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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Sin	Frank	Sunday, July 20, 2008
Question: Can committing a sin destroy a person's life and that of his entire family if that person has confessed that sin to God and asked forgiveness?
Question Answered by Dear Frank: Confessing a sin to God forgives the sin and removes the sin from the soul of the person. It does not, however, remove the consequences of sin. If I throw a rock through a window of someone I do not like, I have sinned. I can confess that sin in the Sacrament of Confession and the sin will be forgiven and removed from my soul. But, the window is still broken (the consequence of my sin) and I am still responsible for repairing that window. If the sin is one where the consequences significantly disrupts the life of a person, then their life will be disrupted even though the sin is forgiven. For example, if a person robs a bank he can be forgiven when he confesses, but he must still go to prison. By going to prison he will lose his job, and lose his money, have a felony on his record, and when he gets out he has to start all over again. If a person commits adultery, the sin is forgiven when it is confessed, but the consequences of that adultery remain. The consequences are hurt and distrust on the part of the spouse. This can lead to divorce which further harms the whole family. But nothing that happens has to "destroy" a life or a family. With God's help we can persevere through anything. Even in adultery, the marriage does not have to end. The spouse can and should forgive his/her partner. It will be rough regaining trust and healing the wounds, but with God's help it is possible. The same is true for any other sin that may severely damage a person's life or severely damage a family. While we pay the consequences for our actions, God is the great healer. He can heal anything if we let him. Whatever is going on in your life, to confess your sin is the first step. Now you must do what is necessary to repair the damage as best your can. Your spouse should do the same in forgiving you and working to repair the damage from her end. Whatever happens God loves you and is with you and will be with you through the storms. Just remember to keep your eyes on Jesus and not on the storms. We will be praying for you and your family. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Sin

Frank

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Question:

Can committing a sin destroy a person's life and that of his entire family if that person has confessed that sin to God and asked forgiveness?

Question Answered by

Dear Frank:

Confessing a sin to God forgives the sin and removes the sin from the soul of the person. It does not, however, remove the consequences of sin.

If I throw a rock through a window of someone I do not like, I have sinned. I can confess that sin in the Sacrament of Confession and the sin will be forgiven and removed from my soul. But, the window is still broken (the consequence of my sin) and I am still responsible for repairing that window.

If the sin is one where the consequences significantly disrupts the life of a person, then their life will be disrupted even though the sin is forgiven.

For example, if a person robs a bank he can be forgiven when he confesses, but he must still go to prison. By going to prison he will lose his job, and lose his money, have a felony on his record, and when he gets out he has to start all over again.

If a person commits adultery, the sin is forgiven when it is confessed, but the consequences of that adultery remain. The consequences are hurt and distrust on the part of the spouse. This can lead to divorce which further harms the whole family.

But nothing that happens has to "destroy" a life or a family. With God's help we can persevere through anything. Even in adultery, the marriage does not have to end. The spouse can and should forgive his/her partner. It will be rough regaining trust and healing the wounds, but with God's help it is possible.

The same is true for any other sin that may severely damage a person's life or severely damage a family.

While we pay the consequences for our actions, God is the great healer. He can heal anything if we let him.

Whatever is going on in your life, to confess your sin is the first step. Now you must do what is necessary to repair the damage as best your can. Your spouse should do the same in forgiving you and working to repair the damage from her end.

Whatever happens God loves you and is with you and will be with you through the storms. Just remember to keep your eyes on Jesus and not on the storms.

We will be praying for you and your family.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.