Selling My Soul to the Devil

Q: My mother is sick with cancer and I was having a bad day myself with a lot of problems going on and I said that if my problems would go away and my mother would get better that I would give the devil my soul. Is it really possible that I gave the devil my soul? If I did, is there anything I could do to get it back?

A: The devil tries to distract us, to con us, tempt us, and trick us from getting into heaven. Some people choose to ignore God’s call, while others choose to follow. Some people choose to follow a path of darkness. In this case, I don’t think you gave your soul to the devil; your soul belongs to God. We do not have the authority over our souls to place them into heaven or hell. We have the way we carry out our lives to show where we would like to end up, but the ultimate judgment lies with God alone.

Jesus Christ was crucified. He died, and rose from the dead to conquer all of our sins. If you think you have done something wrong (anything) you have the opportunity to repent through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. One of the most beautiful things with God is that no matter how badly we mess up, if we are truly sorry in our hearts and ask for forgiveness, God will grant it.

Alex

Fr. Larry Richards: A Story About Love

I Can't Do My Penance

Q. What do I do if the priest gives me a penance to do, but once I leave Confession, I realize that I can't do it?

A. First, it depends what you mean by "can't do it." If you meant you physically cannot do your penance, then I would talk to the priest who you went to for Confession. If he wasn't your parish priest, and you can't reach him, talk to your parish priest about your penance.

If you can't carry out your penance because it is difficult, then pray. If necessary , talk to your pastor, youth minister, or another strong Catholic adult that you trust for guidance. Remember, the penance part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is important. The absolution takes away your blame for the sin, but not it's effects. Penance is meant to remedy the damage caused, and is necessary for a full Reconciliation (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 1459).

Tyler

Handling Racial Bigotry in School

Q: This guy at school makes racist remarks every time he passes me. I can’t ignore it anymore. Is there any way to handle this guy without a big fight?

A: There are several options you can take in this situation. One option is telling a counselor at school, someone who is not going to punish the student, but who can arrange a time for the two of you to sit down and will mediate a discussion. Another option is to notify someone who may talk with the guy individually, again, a counselor, a principal, or teacher, someone who will take time and let him know that his behavior is unacceptable. Try to make sure they either say, “We have heard some inappropriate comments from you,” or “Some people have brought to our attention that…” Anything to exclude your name or part in this. You want them to allow him to know there is a problem and others are noticing the inappropriate behavior.

In addition to bringing others into the situation, like I mentioned above, you could try to be overly nice to this guy. This places you in a proactive position instead of a reactive one. I have heard multiple times that hate breeds hate. The only way to conquer hate is by love. It will be a very difficult task; it takes a big person to be kind to someone who is disrespectful. Kill him with kindness and see what happens.

Alex

How Do I Forgive Cruelty

Q: How do you forgive people when they've done something really awful to you? Not the petty little jabs or mean jokes by the popular people at school, but people, adults, who have significant power over you who not only did something mean, but incredibly cruel? I've asked God to help me forgive, so many times, but I keep getting the same answer: I want you to do this on your own. How do you forgive without God's help?

A: First, God isn’t going to tell you to do anything impossible. If he is telling you to forgive someone, then it is within your ability to do so. Second, we as humans must forgive even without feeling like it. If we don’t forgive, how can we expect to be forgiven by God? It’s not an emotion to forgive, it’s a decision. It is a decision to stop wishing for a better past and let go of the hurt that a person has caused us. To forgive someone who has hurt you, you need to do just this, and continue to pray frequently for a mire forgiving spirit, as well as for those who have offended you. It is not an easy thing to do, but it is quite possible.

Another thing you can do is talk to an adult you trust, like your parents, priest, or youth minister. They may be able to give you more in-depth help on this situation and offer you support. If you've been physically or emotionally wounded by a person, you could forgive the person who injured you, but you still need healing yourself. And keep praying, God can do the more healing than anyone else can. Pray to him for healing, and be aware that it is absolutely okay to continue seeking God’s grace for this hurt.

Tyler

How Can We Fault Judas

Q: If Judas’ betrayal of Jesus was planned out by God and was a key part of our salvation, how can we fault Judas? After all, Jesus told him to do it at the Last Supper. Peter denied Jesus three times, even after he was warned that it would happen, and Peter was made the head of the Church. Why is Peter forgiven, and not Judas?

A: First of all, in Matthew 26:21 it says: “and as they did eat, he said, ‘Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.’” Jesus is not telling Judas to betray Him, but was showing that He knew what Judas was planning to do, and that He wasn’t going to stop Judas.

Secondly, Peter was forgiven because he was sincerely sorry and sought forgiveness. Sure Judas was sorry too, but he didn’t understand just what a loving and forgiving God our Lord is, so he committed suicide. The thing is, if Judas had asked for mercy like Peter he would have been forgiven, and maybe even have become a great saint. You see, it was his choice.

Really, for all we know there may not even be one single person in hell. Whhhaatt? I’m serious! Hey, it isn’t very likely but we gotta be optimistic right? After all, we were all created solely for the pure purpose to be with God in heaven one day. It’s a possibility (seriously doubt it though).

Christian

Should I Forgive

Q: One of my friends and I got in a fight last year. It was pretty insignificant and I didn’t think much of it. But then she started saying stuff about me behind my back and got all of our friends to think that I am a horrible person. I never said one bad thing about her. She even got our homeroom teacher into it.

I cut off our friendship. But now everyone in our group says we should make up. I’m not sure if I should forgive her for all the stuff she’s done to me this past year and be friends with her again.

A: Forgiving is difficult. It usually means acknowledging that someone has hurt you and that is a hard thing to do. In the Lord’s Prayer we ask, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We ask to be forgiven in the same manner we forgive. Bishop Desmond Tutu said, “Forgiving means abandoning your right to pay back the perpetrator in his own coin, but it is a loss that liberates the victim . . . One asks, ‘Have you forgiven those who held you prisoner of war?’ ‘I will never forgive them,’ replies the other. His mate says, ‘Then it seems they still have you in prison, don’t they?’” (No Future Without Forgiveness [Random House, 2000], pg. 272)

Forgiving someone is a difficult process, but if we do not forgive those who hurt us, the pain will never go away. I am not saying you need to be best friends with this person, but forgiving her will get rid of some of the tension and open the door to civility.

Alex

Finding Forgiveness

Q: I did something that made me feel dirty and guilty. You know, I was thinking it was bad and sinful at the moment; but I did it anyway. I can’t confess it because I’m too ashamed. People have told me, before this happened, that if you are a 100% sorry, you should forgive yourself because God already did. This is eating my insides.

A: If you are 100% sorry for a mortal sin you committed, you can still be forgiven and reach heaven, but believe me it isn’t worth risking going to hell for eternity. All it takes is one mortal sin to get you on the road to hell. Play it safe and go to confession. When we’re not in a state of grace our very soul is at risk. Confession brings that risk factor to a minimum. Only through the Sacrament of Confession can we be absolutely sure that we are forgiven, and through confession we can attain graces critical to our salvation. No matter how ashamed you are you should still go to confession. The priest doesn’t even need to know who you are, and he’s not going to yell at you or anything. Actually, he will be very understanding, and will give you counsel to help you from messing up again. In fact, that’s the whole reason he sits in that little stuffy room for I don’t know how long, solely to help you. You really have no reason to be afraid, it’s understandable to be nervous, but you needn’t be afraid. Yes, you may feel rotten, but you messed up and feeling guilty is not necessarily a bad thing. It says in the Bible that those with no shame are capable of the greatest evil (Jer. 8:12, Zeph. 3:5). Sorrow for sin is a good thing and we shouldn’t be afraid to go to confession because of it. Just go to confession, you’ll feel a lot better.

Christian