“Don’t go to confession because you want to receive Holy Communion”
Saturday’s confession is a common practice in many Catholic Churches. Many people go to confession so that they can receive Holy Communion on Sunday.
Now listen to this;
Avoid repeating sins. Repeating sins will result to ‘Obstinacy in sin’, one of the six sins against the Holy Spirit. Obstinacy in sin, is the willful persistence in wickedness, and running on from sin to sin, after sufficient instructions and admonition. In Obstinacy, you ask for mercy yet willfully return to such sin. Yet again you ask for mercy and so on. Spiritual life in a vicious circle.
Let us avoid repeating sins, each time we are told “Go and sin no more” we should make effort to avoid occasions of sin. This occasion does not only mean a club house or a brothel but all the persons, places, habit, words and things that may easily lead us into sin. Obstinacy can be forgiven like all sins, but only when it ceases.
Pray for grace too! Ask for counselling. Some persons don’t need confession but counseling. Certain habits should be confronted by counseling. Topic for another day.
Again, don’t glory in sin and say to yourself “I will go to confession afterwards.” Listen, even though you go to confession you deny yourself forgiveness.
How?
The Church teaches that the fundamental condition for receiving forgiveness is repentance founded on supernatural love for God, sometimes called perfect contrition. When repentance is based on something less or motivated by mere routine, we deny ourselves forgiveness.
So, don’t go to confession because you want to receive Holy Communion. Go to confession because you want to repent and resolve to live a holy life.
In 2 Cor.7: 10 Paul distinguishes between wordly sorrow and godly sorrow. He says; worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. While godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret.
So, in wordly sorrow we only express sentimental regrets, we close our eyes so tight until we begin to shed tears but in our hearts we share cheers. In worldly sorrow our garments are torn, but our hearts are not broken. And this is what we experience in many churches today. Little wonder evil is on the increase. What a crying shame!
In godly sorrow …we rise like the prodigal son, we put our acts together and say ‘I must go back to my Father’ ‘I must return to God’ “I was lost, now I am found’. In godly sorrow, our hearts are broken and we embrace repentance and salvation. Even though we shed tears …it is in mortification and penance not pretence.
📸 Time for lunch …. eat what is set before you 😂🎉 leave that meat alone.