Update on me for those who remember me

  • Thread starter Thread starter Susansmum
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I went back to the church again this morning and it was closed again.
 
Susansmum, you say you struggle with approaching God because of the weight of the particular sins that burden your conscience and that we would not be so nice if we knew. Well how bad could it be?

Did you arrange to have somebody’s spouse killed so that you could seduce them into adultery?

That’s exactly what none other than King David did. I have a hard time believing you have “topped” that. And yet he repented, and his Psalms are read at every Mass, and it was from his line that God Himself chose to be born into the world.

Sin is powerful, it can isolate and alienate us if we allow it. I know this because I am a terrible sinner myself. Not just swearing, gossiping, lusting-with-the-eyes type of sinner but I mean a real awful mortal sinner who has to fight every single day to remain in a state of grace. Sin is strong, but the mercy of God is infinitely stronger.

At a mass I was attending a priest once said something that has always stuck with me; he said, “Your capacity to sin can never be greater than God’s capacity to forgive.” Grace defeats sin, love conquers all. It’s the truth, thanks be to God. Nobody but Satan wants you to think you are too “bad” to come home. You are not worse than anyone else here, and we all want you back in the fold where you belong, with the rest of us sinners who have been redeemed.

BTW, I have never posted here, I created this account specifically to let you know you are not alone with feeling weighed down by sins and it was important to me that I speak up since I know something on the subject and my conscience would be troubled if I didn’t offer you some encouragement.
 
Susansmum said:
I can’t recieve communion. Unfortunately there are some things that can’t be undone.
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Susan,

Why don’t you let a priest be judge of that? By reading your post I would say do not go to reconciliation but RUN to reconciliation! You will feel so much better, begin to heal and gain so much clarity! What do you have to loose?

“Viva Cristo Rey!!”
Deacon Harbey Santiago
 
My sins involve infidelity.
My relationship with my husband had been deteriorating for years with many threats of divorce. He was not catholic or even Christian and my conversion was difficult for him.
Unfortunately I entered into what is now know was an emotional affair with someone else. There was some physical stuff but not THE physical stuff without being too graphic. Not that it makes a difference. Infidelity is infidelity. I knew that my husband wouldn’t take me back and to be honest, the difference in the way I was treated made me not want to stay, when I tried to leave before thingso got out of control my husband threatened me, eventually I knew I couldn’t stay with him we separated and divorced.

Now you will understand why I don’t deserve forgiveness, why it’s so hard to go back.

I will compleley understand if your opinions of me change now. This is what I have done. It was wrong and there are so many things I wish I had done instead.
I am now dating again with a man who is encouraging me to go back to church. He knows how important my Catholicism is to me.

I am trying to organise confession but everytime I go to church the doors are locked. The secretary only works a couple of days a week and to find that info and confession times etc I need the weekly mass booklet which is inside the locked church.
 
Dear sister, our opinion of you has not changed. Our Lord will forgive any sin that we are sorry for, and in my case I am certainly glad of that! I was brought up to believe that God could turn anything that we did into something good. Then when I got older and committed serious sin, I couldn’t understand how this could be. Later I understood. Now I can sympathize with others who have committed sin. After all, I am a sinner, too. I am sure that many others on this site have had this experience, too, and that is why you will find understanding here. It is too bad that your parish must keep the church locked so much of the time. If you call the church, the secretary should be able to tell you when the church is open, and when confessions are offered. Or make an appointment with the priest directly. Our Lord is calling you back to the Church, and certain other powers are trying to thwart Him. Keep on trying, and you will be successful. Our prayers are with you. Merry Christmas!
 
Susansmum said:
My sins involve infidelity.
My relationship with my husband had been deteriorating for years with many threats of divorce. He was not catholic or even Christian and my conversion was difficult for him.
Unfortunately I entered into what is now know was an emotional affair with someone else. There was some physical stuff but not THE physical stuff without being too graphic. Not that it makes a difference. Infidelity is infidelity. I knew that my husband wouldn’t take me back and to be honest, the difference in the way I was treated made me not want to stay, when I tried to leave before thingso got out of control my husband threatened me, eventually I knew I couldn’t stay with him we separated and divorced.

Now you will understand why I don’t deserve forgiveness, why it’s so hard to go back.

I will compleley understand if your opinions of me change now. This is what I have done. It was wrong and there are so many things I wish I had done instead.
I am now dating again with a man who is encouraging me to go back to church. He knows how important my Catholicism is to me.

I am trying to organise confession but everytime I go to church the doors are locked. The secretary only works a couple of days a week and to find that info and confession times etc I need the weekly mass booklet which is inside the locked church.
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Oh, my dear, you have sinned, but no worse than many if us, like me. If God can forgive all that I did wrong… He must have an infinite amount of forgiveness!

I don’t know how things work Down Under, but up above and to the right, churches generally have a sign that tells when the Masses are. Go ti Mass; do not receive the Eucharist, and after Mass, hang around til everyone has said Thank you to the priest, then tell him you want to make an appointment so you can return to the Church, and what would be the best way and time to reach him to make the appointment?

Also, our churches generally have a voice answerng system which has a fair amount if information on it; that might be easier than driving by.

It is really tough that our churches have to be closed and locked 😦

Merry Christmas!
 
Closed again today. No answer on the phone. The mass times and times for confession are on the church bulletin which is available during mass or through the week from inside the church.

Maybe this is God telling me I’m not welcome.
The church was only ever closed on Mondays. Otherwise it was open everyday as daily mass was at 9am. And on Saturdays there was mass and confession after.
 
Susansmum said:
Closed again today. No answer on the phone. The mass times and times for confession are on the church bulletin which is available during mass or through the week from inside the church.

Maybe this is God telling me I’m not welcome.
The church was only ever closed on Mondays. Otherwise it was open everyday as daily mass was at 9am. And on Saturdays there was mass and confession after.
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I would love to know exactly where you live, Dayboro has a small country church,closest priest drives from Petrie for the service,so the building is closed for much of the time,
Could you PM. Me as to where you are,if your not happy using the thread to say where you are,

About the Confession issue, we may be forgiven by confession,
But sometimes we don’t forgive ourselves,and carry the heavy burden of guilt for decades,
 
Susansmum said:
Closed again today. No answer on the phone. The mass times and times for confession are on the church bulletin which is available during mass or through the week from inside the church.

Maybe this is God telling me I’m not welcome.
The church was only ever closed on Mondays. Otherwise it was open everyday as daily mass was at 9am. And on Saturdays there was mass and confession after.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately a sign of the times but Churchs are vulnerable to theft and vandalism and may need to be locked if there is no one around.

Like Phil I live in SE Queensland area and am familiar with enough parishes to be able to advise you of what to do if you are around here. The Cathedral in town is open pretty much every day from morning until late afternoon. It also has a 10am, 12pm and 4.30pm Mass every weekday with Reconciliation after each Mass.

Are you in a city or regional area of Australia? Normally each diocese has a webpage that lists the Mass and Recon times for each parish. That might be a good place to start.
 
I went to mass.
I spoke to my priest and will call him - not the parish reception tomorrow afternoon to schedule an apt.

I must admit I felt like a fraud being there but hopefully that will change.

I feel like I’m taking a step in the right direction.

Thankyou for your support.
 
I have dealt with feelings of heavy shame, and found so much comfort in Confession. Don’t be afraid. Hearing confessions is a regular part of the job for priests. Most of them have heard it all. Go, and God will give you peace that has no equal.
 
Susansmum said:
My sins involve infidelity.
My relationship with my husband had been deteriorating for years with many threats of divorce. He was not catholic or even Christian and my conversion was difficult for him.
Unfortunately I entered into what is now know was an emotional affair with someone else. There was some physical stuff but not THE physical stuff without being too graphic. Not that it makes a difference. Infidelity is infidelity. I knew that my husband wouldn’t take me back and to be honest, the difference in the way I was treated made me not want to stay, when I tried to leave before thingso got out of control my husband threatened me, eventually I knew I couldn’t stay with him we separated and divorced.

Now you will understand why I don’t deserve forgiveness, why it’s so hard to go back.

I will compleley understand if your opinions of me change now. This is what I have done. It was wrong and there are so many things I wish I had done instead.
I am now dating again with a man who is encouraging me to go back to church. He knows how important my Catholicism is to me.

I am trying to organise confession but everytime I go to church the doors are locked. The secretary only works a couple of days a week and to find that info and confession times etc I need the weekly mass booklet which is inside the locked church.
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No one deserves forgiveness , God freely gives that in confession
 
Susansmum said:
I went to mass.
I spoke to my priest and will call him - not the parish reception tomorrow afternoon to schedule an apt.

I must admit I felt like a fraud being there but hopefully that will change.

I feel like I’m taking a step in the right direction.

Thankyou for your support.
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I am so happy that you made it to Mass after all these difficulties! Keep going, even if you cannot receive. You can make Spiritual Communions any time.

I think many of us feel like frauds: I find that expressing gratitude for God’s love for me as manifested in (get specific here) helps. I know I wouldn’t be where I am without His help!
 
I have had a very good very long talk with my priest which included confession.

He has given me contact details for the diocese marriage tribunal. He said it may not even need to have an annulment but the marriage tribunal is the best place to start.

I am so unbelievably happy that I can return to mass and can return to my church.

Thankyou everyone for sharing your circumstances and for your support. I really appreciate it.
 
Susansmum said:
I have had a very good very long talk with my priest which included confession.

He has given me contact details for the diocese marriage tribunal. He said it may not even need to have an annulment but the marriage tribunal is the best place to start.

I am so unbelievably happy that I can return to mass and can return to my church.

Thankyou everyone for sharing your circumstances and for your support. I really appreciate it.
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I am happy for you! Remember to *always *stay close to God–It is great that you are finding your way back to Him now!
 
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