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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Past sins, laziness and need for peace.	Lee	Thursday, June 4, 2015
Question: Dear Brother Ignatius Mary, first thank you for this wonderful site and the enormous amount of time you must give to it. I will try to be direct in my questions. I have been a catholic all my life but now as I read about sin it seems so much more complex. Now I look back at my life and I see where my sins affected others and they may go to hell if not catholic and confession. I started Divine Mercy at my parish three years ago. I felt like the Holy Spirit lead me and I wrote down every sin I could think of and finally told the priest I committed sins against every commandment except the fifth. I followed the rest of St. Faustina's words in her book and felt some relief from my life. Now after reading your responses to others, I feel like I am on my way to hell. I say the rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and many other prays almost daily. One of my sins, now and a number of .years has been laziness. I rather read catholic material then do other things. I have diabetes so I can't fast but I do send contributions of at least 10% monthly and support worthy causes. This comes out of my social security check and I give up things for me by doing this. I don't want anything but to do Gods work and I feel like I fail everyday. Because of a back problem I have a problem standing but I can't find any charitable work where I can contribute. Please direct me to some charitable work so I can go to confession and feel absolved. I know you are struggling but you bring an enormous amount of good to others in your daily life. May the Lord bless you and keep you well.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Lee: Sorry about the long delay in answering. Thank you for your kind words about our apostolate. No matter what you did to others in the past, the responsibility for their eternal state belongs to them. When you confessed your sins and were absolved all sin related to those past incidents were wiped away and no longer exists. Put them in the past, prayer for those people, and move on. Do you go to confession regularly? Then you are not going to hell. This is a bit of scrupulosity. When you are absolved of your sins you are in a State of Grace and thus heaven-bound. This is a ontological and spiritual fact and not a feeling. It is not a matter of "feeling" absolved, you ARE absolved when the priest says so. You may need to talk to your confessor about this. As for doing God's work, you are already doing it. Given your disabilities, which are similar to mine, you are doing more than most for God. Your prayers for others are the work of God and more important than volunteering for any charity. You are doing okay, Lee. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Past sins, laziness and need for peace.

Lee

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Question:

Dear Brother Ignatius Mary, first thank you for this wonderful site and the enormous amount of time you must give to it.

I will try to be direct in my questions. I have been a catholic all my life but now as I read about sin it seems so much more complex. Now I look back at my life and I see where my sins affected others and they may go to hell if not catholic and confession.

I started Divine Mercy at my parish three years ago. I felt like the Holy Spirit lead me and I wrote down every sin I could think of and finally told the priest I committed sins against every commandment except the fifth. I followed the rest of St. Faustina's words in her book and felt some relief from my life.

Now after reading your responses to others, I feel like I am on my way to hell. I say the rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet and many other prays almost daily. One of my sins, now and a number of .years has been laziness. I rather read catholic material then do other things. I have diabetes so I can't fast but I do send contributions of at least 10% monthly and support worthy causes. This comes out of my social security check and I give up things for me by doing this.

I don't want anything but to do Gods work and I feel like I fail everyday. Because of a back problem I have a problem standing but I can't find any charitable work where I can contribute. Please direct me to some charitable work so I can go to confession and feel absolved. I know you are struggling but you bring an enormous amount of good to others in your daily life. May the Lord bless you and keep you well.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Lee:

Sorry about the long delay in answering.

Thank you for your kind words about our apostolate.

No matter what you did to others in the past, the responsibility for their eternal state belongs to them. When you confessed your sins and were absolved all sin related to those past incidents were wiped away and no longer exists. Put them in the past, prayer for those people, and move on.

Do you go to confession regularly? Then you are not going to hell. This is a bit of scrupulosity. When you are absolved of your sins you are in a State of Grace and thus heaven-bound. This is a ontological and spiritual fact and not a feeling. It is not a matter of "feeling" absolved, you ARE absolved when the priest says so. You may need to talk to your confessor about this.

As for doing God's work, you are already doing it. Given your disabilities, which are similar to mine, you are doing more than most for God. Your prayers for others are the work of God and more important than volunteering for any charity.

You are doing okay, Lee.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum