Job 1:5 When the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send for them and purify them; and rising at dawn, he offered burnt holocausts for each one. For Job said,: It may be that my sons have sinned and blessed God in their hearts. Job did this every day.
St. Thomas Aquinas on Job:
As was said [in the Prologue], because the whole intention of this book is ordered to showing how human affairs are ruled by divine providence, and a kind of history is put first in which the numerous sufferings of a certain just man are related as the foundation of the whole debate. For it is affliction like this which seems most of all to exclude divine providence from human affairs. First, therefore, the person of this man is described as to his sex when the text says, “There was a man.” This sex is found stronger in suffering troubles. He is also described as to his land of origin when the text continues, “in the land of Hus,” which is situated in the East. His name is given next, “whose name was Job.” These two things seem to have been put in the text to suggest that this is not a parable but recounts a real deed.
His virtue is then described and in this he is shown to be free from sin, lest anyone think that the adversities which are set down in the account afterwards happened to him because of his sins. One should that a man sins in three ways. There are certain sins in which he sins against neighbor, like murder, adultery, theft and the like. There are certain sins in which he sins against God like perjury, sacrilege, blasphemy and the like. There are sins in which he sins against himself, as St. Paul says in I Cor., “He who fornicates, sins against his own body.” (6:18) One sins against his neighbor in two ways, either secretly by fraud or in openly by violence. But this man did not deceive his neighbor by fraud, for the text says, “He was without guile (simplex).” Being without guile (simplex) is properly opposed to fraud. Nor did he render violence against anyone, for the text continues, “and upright.” For uprightness properly belongs to justice, which consists in the mean between good and evil, as Isaiah says, “The way of the just is upright; you make straight the path the righteous walk.” (26:7) The text clearly indicates that he did not sin against God openly when it continues, “and he feared God,” which designates to his reverence for God. The fact that he also did not sin against himself is shown when the text puts, “and turned away from evil,” because he regarded evil with hatred for his own sake, not only for the sake of the harm of his neighbor or the offense of God.
When both the person and the virtue of this man have been described then his prosperity is shown so that the adversity which follows may be judged to be more grave because of the prosperity which precedes it. At the same time, this also demonstrates that not only spiritual goods but also temporal goods are given to the just from God’s first intention. But the fact just are sometimes afflicted with adversities happens for some special reason. Hence from the beginning, man was so established that he would not have been subject to any disturbances if he had remained in innocence. Now after the good firmly held in one’s own person, an element of temporal prosperity consists in the persons who are kin to a man and especially in the children born to him, who are in a certain sense a part of their parents. Therefore, Job’s prosperity is first described in terms of the fertility of his children when the text says, “There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.” The number of the men is fittingly greater than the number of women because parents usually have more affection for sons than for daughters. This is both because what is more perfect is more desirable (men are compared to women as prefect to imperfect) and because those born males are usually of more help in managing business than those born females.
Next, Job’s prosperity is shown as to the great number of his riches especially his animals. For near the beginning of the human race, the possession of land was not as valuable as the possession of animals because of the small number of men. This was especially true in the East where even up to the present there are few inhabitants in comparison with the extent of the region. Among the animals those are placed first which are especially useful for providing food and clothing for the human person, namely sheep, and so the text continues, “His property was seven thousand sheep.” Next, those animals are placed which are most useful as beasts of burden, camels. So the text adds, “and three thousand camels.” Third, those which serve for the cultivation of the fields are placed, and the text expresses this saying, “five hundred yoke of oxen.” Fourth, those animals which men use for transportation are placed, and so the text says, “and five hundred she-asses,” from which mules are bred, which the ancients used especially as mounts. All other species which serve the same purposes are classed under these four types of animals; for example, all those animals necessary for food and clothing classed under sheep and so on for the rest. Since men who have great wealth need a large number of servants to administer it, the text fittingly adds, “and a great number of servants.” Consequently his prosperity is established in terms of his honor and reputation which was known far and wide and this is what the text means saying, “So this man was accounted great among all the peoples of the East,” that is, he was honored and respected.
To praise Job even more the discipline of his house is described next, which was free from those vices which wealth usually produces. For very often great wealth in fact produces discord and so Genesis says that Abraham and Lot could not live together to avoid the quarrelling which arises from an abundance of possessions (cf. Gen.l3). Also, men who have a lot of possessions, while they love what they possess in an inordinate way, frequently use them more sparingly. As Ecclesiastes says, “There is another evil which I see under the sun, and which happens frequently among men: a man to whom God gave wealth, possessions and honor so that his soul lacks nothing he desires. Yet God does not give him power to consume it.” (6:1-2) The house of blessed Job was free from these evils, for concord, laughter and just frugality were there, which the text expresses saying, “His sons used to go and hold banquets in each other’s houses, each one on his appointed day.” This charity and concord existed not only among the brothers, but extended even to the sisters who often are despised by their brothers because of the pride which wealth generally produces, so the text adds, “And they would send and invite their sisters to eat and drink with them.” At the same time, the text also shows in this the confidence which Job had about the chastity of his daughters, for otherwise they would not have been allowed to go about in public, but would have been kept at home as Sirach wisely says, “Do not forget to keep a firm watch on your daughter lest she herself when she found the opportunity.” (26:13)
Just as frugality and concord flourished in the Job’s house, so a holy solicitude for the purity which riches frequently destroy or diminish floursihed in Job himself. As Deuteronomy says, “But he waxed fat, and kicked,” and further on, “and he forsook the God who made him, etc.” (32:18) He was so sollicitous for his purity that he removed himself completely from those things which could defile it. This is shown in the text already quoted that, “He feared God and turned away from evil.” (1:1) But he was also sollicitous for the purity of his sons, even though he permitted them to have banquets as an indulgence to their age. For some things can be tolerated in young people which would be reprehensible in mature people. Because at banquets men with difficulty either can never avoid unseemly humor and inordinate speech, or they offend in their immoderate use of food, he showed a remedy of purification to his sons whom he did not keep away from these banquets and so the text says, “And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send for them and purified them.” Days of banqueting is said to run their course because since there were seven sons and each one held a banquet on his own appointed day, the feasts would use up each of the seven days of the week in turn. Afterwards like in a circle or in cycles the day returned to the beginning in the banquets just as in the days of the week. One should note, however, that although Job indulged his sons in allowing them to have feasts, yet he did not participate himself in their banquets because he preserved his maturity. So the text says, “He would send for them,” but not that he would go himself. The manner of this purification by which he sanctified them through an intermediary can be understood in two ways: he either had them instructed with beneficial warning so that if they had done anything wrong at the banquets, they would correct it, or else that they should perform some rite of expiation in which they could satisfy for these kinds of faults as there were sacrifices and the oblation of first fruits and tithes even before the Law was given.
Now, at banquets, men not only incur impurity sometimes in the ways already mentioned, but also immerse themselves in more serious sins even to holding God in contempt; when, because of moral depravity their reason is dulled and they are separated from reverence for God, as Exodus says, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play,” (32:6) that is, to fornicate and to sacrifice to idols. So Job not only assisted his sons by sanctifying them against their light faults, but he was also eager to add a remedy by which they might be pleasing to God even against their graver sins. “And rising at dawn he offered holocausts for each one.” In these words, the text shows the perfection of his devotion both as to time, because he rose at dawn as Psalm 5 says, “In the morning, I will stand before you, etc.” (v.5) and so on; and as to the manner of offering because he offered holocausts which were completely burned to the honor of God. No part of this offering remained for the use of the offerer or of the one for whom it was offered as was the case in peace offerings or sin offerings, for the burnt offering is like “something completely consumed.” As to the number of the burnt offerings, because he offered holocausts for each one of his sons, for each sin must be expiated by suitable satisfactions.
Now, the text adds the reason for the offering of the holocausts saying, “For he (Job) said,” in his heart not certain but doubtful about the sins of his sons, “It may be that my sons have sinned”, in word or deed, “and blessed (benedixerint) God in their hearts.” This can be understood in two ways. In the first way, the text may be understood as a unified whole. For although to bless God is good, yet to bless God about the fact that a man has sinned means that one’s will agrees with the sin. He is blameworthy for this, as we read in Zechariah against some men, “Feed the flocks doomed to slaughter, which they killed who took possession, they did not grieve and sold them saying: Blessed be the Lord, we have become rich.’” (11:4-5) In another way, it may be understood divided. In this way “they blessed” (benedixerint) means “they cursed” (maledixerint). For the crime of blasphemy is so horrible that pious lips dread to call it by its own proper name, and so they call it by its opposite. Holocausts are fittingly offered for the sin of blasphemy, because sins committed against God must be expiated by a mark of divine respect.
Now when divine worship is rare, men usually celebrate it more devoutly; but when it is frequent, it annoys them. This is the sin of acedia, namely when someone is saddened about spiritual work. Job was not indeed subject to this sin, for the text adds, “Job did this every day,” maintaining an almost steadfast devotion in divine worship.
St. Ambrose on our Daily Bread:
http://tinyurl.com/qxyly49
These two great Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church teach us about the best of the Old and New Testament vis a vis The one True Holocaust. Job offered Holocausts daily for his family and we Roman Catholic Christians, the new Israel, the new chosen men, not only assist at the Sacramental representation of the Pluperfect Holocaust, we are Blessed to consume the Victim, the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Pluperfect Man-God who became man so that we men can become like unto God and live forever.
It is the way men advance along the path of Salvation and Sanctification.
Job was righteous and, thus, his sacrifice was acceptable to God and spiritually efficacious to him whereas we accomplished sinners (like Raider Fan) require Sacramental Confession to prepare our own selves for Daily - or weekly - Mass if our Sacrifice is to be made acceptable and if our souls are to be properly disposed to receive Sanctifying Grace, having been prompted by actual Grace to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for our own selves and our loved ones, dead and alive.
What follows is a very masculine form to be used to prepare ourselves for Confession:
An
examination of conscience (complied from several sources)
I
believe in a loving Savior Who forgives my sins and Who gives me the
grace to become a saint. Jesus Christ, through the ministry of
His priests, does both in the Sacrament of Penance.
"As
the Father hath sent Me, I also send you ... Receive ye the Holy
Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." (John
20:21-23)
"If
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow."
(Isaias 1:18)
"I
am not come to call the just, but sinners." (Matt. 9:13)
"Men
have received from God a power not granted to angels or archangels.
Never was it said to the heavenly spirits, ‘Whatsoever you shall
bind and unbind on earth shall be bound and unbound in heaven.’ The
princes of this world can only bind and unbind the body. The power of
the priest extends further; it reaches the soul, and it is exercised
not only in baptizing, but still more in pardoning sins. Let us not
blush, then, to confess our faults. He who blushes to discover his
sins to a man, and who will not confess, shall be covered with shame
on the Day of Judgment in the presence of the whole universe."
(St. John Chrysostom, Treatise on Priests, Bk. 3)
Most
merciful God, Father in heaven, relying on Thy goodness and mercy, I
come before thee with filial confidence to confess my sins and to
implore thy forgiveness.
Thou
wilt not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless me and receive me
again into thy favor; I acknowledge that I have been most ungrateful
to Thee, but I sincerely repent and detest the wrong I have done, and
I desire to walk in the way of perfection in accordance with Thy holy
will.
O
Jesus, my Saviour, my good Shepherd, I have strayed far from
the path that Thou hast marked out for me; I did not follow in Thy
footsteps; I wandered into forbidden places.
Repentant
and sorrowful, I beg to be admitted again into the fold of Thy
faithful followers.
I
want to confess my sins with the same sincerity as I should wish to
do at the moment of my death. My Jesus, I look to Thee with
confidence for the grace to examine my conscience well.
O
Holy Ghost come in Thy mercy; enlighten my mind and strengthen my
will that I may know my sins, humbly confess them, and sincerely
amend my life.
Mary,
my Mother, immaculate spouse of the Holy Ghost, refuge of sinners,
assist me by thy intercession.
Holy
angels and saints of God, pray for me.
How
to Confess: First
examine your conscience well, then tell the priest the specific kind
of sins you have committed and, to the best of your ability, how many
times you have committed them since your last good confession. You
are obliged to confess only mortal sins, since you can obtain
forgiveness for your venial sins by sacrifices and acts of charity.
If you are in doubt about whether a sin is mortal or venial, mention
your doubt to the confessor. Remember also, confession of venial sins
is very helpful for avoiding sin and advancing toward Heaven.
Necessary
conditions for a sin to be mortal:
Serious
Matter
Sufficient
Reflection
Full
Consent of the Will
Preliminary
Considerations: Have I ever deliberately failed to confess a
past serious sin, or have I willfully disguised or hidden such a
sin?
Note: The
deliberate concealing of a mortal sin invalidates one´s confession
and makes the person guilty of another mortal sin. Remember that the
confession is private under the Seal of Confession, i.e., it is
a mortal sin for the priest to reveal the matter of one´s confession
to anyone else.
Have
I been guilty of irreverence for this sacrament by failing to examine
my conscience carefully?
Have
I failed to do the penance given to me by the priest?
Have
I any habits of serious sin to confess first (e.g. impurity,
drunkenness, etc.)?
First
Commandment: I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange
gods before Me. (Including sins against Faith, Hope and Charity)
Have
I neglected the knowledge of my faith as taught in the catechism,
such as the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Seven
Sacraments, the Our Father, etc.?
Have
I deliberately doubted or denied any of the teachings of the Church?
Have
I taken part in any non-Catholic worship?
Am
I a member of any non-Catholic religious organization, secret society
or anti-Catholic group?
Have
I knowingly read any heretical, blasphemous or anti-Catholic
literature?
Have
I practiced any superstitions (such as horoscopes, fortune telling,
Ouija board, etc.)?
Have
I omitted religious duties or practices through motives of human
respect?
Have
I recommended myself daily to God?
Have
I been faithful to my daily prayers?
Have
I abused the Sacraments in any way?
Received them irreverently,
e.g. Communion in the Hand without obeying the principles and
the 7 rules promulgated by Paul VI as binding in this matter?
Have
I made fun of God, Our Lady, the Saints, the Church, the Sacraments,
other holy things?
Have
I been guilty of great irreverence in church, e.g., conversation,
behavior, or dress?
Have
I been indifferent with regard to my Catholic Faith — believing one
can be saved in any religion, that all religions are equal?
Have
I presumed on God´s mercy at any time?
Have
I despaired of God´s mercy?
Have
I hated God?
Have
I given too much importance to any creature, activity, object or
opinion?
Second
Commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain.
Have
I sworn by God’s name falsely, rashly or in slight and trivial
matters?
Have
I murmured or complained against God (blasphemy)?
Have
I cursed myself or others, or any creature?
Have
I angered others so as to make them swear or blaspheme God?
Have
I broken a vow made to God?
Third
Commandment: Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
Have
I missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation?
Have
I been late for Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation or left
early through my own fault?
Have
I made others miss Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of obligation, leave
early or be late for Mass?
Have
I been willfully distracted during Mass?
Have
I done or commanded unnecessary servile work on Sunday or Holy Days
of Obligation?
Have
I bought or sold things not of necessity on Sunday and Holy Days of
obligation?
Fourth
Commandment: Honor thy father and thy mother.
Have
I been disobedient or disrespectful to my parents, or have I
neglected or refused to aid them in their wants or to do their last
will?
Have
I shown irreverence to others in positions of authority?
Have
I maligned or insulted priests or others consecrated to God?
Have
I failed in due reverence to aged persons?
Have
I mistreated my spouse or my children?
Have
I been disobedient or disrespectful to my husband?
Regarding
my children:
Have
I neglected their material needs?
Have
I failed to care for their early baptism? *(See below.)
Have
I failed to care for their proper religious education?
Have
I allowed them to neglect their religious duties?
Have
I allowed them to date/go steady without the prospect of marriage
within the near future? (St. Alphonsus says 1 year maximum.)
Have
I failed to supervise the company they keep?
Have
I failed to discipline them when they need it?
Have
I given them a bad example?
Have
I scandalized them by arguing with my spouse in front of my
children?
Have
I scandalized them by cursing or swearing in front of them?
Have
I guarded modesty in the home?
Have
I permitted them to wear immodest clothing (mini skirts; tight pants,
dresses, or sweaters; see-through blouses, short-shorts, revealing
swim suits, etc.)?
Have
I denied their freedom to marry or follow a religious vocation?
*Infants
should be baptized as soon as possible. Apart from particular
diocesan prescriptions, it appears to be the general view … that an
infant should be baptized within about a week or ten days after
birth. Many Catholics defer Baptism for a fortnight or a little over.
The view that Baptism should be administered within three days after
birth is considered too strict. St. Alphonsus, following common
opinion, thought that a delay, without reason, beyond ten or eleven
days would be a grievous sin. In view of modern custom, which is
known and not corrected by local Ordinaries, a delay beyond a month
without reason would be a serious sin. If there is no probable danger
to the child, parents cannot be convicted of serious sin if they
defer Baptism a little beyond three weeks at the outside, but the
practice of having an infant baptized within about a week or ten days
of birth is to be strongly commended, and indeed an earlier date may
be rightly recommended. —
Fifth
Commandment: Thou shalt not kill.
Have
I procured, desired, or hastened the death or bodily injury of
anyone?
Have
I borne hatred?
Have
I oppressed anyone?
Have
I desired revenge?
Have
I caused enmity between others?
Have
I quarreled or fought with anyone?
Have
I wished evil on anyone?
Have
I intended or attempted to injure or mistreat others?
Is
there anyone with whom I refuse to speak, or against whom I bear a
grudge?
Have
I taken pleasure in anyone’s misfortunes?
Have
I been jealous or envious of anyone?
Have
I had or attempted to have an abortion or
counseled
anyone else to do so?
Have
I mutilated my body unnecessarily in any way?
Have
I entertained thoughts of suicide, desired to commit suicide or
attempted suicide?
Have
I become drunk, used illicit drugs?
Have
I overeaten or do I neglect to eat properly, i.e., nutritious foods?
Have
I failed to correct in Charity?
Have
I harmed anyone’s soul, especially children, by giving scandal
through bad example?
Have
I harmed my own soul by intentionally and without necessity exposing
it to temptations, e.g.: bad TV, bad music, beaches, etc.
Sixth
and Ninth Commandments: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor´s wife.
Have
I denied my spouse his or her marriage rights?
Have
I practiced birth control (by pills, devices, withdrawal)?
Have
I abused my marriage rights in any other way?
Have
I committed adultery or fornication (premarital sex)?
Have
I committed any unnatural sin against purity (homosexuality or
lesbianism, etc.)?
Have
I touched or embraced another impurely?
Have
I engaged in prolonged or passionate kissing?
Have
I engaged in petting?
Have
I sinned impurely by myself (masturbation)?
Have
I entertained or taken pleasure in impure thoughts?
Have
I indulged in lustful desires for anyone, or willfully desired to see
or do anything impure?
Have
I willfully indulged in any sexual pleasure whether complete or
incomplete?
Have
I been an occasion of sin for others by wearing tight or otherwise
revealing and immodest clothing?
Have
I done anything to provoke or occasion impure thoughts or desires in
others deliberately or through carelessness?
Have
I read indecent literature or looked at bad pictures?
Have
I watched suggestive movies, TV programs, or Internet pornography or
permitted my children to do so?
Have
I used indecent language or told indecent stories?
Have
I willingly listened to such stories?
Have
I boasted of my sins or taken delight in past sins?
Have
I been in lewd company?
Have
I consented to impure glances?
Have
I neglected to control my imagination?
Have
I prayed at once to banish such bad thoughts and temptations?
Have
I avoided laziness, gluttony, idleness, and the occasions of
impurity?
Have
I attended immodest dances or indecent plays?
Have
I unnecessarily remained alone in the company of someone of the
opposite sex?
Note
Well: Do
not be afraid to tell the priest any impure sin you may have
committed. Do not hide or try to disguise any such sin. The priest is
there to help you and forgive you. Nothing you say will shock him, so
do not be afraid, no matter how ashamed you might be.
Seventh
and Tenth Commandments: Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor´s goods.
Have
I stolen anything? What or how much?
Have
I damaged anyone’s property?
Have
I negligently spoiled anyone´s property?
Have
I been negligent in the stewardship of other people’s money or
goods?
Have
I cheated or defrauded others?
Have
I gambled excessively?
Have
I refused or neglected to pay any debts?
Have
I acquired anything known to be stolen?
Have
I failed to return things borrowed?
Have
I cheated my employer of an honest day’s work?
Have
I cheated my employees of their wages?
Have
I refused or neglected to help anyone in urgent need?
Have
I failed to make restitution for my stealing, cheating and
frauds? (Ask the priest how to go about making restitution, that
is, returning to the owner what you unjustly took from him/her.)
Have
I been envious of another because I don´t have what he has?
Have
I been jealous of what another has?
Have
I been stingy?
Have
I been grasping and avaricious, placing too great importance upon
material goods and comforts? Is my heart set on earthly possessions
or on the true treasures of Heaven?
Eighth
Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor.
Have
I lied about anyone (calumny)?
Have
my lies caused them any material or spiritual harm?
Have
I rashly judged anyone (i.e. believed firmly, without sufficient
evidence, that they are guilty of some moral defect or crime)?
Have
I injured the good name of another by revealing true but hidden
faults (detraction)?
Have
I disclosed another´s sins?
Have
I been guilty of talebearing, (i.e. reporting something unfavorable
said of someone by another so as to create enmity between them)?
Have
I lent an ear to or encouraged the spreading of scandal about my
neighbor?
Have
I taken false oaths or signed false documents?
Am
I, without necessity, critical, negative or ever uncharitable in my
talk?
Have
I flattered others?
The
Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy
Have
I neglected to do the following whem circumstances obliged me:
The
Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy
To
admonish sinners.
To
instruct the ignorant.
To
counsel the doubtful.
To
comfort the sorrowful
To
bear wrongs patiently.
To
forgive all injuries.
To
pray for the living and the dead?
The
Seven Corporal Works of Mercy
To
feed the hungry.
To
give drink to the thirsty.
To
clothe the naked.
To
visit and ransom the captives.
To
harbor the harborless.
To
visit the sick.
To
bury the dead?
Remember
our Holy Catholic Faith teaches us that … as the body without
the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead. (James,
2:26)
The
Seven Deadly Sins and the Opposite Virtues
Pride.................................Humility
Covetousness....................Liberality
Lust...................................Chastity
Anger.................................Meekness
Gluttony.............................Temperance
Envy...................................Brotherly
love
Sloth...................................Diligence
Five
Effects of Pride
Vainglory:Boasting
Dissimulation
/ Duplicity
Ambition/
Contempt for others
Anger
/ Revenge / Resentment
Stubbornness
/ Obstinacy.
Nine
Ways of Being an Accessory to Another´s Sin
Have
I knowingly caused others to sin?
Have
I co-operated in the sins of others:
By
counsel.
By
command.
By
consent.
By
provocation.
By
praise or flattery.
By
concealment.
By
partaking.
By
silence.
By
defense of the ill done?
The
Four Sins which Cry to Heaven for Vengeance
Willful
Murder.
The
sin of Sodomy or Lesbianism.
Oppression
of the poor.
Defrauding
the laborer of his just wages.
The
Six Commandments of the Church
Have
I heard Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?
Have
I fasted and abstained on the days appointed and have I kept the
Eucharistic fast?
Have
I confessed at least once a year?
Have
I received the Holy Eucharist at least once in the year?
Have
I contributed as far as I must to the support of the Church?
Have
I observed the laws of the Church concerning Marriage, i.e.: Marriage
without a priest present, or marrying a relative or non-Catholic?
The
Five Blasphemies Against the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Have
I blasphemed against the Immaculate Conception?
Have
I blasphemed against Our Lady´s Perpetual Virginity?
Have
I blasphemed against Our Lady´s Divine Maternity? Have I failed to
recognize Our Lady as the Mother of all men?
Have
I publicly sought to sow in the hearts of children indifference or
scorn, or even hatred, of this Immaculate Mother?
Have
I outraged Her directly in Her Holy images?
Finally:
Have
I received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin? (This is a very
grave sacrilege.)
St.
Anthony Mary Claret´s Examination of Venial Sins
The
soul should avoid all venial sins, especially those which pave the
way for grave sin. It is not enough, my soul, to have a firm resolve
to suffer death rather than consent to any grave sin. It is necessary
to have a like resolution to venial sin. He who does not find in
himself this will, cannot have security. There is nothing which can
give us such a certain security of eternal salvation as an
uninterrupted cautiousness to avoid even the lightest venial sin, and
a notable, all-extensive earnestness reaching to all practices of the
spiritual life — earnestness in prayer, and in dealing with God;
earnestness in mortification and self-denial; earnestness in being
humble and in accepting contempt; earnestness in obeying and
renouncing one’s own self-will; earnest love of God and neighbor.
He who wants to gain this earnestness and keep it, must necessarily
have the resolve to always avoid especially the following venial
sins:
The
sin of giving entrance into your heart to any unreasonable suspicion
or unfair judgment against your neighbor.
The
sin of introducing talk about another’s defects or offending
charity in any other way, even lightly.
The
sin of omitting out of laziness our spiritual practices or of
performing them with voluntary neglect.
The
sin of having a disordered affection for somebody.
The
sin of having a vain esteem for oneself, or of taking vain
satisfaction in things pertaining to us.
The
sin of receiving the holy Sacraments in a careless way, with
distractions and other irreverences, and without a serious
preparation.
.
Impatience, resentment, any failure to accept disappointments as
coming from God’s Hand; for this puts obstacles in the way of the
decrees and dispositions of Divine Providence concerning us.
The
sin of giving ourselves an occasion that can even remotely blemish a
spotless condition of holy purity.
The
fault of advertently hiding from those who ought to learn them, one’s
bad inclinations, weaknesses, and mortifications, seeking to pursue
the road of virtue not under the direction of obedience, but under
the guidance of one’s own whims.
Note: This
speaks of times when we might have worthy direction if we seek it,
but we prefer to follow our own dim lights.
A
Final Note
Remember
to confess your sins with supernatural sorrow as well as a firm
resolution not to sin again, and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Ask your confessor to help you with any difficulties you have in
making a good confession. Say your penance promptly.
An
Act of Contrition
O
my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest
all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell,
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good
and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy
grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen