IRRESPONSIBLE AND FATAL NEGLECT

It is indeed irresponsible, and extremely so, the negligence of many families toward their sick members, whom they fail to properly prepare, in cases of serious illness, to receive the Holy Sacraments.

Providing the last rites of religion to the sick is not only an act of charity meritorious in the eyes of God, but also a sacred duty that cannot be violated without incurring a terrible responsibility. If one is guilty of homicide when one lets another die of hunger, what name should be given to the horrific crime of letting a soul perish by failing to provide the aid of our holy Religion?

And yet, how often experience shows us that this crime is committed even by Catholic families! Whether due to fanciful fears or inexcusable weakness, the priest is called as late as possible, and sometimes when the sick person is already unconscious.  We are not speaking here of families who deliberately wait until the sick person is in agony and who treat religion as a vain formality of pure convenience. Let us turn a blind eye to such indignity! We are speaking of those families in whom enough faith remains to consider the sacraments as holy things, to desire that the sick receive them with a Christian disposition, and yet, they are not told about confession until all hope of recovery has been lost. And what often happens in this case? They hesitate, they delay; the terrible symptoms appear; then they rush, they run in search of a priest, but they arrive too late—it is all over! God forbid that you should be treated this way in your last hour!

But what is it that prevents the fulfillment of this sacred mission? — “I don’t dare speak to him about a priest,” you say, “I’m afraid of frightening him.”  —And even if he were frightened, would you rather expose his soul to eternal damnation or a long period of expiation in purgatory? To frighten him! For if he were sleeping on the edge of an abyss or in a house engulfed in flames, would you hesitate to wake him so as not to frighten him?

You say that you will call the priest when the sick person asks for it. But are you unaware that the sick rarely realize the seriousness of their condition? It is your duty to prepare the sick person to receive the sacraments in a timely manner. Go to your parish or to a priest you know in advance, who will facilitate the fulfillment of this grave duty.

Banish from your mind the false worry that the sick person will be frightened if you speak to him about the sacraments.

Experience teaches that the sick person knows that the priest comes to their side to perform the sweetest and most beneficial of all ministries, to purify and console their soul, and ultimately, to bring them, in the midst of the most cruel anguish, the peace and gentleness of Jesus Christ. Note: In some countries, there are leagues whose members commit to notifying each other in case of serious illness, so that spiritual assistance can be received in time. Why could such leagues not be established here among us as well?

The first thing to do when you realize someone is in danger is to call the parish priest or confessor so they can administer the sacraments of Penance, Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick, and apply the plenary indulgence at the point of death (very few people know about this great grace. Ask the priest for it. 

Note: In some countries, there are groups whose members commit to notifying each other in case of serious illness so they can receive timely spiritual assistance. Why couldn't similar groups be established here among us? Or perhaps members could make a mutual commitment to this with two or three family members. Another aspect to consider is always being in a state of sanctifying grace (having gone to confession) before any operation, even if the risk is low.  Let us not forget that the commandments of Holy Mother Church require Confession at least once a year (minimum minimum) or if there is danger of death. Finally, it is important to ensure that the sick person is always wearing their scapular, and if it has not been conferred, to ask the priest attending them to do so. Every Catholic should wear it at all times.

_________________________________________

O Mother of Mercy, graciously hear the prayers of Christian families, so that no one may die in their home without having received Holy Viaticum!

Mortification

We must y mortify the senses of our body and the powers of our soul.

a) Mortify your eyes. "The other senses are the windows to the soul," says St. Augustine, "but the eyes are their doors." You are not forbidden to see, but you shouldn’t look at dangerous things. Young men should look at all young women as if they were their sisters, and at all women as they would look at their own mother.

b) Mortify your sense of taste, trying not to eat or drink excessively. St. Jerome says: "I will never believe that a drunkard is a chaste man."

c) Mortify your sense of touch, because your body is a sacred vessel that can only be touched or allowed to be touched with respect.

d) Mortify your mind, taking care of the thoughts and memories that can open the door to the enemy, rejecting them immediately.

e) Mortify your heart, in its very sensitive affections, because they begin in the Spirit and come to rest in the flesh (Gal 3.3)

CATHOLICS MUST TRY TO BE IN SANTIFYING GRACE

How to preserve sanctifying grace? Avoiding mortal sin. The main means for achieving this are:

1.- To reflect on the last things (death, judgment, heaven and hell).

2.- To flee from occasions of sin.

3.- Mortification (which we have explained before).

4.- To avoid idleness.

5.- Prayer

6.- To frequent the sacraments.

7.-The devotion to Mary.

8.- To fight against temptations.

Five paths of Repentance by Saint John Chrysostom

“Would you like me to list the paths of repentance? They are numerous and quite varied, and all lead to heaven.

A first path of repentance is the condemnation of your own sins: Be the first to admit your sins and you will be justified. For this reason, too, the prophet wrote: I said: I will accuse myself of my sins to the Lord, and you forgave the wickedness of my heart. Therefore, you too should condemn your own sins; that will be enough reason for the Lord to forgive you, for a man who condemns his own sins is slower to commit them again. Rouse your conscience to accuse you within your own house, lest it become your accuser before the judgment seat of the Lord.

CLICK HERE

That, then, is one very good path of repentance. Another and no less valuable one is to put out of our minds the harm done us by our enemies, in order to master our anger, and to forgive our fellow servants’ sins against us. Then our own sins against the Lord will be forgiven us. Thus you have another way to atone for sin: For if you forgive your debtors, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

Do you want to know of a third path? It consists of prayer that is fervent, careful and comes from the heart.

If you want to hear of a fourth, I will mention almsgiving, whose power is great and far-reaching. If, moreover, a man lives a modest, humble life, that, no less than the other things I have mentioned, takes sin away. Proof of this is the tax-collector who had no good deeds to mention, but offered his humility instead and was relieved of a heavy burden of sins.

Thus I have shown you five paths of repentance: condemnation of your sins, forgiveness of our neighbor’s sins against us, prayer, almsgiving and humility.

Do not be idle, then, but walk daily in all these paths; they are easy, and you cannot plead your poverty. For, though you live out your life amid great need, you can always set aside your wrath, be humble, pray diligently and condemn your own sins; poverty is no hindrance. Poverty is not an obstacle to our carrying out the Lord’s bidding, even when it comes to that path of repentance which involves giving money (almsgiving, I mean). The widow proved that when she put her two mites into the box!

Now that we have learned how to heal these wounds of ours, let us apply the cures. Then, when we have regained genuine health, we can approach the holy table with confidence, go gloriously to meet Christ, the king of glory, and attain the eternal blessings through the grace, mercy and kindness of Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

St. John Chrysostom, Homily on the tempting devil (2, 6: PG 49, 263-264).

FIVE-STEPS NECESSARY FOR MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION

1) Examination of Conscience

An examination of conscience consists in making a review of the faults committed (i.e thoughts, words, deeds and omissions), principally the grave ones (mortal sins) since your last good confession. You can examine your life in the light of the Ten Commandments, the commandment of ‘love of neighbor’, the Precepts of the Church, the deadly sins and/or the duties of one’s state in life (i.e. family, occupation, etc.). A practical piece of advice is to examine one’s faults mainly in the light of the Ten Commandments. You can find examinations of conscience (click here) in missals, devotional books, manuals, etc. that are very useful in making a good confession.

2) Sorrow for sins committed (also known as ‘heart-felt sorrow’)

Upon finishing the examination of conscience, you should ask Our Lord to grant you the grace of experiencing a profound contrition of all the sins committed, especially for those mortal sins that have offended Him. Immediately after that you should make an act of sincere repentance. In order to do so, it is advisable to recite the “Act of Contrition” along with the following prayer/poem:

To Christ Crucified

My God, it does not move me to befriend Thee

that Thou hast promised heavenly salvation,

and terror of eternal condemnation

is not what moves my ceasing to offend Thee.

To see Thee moves me, Lord, as nails suspend Thee

upon the Cross, in great humiliation;

Thy wounded body shows Thy tribulation

as we to cruel disgrace and death do send Thee!

Thy love so moves me naught to prize above Thee

that were there not a Hell I yet would fear Thee

and were there not a Heaven I would love Thee.

Thou needst not give me more to have me love Thee,

for, had I not such hope of being near Thee,

I yet would love Thee just as now I love Thee.

Types of sorrow (repentance)

a) “Perfect contrition” consists of feeling a deep sorrow for sins committed, motivated by the love of God, and the realization that these sins offend Him. The sinner regrets having offended God and firmly resolves to sin no more. The grief that arises due to love to God, together with a firm determination to go to confession at the earliest opportunity, gives the sinner justification (i.e. where the sinner is free from the penalty of sin) and grants him sanctifying grace; however, he is obligated to confess his mortal sins to a priest as soon as possible (Luke, 7:47). Nevertheless, if death should overtake him, even before the sacramental confession takes place, he is saved. It is therefore advisable to recite an act of perfect contrition every day, just before going to bed. In addition, when a person’s sins are mortal, an act of perfect contrition never sanctions a person to receive Holy Communion without first going to confession (there is no obligation to confess venial sins in order to be able to receive Communion).

b) “Imperfect contrition” or ‘attrition’ is the sorrow that one feels due to fear of divine punishments (eternal or temporary) fairly deserved for our sins. This kind of sorrow is sufficient for remission of sin through Confession but not for obtaining divine grace without it. This means that, by itself, attrition does not wipe away sins but rather only after first confessing to a priest.

3) Firm Purpose of Amendment (not to sin again)

A purpose of amendment is a firm resolution of the sinner to not offend God anymore. This intent needs to be made before going to Confession. Jesus said to the sinner: “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11) and the sinner must make this purpose of amendment (i.e. ‘I don’t want to sin ever again’). If there is not a real purpose of amendment, the confession is deemed invalid.

Moreover, this purpose must be coupled with repentance (or heart-felt sorrow). It also has to be firm, effective and universal (specifically embracing all mortal sins). It must rise from true repentance and it can be achieved by awareness of all types of evil caused by sin.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that the sinner will never sin again, but it does signify that he is determined to do everything possible to avoid sinning. It’s not a matter of certainty but of determination not to fall again, with God’s grace. It’s about being sure of not wanting to sin from that moment on. This is similar to what happens when leaving the house: you don’t know if you’re going to trip over something, but you’re certain you don’t want to.

This purpose must not be only negative: not to do this, not to say that… We should also make positive purposes: pray more attentively, be nicer to everybody, to speak well of others, not to speak when angry, to be thankful, to watch only good TV shows, to speak to the person I don’t like, etc.

4) Confession (to list all committed sins to a priest)

Confession compels us to tell to the priest ALL mortal sins committed since our last good confession. Additionally, one must say the number of times a specific kind of mortal sin was committed and any aggravating factors (i.e. the circumstances that increase the gravity of a mortal sin); for example, stealing from a poor man is worse than stealing from a rich one. It is convenient to say venial sins, too, though the latter is not compulsory.

5) Satisfaction (To do penance)

The satisfaction is the penance imposed by the priest to the penitent in order to redress, make amends and give satisfaction for the debt contracted by offending God. There must be willingness to accept and fulfill the penance (however, if it can’t be done due to forgetfulness without fault of negligence, etc., the sacrament is still valid).

There are some sins where restitution is required, too. Thus, we must restore stolen money. Or if we have libeled someone, we need to tell the truth about that person in order to restore their honor. Restitution obliges as far as it’s really possible, so if someone has stolen but does not have the means to return what was stolen, this obligation remains in abeyance until he has the means, since nobody is expected to do the impossible. It is licit to make restitution without exposing ourselves as thieves or slanderers, provided we don’t lie or let someone else (an innocent person) take the blame for our sin. In many cases, it is a matter of exercising discretion and intelligence. If there is not a real intention of restoring what was stolen (to the extent of our ability), confession will be futile, due to it being an essential requirement for it to be valid.

-oOo-

Lastly, it is important to bear in mind that it is God Himself who forgives our sins when we make a good confession. Christ left us this sacrament, which is a tangible sign of a real judgment. The priest, by the power received from Christ, becomes a judge. In that judgment, sins are withheld or forgiven. As an instrument of God, this judge is obliged (under pain of mortal sin and excommunication), to maintain an absolute silence about everything related to the confession. “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” (John 20:21-23). Only heretical arrogance tries to bypass the tribunal established by God Himself for the forgiveness of sins, with those declaring the absurd and worthless claim of “confessing directly and only to God”. Unfortunately, many have been victims of this deceit. Let us pray much for those souls of good faith who have been drawn into such error so they can realize the deception.

You can reproduce this article provided you quote this site.

Source of information: Blog CATOLICIDAD http://www.catolicidad.com/2012/03/cinco-pasos-que-se-requieren-para.html Translated from Spanish by: Fabiola Lozano.

Click here: Examination of Conscience