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Author Topic: Sacraments of no avail  (Read 769 times)

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Offline spouse of Jesus

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Sacraments of no avail
« on: October 01, 2009, 05:16:37 AM »
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  • I registered in a forum dedicated to "healing strategies" for sins like anger, lust ect. It is runned by a religious brother who plays role of the counsoler there. People come to that forum with strange account of their sinful lives and how sorry they feel now, and this brother's only answer is the oft-repeated principal of "freqent Sacraments and pray, avoid the occasions of temptations etc." But reading their posts only shows that these spiritual weapons were not as efficacious as they should be. So many thread there with the title: "I fell again", "my life is a hell" "fell again and againt"

    All my life I was told that all human desires have limits and God has created a remedy for all of them. But when I look at the life stroy of faciliator of that forum (a married lady) it seems to me that her instincs know no limit. having a husband and some lovers was not enough for her, she is still unsatisfied and tempted by every little thing. She says she made a seminarian forget his vocation, she is tempted when looking at her confessor and other priests. She is not alone. almost all other members have similar stories.
    Bible tiggers them.
    Statues of our Lady tiggers them.
    looking at their priests tiggers them.
    nursing thie babies tiggers them.
    .......
      And the awful thing is that even frequent Sacraments are of no avail:
    Baptism: didn't help
    Confirmation: didn't help
    Eucharist:didn't help
    Confession: didn't help
    And marrige which is supposed to be a remedy for these desires only made them worse by turning a big sin into a bigger sin.
      I really feel tempted against the faith, when seeing such inefficacy on the part of Sacraments, while wittnessing chastity of many unbelievers every day.
    Any answers?


    Offline Telesphorus

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    Sacraments of no avail
    « Reply #1 on: October 01, 2009, 05:26:58 AM »
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  • Quote from: spouse of Jesus
     I really feel tempted against the faith, when seeing such inefficacy on the part of Sacraments, while wittnessing chastity of many unbelievers every day.
    Any answers?


    The Sacraments are effective, but many people are not truly converted, not truly willing to do penance, because they don't understand what is truly required of Christian life.

    In the west we are incredibly spoiled and raised to be weak without discipline. Trying to be a good Christian means overcoming a lifetime of bad habits.

    Nevertheless, in my experience, the sacraments are effective.  A truly good confession made with an understanding of sin and how sin must be avoided is powerful.  Eucharistic adoration and prayer are powerful.  

    Ultimately though, to conquer impurity we must love God and no longer be attached to earthly hopes - this is something that most people find extremely difficult, including myself.

    We live in a very corrupted time and place.  And the people who wish to discuss too much their problems on the internet may be even more troubled than most.



    Offline Telesphorus

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    Sacraments of no avail
    « Reply #2 on: October 01, 2009, 05:36:42 AM »
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  • Another thing to remember is that this appears to be Novus Ordo based.

    They seem to try to mix modern popular psychology with Christian spirituality.  It is a bad idea, it leads to confusion.

    Offline spouse of Jesus

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    Sacraments of no avail
    « Reply #3 on: October 01, 2009, 05:37:15 AM »
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  •   I must add that they are NOs.

    Quote
    And the people who wish to discuss too much their problems on the internet may be even more troubled than most.


    Do you mean people like me?

    Offline Telesphorus

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    « Reply #4 on: October 01, 2009, 05:41:57 AM »
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  • Quote from: spouse of Jesus
     I must add that they are NOs.

    Quote
    And the people who wish to discuss too much their problems on the internet may be even more troubled than most.


    Do you mean people like me?


    No, the sort of person you were describing above.

    Watching that movie Chant posted yesterday was helpful.

    It helps to meditate on the fate of mankind and possible chastisements like nuclear war to realize how life should be lived.



    Offline Belloc

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    Sacraments of no avail
    « Reply #5 on: October 01, 2009, 07:25:04 AM »
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  • Quote from: Telesphorus
    Another thing to remember is that this appears to be Novus Ordo based.

    They seem to try to mix modern popular psychology with Christian spirituality.  It is a bad idea, it leads to confusion.


    Theres the problem, no?
    Proud "European American" and prouder, still, Catholic

    Offline Adesto

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    Sacraments of no avail
    « Reply #6 on: October 02, 2009, 12:20:36 PM »
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  • The very fact that these people post openly on the internet and share their problems with impurity is in itself your answer, Spouse.

    A firm resolution not to sin again must include a resolution to AVOID the occasions of sin. Now, we know that impurity appeals directly to the senses, through sight, hearing, etc, and through the imagination. Therefore, posting about one's own fantasies (even if they are temptations and unwanted) and reading others, about impurity, is surely putting oneself in the near occasion of sin. I suspect this is why these people are not able to resist temptations. They are putting themselves directly in harm's way by dwelling on these incidents and thoughts. They have to be thinking about them in order to post about them! These matters should be kept private between one's confessor and/or spiritual director, not plastered all over the internet. Perhaps they do not realize it, but it is surely adding to the problem.

    The Sacraments are wonderfully efficacious if we comply with God's grace. But it would be stupid if, for example, an alcoholic prayed to give up drink and then went to the pub with his friends as normal, expecting God to "fix" the problem when he is clearly not avoiding temptation. The same thing happens when we dwell on impurities, we are like the man deliberately going to the tavern and expecting God to stop him drinking.

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