Apostle Paul in one of his epistles said, when he was young he thought like a youth, but when he was grown he knew better. (1Cor. 13:11)
Truly I have come to realize that the world is more than what I used to think of it. As a youth I thought the world was a playground, where all I needed to do was to satisfy my urge for everything and anything that excites me. I cared less about consequences. Even then comparing myself with some of my peers who were more reckless, I could say I was more thoughtful in my deeds.
My present state of mind is more of that, which could be described as serene, deep thinking and more productive. I observe that am able to call to mind the sins of my youth which always get me prepared for a proper confession.
As a youth, responses were sharp and direct. Less thought of what Jesus Christ or God the Father would expect of me. Most times the reactions were to protect me from been cheated, or as a result of the feeling of my effort not been acknowledged.
At play one could use some foul languages at ease but now, one would think twice before speaking for one now recognizes the fact that we are always in the presence of God the Father, the one who judges our iniquities.
Battles were thought to be fought with all of one’s might, never thought the battle was truly for the Almighty to fight.
Now I know better. I continue to have the recalls which have now become prayer points for atonement of sins. Going to confession is now more worthwhile.
During the last Lenten Season, we had a retreat in my church at the end of which my Parish Priest who gave this Lenten talk, asked us to spread out all around the church premises taking space for Individual meditation. He wanted us to bring to mind those we think might have offended us at one point in life and we are still hurting and have not really been able to forgive them.
The task is to recall the issue of disagreement, give the person the chance to speak on his or her own side of the story and also give our own side of the story. This he said will help us to deal with issues that have weighed down on our spirits, affected our relationship with the people, and limited our freedom to be ourselves with other God’s children
After about Forty minutes we were called back into the church and Father Steve asked people to say how the exercise went. Before I go to other people’s comment on the exercise, I would like to share my own outcome of the exercise.
The Forty minutes meditation or flashback proved to me I have been dealing with my issues with other people. Recalling the people was not difficult. I saw for everyone, I had had one make up or the other and had even been praying for them. Then the only people I thought of were those members 0f family who were dead. Even for them I had long forgiven them and tried to pray for their souls.
This made me to know how much grace God has bestowed upon me.i was quite thankful to Him and the latter part of my meditation was dedicated for this.
Now to comments of others, two women’s comments caught my attention. One said the exercise seemed to bring back the hurt she had felt so many years back, which made it difficult for her to go through the exercise successfully. The other said, she was able to go through, but she dreaded the thought that she might be made to make up with the person. She had already forgiven the person but she would want to keep her distance to protect herself from been hurt again.
Father gave us the chance to contribute to the discussion of the outcome of the exercise. My view was that, the first woman had taken too long to deal with this issue which is now a burden for her.
I said no one could hurt us except we gave the chance for them to. She also needed to have heeded Gods word, which said we should not allow the sun to go down on our anger. She had allowed many sundowns on her anger.
For the other woman, the priest told her she needed to remove the limitation and allow God.
Yes, allowing God is the point. If we allow God to take His place in our lives, we would be more presentable to Him.
As a youth, allowing God to be present in our relationships protect us from hurts that we could be exposed to and which may cause us unending pains in the future. We may become more religious adults but may not feel fulfilled because of unresolved issues of old. As fully grown adults or aging people we need to use our flashbacks as means of atonement, seek forgiveness and do penance.
Have you been having some flashbacks on issues of your youthful days? How have they been affecting your confessions? Are you still holding back on any of them?
Be courageous, deal with them so that your relationship with your God may become closer and you will have overcome obstacles that can affect your spiritual growth. Be a Winner in Christ
I have been thinking a great deal about my experience at Reconciliation this past Saturday. I felt an intense and unexplainable urge to go and confess my sins when I woke up that morning. I try to go every six weeks or so, but this was no routine visit to the priest for me. I needed to unburden myself of the numerous venial sins I had committed since I last participated in this Sacrament.
Purest Gold: God's Refining Fire in our Lives »
After salvation, many young Christians wonder if there's anything more to their newfound faith than just the security blanket of "being a Christian." Time and time again, God shows himself as a "refiner," and our lives are as gold. God started leading me in this study to understand what He was doing in my life, as well as in the lives of others.
Picking up my pen to write this column, I couldn’t imagine how time flies. Since the last publication of this column I have gone through a lot, especially the loss of my dear mother to whom I dedicate this article. Not only her, but seems I lost a whole generation of my close family.
How to Achieve Business Excellence »
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before Kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29
Spiritual Development for our Youth »
Most of us youth in today's fast moving world are easily thrown off by difficulties and worries.
The theme of conversion is a thread that runs all through Lent, but conversion takes on different aspects throughout the phases of Lent. The first two and a half weeks focused on the interior turning of hearts; the liturgy urges the faithful to reflect and examine consciences thoroughly.
Saint Josephine Bakhita »
Feast Day: February 8
Patron Saint Of: Sudan
Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.
Catholics Must Fast More Intensely This Lent»
The Norbertine Canons of St. Michael's Abbey have created this digital Lenten retreat so that you can journey through this holy season alongside them. If you want to have one of your best Lenten seasons yet, join us in our Lenten Program "The Great Fast" - https://theabbotscircle.com/the-great-fast-join
When Your Faith Is Put to the Test - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon»
Friends, we come now to the Second Sunday of Lent, and we’re on both dangerous and very holy ground with the first reading from the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. The ancient Israelites referred to it as the “Akedah,” which means the “binding”: Abraham binds and is ready to sacrifice Isaac at God’s command.
Copyright © 2002-2024 THE BEACON INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC MAGAZINE. All rights reserved.
another mc.rufus interactive web design