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 Confessing
Our Sins
According to the Laws of the Catholic Church we need to confess our
sins at least once a year. But why do we need to do that? Because
we have to cleanse our souls. Confession is the telling of our sins
to a duly authorized priest, for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness.
This is also known as the Sacrament of Penance. St. Augustine defined
sin as something said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law
(law of God).
How are we going to confess our sins? Here’s how: Asked for
a priest on your parish who will listen to your confessions and will
give you penance. In confessing your sins you should be sincere and
remember all the sins that you need to confess. The sins that you
need to confess are mortal sins and venial sins.
Mortal sins are the most serious and grave sins. It destroys the grace
of God in the heart of the sinner. By their very grave nature, a mortal
sin cuts our relationship off from God and turns man away from his
creator.
Mortal sins cannot be done "accidentally." A person who
commits a mortal sin is one who knows that their sin is wrong, but
still deliberately commits the sin anyway. This means that mortal
sins are "premeditated" by the sinner and thus are truly
a rejection of God’s law and love.
The second type of sin, venial sin that of less grave matter does
not cut us off from Christ. However, venial sin does weaken grace
in the soul and damages our relationship with God. A person who frequently
indulges in venial sin is very likely to collapse into mortal sin
if they persist in their evil ways.
Before going to confessions you must examine yourself on what kind
of sins that you have done. You always have to ask yourself if you
violate any rules in Ten Commandments, and if you have hurt someone
intentionally or even unintentionally.
Always review the Ten Commandments as your guide on where you commit
mistakes. Also there are Seven Capital sins that you have to consider
these are: pride which unrestrained appreciation of our own worth,
greed or immoderate desire for earthly goods, lust or longing for
impure pleasures, anger or inordinate desire for revenge, gluttony
or unrestrained use of food and drink, envy or sorrow over another's
good fortune and sloth or laxity in keeping the Faith and the practice
of virtue, due to the effort involved.
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| LIVES
OF THE SAINTS |
May
18
ST. JOHN
I
St. John I was a priest of Rome. He became pope after
the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's
ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian. (The Arians did not
believe that Jesus is God.) Theodoric let Catholics alone
at the beginning of his reign. Later, however, he changed
and became arrogant and suspicious of everyone.
May
19
ST. CELESTINE V
Peter di Morone was the eleventh of twelve children.
He was born around 1210 in Isernia, Italy. His father died
when he was small. The family was poor, but Peter's mother
raised her children with great love.
May
20
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA
St. Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in a town
near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor.
His parents died when he was seven.
May
21
BLESSED
EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Blessed Eugene was born in France in 1782. He became
a priest in 1811. Father Eugene was sensitive to the needs
of the poor and he ministered to them.
May
22
ST. RITA OF CASCIA
St. Rita was born in 1381 in a little Italian village.
Her parents were older. They had begged God to send them a
child. They brought Rita up well. Rita wanted to enter the
convent when she was fifteen, but her parents decided that
she should marry instead.
May
23
ST. JOHN
BAPTIST ROSSI
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in 1698 in a village
near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when
a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him.
His parents knew the couple and trusted them. John was happy
to be able to go to their house in Genoa because then he could
attend school.
May
24
ST. DAVID
I OF SCOTLAND
St. David was born in 1080. He was the youngest son of St.
Margaret, queen of Scotland, and her good husband, King Malcom.
David himself became king when he was about forty.
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
Tour
of the Relics of the Passion
(International Center
for Holy Relics)
www.HolyRelics.org
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| REFLECTIONS |
 “Jesus’
Baptism”
Why did Jesus, the sinless one sent from the Father in heaven,
submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke
3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of
the “baptism” of Jesus bloody death upon the
cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning
of his mission as God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah
52:13-15; 53:1-12). He allowed himself to be numbered among
sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s
will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust
and submission to God?
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