Tag Archives: forgiveness

LifeTeen.com Blog

Father, Forgive Them

By | March 24, 2013

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It’s true! For a long time, even though I knew that Christ offered me forgiveness, I got tired of asking to be forgiven because I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I kept falling into the same sins. Even for sins that I committed once, I had a hard time receiving His forgiveness because I didn’t feel worthy of being forgiven. Even after going to confession, I still felt guilty and ashamed for what I had done because I didn’t believe enough in His mercy.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Living Forgiveness

By | March 21, 2013

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Perhaps the toughest part of forgiveness is forgiving ourselves. This Lent, I’ve made specific efforts to forgive myself for past wrongdoings. I’ve reflected on what lead me to those sins or mistakes. I’ve confessed them and have felt Jesus take them off of my shoulders. The freedom that comes with Jesus’ forgiveness is life-changing. But we have to let it change our lives. We have to accept that He forgives us. He doesn’t hold a grudge, so who are we to hold one?

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LifeTeen.com Blog

The Man Who Won’t Condemn

By | March 20, 2013

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Jesus Christ is both justice and mercy. The Law of Moses required for the woman to be stoned; He didn’t fail to invite others to stone her. He even opened up the opportunity for others to condemn the woman, but only if they met the qualification that He knew no one (besides His mother & Himself ) could meet: “let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

Among all the people that were present, Christ could’ve immediately condemned her by His own standards. But He did not condemn her; He showed her mercy.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

God Doesn’t Text

By | May 30, 2012

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That was a tough question, but the next one worried me:

“Was I afraid to talk with God, to be honest with Him, and listen to Him even if I didn’t like it?”

I had to think about it for a while. I realized that while I trusted God with most things, there was still one thing that I avoided – Confession. I would go to Mass every Sunday and pray throughout the day asking for help or thanking Him, but I didn’t like sharing my weaknesses with Him.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Divine Mercy Sunday: God’s Mercy is Bigger Than Any Sin

By | April 13, 2012

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God offers us His grace and mercy every day, especially through the Eucharist. Because the tomb is empty, we have freedom. When Jesus descended into Hell he took sin and shame with Him. He left them there, where they belong. It is because Jesus rose that we are free. God’s mercy is so big. St. John Vianney put it beautifully when he said, “Our sins are nothing but a grain of sand alongside the great mountain of the mercy of God.”

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Why Do Catholics Believe in Indulgences?

By | April 12, 2012

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Catholics believe in indulgences because ultimately we know we’re all sinners and need God’s mercy. When a person commits a sin, there are two kinds of punishments that they have to deal with as a result of that sin. The first is called “eternal punishment” which means the sinner can’t enter heaven because of a grave sin that is not repented from. Through Christ’s sacrifice we don’t have to suffer eternal punishment if we repent. The second kind of punishment is called “temporal punishment” and every sin we commit carries a temporal punishment with it.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Love Hurts

By | April 6, 2012

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Try to picture it now. When the earthquake subsided and the darkness lifted that Friday afternoon, it must have resembled something like a crime scene. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your mind and heart now as you discern the site.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Lust vs. Love

By | March 28, 2012

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In Matthew 5:28, Jesus says that, “Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

When Jesus said this, it was completely radical, because he revealed that lust (something that happens inside your heart) is a sin just as much as an external action. What we think with our minds and desire in our hearts is a big deal.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Thou Shalt NOT Have Fun

By | March 27, 2012

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My image of God the Father, enthroned in heaven in flowing white robes and Birkenstock sandals, was overshadowed by my certainty that he didn’t want me to have any fun. Not only was God all about rules, he’d drop anybody that strayed off his path. Parochial school should have taught me how to live but instead I learned how not to die and burn. The result was that I treated Moses’ Commandments with the same reverence I reserved for one of Letterman’s “Top Ten” lists.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Library Thief

By | March 21, 2012

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The idea of stealing something is totally scary to me. I can’t even imagine the amount of fear that would paralyze me if I ever went to steal something like shoes, cash, or a camera. I would be shaking like a wet puppy in winter. But I would be sweating like it’s Phoenix in July. And I’m also pretty sure that the sick feeling in my stomach, the shame, and the guilt would drive me to return the stolen item the next day. I’m a sensitive person.

So, why am I writing about this commandment?

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LifeTeen.com Blog

What Do I Say in Confession?

By | March 8, 2012

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I stepped into the confessional and kneeled down at the kneeler. The priest opened the partition and I froze. I could not for the life of me remember what to say to the priest. Luckily he sensed my nervousness and walked me through the whole thing.

Because I know that sometimes we forget what to say I’ve provided a basic structure of what you should say at the beginning of your confession. I hope it helps!

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Confession in Boots

By | March 6, 2012

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There’s a hole in the side of my parents bathtub and it’s all my fault.

I was 11 years old. We had only lived in our newly built house for 2 years. On this particular evening my siblings and I were getting ready to go to a square dance. Yes, I just said square dance. Leave me alone. It was cool.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

"Nothing Will Separate Us": 10 Years After 9/11 With Donna Killoughey Bird

By | September 10, 2011

On this the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we wanted to share with you the beautiful story of one of our friends and former employee, Donna Killoughey Bird and honor the memory of Gary, her husband.

Gary was the only person from Arizona to die in the World Trade Center on 9/11. I sat down with Donna this week to ask her about the book and her story. I was so moved by her witness of the grace in her life and the healing she’s received. Her story is one of deep pain, but also of profound joy in the celebration of Gary’s life. I was touched by her willingness to share with me, and with all of you.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Forgiveness (John Paul II Lenten Reflections)

By | April 12, 2011

A stranger is no longer a stranger for the person who must become a neighbor to someone in need, to the point of accepting responsibility for his life, as the parable of the Good Samaritan shows so clearly (Lk 10:25-37). Even an enemy ceases to be an enemy for the person who is obliged to love him (Mt 5:38-48; Lk 6:27-35), to “do good” to him (Lk 6:27, 33, 35) and to respond to his immediate needs promptly and with no expectation of repayment (Lk 6:34-35). The height of this love is to pray for Read more [...]

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Personal Prayer Time: Jesus Shows CompassIon in our Sinfulness [Free Download]

By | April 7, 2011

Did you promise to pray more during Lent this year? Then this free download is just for you! We pulled out some pages from Life Teen’s book 40 More to help keep you going in this fifth week of Lent. In the download, you’ll read a verse from the Bible,  some questions about how it applies to your own life, a reflection, and a closing prayer. This week it’s about recognizing our sinfulness and accepting God’s compassion. Download: Jesus Shows Compassion in our Sinfulness   Read more [...]

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Video

Prodigal

By | November 17, 2010

Experience a story of forgiveness, family, and conversion in this Life Teen film. “…this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.”

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Scriptural Scuffs: How to Get Along With Your Siblings

By | November 8, 2010

I grew up in a family of five—my two parents, my older brother, my younger sister, and myself. Although my brother, sister, and I get along now that we are adults, growing up we fought A LOT. I can honestly say that I don’t remember a time when we weren’t yelling at each other about something.

Conflict resolution, especially with siblings, is a very important skill to have within your family. Fighting or arguing with your family members can have a lasting impact on your relationship.

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LifeTeen.com Blog

Help for Hypocrites

By | June 8, 2010

I know it is difficult to be someone who goes to church. When you decide to take your faith seriously, you immediately become a role model. People expect more of you, and your are left wondering how to deal with the sin that roars inside. I admit that sometimes it is easier for me to act holy because it’s too painful and embarrassing to talk about the real struggles of my life.

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