Will God still forgive me?

[Eirik]

I wonder whether God will still forgive a sinner that has sinned for many years. To be honest, I have a very bad habit – masturbation. It all started at about my 10-year-old and now I’m seventeen. In these years, I tried my very best to get rid of this habit but I cannot. I begin to feel shy to ask for forgiveness from God as I think He may feel annoyed with my prayers for the same old sin over these 7 years!

It’s really a tough battle for me. I know it is a mortal sin and the consequence of sinning. I go to mass every Sunday and pray to God for this problem every time I go to church. But I just can’t let this habit go! I worry whether God has angered with me.

Also is it okay to go to confession for masturbation? Please all of you tell me what to do to deal with this problem and pray for me!

(Sorry for my bad English – I’m not a native speaker )

 

[DexUK]

Yes, you may go to confession.

Yes, you will be forgiven.

This is a problem that afflicts many people. Worry less about your own capacity to deal with it and trust more in God’s infinite forgiveness.

We all confess things only to do them again and go back to confession at a later date to confess the same things. That’s simply part of being human: we’re imperfect and liable to make the same mistakes over and over again. What matters is that you are loved unconditionally by God. All you need to do is approach him, via the confessional, to receive that love.

As for your addiction, deal with it as best you can. God asks no more of you than that which you are capable of.

 

[JRKH]

Yes God will still forgive you.
The fact that you say that you are in a battle with this vice means that you have not given up on yourself, and so God will not give up on you.

Think of it like this. A parent is trying to help a child learn to ride a bicycle. Naturally the child keeps falling over. It takes time to learn. But so long as the child keeps trying the parent keeps trying to help.

There are a number of things that you can do that are helpful in this fight but ultimately it will be your own strength of will - built up upon God’s good grace that will lead to victory.
Some helps are 1) Work hard during the day and/or do some exercises in the evening so that you are truly tired when you go to bed. 2) Pray the rosary when you go to bed. 3) Recognize your successes. Breaking bad habits and vices is a lot like losing weight. It doesn’t all happen at once and there will likely be set-backs.
Be as happy and as grateful for the successes as you are saddened by your failures.

What ultimately allowed me to break the habit is this…

I developed a “visual prayer”…After all, if we can “visualize” toward lust - why not “visualize” away from it…
So I prayed, “Father, take me to the foot of the cross”, and then began thinking, visualizing myself there. Gazing on the scene of the one who died for my sins.
Hot, dry, dusty day.
The foot of the cross buried in the ground.
The wood of the cross stained black from blood and sweat.
The feet of our Lord.
Filthy and stained and dripping blood and sweat.
I did this - I put Him there - Not alone - but I helped.
Every time I sin, it is increases His pain.
If I refrain, it eases His pain.
Feel the heat of that day, the dryness of the air.
How thirsty He is…
…and so on…

How could I possibly sin while standing at the foot of the cross.

As a corollary to the idea of our sin putting Him there, consider how his cross is the accumulation of our sins. Each time we sin, the cross gets heavier…Each time we resist sin, the cross gets lighter.

Peace
James

 

[Esfa]

Yes God will still forgive you.
The fact that you say that you are in a battle with this vice means that you have not given up on yourself, and so God will not give up on you.

Think of it like this. A parent is trying to help a child learn to ride a bicycle. Naturally the child keeps falling over. It takes time to learn. But so long as the child keeps trying the parent keeps trying to help.

There are a number of things that you can do that are helpful in this fight but ultimately it will be your own strength of will - built up upon God’s good grace that will lead to victory.
Some helps are 1) Work hard during the day and/or do some exercises in the evening so that you are truly tired when you go to bed. 2) Pray the rosary when you go to bed. 3) Recognize your successes. Breaking bad habits and vices is a lot like losing weight. It doesn’t all happen at once and there will likely be set-backs.
Be as happy and as grateful for the successes as you are saddened by your failures.

What ultimately allowed me to break the habit is this…

I developed a “visual prayer”…After all, if we can “visualize” toward lust - why not “visualize” away from it…
So I prayed, “Father, take me to the foot of the cross”, and then began thinking, visualizing myself there. Gazing on the scene of the one who died for my sins.
Hot, dry, dusty day.
The foot of the cross buried in the ground.
The wood of the cross stained black from blood and sweat.
The feet of our Lord.
Filthy and stained and dripping blood and sweat.
I did this - I put Him there - Not alone - but I helped.
Every time I sin, it is increases His pain.
If I refrain, it eases His pain.
Feel the heat of that day, the dryness of the air.
How thirsty He is…
…and so on…

How could I possibly sin while standing at the foot of the cross.

As a corollary to the idea of our sin putting Him there, consider how his cross is the accumulation of our sins. Each time we sin, the cross gets heavier…Each time we resist sin, the cross gets lighter.

Peace
James

That is such a beautiful picture that you’ve described…nearly made me cry.

Eirik, good luck with the confession. It’s an amazing thing to come out of the confessional and realize that your sins have been forgiven and that you’re allowed a new start, with the help of God!

 

[CopticChristian]

I wonder whether God will still forgive a sinner that has sinned for many years. To be honest, I have a very bad habit – masturbation. It all started at about my 10-year-old and now I’m seventeen. In these years, I tried my very best to get rid of this habit but I cannot. I begin to feel shy to ask for forgiveness from God as I think He may feel annoyed with my prayers for the same old sin over these 7 years!

It’s really a tough battle for me. I know it is a mortal sin and the consequence of sinning. I go to mass every Sunday and pray to God for this problem every time I go to church. But I just can’t let this habit go! I worry whether God has angered with me.

Also is it okay to go to confession for masturbation? Please all of you tell me what to do to deal with this problem and pray for me!

(Sorry for my bad English – I’m not a native speaker )

Eirik,

You have a bad habit.

You know what habit is. I suggest you open your Catechism and study, learn, implement the understanding of Good Habit…

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a7.htm

ARTICLE 7
THE VIRTUES

1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."62

A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.

The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.63
I. THE HUMAN VIRTUES

1804 Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.

The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.

You say you have tried your very best. That is your problem. On your own you can do nothing.

You go to mass.

You say you cannot let this habit go.

What is the point of confessing something you say you cannot let go. Confession requires you to repent=Change your mind and St. Paul says not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

Have you changed your mind and renewed your mind?

The Catechism is divided into 4 parts…How big is your understanding of God? I ask you to spend some time and imagining God, in your room, in your neighborhood, in the Universe and then bigger than anything you imagine. When you can do that then you can understand that this God loves you like you are the only person on earth and by being obedient you return that love…next understand that the parts of the Catechism are

Profession of Faith…read the Creed…do you honestly accept and believe all these truths?
Sacramental Life…Sacraments of Reconcilliation and Eucharist are means of grace, help, frequent them
Life in Christ, do you model Christ, do you seek help in understanding what this means
Pray…you pray…

When you can sit and think

God revealed to me what I am to know…Profession of Faith
God gave me help to do all I am to do…Sacramental Life
God gave me a Son to know how I am to be
God gave me the abitlity to ask for help

When you sit and think of the God, bigger than you can imagine, a God that did the aforementioned things for you, a God that loves you like you are the only person on earth, then ask yourself…what habit can you adopt to allow God to know you return that love…then

Get hold of the Audio Catechism USA for Adults and spend your time listening to this, renewing your mind and wait…7 years is nothing when compared to eternity…

so, when considering doing anything, by habit, take one minute and ask yourself, based on the above

Do I accept and believe revealed Truths?
Do I accept and believe that grace in the Sacramental Life helps me?
Do I accept that Christ is the person whose habits I should adopt?
Pray and ask for help to know what you just recited…

Spend 30 seconds asking yourself this…

What has God done for me?
What can I do to acknowledge that appreciation of what has been done?

Then observe your behavior.

 

[teachccd]

While everyone here is giving great advice and all of it is to help you, I must say that I commend you for even coming here. Most people your age are doing all kinds of immoral acts and either do not see them as wrong or don’t really care if they do. I would advise you to seek a confessor that can work with you. I believe that when you say you can’t let it go that you mean that it is so ingrained that it seems impossible to stop and not that you do not want to let it go. If you did not want to let it go you probably would not be here with your question.

YES, God will absolutely forgive you and this is probably one of the most confessed sins. So don’t worry about what the priest will think since he has heard this sin countless times. What is important is that you continue to go to Mass and receive the Eucharist. Go to confession as soon as you are able and then you can make the resolution to stop. HOWEVER, an addiction like this will not be overcome immediately but with God’s grace you can move away from it more and more. So do not despair if after you go to confession you fall again. God will forgive you as long as you ask Him to and that you make a firm purpose of amendment even if your weakness causes you to sin again. Saint Paul said that it is when I am weak that I am strong. Why? Because our weaknesses allow us to recognize our total dependence on God. We cannot do anything on our own. Our free will allows us to choose the help of God in our fallen nature.

So, your are doing very well in recognizing what you are doing and seeking the advice of others. Keep up the good work and may God continue to bless you. More young people should see your example and follow the ways of Christ.

 

[Esfa]

Saint Paul said that it is when I am weak that I am strong. Why? Because our weaknesses allow us to recognize our total dependence on God. We cannot do anything on our own. Our free will allows us to choose the help of God in our fallen nature.

So, your are doing very well in recognizing what you are doing and seeking the advice of others. Keep up the good work and may God continue to bless you. More young people should see your example and follow the ways of Christ.

Hear, hear!!

 

[Kathrin]

Definitely go to confession! Go at your next chance and experience God’s wonderful forgiveness.

This as somebody else said is a sin that is confessed so very often there is nothing to be embarrassed about when you talk to the priest.
And you are really talking to GOD! And He knows anyway.

My advice is go as soon as you can. God is LOVE. All you need to be is sorry for your sins and have the intention to stop. And since you said you tried to stop already on your own, and the mere fact that you are coming here, don’t they somehow say that you are sorry?

God will help you. Free you in many ways you maybe cannot even imagine now. . Let Him.