Gabriela Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 1 hour ago, Ice_nine said: oh great, how comforting I know, but it's true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 If I focus on the negative then all sorts of negative reactions and emotions will follow. And on what I focus, I give power. But every negative does have a corresponding or opposite positive(s) if you look for it. If I switch my focus from the negative to the positive, all those negative reactions and emotions either diminish ..............or vanish altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 10 hours ago, Ice_nine said: oh great, how comforting Don't despair, dang it! 9 hours ago, Gabriela said: I know, but it's true. I think it's perhaps important to define the term "despair". What does it mean exactly? What's it referring to? Obviously, despair onset by depression or other mental illnesses is clearly not sinful, regardless of the defined term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 I think of despair as giving up on God and His Help and Assistance and oneself as being helpable by God - and abandoning all related to God completely. Believing that one is Hell bound and nothing at all can be done about it. I think what underlies despair is probably more anger and resentment than depression. Although depression, I have read, can be triggered by anger turned inward and against oneself (is this why Judas committed suicide I wonder?). We are indeed very complex creatures. To discuss something, we need to be sharing a common definition else we might be talking at cross purposes............or discuss things until a common definition can be agreed upon I guess. Despair, I am concluding for myself at this point, is difficult to define - never met the imposter. Deo Gratius. 17 hours ago, PhuturePriest said: Obviously, despair onset by depression or other mental illnesses is clearly not sinful, regardless of the defined term. Spot on and very important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 @AragonI really do hope and pray that reading the posts in your thread has brought you some consolation and assistance? There have been a fair few posts from various members, but only one of yours and the opening post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 (edited) Made it to Confession yesterday. The Priest actually annoyingly chuckled and commented he didn't even know how my confession was possible. So when you say they have heard it all I guess they had to hear certain things first from someone. Perhaps I was the first yesterday. Glad to be back in a state of grace. Going to Mass today but will not receive Communion. Doubt I will for awhile. I know I'm forgiven but I want to stay in a state of grace awhile before I go up again. Continued prayers Aragon. Edited April 24, 2016 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not A Real Name Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 2 hours ago, Josh said: Made it to Confession yesterday. The Priest actually annoyingly chuckled and commented he didn't even know how my confession was possible. So when you say they have heard it all I guess they had to hear certain things first from someone. Perhaps I was the first yesterday. Glad to be back in a state of grace. Going to Mass today but will not receive Communion. Doubt I will for awhile. I know I'm forgiven but I want to stay in a state of grace awhile before I go up again. Continued prayers Aragon. Nothing helps you stay in the state of grace more than communion!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 2 hours ago, Josh said: Made it to Confession yesterday. The Priest actually annoyingly chuckled and commented he didn't even know how my confession was possible. So when you say they have heard it all I guess they had to hear certain things first from someone. Perhaps I was the first yesterday. Glad to be back in a state of grace. Going to Mass today but will not receive Communion. Doubt I will for awhile. I know I'm forgiven but I want to stay in a state of grace awhile before I go up again. Continued prayers Aragon. Great stuff, Josh..........well done and you just might have educated a priest a little further in the process. Well done indeed. Not a Real Name posted while I was writing: I really get what you are saying about not going to Communion for a while and it is truly admirable. Have you thought that Holy Communion would help you stay in the state of Grace? I agree with NRL that nothing keeps us closer to Jesus (in a state of Grace) than Holy Communion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 1 hour ago, Not A Real Name said: Nothing helps you stay in the state of grace more than communion!!! And more confession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not A Real Name Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Just now, Nihil Obstat said: And more confession. Absolutely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 (edited) On 4/24/2016 8:21:26, Not A Real Name said: Nothing helps you stay in the state of grace more than communion!!! It's probably just because I'm an idiot who doesn't give my best effort but the last two times I received the Eucharist I was hit with extreme temptation and fell the next day. Again I'm not arguing with what you said because I've read it elsewhere and don't doubt it's true. I'm not sure how long I will wait to receive again. I'm glad you're only required to once a year. Edited April 26, 2016 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 1 hour ago, Josh said: It's probably just because I'm an idiot who doesn't give my best effort but the last two times I received the Eucharist I was hit with extreme temptation and fell the next day. Again I'm not arguing with what you said because I've read it elsewhere and don't doubt it's true. I'm not sure how long I will wait to receive again. I'm glad you're only required to once a year. Josh, this is a post hoc fallacy. In case you don't know what that is (it's not commonly known), read here: http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/post-hoc.html We know that the Eucharist protects and strengthens again sin, rather than leads into it. So regardless of what happened after you received the last two times, our Faith tells you that you should receive as often as possible. Remember that the devil tempts to sin, and also tries to keep you from the Eucharist. I think he may be at work here. Don't let him win, dude. Trust the Faith, not logic or experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 28 minutes ago, Gabriela said: Josh, this is a post hoc fallacy. In case you don't know what that is (it's not commonly known), read here: http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/post-hoc.html We know that the Eucharist protects and strengthens again sin, rather than leads into it. So regardless of what happened after you received the last two times, our Faith tells you that you should receive as often as possible. Remember that the devil tempts to sin, and also tries to keep you from the Eucharist. I think he may be at work here. Don't let him win, dude. Trust the Faith, not logic or experience. I wasn't trying to say the Eucharist leads into sin. If I came off that way sincere apologies. That actually sounds pretty blasphemous. Probably what is happening is the devil is angry when I'm receiving. I don't blame him. He probably thinks I'm damned for eternity and Jesus loves and forgives this clown? Sorry for hijacking your thread Aragon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seven77 Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 (edited) In her diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, St. Faustina writes about the time that she avoided receiving Holy Communion even though she happened to be in the state of grace. Jesus told her later that this action hurt Him very deeply. The Eucharist is not some kind of award or gold star for the just but rather medicine for sinners… we don't receive because we deserve to, but because we need to. The devil wants us to stay away by telling us lies about how completely depraved we are and that God merely tolerates us--- he can hardly stand us because we're so filthy. This is basically the heresy known as Jansenism. It keeps us away from God. Jesus says that apart from him we can do nothing--- we need him. He tells us to abide, to remain in him so that we can bear much fruit. Were supposed to bring him into the world as members of his Body. If we don't receive him, we lose blood, we lose oxygen, and eventually we'll fall off as a part of the body effected by leprosy. We can't become discouraged even if we fall more than 1 million times into mortal sin. Keep getting up and moving forward. God never tires of forgiving. We can't refuse his mercy… that's like throwing someone a gift back in their face. Edited April 27, 2016 by Seven77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Here's a link to a lengthy (Just sayin'!) homily by a Benedictine priest on The Porn Epidemic. He must've been addressing college students. Some pholks might find it help-phul. http://www.kansasmonks.org/new-blog/2016/5/16/the-porn-epidemic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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