Will God Forgive Anything?

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Ianjo99

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Hey all,

I am catholic and have infrequently come to this site. Recently, my faith has been tested and I really haven’t come out on top. I still believe in all things Catholic, but I’m going through a really tough time.

Aside from asking for your prayers, my question is:

Will God forgive ANYTHING? I mean, recently especially, I have done some pretty awful things, things I would feel embarrassed saying even anonymously.

How does one repent for something (they consider) serious? In other words, what is a good, long penance that can both help me grow in faith but still allow for some physical sacrifice that could help me realize the severity of my actions and provide some relief?

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
Ianjo99 said:
Hey all,

I am catholic and have infrequently come to this site. Recently, my faith has been tested and I really haven’t come out on top. I still believe in all things Catholic, but I’m going through a really tough time.

Aside from asking for your prayers, my question is:

Will God forgive ANYTHING? I mean, recently especially, I have done some pretty awful things, things I would feel embarrassed saying even anonymously.

How does one repent for something (they consider) serious? In other words, what is a good, long penance that can both help me grow in faith but still allow for some physical sacrifice that could help me realize the severity of my actions and provide some relief?

Thanks for any suggestions!
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Yes, God forgives anything if the sinner repents. Seek out the Sacrament of Reconciliation immediately. Any answers you find in this forum are secondary to what your confessor advises.

JSA+
 
God does forgive anything if we truly repent. Peter denied Him, the other Apostles ran away apart from John, Paul persecuted and killed His followers. All were forgiven. What you have done cannot be more serious than these sins.

Part of the repentance though is the humility required to confess our sins to a priest. Even the embarrassment of confessing that you speak of should be taken gladly as part of our penance for the sin.

Your priest will give you a penance - one that he considers appropriate for the gravity of your sins. Don’t second-guess him, he does have much more experience about such matters than you. Talk to any priest and you’ll find they truly do hear it all in the confessional.

My own view? If you feel the need to do more than what the priest asks you, then channel that into doing good for those you’ve hurt by your sins (assuming you’ve hurt other people). Pray for them if you can’t do anything else.
 
Yes. So long as a person is alive, they can repent and be forgiven for any sin, no matter what it was.
 
Ianjo99 said:
Hey all,

I am catholic and have infrequently come to this site. Recently, my faith has been tested and I really haven’t come out on top. I still believe in all things Catholic, but I’m going through a really tough time.

Aside from asking for your prayers, my question is:

Will God forgive ANYTHING? I mean, recently especially, I have done some pretty awful things, things I would feel embarrassed saying even anonymously.

How does one repent for something (they consider) serious? In other words, what is a good, long penance that can both help me grow in faith but still allow for some physical sacrifice that could help me realize the severity of my actions and provide some relief?

Thanks for any suggestions!
Click to expand...
Seek out a good confessor. Tell him EVERYTHING. Do what he tells you to do. Do NOT impose your own penance, let your confessor do that. Ask your confessor about the best way to start practicing the virtue that is opposite the vice you are trying to overcome. Above all, obey your confessor and tell him everything.
 
Remember, one of the biggest murders of the early Christian Church was Saul, later to be known as Paul…

No sin too great, no chasm too deep…

In Christ
 
And the darkness of this world loves to tell us that God will not, can not, or just plain won’t forgive us our sins.

Scripture tells us the priest has been given the authority by the prayers of Christ.

So you must choose who you want to listen to. God is waiting for you with open arms, just go him in confession.

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
** And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.**
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Also, there is very little priests have not heard, usless they are just out of seminary.
 
Listen, I’ve done some pretty horrific stuff in my life. For years I avoided the confessional, until my friend explained that all the guilt and shame I was experiencing was due to my sins, and that I could get rid of them in confession.

When I finally plucked up the courage to go, the priest welcomed me. as I confessed my sins he just said “thank you Jesus” with every sin I got rid of. I thought he would have phoned the police! When that priest gave me absolution, not only were my sin’s taken away, but so was the shame and the guilt and the power satan had to accuse me again and again. I was truly set free. I now try to go to confession every 2 weeks. not because i’m holy, but because I need it!

YOUR SINS ARE NOT BIGGER THAN GOD’S LOVE. PERIOD.

So pray for the grace to get rid of them ASAP. Ask our blessed Mother and St Joseph to give you the courage, they’ve never let me down yet.
 
Ianjo99 said:
How does one repent for something (they consider) serious? In other words, what is a good, long penance that can both help me grow in faith but still allow for some physical sacrifice that could help me realize the severity of my actions and provide some relief? Thanks for any suggestions!
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Sounds to me like you are inclined to the “DIY” mode of seeking God’s forgiveness. Really not a good idea. You will continually find the “Monkey” of those sins on your back. The advice above about going to Confession is the best thing going. Go today if not sooner. Get rid of that “Monkey”; its actually the devil on your back and he likes being carried around.
 
Satan uses every trick in the book. One of his favorite tricks is to convince a soul that God can’t forgive them. Of course, this is a lie, which is the specialty of our enemy. But we have the Way, the Truth, and the Life on our side. Don’t let the enemy pull the wool over your eyes! God’s Mercy is infinite, He only asks that you turn to Him and repent.

Repentance is something that comes from your heart. It is humbling yourself before God, being sorry for your sins, and resolving to turn away from those sins and back to God. Penance is something you can do to show God your sorry and to help you grow spiritually. It is making satisfaction to God for your sins. Here is a link with several links about penance. Here also is a brief part of the CCC about the kinds of things we can do for penance:
1460 The penance the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent’s personal situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him.”
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Please talk with a priest as soon as possible. I will certainly be praying for you!

Blessings, Prayer_Warrior
 
Ianjo99 said:
Hey all,

I am catholic and have infrequently come to this site. Recently, my faith has been tested and I really haven’t come out on top. I still believe in all things Catholic, but I’m going through a really tough time.

Aside from asking for your prayers, my question is:

Will God forgive ANYTHING? I mean, recently especially, I have done some pretty awful things, things I would feel embarrassed saying even anonymously.

How does one repent for something (they consider) serious? In other words, what is a good, long penance that can both help me grow in faith but still allow for some physical sacrifice that could help me realize the severity of my actions and provide some relief?

Thanks for any suggestions!
Click to expand...
God will forgive what we ask Him to forgive with a contrite and repentant heart. The sacrament of penance was instituted for this reason, and has a very wise provision that temporal punishment is not yours to decide. This protects the scrupulous.

God bless you!
 
Thank you all!

One little side note, though. I had already planned on going to a confessor, I was just wondering about something in addition I could do that is a good way to starting back on the right path (i.e. novenas or daily mass).

Again, your prayers are quite welcomed!!
 
Ianjo99 said:
Thank you all!

One little side note, though. I had already planned on going to a confessor, I was just wondering about something in addition I could do that is a good way to starting back on the right path (i.e. novenas or daily mass).

Again, your prayers are quite welcomed!!
Click to expand...
Going to Confession is quite sufficient. It can be a dreaded experience, but as you examine your conscience, confess your sins, receive absolution, and perform your act of contrition, you will truly know you’re a new creation in Christ.

Concentrate on refraining from sin and the near occasion of sin. Prayer and devotion are wonderful aids in this regard, but replacing sin with scrupulousness is rarely a good idea. It is too easy to conflate your self-imposed penance with that required by God and end up resenting God.

Depending on the nature of your sin, you may also wish to consider sessions with a counselor. Your priest could recommend a good one.

I know folks who have found that to be a very worthwhile complement to Confession.
 
**How does one repent for something (they consider) serious? **In other words, what is a good, long penance that can both help me grow in faith but still allow for some physical sacrifice that could help me realize the severity of my actions and provide some relief?
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I think that depends on what it is, who it hurt, etc.

Seeking out confession is a good idea, but I know from past personal experience that the penance recieved from confession may not “cover it” guilt wise.

Pray a lot. - Ask not only for forgiveness, but for guidance. Be alert to the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then act on that guidance.

God can and will forgive the truly contrite.

James
 
The ONLY thing God cannot forgive is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is; rejecting God’s grace of frogiveness.
In other words; if you don’t give Him your sin, He won’t steal it from you. If you take it to confession- it WILL be forgiven.
 
Yep, apostasy is the only one.

But, if someone were guilty of this sin, they wouldn’t be concerned about repentance and forgiveness. :eek:
 
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