Hi, i was wondering how you would know if God has accepted your repentance? and how long should you repent (cry etc and feel really depressed about it?)
for example, if you lived in sin for years and years, do you really think one week of repentance will count to God?
i mean, if you sinned and hurt him for soooooo many years, how can just feeling bad for a week make God forgive you?
Comments
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
He forgave him before he even said anything. Just by seeing him coming back he had compassion on him and forgave him and ran to him and kissed him.
Do you think the son still felt bad though? He probably did for the rest of his life.
The idea of Christianity is not to repent for certain period of time and that's it, but rather it's to live a life of repentance.
The Pope wrote a book on this called The Life of Repentance and Purity. I haven't read it yet but i will. It seems good from reading the Table of Contents...lol.
On the other hand, it takes us long time to live the repentence life. then we grow and develop spiritually. It's phases, just like the new born, he starts as an infant and then toddler and so on. During each phase we enjoy and experience how beautiful the life with God is with all it's hardships.
Ashamed, I also believe that this feelings is normal especially when anyone starts to repent. The devil starts to grow some seeds of doubt in our hearts so we go back to our pervious life. Don't fall into it and stick to our most loving and most caring LORD!
I am glad you asked about repentance and remorse as these are one of those things I personally struggle with. You know when you have some intellectual understanding but fail way short in practicing it. Repentance is usually seen as feeling sorry; which is only part of repentance. If I may paraphrase St. John of the Ladder’s words: If we can do only one thing and one thing only in this life it should be mourning. That’s why the mournful are blessed in the beatitudes.
On the other hand the Bible exhorts believers repeatedly to be joyous – especially in St. Paul’s epistles. So, the questions remains how can one remain mournful at the same time joyous while all the time leading a life of repentance?
Going back to the beatitudes it starts by saying “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” followed by “Blessed are the mournful...” Naturally there is some connection between these verses. If one is to mourn at all he should first realize his grim circumstance. When one realize the pit of sin he is in and his spiritual poverty what is there to do but morn. How can we try to give ourselves a pat on the back, or try to feel good about ourselves (as we are usually told to do) when being so spiritually poor? If we didn’t seek comfort (or feeling better about ourselves) but mourn as we should then the Lord promises us comfort.
So if mourning is the key what about joy?
Well joy is granted to those who mourn – in this life and the coming. As we mourn we remember that our mourning is not eternal for Christ has redeemed us and as a result we get comforted. As we mourn we hope to see the Day of the Lord, His Second Coming, and this hope gives us joy. So in our mourning we hope. When we hope we are joyous as St. Peter said “When you hope, be joyful”. Romans 12:12.
The balance of mourning and joy is explained so beautifully by St. John of the ladder with an analogy of honey and honeycomb: “When I consider the actual nature of compunction, I am amazed at how that which is called mourning and grief should contain joy and gladness interwoven within it, like honey in the comb."
Truly indeed, mourning practiced correctly yields joy sweeter than honey.
Pray for me
In Christ
Theophilus
Is repentance really crying and feeling depressed? Repentance comes from the Greek word Metanoya which means change of mind. Therefore, repentance is not remorse though it includes remorse. Remorse is only our starting point in our renewal (keep in mind we are not to abandon this starting point once we are done with it but mourn unceasingly for the reasons discussed in the above post).
So what is repentance?
Repentance is (as explained by Fr. Daniel Azer):
1. To regret: remorse.
2. To admit: do not justify yourself. Do no say excuses (blame-game)
3. To correct: what you did (If it is possible, some things you can’t correct while others you can).
4. To hope: Judas, the betrayer, didn’t hope.
5. To confess: to God before the priest.
6. To transform: to exercise the free choice correctly.
7. To renew: renewal of heart and mind.
Pray for me
In Christ
Theophilus
Isn't that what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is?
PFM
A person is forgiven the moment they are sorry and know they have sinned.. after that it is a waiting with trust to be free again... so they don't have to keep asking forgiveness
in our weakness we might know and realize that we are not strong enough to resist temptation when it comes to us, therefor, it may happen that when we apologize we know deep in our hearts that the same sin will repeat itself again...
yet there is one important thing we forget, our God is powerful and strong, He has promised us that He would give us the ability to step upon all things evil
When you're asking God for forgiveness, remember to put your weakness at His feet, so that He would take care of it
You receive forgiveness, but at the same time He changes you and makes all things new, He gives you strength and determination and not only help you to overwin the sin, He makes you hate it and when you think about it, it's very logical that once God is in your heart, there is no place for evil and sin
I think that our problem is the fact that the devil tries to blind us and prevent us from really understanding and knowing who God is and how He deals with us... He is Love beyond any love we might know, He forgives, He cares and He hates seeing His children in sin, so when they ask He gives them strength and freedom from the slavery of evil..
Gb and Ppfm
so, how would one know if God accepts their repentance? and if its true repentance?
can the devil make you think you have repented, and make you feel love and joy to make you think you have repented, so therefore in reality, keeping you from actually really repenting?
Let no one say: “I did that; perhaps I will not be forgiven.” Because you did it? How great is the sin you committed? Tell me what you have done, something serious, something horrible, something terrifying even to think about. Whatever you might have done, did you kill Christ? There is nothing worse than having done that, because there is nothing better than Christ. How great a wrong is it to kill Christ? But the Jews killed Him; and afterwards many of them believed in Him and drank His Blood; and the sin which they had committed was forgiven them. When you shall have been baptized, keep to a good life in the commandments of God, so that you may preserve your Baptism to the very end. I do not tell you that you will live here without sin, but they are venial sins which this life is never without. Baptism was instituted for all sins; for light sins, without which we cannot live, prayer was instituted. What does the prayer say? “Forgive us our debts as we too forgive our debtors.” We are cleansed once by Baptism; by prayer we are cleansed daily. But do not commit those sins on account of which you would have to be separated from the Body of Christ; perish the thought! For those whom you see doing penance have committed crimes, either adultery or some other enormities: that is why they are doing penance. If their sins were light, daily prayer would suffice to blot them out. In the Church, therefore, there are three ways in which sins are forgiven: Baptism, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance; yet, God does not forgive sins except to the baptized.
Ca. A.D 395: Augustine of Hippo, Sermon to Catechumens 7, no.15, in FEF 3:35, no. 1536.
May God grant us true repentance and His mercy
In Christ
Theophilus
Btw that's a fantastic quote Theophilus!
keep up the good work, don't despair, keep living for Jesus, we love you :)
pray for me too in my weakness.
Hi, i was wondering how you would know if God has accepted your repentance? and how long should you repent (cry etc and feel really depressed about it?)
for example, if you lived in sin for years and years, do you really think one week of repentance will count to God?
i mean, if you sinned and hurt him for soooooo many years, how can just feeling bad for a week make God forgive you?
do you sin everyday? then do repent everyday! -St.John Chrysostom
http://tasbeha.org/content/hh_books/Diabwars/index.html page 65 and 66:
4. Planting suspicions:
The devil plants suspicions in every field, because a suspicious
person is usually weak and the devil can conquer him.
For example, the devil plants doubts in respect of
repentance; either about the possibility of repentance or its
acceptance by God.
He suggests to the person that it is not easy for him to get rid of
such sins which have become a part of his character or one of
his habits or have become so loved by him that he can never
dispense with them. Filling that person with doubts concerning
his ability, the devil conceals completely God's help or makes
him doubt it as David the prophet says "LORD, how they have
increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against
me. Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in
God..." (Ps 3:2).
But, if the person insists on repentance, the devil makes him
doubt God's acceptance of his repentance, either because it
came after due time or because it is not true or because his sins
are so dreadful that they cannot be forgiven easily but need
punishment beyond his endurance!
The only objective of the devil is to throw the repentant
into despair.
This would make him lose heart and continue in sin.
The devil may also make him doubt God's mercy, giving him
countless verses about God's justice and punishments; and
perhaps the punishments are for sins far lighter than his.
The devil's suspicions may enter into the personal life also.
Matoolsh el ham we ma khafshee Rabena Mawgood
do you remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? Look what happened when the son decided to go back to his father and say his famous line:
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
He forgave him before he even said anything. Just by seeing him coming back he had compassion on him and forgave him and ran to him and kissed him.
Do you think the son still felt bad though? He probably did for the rest of his life.
The idea of Christianity is not to repent for certain period of time and that's it, but rather it's to live a life of repentance.
The Pope wrote a book on this called The Life of Repentance and Purity. I haven't read it yet but i will. It seems good from reading the Table of Contents...lol.
This is very true, I believe that this is 100% correct.
God Bless,
Patrick