Falling into the same sin

[Credo in Deum]

Habitual sins. Oddly enough they can teach us where we lack faith, hope, and charity.  What part of our lives and personhood are we not giving to God? What expectations, desires, and outlooks are we not surrendering to Him? Sometimes even our expectations on what we think is the "best" spiritual life can get in the way of our relationship with God.  You end up realizing how much of your will has been put into so many things, even to the mental images we hold as to what God looks like.  In order to have a relationship with Him, we must be open to Him.  We must allow Himself to reveal who He is and His will.  

 

[Ice_nine]

15 hours ago, Luigi said:

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

That's one of the best homilies I've ever read/heard

[LittleWaySoul]

On 20 aprile 2016 at 8:06 AM, Peace said:

Are we talking about chastity here? I am guessing that 95 percent of men struggle with that. I do.

I would venture a guess to say that 95% of men and women struggle with chastity nowadays. If this is, in fact, what you're struggling with, @Aragon , what I find helpful is to immediately and forcefully stop what you're thinking and visualize Christ on the cross with Our Lady at His side. Try to hold that image vividly in your mind as you ask them for strength and purity in that moment. If that's not enough, remind yourself how much you hate having to confess that particular sin and let that help deter you from sinfulness. 

On 20 aprile 2016 at 8:06 AM, Peace said:

And remember - without God you can do nothing. As long as you try to overcome it yourself you are doomed. But if you ask for God's assistance you can do it.

This. Entrust yourself to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary! I'll pray for you!

[Seven77]

Fr. Emmerich Vogt wrote an amesome book called The Freedom to Love. He takes on each of the 7 deadly sins and explains how they are interconnected when it comes to addictions and sinful habits.  The only way to overcome these things, is through dependence on the grace of God, and by getting at the root causes, as well as the support of those who know what you're going through. Father uses the approach of the 12 step program and alcoholics anonymous, and other accountability groups. 

 Just thought I should share.

 

[PhuturePriest]

On 7/6/2016 at 0:34 AM, Luigi said:

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

The Benedictine monks in Atchison are the best, from their homilies all the way to their epic snowball fights.

[Guest]

On ‎7‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 8:51 AM, LittleWaySoul said:

I would venture a guess to say that 95% of men and women struggle with chastity nowadays. If this is, in fact, what you're struggling with, @Aragon , what I find helpful is to immediately and forcefully stop what you're thinking and visualize Christ on the cross with Our Lady at His side. Try to hold that image vividly in your mind as you ask them for strength and purity in that moment.

Quote

If that's not enough, remind yourself how much you hate having to confess that particular sin and let that help deter you from sinfulness. 

This. Entrust yourself to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary! I'll pray for you!

  That was spot on and very well said, I thought, LittleWaySoul.

Not at all the highest motivation to refrain from sin (quote box and bold above), rather it is imperfect motivation.  For myself at times imperfect motivation to stay on the straight and narrow works for me and all I can rustle up.  And if it works for me and is not sinful, then I go with the flow - mindful that I can only rustle up the most imperfect of motivations. The important thing to me is to refrain from sin - and any reason to do so is ok with me.  Over time I have found that it is The Mass, Holy Communion and the state of Grace with heartfelt prayer and honest desire that transcends and eliminates the imperfect motivations.  Sometimes all that has kept me on the straight and narrow is "What will ........... think?" or "If I stray, then I have to confess".

Time and the journey and patience with oneself as indeed Jesus is infinitely patient with me and all.  He does not command perfection in every instant and instance, rather He asks that one sincerely desires it, mindful of one's absolute poverty and failure.  He journeys with us in every way at all times towards perfection.  And if I indeed fail, He is there in the Confessional to say "Ok........ flunked out again. Cmon pick yourself up and let's go on together as if nothing happened at all.  To Me now you see, nothing  has happened.  I not only forgive, but I forget completely too". 

My forgiving is a very pale reflection indeed of The Lord's Forgiving.

St Mary of The Cross MacKillop - first Aussie saint:  "Do what you can and leave the rest to God."  What struck me profoundly was was:  Do "what you can"- not do "your best".  I could never ever work out what on earth my best might be at any time at all.  I do know however when I am doing what I can, what I am able to do and from a position of real poverty and inadequacy on the scale of perfection.

[LittleWaySoul]

11 hours ago, BarbaraTherese said:

Sometimes all that has kept me on the straight and narrow is "What will ........... think?" or "If I stray, then I have to confess".

"What will/would ________ think?" is another really good one. When you stop to think of all the great and inspiring people in your life, you don't want to let them down by sinning even if they'd never find out. This has helped me before too. 

[Guest]

I agree, LittleWaySoul, it has kept me on the straight and narrow more than once.  Not the best of motivations for avoiding sin and there are far better (by far) motivations to avoid sin.  But one has t learn to walk before one can run.

The Dominican nun who taught me in college said that it is not so much the fall or the content of the fall, it is how long it takes one to confess if necessary, picking oneself up and going on as if nothing had happened.  God's forgiveness is at once His complete forgetfulness and we can indeed move on as if nothing had happened because in God's eyes nothing has happened.  He has forgotten completely. 

Never forgot that one thankfully.

 

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

On 4/20/2016 at 5:35 PM, Aragon said:

Has anyone ever struggled with a mortal sin that they fall into repeatedly? I can only ever seem to go a few days without falling into a particular sin I struggle with. Every Saturday I'm confessing the same thing, and it also means that I'm sadly spending much of the week not in a state of grace and feeling down until I can get to confession on the weekend.

I know that culpability may be lessened due to habituation or addiction, but even if it's helpful to keep that in mind it doesn't make it any easier.

Ideas? Experiences?

This is a journey to freedom(heaven), sometimes we are running, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling and sometimes standing still. Outside of a miracle you will perhaps remain a sinner in action, word or thought until you enter heaven, though with gods grace we have the power to not sin in action, word or though but always we will be sinners in the sense that the flesh will be tempted, and one thought does not count as sin you have to toy with it and egg it on, same for words a slip of the tongue is not a sin it needs to be repetitive, deliberate and intentionally malicious. Many times i have struggled with habitual sin the last 14 years since i converted and many times i have been free from sin, the longest period was 2 years, well free from sin as far as i could tell but was not yet investigating venials for confession which are not necessary to be confessed but must be done at least once per year if one is free from mortal sins.

My advice is chin up, repent ( have sorrow, though don't allow it to be a scrupulous one), confess, do your penance, make some kind of amends ( call ya mums best friend and say " hey i'm thinking of you anything you would like me to pray for you.)

GodblesS

Onward christian soul.

Jesus loves you.

P.s. Believe in Love, never give up on Love, Love God and Love others in action and word.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[WhiteLily]

Oh please go to Holy Comunion! This is a huge temptation to doubt God's love and mercy. If you are sincerely sorry and you are trying to make amends with our Lord, He will bless your efforts. We draw strength and grace through the Sacraments, especially Confession and Holy Communion. Most of all, the one thing that wounds Jesus' Most Sacred Heart the most is distrust. He wants you to trust in Him.

Go to Confession whenever you need to, stay close to Our Lady by praying the Rosary everyday, recieve Holy Communion every day if you can, read the Holy Scriptures but, most of all, if you can't do what I suggested, just go to the Blessed Sacrament, whether exposed or in the Tabernacle, sit, be with our Lord and ask Him for the grace to grow in faith, hope, charity, and trust in His infinite mercy. He longs for you and is always delighted when you come to see Him. Please don't doubt his love for you. He loves you as if no one else existed. 

I am praying for you. God bless you!

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

On 20 April 2016 at 9:31 PM, MIKolbe said:

After lamenting much of what you are lamenting...a priest asked me if I wanted to branch off into new areas of sinfulness.  It helped to give me perspective and focus.

 

Goly gosh your back or I missed you some how, don't sneak up on a tigga like that without warning. Lol

Edited July 17, 2016 by Tab'le De'Bah-Rye

[Seven77]

On 7/8/2016 at 6:10 PM, LittleWaySoul said:

"What will/would ________ think?" is another really good one. When you stop to think of all the great and inspiring people in your life, you don't want to let them down by sinning even if they'd never find out. This has helped me before too. 

 Very wise and sound advice. Many years ago, I had the thought, ”this person really believes that I am a good person… what if she found out what I really am? what a complete letdown that would be for her… I had better change and be the person that she thinks I am."

[Guest]

The Lord works in mysterious ways. 

 

[dominicansoul]

Pray for me, perpetual habitual sinner here.  On my way to confess same sins from last week.  May the Holy Ghost break the bonds of our enslavement to the sins of our particular weaknesses.  

 

 

[organwerke]

It has been a long time since my last comment here. It happened many times to me too, in many areas. The most common for this kind of problems usually is chastity, but not only. Well, it is a long process. I've come to the conclusion that some things can become an obsession. I've learned I've not only to work on my sins but also on the concept of sin and its psycological consequences. Sometimes to be so concentrated on sin can lead to nevrosis. It's not a joke, it's a thing that can really happen (and, actually, it happens to many persons). I'm not saying you haven't to struggle... I haven't a real answer, not from the spiritual perspective. Well, I'd suggest you to pray, confess, struggle etc., but then? Then we can't ignore that the attitude towards a specific sin is essentially something that begins in our mind and, especially if it deals with sex, also in our body. And we can't control 100% our mind nor our body. That is. I think you could keep this in mind if this is the area of your worries.

Edited July 30, 2016 by organwerke