Darren on Nostr: Once forgiven of our sins, going forward we should not fear that every fault or sin ...
Once forgiven of our sins, going forward we should not fear that every fault or sin makes God angry and quick to send us to hell unless we re-repent, as if we have an unsure, on-again-off-again relationship with a moody Jesus. (Of course, for our good and for the sake of justice we should repent of our sins daily. Jesus tells us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”)
We need not have an ongoing anxiety attack, afraid God's finger is always hovering over the "smite" button. We know Jesus always loves us and will see us through this life’s journey.
But that’s not to say even a single “mortal sin” won't send us to hell. We should feel guilty if we knowingly and willingly commit a serious sin, and we should not feel settled until we repent and receive absolution. Mortal sin is the kind that is a full rejection of God’s grace, and it's how we choose hell unless we repent of it before we die.
For the Catholic, repentance of mortal sin includes going to Confession. It is Jesus’ gift to us, because he knows we are capable of mortal sin even after baptism.
Now if someone is a non-Catholic Christian who genuinely doesn’t know he should be Catholic and go to Confession, then he would need to make a perfect act of contrition, which is much harder. It’s the purest form of repentance which involves perfect sorrow -- not out of fear of hell or the loss of heaven, but purely out of offending God, who is deserving of all our love.
Today, on All Souls Day, let’s pray for all who have died — and for all those we love who are still living — that God would free all from the sin that separates us from him.
We need not have an ongoing anxiety attack, afraid God's finger is always hovering over the "smite" button. We know Jesus always loves us and will see us through this life’s journey.
But that’s not to say even a single “mortal sin” won't send us to hell. We should feel guilty if we knowingly and willingly commit a serious sin, and we should not feel settled until we repent and receive absolution. Mortal sin is the kind that is a full rejection of God’s grace, and it's how we choose hell unless we repent of it before we die.
For the Catholic, repentance of mortal sin includes going to Confession. It is Jesus’ gift to us, because he knows we are capable of mortal sin even after baptism.
Now if someone is a non-Catholic Christian who genuinely doesn’t know he should be Catholic and go to Confession, then he would need to make a perfect act of contrition, which is much harder. It’s the purest form of repentance which involves perfect sorrow -- not out of fear of hell or the loss of heaven, but purely out of offending God, who is deserving of all our love.
Today, on All Souls Day, let’s pray for all who have died — and for all those we love who are still living — that God would free all from the sin that separates us from him.