Failed attempts at Holiness.









Failed attempts at Holiness.


Question from on 05-26-2007:


Just recently I slipped up and did something I had just months before
begged forgivness of. I feel terrible and once again I have asked for
mercy from the Lord but I still feel terrible because truely I feel as
though I have betrayed a best friend everytime I sin agaist God. My
friend said attempts at holiness even failed attempts are pleasing to
God and when we slip up the fact that we were truely trying is still
pleasing to God and that God is with us every step of the way until we
get it right. Is this true?


Answer by Fr. Brighenti on 06-06-2007:

Dear Chelsea,

Our Divine Lord in His
infinite love and mercy has established the great Sacrament of Penance.
Knowing our human condition and the fact that at times turning away
from sin and the bad habit is difficult the Sacrmaent of Penance can be
received numerous times to help you. The grace of this Sacrament is
like medicine to help cure you. Once you are forgiven of your sins, the
Sacrament acts like a spiritual vitamin to strenghthen you from future
temptations.

When you come to the Sacrament of Penance, you are
truly sorry for your sins and you make a pledge to not commit the sin
again in the future, you are making a firm purpose to ammend your life.
At times, we do fall and we need to seek forgiveness again. But our
intentions must be always not commit the sin again to the best of our
abilities.

Penances that are given by the priest in the
Confessional help to make ammends for the insult to God for the sin.
Also, one can do a spiritual exercise like participating in public
recitation of the Rosary, making a pilgrimage or performing another
spiritual act and receive a Plenary Indulgence. A plenary indulgence
remove all temporal punishment do to already forgiven sin. Since our
mere penances from the Confessional doesn't quite make up for the
insults of sin, the Church has given us a spiritual treasury to tap
into to help us remove time from Purgatory. This treasury was won for
us by Christ on the Cross and added to it by all the saints' good
deeds.

Just recently my parish observed 13 Tuesdays in honor of
St. Anthony in which we had a holy hour for each Tuesday. By completing
the the 13th Tuesday the person can obtain a Plenary Indulgence. Other
stipulations to receiving the Indulgence is going to Confession and
Communion within 7 days and praying for the Holy Father.

Try to
increase your spiritual activity to help combat temptation. Avoid the
persons, places or things that lead you into the temptation. And by all
means go to Confession more frequently. Attend Mass often even during
the week, pray your devotions more, and read spiritual books. All these
spiritual things will help you turn away from sin and turn towards God.

God bless,
Father





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