5.  I will do the penance that the priest gives me during confession and I will begin to make restitution to God and man for my sins; both in the particular case and in the general case.

6.  I will begin to attend Mass – the True Mass; I will attend more regularly and more devoutly.  I will always try to go to Communion if I am able.

STEP 5: PENANCE AND RESTITUTION

When we sin we incur two types of punishment; eternal and temporal.  If the sin committed is a mortal sin (mortal means deadly), then the eternal punishment that we incur is to be cast into the fires of hell forever.  Not a pleasant thought, eh?  Assuming that we have already been baptized, if we go to Confession, however, the eternal punishment is removed because God forgives us of our sin.  However, the temporal punishment is not removed.  We still have to "make it up" to God, as it were.  An example to illustrate. 

Let's say I'm a mean little kid and I throw a brick through your window.  Bad little me!  The cops catch me and bring me to justice.  You, being sweet and lovable, are willing to forgive me if I say I'm sorry.  I do, so you forgive me but that still doesn't take care of your busted window.  I have to make restitution for it by paying you the value of the window or fixing it myself, insofar as I am able.

My asking for forgiveness is the equivalent of going to Confession.  Your forgiving me is the same as God forgiving me and removing the eternal punishment.  My paying for the repair of the window is the same as meeting the demands for my temporal punishment.  It is all very logical and agrees with our sense of justice.

Now, back to our going to Confession.  In the confessional, the priest will give us a penance to perform.  Frequently, it's some simple prayers to say.  Otherwise, it can include that we make restitution to the party whom we have wronged.  It could be to give back something or pay something or to perform some action.  That's what Step 5 is about. 

When we suffer under the hook of an addiction, we typically don't care about how it affects others.  Our love of self is so strong that all we really want to do is to please the "supreme being - ME".  For example, a pornography addict is usually very sorry that he's been caught but his mind is more focused on his own sexual gratification than on his wife's hurt feelings.  I'm sure that you can provide your own examples of how you might have wronged others in whatever addiction you might have.  It's worth burning up a few brain cells in contemplating who we have wronged in the committing of our addictions.  If you're anything like me, the time span over which you have to consider can be decades long and the number of mortal sins, either directly due to your addiction or indirectly caused by your addiction can run into the tens of thousands!  Therefore, this isn't "a brief pause" between songs on the radio during your ride home from work, but "the whole ride" to work over many days to get a real feeling for the depth of the hurt caused.

It's also worth making up a list, at least a mental list, of who we have wronged.  First on the list, of course, is God - the God Who loves us so much.  Next, it's probably the people closest to us or the people that we have wronged most egregiously.  These are the parties to whom we owe the biggest "restitution". 

Now, knowing who these people are, determine what charitable works we can perform to begin "payback".  It could be money, time, words, whatever.  If you are in doubt as to what course of action you should take ask the priest.  He will have a supernatural perspective on what your soul needs and he is in a great position to advise you.  Or, you can contact me in all confidentiality at postmaster@blessedmargaret.org.  Don't worry about scandalizing me, at my first general confession, I counted about 17,000 mortal sins over my life to that point.

Depending on extent and duration of our addictions, it can very well take the rest of our lives to pay back, even in a small way, the debts that we owe to them.  "Now is the acceptable time".  Begin today.  If we can't "make it up" directly, find another party in similar circumstances or do it for Holy Mother Church or another charity like Blessed Margaret Family Help Center.  The key to restitution is whatever is "within our means".  God does not expect the impossible, just the possible.  Besides the hook, God gave us, each and every one of us, talents, be they money, skill, or whatever.  You know what they are; use them.

St. Peter tells us that "Charity covereth a multitude of sins".  He wasn't joking; and if we are serious about pulling the "hook" out of our souls - neither will we.  Let's get to work.  Again, if you can't figure out where you "plug in", contact me at postmaster@blessedmargaret.org.

STEP 6:   ATTEND THE TRUE MASS

This is one of the few moments where I might appear to be mean and you might accuse me of lacking charity.  However, my concern is for souls that are struggling, in the same way that I have had to struggle, against their own addictions.  My concern is for them; not for the tender feelings of those who, by design or by ignorance, have caused such a huge crisis in the Church and within millions of Catholic souls throughout the world. 

First of all, let me state that the Catholic Church is found wherever you can find the four marks of the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.  It can exist in organizations and it can exist in individual souls.  I have seen it personally in individuals in the Novus Ordo (New Order) Church but I do not see it within the hierarchy and I do not see it in the New Mass of Pope Paul VI.  Feel free to contact me and call me "schismatic" and "excommunicated" if you'd like but the fact of the matter is that the New Mass does not give grace - at least not in sufficient quantity.  I know.  I personally experienced its lack of grace! 

How can I make such an ugly accusation?  Because the New Mass was created by an admitted Freemason with the assistance of 6 protestants, all enemies of God's One True Church, with the express purpose of eliminating all aspects of the propitiatory (or making up for sins) nature of the Mass.  The Tridentine Mass "stank of oblation" according to Martin Luther and that is exactly what the protestants hated about it.  The New Mass, on the other hand, has a new nature that does not contain the idea of atonement for sins.  In other words, it's no different than a Lutheran service.  Hence, it does not give grace, grace to the extent necessary to raise fallen man out of the muck of his sinfulness and to live in virtue.  Therefore, DO NOT ATTEND THE NEW MASS!!!!!!!

Enough preaching.  The Blessed Margaret Family Help Center is about souls, not the Crisis in the Church! If you are still reading this, I assume you've accepted my premise to never attend the New Mass and that from this point on we will be talking exclusively of the Tridentine Mass (or a traditional rite Mass for those not in the Roman rite). 

Why is Mass attendance so important?  In order to answer that question, it is necessary to understand what the Mass fundamentally is.  It is not "the work of the people" or "the commemoration of the Last Supper".  It is the continuation of the bloody sacrifice of Calvary in an un-bloody manner.  In other words, it is Calvary continued.  Now, there are four reasons to pray: to adore, to petition, to thank, and to expiate (to expiate means to atone for or to make up for) for sins.  This last point, expiation, is what separates "the men from the boys", so to speak, between the Catholic Church and every other religion on the face of the earth.  Every body else has "worship" services where they do indeed adore, thank, and petition God.  But they do not atone for sins by bringing Christ really and truly present within their midst.  That's the difference - and it makes all the difference.  The abundance of graces is what is vital and essential to our souls in overcoming whatever hooks we have in us.

If you've never attended the Tridentine Mass before, please don't expect to be entertained.  It is God-centered, not man-centered, so all the emphasis is on Him, not on your being catered to.  I suggest that the first time you simply go and observe.  Watch in all humbleness and piety.  Dress in your best clothes.  If you are a woman, wear a long dress and cover your head.  No blue jeans and sneakers and tank tops for anyone.  Listen.  See.  Absorb.  If you have not gone to Confession to a traditional priest recently, don't go to Communion until you have done so.  Ask questions of the priest or the faithful after Mass.  Be a sponge - absorb everything you can.

After a few Masses, pick up a missal and begin to read along.  This is your active participation with the priest as he says the Mass.  Just like moss on a rock, it will begin to grow on you.  Don't try to understand it, just chalk it up to God's grace.  If you are docile and sincere, I promise that this is exactly what you will experience.  If you "don't get nothin' out of it", I respectfully submit that the problem is one of pride and the defect isn't in the Mass (know what I'm saying?).  Attend every Sunday.  Go to as many daily Masses as you can.

Attendance at Mass is the lifeblood of the spiritual life and the ammunition that you need to combat satan and your hook.  Without it, your soul will wither under the stress of the combat and you will sink in deeper into your addiction.  You may succeed at overcoming your addiction by using the naturalistic or pseudo-spiritual techniques of an AA or of some other religion but you won't save your soul nor will you give glory to God by virtue of your struggle against that addiction!  Satan does not care if you overcome your hook as long as you still end up in hell!  Remember: the purpose of the Catholic 12-Steps is to save your soul by your overcoming your addiction and to give glory to God through that struggle!

Anyway, once you are certain that you are in the state of grace by virtue of the sacrament of Confession, begin to go to Communion when you attend Mass.  Go EVERY opportunity that you can.  NEVER, EVER go if you haven't fasted or if you aren't in the state of grace, but otherwise, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, receive Our Lord in the sacrament of His Divine Love where He comes really and truly present into your body and soul.  Not because we are worthy of so great a Guest, but because He desires it.

After Communion, make a good thanksgiving.  Thank Him.  Confess your unworthiness.  Tell Him you love Him.

I can't explain it better than this.  This is KEY.  Without the Tridentine Mass, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US GOES TO HELL!!!  Make the Mass a habit.  It has been called the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven and it is. 

This last explanation was pretty heavy-duty and I pray that you are still with me, my fellow pilgrim.  Go to steps 7 & 8 at your earliest convenience.  Go to Mass.  God bless!!!!