“He who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin merely through fear of chastisement.” –St. Alphonsus Liguori
Go to Confession, not merely to unload the weight of your sins or simply out of fear of going to hell…go because you want to re-establish your friendship with Christ and get back on the road of trying to please him and glorify him in all things!
“Control your appetites, before they control you.” St. John Climacus
We are “rational animals” with the gift of reason, will power and most importantly, God’s grace…but we need to employ these gifts and form these habits….it’s not automatic and it’s very easy to fall!
“Let us now return to those who wish to travel on this road, and will not halt until they reach their goal, which is the place where they can drink of this water of life. As I say, it is most important – all important, indeed – that they should begin well by making an earnest and most determined resolve not to halt until they reach their goal, whatever may come, whatever may happen to them, however hard they may have to labor, whoever may complain of them, whether they reach their goal or die on the road or have no heart to confront the trials which they meet, whether the very world dissolves before them.” St. Teresa of Avila As a Catholic priest and marathon runner, I see so many parallels between the race of our daily living of virtue and running a 26.2 mile race hard…one can help the other!
“Fall seven times. Stand up eight.” Japanese Proverb
No matter how hard or how far the fall, the grace of the Sacrament of Confession will always be enough to get you back on your feet and on the pathway of God’s will once again!
“God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.” C.S. Lewis
“Remember that it is not feeling of guilt that constitutes sin but the consent to sin. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virtue.” St. Padre Pio
