How can I eliminate sins from my life as if they had never been committed?

Good evening, Father,

I am writing you to ask for your opinion.

By praying every evening (I promise I will, and I have been doing so since last night) and going to Mass every Sunday, can I somehow ‘eliminate’ the sins I have committed as if nothing happened?

When I think about it, I feel very ashamed and wish I had never committed certain acts, but unfortunately, you cannot go back in time…

I ask you to pray for me and give me some advice, thank you.

Best regards

The priest’s response

Dearest,

1. Through sacramental confession, the sins of your past life are eliminated.

To use the language of the Book of Revelation, these sins are washed away in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14).

Jesus, through his passion and death, has overwhelmingly atoned for our sins.

2. One may ask: what remains of the sins of our life after sacramental confession?

Bad inclinations remain. And the damage we may have done to ourselves and to others also remains.

This is why penance is given.

3. The Catechism of the Catholic Church presents the necessity of penance in these words: ” Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is also called “penance.”” (CCC 1459).

4. The penances ordinarily given by confessors are more symbolic than real.

Yes, they have a certain value. But above all, they should point the way to a serious change of life or to progressive sanctification.

5. Therefore, they are not sufficient to eradicate the evil produced in us by sin, nor are they sufficient to repair the damage done to our neighbor and, more generally, to the Church.

The additional penances we can do are those indicated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“They can consist of 

– prayer, 

– an offering, 

– works of mercy, 

– service of neighbor, 

– voluntary self-denial, 

– sacrifices,

– and above all, the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear.

Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him. (Rom 8:17)” (CCC 1460).

6. For prayer, I recommend the daily Holy Rosary.

Our Lady asked for this for the conversion of sinners. Each of us is the first among these sinners.

Regarding the Rosary, I like to recall what St. Vincent de Paul said: “After the Mass, devotion to the Rosary has brought more graces to souls than all other devotions, and with its Hail Mary’s it accomplishes more miracles than any other prayer.”

7. I would also like to emphasize the particular value of the gift expressed through almsgiving.

I like to recall what God said about almsgiving in Sacred Scripture: “As water quenches fire, so almsgiving quenches sins” (Sir 3:29).

In the Old Testament, almsgiving was considered worthy of many graces.

As a sign of this, we read: “He who has compassion on the poor lends to the Lord” (Pr 19:17) and “He who gives to the poor suffers no want” (Pr 28:27).

In the New Testament, the words spoken by an angel, a heavenly messenger, to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, are precious: “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your almsgiving remembered before God” (Acts 10:31).

8. Among the most meritorious alms you can give is to have Masses celebrated in reparation for your sins.

It is not necessary to specify this intention to the priest. It is sufficient to say that you wish to have a Holy Mass celebrated according to your intentions.

The material offering is a sign that you wish to participate more deeply to the sacrifice of Christ.

I wish you all the best, I bless you, and I remember you in my prayers.

Father Angelo

Questo articolo è disponibile anche in: