Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Lent is a great time to not only seek God’s forgiveness, but to grant forgiveness to others, as well. When we seek God’s forgiveness, we make right our relationships with God. When we seek or give forgiveness to others, we make right our relationships with our neighbor. Seeking forgiveness from God seems much easier than seeking or giving forgiveness to others. Wouldn’t you agree? When we seek forgiveness from God, we know that He hears us and is quick to forgive. For that, we express gratitude. Yet, we humans tend not to be so quick to seek and give forgiveness when it come to our fellow men. Sometimes, we hold back from seeking forgiveness from others because we fear rejection. That seems understandable, as no one likes rejection. However, we may never know if we are forgiven unless we ask. Giving Forgiveness Now, what’s our excuse for withholding forgiveness? Is the hurt too deep? The offense too great? Hmm…Did God have any qualifiers on His forgiveness of you when you sou...

Lent is an excellent time for seeking God’s forgiveness, via the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this sacrament, God cleanses us from our sins and reunites us to Christ. Although you may be apprehensive at the onset of disclosing your sins to priest, it is really Christ in whom you are confessing your sins, as the priest is acting in persona Christi , in the person of Christ. You will exit the Confessional filled with God’s graces of gratitude, humility, joy and peace. As a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Coordinator for my parish, I work with people coming from other Christian faiths, (or no faith), who wish to consider becoming Catholic. One of the most common questions I get is “Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest? Why can’t you just ask God directly for forgiveness?” To answer these questions, this video from Bustedhalo.com gives the best answers: Read more...

Seeking forgiveness can be painful for a few reasons: Facing the reality of the hurt you caused another requires you to look the person in the eye when seeking forgiveness. When you do so, you see the pain caused by your actions/words. Seeking forgiveness requires humility. Many times our pride stands in the way of embracing humility. It is painful to humble ourselves and admit wrong-doing. When seeking forgiveness, we are beholden to another to graciously grant our request. We face the possibility of rejection, and that can be painful. Seeking Forgiveness from Others Over the course of my lifetime, I have found it much easier to forgive another, than to... Read more...