Religious anxiety

[animegirl4ever]

I'm probably misusing the form posting for every little anxious moment But maybe this isn't just a one sided thing

See I went to confession tonight and well I went to confession everything went fine sins resolved and all( I'm catholic) that thing is I started worrying that what I just thought was a sin but I turned it into a prayer instead I'm not sure if that cancels it out or not

Does anyone else get anxiety about if you have just sinned or not hours or days after you've JUST been to confession? (for the recored I thought Oh my gosh but I didn't think gosh I thought another word. but when I said it out loud I said gosh but thats not what I thought for a split moment)

Also if I'm misusing the form tell me I don't want to cause any issues ^^;

[AceParadox]

Wait huh. You thought of my gosh but you said gosh outloud but you didn't.
x.x

[animegirl4ever]

Wait huh. You thought of my gosh but you said gosh outloud but you didn't.
x.x

Edited it to make more sense I say omgosh out loud but that I thought wasn't gosh it that makes sense

[nf1234]

Are you Catholic Animegirl?

[animegirl4ever]

Yes I've said that a whole bunch of times on this site ^^; I'll edit my post again and add it in here
but yes why?

[nf1234]

Sorry I don't come on here much anymore. I grew up Catholic but am now a Christian. I have some good news for you as far as your religious anxiety is concerned. The bible says that all who accept Jesus Christ into their hearts are forgiven of all past, present, and future sins. I know the Catholic religion teaches that you must goto confessional and confess to a priest but that is actually no where in the bible. God wants to to live in freedom from sin not to worry about religious rules and standards. "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" -Romans 8:1

[cookie26]

Hi animegirl,

I'm also Catholic, and according to the our practice of faith, you can be assured of Christ's forgiveness as you confess them to him through your priest. Because of our temperment, it's easy to get caught up in the anxiety of our faults, even days after we've confessed them - but this is actually not the way that God wants to feel - he wants us to know we are forgiven...I've heard once that when you confess your sins, Christ forgives us and we should forgive ourselves as well.

Religious topics may get touchy here...but from one person who shares this faith, I can definitely understand anxiety over confession and getting them addressed according to your faith. You may want to try the forum on catholic.com (forums.catholic.com) for more relavant information on this specific question, or finding a really good priest or spiritual director that you trust in your area you can raise these concerns to.

That being said, just a quick note -- God forgives venial sins (or lesser sins) without you going to confession, but being sorry for them. Mortal sins (or grave sins) are the ones that are more urgent and are needed for confession. Again, catholic.com would be a great start for more info! So don't fret if you haven't gone to confession right after you've sinned -- God knows in your heart if you are planning to go or are sorry, and he is ready to give forgiveness, mercy, and love...so remember that!

Father Benedict Groschel has a great book called "Spiritual Passages" that talks about the psychology of the spiritual life, and raises the issues of working through anxiety toward peace in that book as well. Remember that confession is not to make us feel more guilty, but more free...it's in confessing that we can let go and give over our faulty selves to God (because we ALL are), and in return he gives us his love...this is according to our Catholic faith.

Sleep well tonight, and be at peace with yourself as you are! :)

[cookie26]

"I have often said, “I forgive you,” but even as I said these words my heart remained angry and resentful. I still wanted to hear the story that tells me that I was right after all; I still wanted to hear apologies and excuses; I still wanted the satisfaction of receiving some praise in return – if only the praise for being so forgiving!
But God’s forgiveness is unconditional; it comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking. It is this divine forgiveness that I have to practice in my daily life. It calls me to keep stepping over all my arguments that say forgiveness is unwise, unhealthy, and impractical. It challenges me to step over all my needs for gratitude and compliments. Finally, it demands of me that I step over that wounded part of my heart that feels hurt and wronged and that wants to stay in control and put a few conditions between me and the one whom I am asked to forgive. " -- by Henri Nouwen, Catholic priest, from his book 'Return of the Prodigal Son'

Sometimes the person we need to forgive the most is ourselves.

[dazza]

Usher ft. Will I Am - OH MY GOSH

Brill tune! :-)

[laurandisorder]

This has been a really interesting read - on a that subject that I don't know a lot about, being agnostic and not adhering to one particular faith.

I hope you're feeling a bit better, animegirl. Forgiving ourselves, as we should forgive other people is really important. It is so easy to get caught up in being mad at ourselves for slight oversights - it's the anxious way of life.

Go easy on yourself'