Healing and Forgiveness

Forgive and You Shall be Forgiven
Forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE those who trespass against us

"Seek and you shall find,
Ask and it shall be given to you." Matthew 7:7

Forgiveness is not for wimps.  Forgiveness takes courage and strength.  Forgiveness means letting go of a pain, an injury, or a hurt and allowing God to heal your brokenness. 

Forgiveness begins in the mind.  In order to forgive, we must make a conscious decision to forgive.    We must say, "Lord, God, I forgive."  With this decision, we begin the process of healing.   Each act of forgiveness begins with a decision to let go of the pain, and allow God room to work in our souls so that we might be healed.  The decision to forgive is an open invitation to God to work with us to being us peace and healing.  We still might be angry when we make the decision to forgive, but as we let go of each layer of pain, we begin to feel the love of God growing in our souls and peace becomes a flower bud ready to burst from within.

Healing is a process, and each layer of pain must be peeled away for healing to be complete.  Think of how you healed as a child when you skinned your knee.  The pain was very sharp in the beginning, especially when the injury was exposed to the fresh, clean air.  The nerves are raw because they are not protected.  The pain is sharp and the knee is tender.  Ointments are poured over the wound to help the healing process.  Then as healing takes place, there is less pain and tenderness.  One day we realize that a protective scab has been formed over the wound, but now it is gone and the wound is healed.  There is no more pain. 

The wounds in our souls are the same.  Often, a wound has been nursed for a long time so an infection has grown in the wound.  As with every infection, there is pus in the wound.  That pus (the anger) must be released. This is painful because the wound must be lanced.  (When we make the decision to forgive, we are lancing the wound.)  As the pus drains, we feel relief in the wound.  Then the healing ointment of God's love is applied to the infection.  On our part, we need to ask for these healing graces through prayer and repentance.  The layers must be peeled off from the wound, and raw nerves are exposed to the fresh air.  Sometimes, there are only a few layers to peel off.  Often times, there are many layers to peel.  Eventually, as scabs form and fall off the wound, the pain is gone.  The anger we used to feel does not exist.  This process all began with the decision to forgive.  The graces of God flowed from our minds to our hearts.  Forgiveness manifested itself in the healing of our pain. 

Many times, we think that it will be impossible to forgive a grievous hurt.  We know that we must forgive to heal our souls, but the pain is throbbing.  We must make the decision to forgive, then let God take over.  Once we have made room in our souls for him to work, then we have begun the process of forgiveness.  God, the divine healer, will do the rest. 

Lord Jesus, Son of the Father and Mary, I am sorry because I have not forgiven.  I know that we when we pray the Our Father we ask the Father to forgive us AS WE FORGIVE others.  I am having a difficult time forgiving this injury.  I ask You, Jesus, the Divine Healer, to work in my soul.  I make the decision now to forgive the person who inflicted this grievous hurt on me.  I ask You to forgive them.  I ask You to help me forgive them.  I am weak, Lord, but You are strong.  You are My God, My Lord, and my Savior.  Thank You for Your help.  I want to forgive, and I ask to be forgiven.  Praise You, Heavenly Father.  Praise You, Divine Son.  Praise You, Holy Spirit. 
Amen.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis

How to Make A Good Confession

Sin is a reality.  We are all sinners.  In order to reconcile ourselves to our Loving God, we must  repent of our sinful ways and seek reconciliation with God.  As Catholics, the best way for us to be reconciled with God is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

By confessing our sins to a priest, through the power granted to a priest in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest is able to grant us the pardon and peace of God. 

How do we make a good confession?  A little preparation is needed.

Step 1:  Before you enter the confessional, say a prayer to the Holy Spirit so that you mind and heart will be open.  He will give you the strength to face your sins, both mortal and venial, and tell them to the priest.  An easy prayer might be:  Come Holy Spirit, Open my mind and my heart.  I am sorry for the offenses I have committed against You, my Loving God.  Give me courage so that I might be open to your graces that will fill my heart once I am open to You.  Come Holy Spirit, come.

Step 2:  Examine your conscience.  Own your sins.  Make no excuses.  Own your sins.  To find resources for an online examination of conscience, click HERE.

Step 3: Be sorry for your sins.  Meditate on how they have offended God. 

Step 4: Begin by entering the confessional.  You may either kneel behind the screen or have a face to face confession with the priest.  Begin by saying, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  It's been (State the amount of time that it's been since your last confession.) since my last confession.  Even if it's been years, be honest with the priest.  If you are unsure what to do next, ask the priest to guide you through the confession. 

Step 5:  Confess your sins.  Begin with the most difficult sins first.  These are usually mortal sins.  What is a mortal sin?  A mortal sin is one in which 3 conditions must be met.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1857, "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."  In other words, using the Commandment:  Thou Shalt not Kill, if you had murdered some one (grave matter) knowing that it was a grave matter and you killed someone, you have committed a mortal sin.  Murder is not the only mortal sin.  If you do not know, as the priest.  He will be able to tell you which of your sins are mortal and which of your sins are venial.  ***

Step 6:  Recite the Act of Contrition. 

Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I have offended You, my God, who are all good and worthy of all my love.  I firmly resolve with the help of Your Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.  Amen.  

Step 7:  The priest will now assign you a penance.  The penance is usually a prayer or group of prayers to be said, but a penance can be actions, too. 

Step 8:  Before you leave the confessional, the priest will give you the blessings of pardon and peace.  Be open and grateful to this gift.

Step 9:  Leave the confessional and perform your penance.  Spend a some time in prayer thanking God for the gift of His forgiveness.  Ask Him to give you the grace to avoid persons, places or things that might lead you into sin.  Ask Him for the courage to avoid sin.  Tell God how much you love Him. 

***When confessing your sins, do not be afraid.  The priest has heard it all from people of all walks of life, from the powerful to the least.  You will find great relief when you confess no matter how embarrassed you feel at the time.  God's love is unending.  God's mercy is unending. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for us!

 Protector of the Unborn, 

Pray for us!

 Woman Clothed with the Sun,

Pray for us!

 Patroness of the Americas,

Pray for us.

Mother of God,

Pray for us!

Prepare the Way of the Lord - The Sacrament of Reconcilliation

Advent
Repentance
Examination of Conscience
Sacrament of Confession

    Yes, I am of the old school.  I still call the Sacrament of Reconciliation the Sacrament of Confession.  Like a rose, by any other name, this Sacrament is a Sacrament of great graces and peace no matter the name. 
    Many times, in our modern world, the lines of sin are blurred.  What would have been considered a great scandal 20 years ago, is now considered a way of life.  The influence of our culture makes it difficult for us to know when sin is actually committed.  Violence in words and actions is increasing. Our society condones many sinful actions.  We are told that if we do not feel an action is wrong, then that action is neither wrong nor sinful.  Violence against our unborn is now a right, and not a sin.   In spite of this, we have to realize that violence does require a reconciliation with God.
    During the season of Advent, as we prepare the way of the Lord, we are offered many chances to reconcile with God and grow in peace.  When we find peace, others are affected by our peace.  When we find that God is near us in through Sacrament of Reconciliation, others feel the peace and closeness of God through us.
    Many people argue that we don’t have to tell a priest our sins, that we can just tell them to God and He will forgive us.  I assume that, to a point, that statement might be true, however, we, as members of the Catholic Church, know that through the priest in the confessional, God speaks to us.  Through the gift of the priest, God will grant us pardon and peace when we confess and truly repent of our sins.
    Although there is much more to making a good confession, we must begin with an examination of conscience.  The problem becomes that, often, we do not know which of our thoughts, words, or deeds are sinful.  Learning  what is sin is critical to making a good confession and changing our way of life so that we can grow closer to God in this world.  The world is fleeting, but eternity is not.  We are only short timers on earth.  As human beings the only way out of this life is to die.  Death comes to all.  Peace does not.
    Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are given a chance to grow in peace and holiness.  If we do not know what we are doing is sinful, then we cannot remove this obstacle to God.  Sin is a barrier to the love of God flowing in and through us.  When we repent,  God forgives and forgives.  His mercy is endless.  His Love is unending.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation helps us to prepare to grow in holiness.
    Step one of making a good confession is an examination of conscience.  Below are some online sites that help us prepare for the gift of confession by guiding us through the commandments with information on what violates each of the ten commandments.  These violations are our sins.  Make a list.  Take this list with you to confession.  When it is time to confess, do not be afraid or embarrassed.  The priest has heard it all.  I doubt that there are many surprises in the confessional.  Take your sins into the priest, and you will leave with peace and forgiveness that only God can give. 
    Check out each of these sites.  One might be more fitting for you than another.  Use these sites and prepare for your encounter with God.  Advent is your chance to reconcile with God.  He waits for you!


   
   
Online sites for a Catholic Examination of Conscience
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments/penance/examinations-of-conscience.cfm

http://www.ewtn.com/library/prayer/examconscience.htm

http://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-examination-of-conscience.html

http://www.scborromeo.org/confess.htm

http://www.fatima.org/essentials/requests/examconc.asp







(I don't know if these sites will click for you, but if they don't, copy and paste into your browser.)

Litany Blessings for the Holidays

Oh, God, our Heavenly Father, we ask You to bless us during this season in which we are preparing for the birth of Your Son.  Holy Spirit, we ask you to enlighten our minds so that our thoughts, words, and actions may be directed to our Triune God.  Sweet Brother, Jesus, help us to prepare for the celebration of Your birth so that we may rejoice with the heavenly hosts at the moment of Your birth.


Bless us, Lord,      R. Bless us, Lord.
Bless our families. 
Bless our children.
Bless our spouses.
Bless our memories.
Bless our friends and their families. 

Bless children in every land.
Bless the newborn babes.
Bless all women who carry a baby in their bodies.
Bless all children nestled in the womb.
Bless these children and give them life.
Bless all children who live in poverty.
Bless all children so they will appreciate their parents.
Bless all children so that this celebration of your birth will be more about You and less about Santa and presents.
Bless all children who venerate You.
Bless all of our missing children. Bring them home for Christmas.

Bless all families with peace, not only during the holidays, but always.
Bless all families so that old hurts will be healed.
Bless all families so that Your birth may be truly celebrated.

Bless all of our clergy, particularly our priests, bishops, and cardinals.
Bless all of those who are studying for religious life.
Bless our dearest  Pope Francis.
Bless our nuns and give them joy in their service of God.

Bless all of those who are lonely and hurting during this time of year.
Bless all of those who suffer from depression.
Bless all of those who have no hope.
Bless all of those who suffer from the torment of mental illness.
Bless all of those who suffer from the pain and torment of addictions.
Bless all of our sick.
Bless all those who are dying.
Bless all those involved in the care of the sick and dying.
Bless all those  who will work on Christmas Day.
Bless all those who will be separated from their families on Christmas Day.
Bless all those who serve in the military.
Bless all those who serve in law enforcement and fire fighters.
Bless our first responders.
Bless all those who will serve in our churches on Christmas.
Bless all those who will die on Christmas Day.
Bless their grieving families.

Bless all the homeless.
Bless all the poor.
Bless all those who will not eat on Christmas Day.
Bless all who will bury their pain in drugs and alcohol.
Bless all those who will attempt or succeed at suicide.
Bless all those who will become angry on Christmas.
Bless all those who will leave the Church.
Bless all those who have left the Church
Bless our non Catholic sisters and brothers.

Bless all those captured in the snare of grave sin.  Free them from their sin. 
Bless all those who would seek to destroy us.  Free them from their sin.
Bless all those who have harmed us.
Bless us with the graces to forgive.

Bless us, Lord, bless us.
Heavenly Father, Jesus our brother, Holy Spirit our guide, thank You for the many blessings You pour down on us each day.  Thank You for the gift of Mary, our mother.  Thank You for the gift of life.  Thank You for the women who chose life for us.  Lord, God, bless us.  Forgive us.  We return all of our blessings to You in great gratitude. 

Jesus, our Brother, we join with the Father and the Holy Spirit in celebrating Your Birth.  We join with the angels and saints praising You and adoring You.  Fill us with Your Spirit.  Fill us with love for the Father.  Help us to get to know our guardian angels better.  Thank You, Father.  Thank You, Jesus.  Thank You, Holy Spirit.

Amen.