Confession

[Guest]

So i went to confession this morning and I was kinda nervouse. I tend to get anxiety and I hate confessing the same mortal sins. Its my own selfish fault I get myself in these situations and I always feel as if God is just going to say to me " No confession for you !" But of course it is always the opposite and the preist are so kind and so humble to listen to my selfish sins and forgive them and then assure me of Gods love for me and desire to always be in my life.
Yet I know this isnt an excuse to keep falling into the same sin over and over again. I saw last week on ewtn mother angelica ( sp?) talking about how we need to stop playing games with confession. I know im guilty of this because I feel so good coming out of there yet I am such a fool to sin so soon again. And then I repeat the same cycle and I know it has to anger God more and more everytime. So Im reallly going to work on staying in Gods grace and not falling into mortal sin. I hate the feeling I get when I fall into that kind of sin and I think im starting to realise more and more literally everytime time it happens. Its weird how real this stuff is. But anyways thats my confession story for today. Peace

Edited December 14, 2008 by Guest

[Archaeology cat]

I know what you mean, because I feel like that at times, too.

[Snowflake3981]

I totally understand! I feel the same way. Just keep trying and pray that you will do better.

[Snowflake3981]

I totally understand! I feel the same way. Just keep trying and pray that you will do better.

[Guest]

[quote name='Archaeology cat' post='1727652' date='Dec 14 2008, 01:17 PM']I know what you mean, because I feel like that at times, too.[/quote]


[quote name='Snowflake3981' post='1727656' date='Dec 14 2008, 01:25 PM']I totally understand! I feel the same way. Just keep trying and pray that you will do better.[/quote]

Godbless

[Mari Therese]

I've experienced the same thing aswell. I would put forth an honest effort, but often fall into sin again. Keep on getting up and going to confession after you fall (don't be like Judas). Things don't always change over night. God will heal you as long as you humbly ask for His mercy.

[Selah]

I think all of us struggle and feel like that. I know I do God bless you, my friend. You are in my prayers.

[Guest]

[quote name='Mari Therese' post='1727663' date='Dec 14 2008, 01:40 PM']I've experienced the same thing aswell. I would put forth an honest effort, but often fall into sin again. Keep on getting up and going to confession after you fall (don't be like Judas). Things don't always change over night. God will heal you as long as you humbly ask for His mercy.[/quote]

Thanks for the encourgement.
When I come out of there and just sitting here now I can feel how different life is to be out of mortal sin and to have taken communion. When I get into mortal sin I stay in it to long and I dont go to confession as soon as I should. I guess its like playing russian roulette if I would die or something. Im always hopefull God would know I intended to go to confession but at the same time I might just be fooling myself. Anyways whoever says confession isnt real and there isnt power in it is out of their mind.

Edited December 14, 2008 by Guest

[franciscan13]

you're not alone, i am constantly falling and getting back up, but we are in good company:
"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Romans 7:15

[Guest]

Godbless pham
I really like that verse

[dominicansoul]

i am in the same exact situation as you described! it's a real struggle, because i feel like the beast knows my weakness, and time and time again, tempts me the same way, and i fall easily! i go to confession once a week. but i don't like "taking advantage" of the Mercy of God. My confessor and spiritual director told me, "keep fighting." he'll give me lots of encouragement, and he tells me never to hesitate to come to confession, because that's one way of fighting the weakness. I like what one priest told me, "Jesus desires that you come as often as you need to."

[MissyP89]

I think the "cycle" you mention is just part of walking the walk. We've all been there.

One night, I was talking to my other half about Confession, as he's in RCIA and will be making his first soon. I told him that it's a bit like doing the dishes. Sometimes it takes two or threee cycles in the dishwasher, and even then a good scrubbing by hand, before the dish comes out clean.

I do my best to not get discouraged. There was a time that I was struggling with one sin that had me going to see my confessor every week or two...but eventually it was every three weeks, then once a month, etc. I'm happy to say that working with God's grace has freed me from at least that sin. Now, it's something else, and I just have to keep working at it. Someday, I hope that, too, will disappear.

We're not going to be perfect until we stand before God. Until then, we just need to put in our best effort.

Stay positive, and go often. That's what Confession is there for!

[Lilllabettt]

I think when Mother Angelica was talking about how we need to stop playing around with Confession ... she probably meant people who don't take sin or Confession seriously .. who go to Confession out of habit or vanity or who commit sins with the idea that they'll just go to Confession and it's no big deal.

Going to Confession often in sincere hope that it will help you in your struggle is not playing around with Confession at all.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1727626' date='Dec 14 2008, 12:17 PM']So i went to confession this morning and I was kinda nervouse. I tend to get anxiety and I hate confessing the same mortal sins. Its my own selfish fault I get myself in these situations and I always feel as if God is just going to say to me " No confession for you !" But of course it is always the opposite and the preist are so kind and so humble to listen to my selfish sins and forgive them and then assure me of Gods love for me and desire to always be in my life.[/quote]

This sounds about like how most of my two-and-a-half years of being Catholic have gone, including what you say below about feeling great after leaving Confession. I did experience about a two month respite from ye olde grave sin, but otherwise doing the right thing usually felt more like a chore than a joy (like the Prodigal Son's brother slaving away for his father) and more recently came to a point when I was practicing virtue, it felt more like I was avoiding sin more than doing good. Several times I was strongly tempted to avoid Mass on Sunday, but could never bring myself to the point of falling "that far." Seems while I was willing to tolerate some grave sins, I had to draw a line somewhere. I grew more depressed, a couple of times sensing I might be on the verge of an anxiety attack or mental breakdown (neither of which has ever happened to me, fwiw) and even questioning if I am truly a man at all. That's pretty deep stuff... my last Confession, I was a wreck, but thankfully I had no desire to try and hide it.

But, by God's grace, slowly I'm finding a path out of these dark woods. I know all too well that going to Confession and resolving in your mind -- even honestly -- to amend your life are terribly insufficient at making any discernible progress towards God. The Devil is quite adept at causing feelings of holiness, sorrow, etc. to rise up in us so that we are tricked out of actually [i]doing[/i] the work necessary to grow in holiness.

What I'm learning is the need to make tangible changes that will break that cycle of sin. One of the first steps I took was intentionally going to a priest who knows me for Confession instead of my old haphazard manner of confessing wherever I happened to find it being offered. Thus, he is able to call me to account for habitual grave sins, which has lead me to finding accountability outside of confession, causing another break in the cycle. I've also invested time simply getting to know myself better. I've found the test in this book, "The Temperament God Gave You," incredibly helpful in helping me understand my psychology and why I am so easily lured by the same temptations. Getting to know the "why" behind the "what" helps me know what to pray for and what kinds of devotions and prayer life will be more helpful.

Pray for insight. Dig deeper than the sins you're so focused on. Ask God to help you understand why you're attracted to this particularly difficult sin so that you can treat the problem instead of putting a band-aid on the symptom. And then take action by making a to-do list or some kind of plan that calls for specific actions. Thus, you're no longer cycling from feeling good to feeling sinful, but you're getting something done regardless of your feelings at the time.

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1727626' date='Dec 14 2008, 12:17 PM']I saw last week on ewtn mother angelica ( sp?) talking about how we need to stop playing games with confession. I know im guilty of this because I feel so good coming out of there yet I am such a fool to sin so soon again. And then I repeat the same cycle and I know it has to anger God more and more everytime. So Im reallly going to work on staying in Gods grace and not falling into mortal sin. I hate the feeling I get when I fall into that kind of sin and I think im starting to realise more and more literally everytime time it happens. Its weird how real this stuff is. But anyways thats my confession story for today. Peace[/quote]

I have to ask here... how do you know God is angered more and more every time?

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1727667' date='Dec 14 2008, 01:44 PM']Thanks for the encourgement.
When I come out of there and just sitting here now I can feel how different life is to be out of mortal sin and to have taken communion. When I get into mortal sin I stay in it to long and I dont go to confession as soon as I should. I guess its like playing russian roulette if I would die or something. Im always hopefull God would know I intended to go to confession but at the same time I might just be fooling myself. Anyways whoever says confession isnt real and there isnt power in it is out of their mind.[/quote]

You may have noticed that I described my sin as "grave," not "mortal." I think it's much healthier -- spiritually and psychologically -- to be more aware of the grave nature of your sin than the possibility that it's mortal sin. For one, the fact that are sorry for your sin and that you fully intend to confess it implies that you aren't cutting yourself off from God's grace. To be sure, I'm not saying your sin is definitely venial. I only want to point out that it's possible. As I talked about in the Conscience vs Church thread, your attachment to a particular vice is clearly affecting your consent to the sin, especially if you are truly struggling/fighting against it. When your will is torn between right and wrong, you are not freely consenting, so you cannot be committing a mortal sin (likewise, when your will is torn and you do the right thing, such an act isn't as virtuous as when your will freely and completely given over to doing God's will). This is another good reason for regularly confessing to a priest who knows you, so he can be the one to offer insight into the nature of your sin.

[InHisLove726]

[quote name='Delivery Boy' post='1727626' date='Dec 14 2008, 12:17 PM']So i went to confession this morning and I was kinda nervouse. I tend to get anxiety and I hate confessing the same mortal sins. Its my own selfish fault I get myself in these situations and I always feel as if God is just going to say to me " No confession for you !" But of course it is always the opposite and the preist are so kind and so humble to listen to my selfish sins and forgive them and then assure me of Gods love for me and desire to always be in my life.
Yet I know this isnt an excuse to keep falling into the same sin over and over again. I saw last week on ewtn mother angelica ( sp?) talking about how we need to stop playing games with confession. I know im guilty of this because I feel so good coming out of there yet I am such a fool to sin so soon again. And then I repeat the same cycle and I know it has to anger God more and more everytime. So Im reallly going to work on staying in Gods grace and not falling into mortal sin. I hate the feeling I get when I fall into that kind of sin and I think im starting to realise more and more literally everytime time it happens. Its weird how real this stuff is. But anyways thats my confession story for today. Peace[/quote]

I know exactly what you mean because this sounds like me to the "T." I hate confessing the habitual sin I have struggled with for so long. I wanted to make general life Confession this past weekend, so I called up my priest and made an appointment. I wanted to get everything off my chest from my childhood to the present, in hopes that it would stop this cycle once and for all. I confessed everything, and left the worst (the habitual one) for last. I told him how long I'd been struggling with this, and thinking about what Padre Pio would say to me (the priest had a picture of him on the table beside us), but the priest was very kind, just like he always is, and told me that I needed to continue to try to avoid "people, places and things" that help this sin reoccur. I left feeling so relieved and joyful! As I was driving home, I thanked God for all the miracles He has wrought in my life and that I was very sorry for letting Him down. He has given me so many graces that I don't deserve at all. I tell you, I felt even more relieved after that little conversation with God. I asked Him to please remove whatever was keeping me from conquering this sin and give me the grace to overcome it. That was 5 days ago, and I haven't had a single temptation, yet. I usually have them all the time, but I believe the reason for me not having any is because I acknowledged genuinely that I am a weak person and I can't do it without His help. If left to my own devices, without His grace, I would indeed sin again. It's not that I am crazy. I just know I can't do it on my own. I acknowledge that I need Him.

If you need any support for whatever reason, don't hesitate to ask me. I know how you must be feeling.