. I responded with “Father, you’re my go-to guy, I love going to Confession with you here. Besides, with the amount of times I’ve been to Confession this summer every Priest in Ottawa knows who I am anyway!”.

I’m not sure why I just typed all of that out. I guess there are times I wonder “what if I don’t make it to Confession and I die” after I have fallen. In this case, I would hope the Divine Mercy would kick in and God would see the intent was there to hit the Sin Bin, cut me some slack, and I go spend a few centuries or whatever in Purgatory to get cleaned up. But say I knew it’s wrong and I did it anyways with no intention of going to Confession, spending weeks not going…well, I’m not one to judge but there could be some issues there. Everyone is different, and it’s a question of Mortal vs Venial sins. In the eyes of God, not all sin is fatal. Yet it is our responsibility to do what we can to mitigate this.

Hell is real, sin is real. The Sacrament is there for a reason. If the sins are non-binding it is only due to the Divine Mercy of God, and we will only know this upon entering Heaven.

I’m not taking that chance.

 

[Robert_Burns]

It’s hard to say. On one hand you must ask if habitual sin/addictions reduces culpability due to lack of free choice in the matter. Things like addiction to porn and masturbating are two things which could fall into this category.

On the flip side you have the fact that people got into that mess in the first place through free choice, and that sin is sin. You can paint it up nice and pretty and try to justify it, but it’s still a sin.

I will admit I struggle with the concept of habitual sins, and not just sexual ones but all of them (please note this does not mean I struggle with 3920774348664763468 habitual sins!!). There has been times in my life I have tried to justify my sins and say “it’s a habit but it isn’t as bad as other sins due to reduced culpability”, with some others (including a Priest) saying that. The Priest also said I could receive Communion as well. I did for a bit because the Priest said it was alright, but I eventually decided that habit or non-habit, sin is sin and to me (and in the eyes of God) it was a Mortal one. So I stopped receiving unless I went to Confession before I screwed up again, which it turns out was the right thing to do as I was then corrected by several other Priests who told me the first guy meant well, but was incorrect (or I may have misheard him and he didn’t say it at all and I thought he did).

This past summer we held a Life Teen retreat which I helped organize and run. These retreats are obviously designed for the youth, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get anything out of them myself. There was a Priest there who I went to Confession before, a solid guy. I was struggling not just with habitual sins, but with other stuff too. I didn’t want to go see him, I knew he’d challenge me and it would be an intense Confession. And I was embarrassed about stuff so I thought I would go see the Priest who I never talked to before who was there (we had three Priests for Confession). So then this guy, this Priest who I didn’t want to see says “I challenge you step out of your comfort zone. Don’t think about who you will go see for Confession, just go”.

So I thought “I’ll show him! Even though I don’t want to go see him I’ll do it now!”.

The Confession lasted an hour, and yes it was intense. The second most intense Confession I ever had, second only to the one during my “reversion” several years previous. It literally felt like I was wrestling with God. He challenged me, and I challenged him. We went back and forward and he gave me the most hardcore penance I could have imagined; three hours of Adoration for three months during the summer. And he confirmed for me the importance of the Sacrament, that my thoughts were right; mortal sins are mortal sins. This guy works out of the Divine Mercy Center nearby. He’s ALL ABOUT the Divine Mercy, and he’s telling me sin is sin.

I left then knowing my initial thoughts on the matter were right. That started a long summer. I recovered from those sins for a bit, but fell every so often. And I fell short of the penance a few times, and when I did do the penance my ADHD would kick in during the Adoration visits. What I didn’t fall short of was Confession. It was rare when I didn’t go once a week. One week I went TWICE. And just this past week I was so angry going in there saying to our Pastor (it was his turn) that I was angry with having to go every week, that this week I didn’t even want to go, that SEVERAL weeks this summer I didn’t want to go. But I knew I had to, and that throughout the summer God continually put me in a position where I had no good reason NOT to go to Confession. It was a bit therapeutic. And the funny thing is…I haven’t screwed up too bad since that admission.

So this guy I respect so much, he came back two weeks or so ago and I saw him again in Confession. I saw him throughout the summer, three or four times (with each time lasting about 50 minutes. When he comes to visit he ALWAYS stays at our Life Nights for several hours just to hear Confessions). I gave him an update about things and he said “I’m proud of you for seeing me again, it can’t be easy”. I responded with “Father, you’re my go-to guy, I love going to Confession with you here. Besides, with the amount of times I’ve been to Confession this summer every Priest in Ottawa knows who I am anyway!”.

I’m not sure why I just typed all of that out. I guess there are times I wonder “what if I don’t make it to Confession and I die” after I have fallen. In this case, I would hope the Divine Mercy would kick in and God would see the intent was there to hit the Sin Bin, cut me some slack, and I go spend a few centuries or whatever in Purgatory to get cleaned up. But say I knew it’s wrong and I did it anyways with no intention of going to Confession, spending weeks not going…well, I’m not one to judge but there could be some issues there. Everyone is different, and it’s a question of Mortal vs Venial sins. In the eyes of God, not all sin is fatal. Yet it is our responsibility to do what we can to mitigate this.

Hell is real, sin is real. The Sacrament is there for a reason. If the sins are non-binding it is only due to the Divine Mercy of God, and we will only know this upon entering Heaven.

I’m not taking that chance.

All I can say to all of that is WOW. Proof positive of the Salvic Effects of Penance and the fact that GOD does indeed call us to repentance even if some of us are stubborn (myself included). He will show us the need to overcome Sin and will help us if we will meet him half way and are willing to help ourselves too. Your post is inspirational.

Pax

 

[OraLabora]

Robert: But doeesnt that fly in the face of “No man is Tempted beyond their Strength” ?

1 Cor 10 : 13 ???

I wonder what St. Paul would have written had he known that one could have instantaneous access to all manner of pornography a mouse click away? What would he have written when a walk down a main city thoroughfare in the summer in broad daylight is live pornography? I wonder if he even could imagine the flood of temptation we face every day with every form of media we consume be it newspapers, TV, billboards or Internet?

It’s one thing to be tempted, quite another, IMHO, to be faced with literally a flood of immodest images submerging us every single day.

 

[edwest2]

Robert: But doeesnt that fly in the face of “No man is Tempted beyond their Strength” ?

1 Cor 10 : 13 ???

And how much strength do we have if we don’t pray daily or go to Mass? On Catholic Radio, a saint was quoted, who said, “If you neglect your pray life you’re losing ground.”

Pope Benedict encouraged all Catholics to just spend a little time with God each day. God is not just in Church. He is available wherever we are.

Meanwhile, I encourage my fellow Catholics, stay away from TV, cohabitation with sex movies and other things that bring you into near occasion for sin. The world is telling you a lot of bad things 24/7 and making them appear normal or average.

Catholics have been gradually desensitized to sin. How? Both TV and the movies show a little more and a little more. Comedians cannot stop saying *uck every 5 seconds. This is not normal, but if you turn on your TV, most ‘modern’ choices fall into that category.

In the late 1960s, when cohabitation was beginning to occur among Catholics, parents asked their kids, “Why are you doing this?” Unfortunately, some of them said, “Leave me alone. I’m an adult now.”

How many people listen to their mom or dad today? How many people listen to their priests? I look at Britney on the cover of a magazine and think, “Does her mom know she dresses like this?” And “Why does she allow this?”

The primary problem in society today revolves around the misuse of human sexuality, and I know too many people who are simply living with their boyfriend or girlfriend. In fact, I know of woman who calls her boyfriend her husband, but there’s no actual commitment.

Embryonic Stem Cell research - It’s a human being, a unique human being. But we’re told it isn’t. Not by the Church by the way.

Artificial Birth Control - Why can’t we use condoms or foam or IUDs? What’s the big deal? The big deal is obedience and realizing that marriage involves love and reproduction - the gift of children from God.

Abortion - Children can die if they are inconvenient. Or one or the other decides he/she doesn’t want them. “I’m pregnant!” Should be a shout for joy. So what began as a Use In Case of Emergencies Only option has become abortion on demand.

STDs - One in five people are walking around in the United States with a sexually transmitted disease.

Sexual sins are sins. Fornication, adultery and being surrounded by sexual images. We need to distance ourselves from all of that.

God bless,
Ed

 

[ConstantineTG]

It’s hard to say. On one hand you must ask if habitual sin/addictions reduces culpability due to lack of free choice in the matter. Things like addiction to porn and masturbating are two things which could fall into this category.

I have been asking that question for a while now. Many teenagers are fooled into this being normal behavior at a time hormones are dictating your thoughts and emotions. Its the same way that teens are fooled into smoking, and once addicted its so hard to stop the habit even though you’ve come to realized that smoking is just a prolonged suicide.

Also, would culpability go hand-in-hand with effort to kick the habit after realizing the error? There is just so many levels of they human psyche to analyze to actually determine how deliberate one action is. That is why only God can truly judge.

On the flip side you have the fact that people got into that mess in the first place through free choice, and that sin is sin. You can paint it up nice and pretty and try to justify it, but it’s still a sin.

But in some cases, people are just naive at the beginning. How many people get into the habit of sin as an adult? Most of us get into it young. Oftentimes we do not know better.

I will admit I struggle with the concept of habitual sins, and not just sexual ones but all of them (please note this does not mean I struggle with 3920774348664763468 habitual sins!!). There has been times in my life I have tried to justify my sins and say “it’s a habit but it isn’t as bad as other sins due to reduced culpability”, with some others (including a Priest) saying that. The Priest also said I could receive Communion as well. I did for a bit because the Priest said it was alright, but I eventually decided that habit or non-habit, sin is sin and to me (and in the eyes of God) it was a Mortal one. So I stopped receiving unless I went to Confession before I screwed up again, which it turns out was the right thing to do as I was then corrected by several other Priests who told me the first guy meant well, but was incorrect (or I may have misheard him and he didn’t say it at all and I thought he did).

I think at the point we realize we’re in the habit, our culpability goes up. God may give us some leway as we try to kick the habit. But realizing the gravity of the act and not doing anything about it is another thing. I guess for example you are an alcoholic. If you drink a 6-pack a day and you realize how wrong it is, if you still drink today but are down to 3, then you are making an effort to change. God knows that our limitations wouldn’t allow us to just stop a habit. But in my experience, constant prayer, meditation and confession helped. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% free from the habit, but I’m lightyears better today than where I was 6 months ago.

This past summer we held a Life Teen retreat which I helped organize and run. These retreats are obviously designed for the youth, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get anything out of them myself. There was a Priest there who I went to Confession before, a solid guy. I was struggling not just with habitual sins, but with other stuff too. I didn’t want to go see him, I knew he’d challenge me and it would be an intense Confession. And I was embarrassed about stuff so I thought I would go see the Priest who I never talked to before who was there (we had three Priests for Confession). So then this guy, this Priest who I didn’t want to see says “I challenge you step out of your comfort zone. Don’t think about who you will go see for Confession, just go”.

So I thought “I’ll show him! Even though I don’t want to go see him I’ll do it now!”.

The Confession lasted an hour, and yes it was intense. The second most intense Confession I ever had, second only to the one during my “reversion” several years previous. It literally felt like I was wrestling with God. He challenged me, and I challenged him. We went back and forward and he gave me the most hardcore penance I could have imagined; three hours of Adoration for three months during the summer. And he confirmed for me the importance of the Sacrament, that my thoughts were right; mortal sins are mortal sins. This guy works out of the Divine Mercy Center nearby. He’s ALL ABOUT the Divine Mercy, and he’s telling me sin is sin.

I left then knowing my initial thoughts on the matter were right. That started a long summer. I recovered from those sins for a bit, but fell every so often. And I fell short of the penance a few times, and when I did do the penance my ADHD would kick in during the Adoration visits. What I didn’t fall short of was Confession. It was rare when I didn’t go once a week. One week I went TWICE. And just this past week I was so angry going in there saying to our Pastor (it was his turn) that I was angry with having to go every week, that this week I didn’t even want to go. But I knew I had to, and that throughout the summer God continually put me in a position where I had no good reason NOT to go to Confession. It was a bit therapeutic. And the funny thing is…I haven’t screwed up too bad since that admission.

—snip - exceeded character length–

Hell is real, sin is real. The Sacrament is there for a reason. If the sins are non-binding it is only due to the Divine Mercy of God, and we will only know this upon entering Heaven.

I’m not taking that chance.

Great story! Through the help of your confessor, prayer, the Sacraments, you changed. I think when people make an excuse, they already realize the gravity of their sin. Otherwise you wouldn’t make an excuse. Some people are blissfully innocent of their sins, I think those people have an actual excuse from culpability. But when you have an excuse, it means you realize you are already doing something wrong.

 

[Barbkw]

Melchior,

Thanks for writing

You write with wisdom.

As Psalms, Proverbs and Acts relate, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

 

[Robert_Burns]

I wonder what St. Paul would have written had he known that one could have instantaneous access to all manner of pornography a mouse click away? What would he have written when a walk down a main city thoroughfare in the summer in broad daylight is live pornography? I wonder if he even could imagine the flood of temptation we face every day with every form of media we consume be it newspapers, TV, billboards or Internet?

It’s one thing to be tempted, quite another, IMHO, to be faced with literally a flood of immodest images submerging us every single day.

Technology has changed certainly - but Sodom And Gomorrah existed prior to St Paul’s Time and certainly was more sexually charged than even todays world. At the time of Rome , in St Pauls contemporary world - Roman orgies and excesses were hardly hidden and slavery existed so no doubt the virtue of an owned Slave was not respected and such is not the case today. I think in many ways - its safer today for the average citizen. These sins have always been with us since the fall. We know that man has a propensity to sin , but the grace of GOD is given so that these sins and every sin can be overcome. Isnt that what Romans chapter 1 essentially says. The reason for the Sins of the Flesh?

 

[Robert_Burns]

And how much strength do we have if we don’t pray daily or go to Mass? On Catholic Radio, a saint was quoted, who said, “If you neglect your pray life you’re losing ground.”

Pope Benedict encouraged all Catholics to just spend a little time with God each day. God is not just in Church. He is available wherever we are.

Meanwhile, I encourage my fellow Catholics, stay away from TV, cohabitation with sex movies and other things that bring you into near occasion for sin. The world is telling you a lot of bad things 24/7 and making them appear normal or average.

Catholics have been gradually desensitized to sin. How? Both TV and the movies show a little more and a little more. Comedians cannot stop saying *uck every 5 seconds. This is not normal, but if you turn on your TV, most ‘modern’ choices fall into that category.

In the late 1960s, when cohabitation was beginning to occur among Catholics, parents asked their kids, “Why are you doing this?” Unfortunately, some of them said, “Leave me alone. I’m an adult now.”

How many people listen to their mom or dad today? How many people listen to their priests? I look at Britney on the cover of a magazine and think, “Does her mom know she dresses like this?” And “Why does she allow this?”

The primary problem in society today revolves around the misuse of human sexuality, and I know too many people who are simply living with their boyfriend or girlfriend. In fact, I know of woman who calls her boyfriend her husband, but there’s no actual commitment.

Embryonic Stem Cell research - It’s a human being, a unique human being. But we’re told it isn’t. Not by the Church by the way.

Artificial Birth Control - Why can’t we use condoms or foam or IUDs? What’s the big deal? The big deal is obedience and realizing that marriage involves love and reproduction - the gift of children from God.

Abortion - Children can die if they are inconvenient. Or one or the other decides he/she doesn’t want them. “I’m pregnant!” Should be a shout for joy. So what began as a Use In Case of Emergencies Only option has become abortion on demand.

STDs - One in five people are walking around in the United States with a sexually transmitted disease.

Sexual sins are sins. Fornication, adultery and being surrounded by sexual images. We need to distance ourselves from all of that.

God bless,
Ed

Amen Ed - Great post .

 

[Melchior_1]

All I can say to all of that is WOW. Proof positive of the Salvic Effects of Penance and the fact that GOD does indeed call us to repentance even if some of us are stubborn (myself included). He will show us the need to overcome Sin and will help us if we will meet him half way and are willing to help ourselves too. Your post is inspirational.

Pax

Thank you Robert. It has been a rough spring/summer but I’m hoping things continue to improve. I’ve only survived this far along due to fellowship, great Priests, and the grace of God.

This specific Priest who has had such an impact on me I only see when he comes visits. He is the “hitman” for the diocese when it comes to Anointing of the Sick. By that I mean the role the Bishop has assigned him to is to go to hospitals all week and perform Last Rites/Anointing of the Sick. He’s not assigned to a parish, he just goes about and “claims souls for Christ” (as he calls it) because every time he does Last Rites, that’s a GREAT chance he, through tremendous grace, just claimed that soul for Christ. He understands me because as I model my life after Francis, he too has chosen a Saint to model himself after; John Vieanny (and it SHOWS), He’s helped both me and my wife greatly just by hearing our Confessions. My used to struggle with Confession due to anxiety issues…after seeing him she doesn’t anymore.

We need more Priests like Father Dan, and we need people willing to be vulnerable in the Confessional. It’s hard to be vulnerable, but we need to be.

And at the end of the day, charismatic or traditional, we need people to embrace Confession and to not abuse the Divine Mercy. Like you said Robert, we need to be rooted in penance and in the Sacraments to get anywhere near our goal of Heaven.