Why should I assume my sins are forgivable?

[Elkman]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I’m not talking about impurity here; I’m talking about anger. As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook.

Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward? Even if I saw a counselor for anger and other mental health issues? Even if I went to a class for anger management? No, not hardly. There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

So why should I really be forgiven for sins of habit, whether I’m “working” to fix them or not? Shouldn’t I wait until I’m sure I’ve completely fixed the problem and that I won’t sin again before assuming I can be forgiven?

 

[diggerdomer]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I’m not talking about impurity here; I’m talking about anger. As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook.

Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward? Even if I saw a counselor for anger and other mental health issues? Even if I went to a class for anger management? No, not hardly. There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

So why should I really be forgiven for sins of habit, whether I’m “working” to fix them or not? Shouldn’t I wait until I’m sure I’ve completely fixed the problem and that I won’t sin again before assuming I can be forgiven?

Because God is merciful and loving.

 

[onmyknees]

Because the only unforgivable sin is when you think that Jesus cannot forgive your sin and so you don’t go to confession. I have been told that it is prideful too to think that God cannot forgive you. If you are truly repentant and have a firm purpose of amendment you are forgiven when the priest gives you absolution. Even if you think that you will fall again. The grace from the sacrament helps to get you back up when you fall and to keep trying to change. It may take a long time to change a bad habit but never ever give up. When you are fighting against this sin remember that Jesus is fighting right along with you.

May God bless you!

 

[PrayHarder]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I think you are confusing forgiveness and purification. Just because we are forgiven of our sins doesn’t mean we don’t have to later be purified of their damaging effects. Imagine that our soul is like a piece of wood and every time you sin it’s like driving a nail through it. When you go to Confession, the sinful “nails” are removed but the hole still remains. Purgatory is the process by which the “holes” of our souls are filled, sanded, varnished, and made worthy of Heaven.

And don’t worry, Jesus will forgive you as many times as you ask for it. I forget what Gospel passage it was when someone asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone and Jesus said something like “not 7, but 7x70.” That doesn’t mean the upper limit is 490 times – Jesus was just using some large number since many at that time believed that there was an upper limit to forgiveness. The point is that Jesus will always forgive as we work out fighting our bad habits.

 

[DOShea]

Elkman, the gospels tell us that Jesus made the point more than once that the reason He became man was to redeem sinners. It seems like a lot to go through - 3 years of walking all over the middle east performing miracle after miracle just so people would believe He was who He claimed to be, and so he could heal them, physically and spiritually. Then to be tortured and executed only to rise from the dead days later to prove yet again He can conquer death. Does it even seem logical that God could do all that, yet the one day you visit the confessional His power screeches to a halt somehow?

Naaahhh!!!

When you go to confession those sins are forgiven. What happens to your soul is no less than what happened to Lazarus when he was called forth from his tomb. Sometimes we doubt because we think from the perspective of us doing the action (confessing) instead of God doing the action (forgiving), and knowing our own weaknesses, we wonder if we can ever become perfect enough. Thing is, we can’t. We are totally dependent on God to lift us up out of our sin, and He will if we contritely ask and resolve to do better. Next week we fall flat again, and have to go ask forgiveness all over again. But each time we do, we get a bit stronger. You keep at it and He will give you the grace to think more and more about your attraction to sin before you fall prey to them.

It’s not easy, but don’t doubt Him or yourself. Satan isn’t too thrilled to lose a soul back to Christ through repentence from sin, so you can expect he’ll put some doubt out there for you to trip over. You don’t want to give in to that.

The thing about the road rage? Did you ever consider your feelings about not being worthy of forgiveness for that might just be there so comes the day YOU need to be the forgiver of someone else’s transgression against you, you can better sympathize with the spot they are in and your forgiveness will flow more freely? That’s not a defect, Elkman, it’s life’s experience. Use it for good.

 

[kimmielittle]

Because the only unforgivable sin is when you think that Jesus cannot forgive your sin and so you don’t go to confession. I have been told that it is prideful too to think that God cannot forgive you. If you are truly repentant and have a firm purpose of amendment you are forgiven when the priest gives you absolution. Even if you think that you will fall again. The grace from the sacrament helps to get you back up when you fall and to keep trying to change. It may take a long time to change a bad habit but never ever give up. When you are fighting against this sin remember that Jesus is fighting right along with you.

May God bless you!

 

[Shin]

Christ shed His blood and died for the forgiveness of sins. For your sins.

In Heaven, every wrong is righted, every suffering rewarded, every imbalance, balanced for all mankind.

All will be well, and all is well.

All we have to do is repent and do penance.

So… do penance if you need to. the guilt is forgiven upon a good confession with true repentance… the damage you can take a part in repairing by the grace of God.

‘Blessed the one who with understanding has loved weeping and with compunction rained tears upon the ground, like fair pearls before the Lord.’

St. Ephrem of Syria

‘Just as water falling a drop at a time onto the fire in the end puts it out, so tears of sincere sorrow damp down in us the flame of anger and contempt. Then gentleness arrives, a deep tranquility of soul, which is untroubled either by honors or by ridicule.’

St. John Climacus

I remember, when I was about seven or eight years old, twice during Holy Week, Jesus appeared to me covered with wounds, and telling me to be devout to His most holy passion, instantly disappeared. I wept bitterly, and every time that I heard speak of the torments and sufferings of Our Lord, I felt something at my heart; and everything that I undertook I offered up in honor of His passion. A desire came into my head of asking my confessor for some mortification, but I did not yield to it. Still I made sufferings for myself, but all without my confessor’s leave; such as the discipline, walking on my bare knees, piercing myself with a pin, and beating myself with thistles. If I heard of the works of penance performed by others, I went to the image of my Saviour, and said, “Lord, if I had their instruments of mortification, I would do the same; but since I have them not, I offer Thee my desire.” He has often let me know and remember that He made me (at that age) affectionate invitations. Thus, for example, when I had determined on taking some recreation, and could never find time to do so, I heard Jesus in my interior, asking me, “What dost thou seek, what dost thou desire? I am thy real contentment;” and I at once replied, “Lord, for Thy sake I will deprive myself of the pleasure which I sought.” How these answered were uttered, I know not; but this I know, that I did make them. . . Sometimes, whilst I was gazing at the crucifix, Jesus spoke to my heart, and said, “I will be Thy guide and spouse;” and I stretched out my arms and exclaimed, “I will be Thy spouse, and no one shall move me from it. I promise it with all my heart; grant that I may never separate myself from Thee.”’

St. Veronica Guiliani

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

There is no way we can undo the harm caused by our sin. We can’t unabort babies, we can’t regain our virginity, we can’t take back the hurt of words said in anger. That is the true torment of sin, is that not only do we leave lasting damage, but we have to live with that knowledge our whole lives. I have many things myself that I have done or said in anger that I would give anything to undo, but I can’t.

This should show us how seriously we should take those sins.

However, God is our loving father. In a truly repentant person, they are praying for Gods forgiveness and the healing for the person they hurt. And what kind of loving father turns away a child’s plea for forgiveness when they truly mean it and try to make amends for their wrong?

Also, don’t forget Christ’s sacrifice for us. The whole point of that and the grace we receive is that we don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It is only by his amazing grace and boundless love that he can look past the damage we cause and love us. And even to do that it took Christ’s suffering and death! Satan is a master deciver, and will even use the shame of our sins to turn us away from God. He wants us to feel unforgivable because if we feel tht way, we won’t ask and won’t accept his forgiveness, and he wins. Don’t let him win. He uses even holiness, piety, and conviction of wrongdoing and twists them (just as he has with the beauty of physical love between man and wife) to devastate us.

 

[Julian0404]

Elkman,

You need to incorporate a prayer or prayers requesting patience be strengthened with you, as have I.

On the back of the Missal that you will find in the pew at Mass, turn it over and they have a list of prayers. Upon returning from communion read the PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX which is almost always printed on the back cover. Only insert the request “and patience” to be included with “faith, hope and charity”. I have found that recalling this prayer while I am in traffic slows my pulse, and keeps me calm, bringing me the patience for I which I have prayed.

 

[Holly3278]

Because God can forgive any and all sins.

 

[06convert]

I think Elkman indirectly touches on a fear that we all might have.

Yes, we know that God has promised to forgive us all of our sins. All we have to do is ask for forgiveness, in confession if necessary and they are forgiven.

But sins can’t be forgiven if we fall over dead before we can ask for forgiveness. We never know what hour is our last.

There are sins that are unforgivable. The ones you don’t confess.

 

[Prodigal_40s]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I’m not talking about impurity here; I’m talking about anger. As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook.

Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward? Even if I saw a counselor for anger and other mental health issues? Even if I went to a class for anger management? No, not hardly. There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

So why should I really be forgiven for sins of habit, whether I’m “working” to fix them or not? Shouldn’t I wait until I’m sure I’ve completely fixed the problem and that I won’t sin again before assuming I can be forgiven?

I think you’re being hard on yourself mate. None of us are perfect and remember, forgiveness comes to those who are genuinely sorry. When you go to confession to receive the sanctifying grace of that blessed sacrament, if you are sorry, you will be forgiven. It would be different if you were going there to receive forgiveness so that you could receive the blessed Eucharist knowing that you were going to commit a sin again. I sense that you are sorry but you’re frustrated and you sound like a good bloke. Keep trying like all of us and we always fall short but the desire to be perfect is there.

God Bless

 

[NoWhereMan]

Because Christ Died on the Cross for us , to atone for the sins of ALL makind

 

[Elkman]

Elkman, the gospels tell us that Jesus made the point more than once that the reason He became man was to redeem sinners. It seems like a lot to go through - 3 years of walking all over the middle east performing miracle after miracle just so people would believe He was who He claimed to be, and so he could heal them, physically and spiritually. Then to be tortured and executed only to rise from the dead days later to prove yet again He can conquer death. Does it even seem logical that God could do all that, yet the one day you visit the confessional His power screeches to a halt somehow?

Every time Christ healed someone, He said something to the effect of, “Go and sin no more.” Why would Christ heal someone who’s willing to fall into the same trap, or someone who’s not repentant?

The thing about the road rage? Did you ever consider your feelings about not being worthy of forgiveness for that might just be there so comes the day YOU need to be the forgiver of someone else’s transgression against you, you can better sympathize with the spot they are in and your forgiveness will flow more freely? That’s not a defect, Elkman, it’s life’s experience. Use it for good.

Well, that’s a problem for me too. I have a lot of trouble forgiving people for things they do wrong against me. Usually, the only way I can forgive someone is to recognize my own fault in whatever went wrong, and then that gives me enough material to be critical of myself. For example, if I need to forgive someone for road rage, it’s probably because I provoked them into road rage in the first place by driving too slow, getting in the way, or whatever.

I think you’re being hard on yourself mate.

Someone has to be.

None of us are perfect and remember, forgiveness comes to those who are genuinely sorry. When you go to confession to receive the sanctifying grace of that blessed sacrament, if you are sorry, you will be forgiven. It would be different if you were going there to receive forgiveness so that you could receive the blessed Eucharist knowing that you were going to commit a sin again. I sense that you are sorry but you’re frustrated and you sound like a good bloke. Keep trying like all of us and we always fall short but the desire to be perfect is there.

God Bless

I may sound like a good bloke, but I’ve only posted a few messages here. You might change your opinion if you knew me better. And even if I put forth the effort to try and avoid sinning again, how do I know if I’ve done enough? As far as I know, the only way I know I’ve put forth enough effort is if I never repeat that sin again.

 

[EmeraldWings]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I’m not talking about impurity here; I’m talking about anger. As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook.

Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward? Even if I saw a counselor for anger and other mental health issues? Even if I went to a class for anger management? No, not hardly. There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

So why should I really be forgiven for sins of habit, whether I’m “working” to fix them or not? Shouldn’t I wait until I’m sure I’ve completely fixed the problem and that I won’t sin again before assuming I can be forgiven?

you don’t have to assume you will be forgiven, God tells you that you will be forgiven, and all you have to do is be sorry, God forgives you as soon as you are sorry, and then confession removes the guilt due to the sin and gives back sanctifying grace.

of course you don’t deserve forgiveness, we don’t deserve anything from God, but He gives to us and forgives us anyways, why? because He loves us! He loves us so much that even when we sin, He still loves us, and *longs *to forgive us,
and if God tells you He will forgive you, you must believe that, otherwise you make God out to be a liar,
it’s not always important that your evil be undone, especially when it’s something you cannot undue, although you can make up for it somehow, whether it be by paying for damages done, or doing some kind of charity work, or even by a simple prayer, as long as your intention is honest it is good enough, but when God forgives you, He also forgets your sins, and He is the only one you need to worry about in that area, because no one else will be judging you at the end of your life.

to feel guilty and unworthy is a good thing, but not to the degree you are doing it, we are creatures of God after all, and we should have a certain sense of respect for ourselves, but to think of ourselves as dirt or scum is to belittle Gods creation,

the right course of action in your case would be, even if you don’t deserve it, to graciously accept the forgiveness given to you, out of charity to God and your neighbor, because you at least owe that much to them,
think how terrible you would feel if someone did not accept your forgiveness,
or think of how God feels, when He longs to forgive you, it must be a million times worse.

the point of confession is not just forgiveness, and also not just to remove the guilt and punishment due to sin, it is also to help you overcome your sins,without the sacraments and without God, it would be impossible for you to overcome your sins, you need the special graces from confession and communion,

if you want to overcome your anger, you need to do it from a spiritual point of view, you can overcome anything and everything bad in yourself simply by relying completely and utterly on God.
here is a good article that has advice on restraining and overcoming your anger…
gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=13047751

and of course it’s always important to pray every day, and you can also make acts of reparation for your sins, do penances throughout the day like fasting or denying yourself some thing you enjoy doing, or do something that you do not enjoy doing.
although i would recommend talking to your priest about penances, especially when it is something that could concern your health.

you seem to really want to overcome your sins, and that is very good, so just keep moving forward, don’t let yourself be at a standstill, that is when you will start feeling depressed and hopeless, you can have peace and joy at all times if you learn to rely on God and do His will, even when you suffer you can be happy,
alot of the saints had anger issues even though they knew how to deal with it, we will always have temptations and irritations in our lives, and we will make mistakes, but each mistake can make us stronger, as long as we just learn from those mistakes,
think about your sins often, try to see how they start, and think of how you can avoid them,
you really have a great opportunity here, because you are one of the few people who not only know your sins, but want to overcome them, and that is a great thing nowadays.

ok well i think that is enough for now, i’ll be praying for you, tc.

 

[TheDoctor]

I may sound like a good bloke, but I’ve only posted a few messages here. You might change your opinion if you knew me better. And even if I put forth the effort to try and avoid sinning again, how do I know if I’ve done enough? As far as I know, the only way I know I’ve put forth enough effort is if I never repeat that sin again.

With that mindset, my dear brother, you are setting yourself up to fail. Everyone leaves the confessional with the desire to not sin again, and everyone is back in that confessional again, many of us with the same sins. We are weak sinful humans. Step #1 is to just acknowledge that. Step #2 is to acknowledge that we don’t deserve to be forgiven for the smallest sin we have committed against an infinite God. Step #3 is to acknowledge that we ARE forgiven even when we don’t feel we are or think we deserve it. Step #4 is to try every day to be a better person and to do good in penance for our sins and out of love for our God.

You already talked about the process in an earlier post:

As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook. Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward?..There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

The police officer “forgave” you by not hauling you off to jail (similar to confession) but you still had to make amends for your actions (the apology to the other driver, similar to purgatory).

No, you really should have not been forgiven for anger against one of God’s creations, but He forgives us in spite of what we deserve. Yes, sometimes there is no way we can go back and make amends, so we have to pay it forward.

Instead of dwelling on how you don’t think you can be forgiven, dwell on what random or planned acts of kindness you can do TODAY as a penance for your past actions. Who can YOU help out of love for God? I think the more charity you practice the more you will be able to understand God’s forgiveness and see the good that is in you.

I will keep you in my prayers tonight.

 

[FiberZilla]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I’m not talking about impurity here; I’m talking about anger. As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook.

Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward? Even if I saw a counselor for anger and other mental health issues? Even if I went to a class for anger management? No, not hardly. There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

So why should I really be forgiven for sins of habit, whether I’m “working” to fix them or not? Shouldn’t I wait until I’m sure I’ve completely fixed the problem and that I won’t sin again before assuming I can be forgiven?

Anger itself is not a sin. What you do with it is another story altogether. All sorts of sins are committed when people are angry. As far as being forgiven goes: Are you sorry about your sin? Do you no longer embrace your anger even though you may slip from time to time? Is your attitude about this sin one of shame and regret for offending God? If so, then you have repented. Christ died for you man… just the way you are right now!

“However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Romans 4:5

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6

Nobody can clean themselves up enough to be presentable to God. We cannot do it. We are all sinners in desparate need of the Savior. It is only when we begin to understand that we are totally helpless in our sinful condition that we can embrace the sacrifice of Christ on the cross as full payment for our all of sins and have a permanant right standing before a holy and perfect God. (see Hebrews 10:14) It is only then can we begin to clean up our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

[surritter]

Why should I assume that I can be forgiven for my sins when I commit sins – willfully, wantonly, or at least ignorantly? Even if I go to Confession to confess my sins, that doesn’t take away the evil that I’ve committed through sins. All the Confessions in the world can’t undo my screwups – especially in the case of a bad habit that I can’t fix.

I’m not talking about impurity here; I’m talking about anger. As an example, six years ago I committed an act of road rage that should have landed me in jail. Fortunately, it didn’t even result in a citation – the police officer had me apologize to the victim, and I was let off the hook.

Should I really have been forgiven for that, even though I went to Confession the week afterward? Even if I saw a counselor for anger and other mental health issues? Even if I went to a class for anger management? No, not hardly. There’s no way I can go back and undo my sin from six years ago, especially if I still have anger issues of any magnitude.

So why should I really be forgiven for sins of habit, whether I’m “working” to fix them or not? Shouldn’t I wait until I’m sure I’ve completely fixed the problem and that I won’t sin again before assuming I can be forgiven?

The whole point of the Bible is God’s mercy! Of course we can’t undo the evil we’ve committed. What you’re struggling with is the very basis of Jesus’s incarnation. Jesus didn’t wait until mankind had fixed our problems before He poured out His mercy!

 

[SophieG]

I think you are confusing forgiveness and purification. Just because we are forgiven of our sins doesn’t mean we don’t have to later be purified of their damaging effects. Imagine that our soul is like a piece of wood and every time you sin it’s like driving a nail through it. When you go to Confession, the sinful “nails” are removed but the hole still remains. Purgatory is the process by which the “holes” of our souls are filled, sanded, varnished, and made worthy of Heaven.

This is a very good analogy!

God does not judge you based on what you deserve. If He did, we would all wind up in Hell. God judges us with love and mercy. He can and will forgive anything. Literally anything.

 

[beafedor]

Answer: because mine are. I’ve killed, twice. my own children. I couldn’t live with the guilt and shame and was suicidal until I started accepting God’s forgiveness. Went to counseling also. Satan wants us to doubt of God’s goodness and to walk in the darkness, including beating ourselves up, feeling ashamed. It’s a positive thing that you are speaking out in this forum. Once we put our doubts in the light to seek healing, Satan is exposed and loses his power. I will keep you in my prayers.