Please Accept My Apologies, Dear Lord

Please Accept My Apologies, Dear Lord

Eileen Renders

First, I AM the Lord thy God, and do not place strange gods ahead of Me.

Lord, I am sincerely sorry for focusing on materialism, wealth, self-gratification, vanity, or anything earthly that distracts me from my love for you. 

Second, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

Dear Lord, forgive me for using your name in anger, to curse someone, or something. I

Promise forevermore, only to use your name in prayer. 

Third, remember to keep holy the Sabbath. Jesus, I have often been guilty of missing Mass with a headache, yet was well enough to go out for dinner with a friend. Lord, I am aware of my sins, and I ask for forgiveness, and promise I will not do that again. I understand today, how we love being remembered and having friends and family communicate with us, bringing acknowledgement and positivity into our lives. I want to make You Lord, my focus and my priority. Lord, you have always made time for me.

Fourth, Honor thy father and thy mother. This is an important Commandment, as we often come to you, Lord, in prayer seeking resolution and respect from our adult children who isolate us, and offer no respect at times when they no longer want our concern. Yet you, our Creator, who loved us enough to want to share all Your gifts with us, including the promise of eternity in paradise with You. Yet, how often we have disrespected Your Commandments, disrespecting You. Help me, God, to recognize my failings and to give to You the love and respect You deserve.

Thou Shalt Not Kill. This Commandment does not only refer to murder, but also refers to killing or relinquishing respect for the privacy, reputation, etc of others. We are asked to love our neighbors as we love ourselves for the Love of God. Y

ou have asked us not to place ourselves above others, but to live with humility and mercy.

Six, Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery. Lord, for any of us who have committed adultery, we have broken vows, we have not taken into conscience how marriage is a sacrament instituted by you, Lord. As you said to Mary Magdaline, who was about to be stoned by a group who knew her sins, Jesus saved her saying, “Those of you who have not sinned can throw the first stone.” The group was all sinners and departed. Jesus then said to Mary Magdalene, “Woman, not one has condemned you, neither have I condemned you; go and sin no more.”

Seven. Thou shalt not Steal. Lord, if I have offended you at any time in my life in taking something from another that was rightfully theirs, please accept my apology, as we, your people, have time and again stolen from you the time, respect, loyalty, and prayer that you deserve when we have sinned against Your Commandments.

Eight. You shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor. This Commandment says everything about the Commandments, as when we lie about someone, or make public their private mistakes, ruin their reputation, we are stealing their right to work and live in peace. We are betraying God’s Commandments. God tells us not to steal, not to kill, or ruin something that belongs to another. God is the example of love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Nine. Thy Shalt Not Covet They Neighbor’s wife. This Commandment is lustfully and sinfully desiring someone who is married to another. We are not only entertaining sinful thoughts, but we also leave the door open to continue on this path, walking hand in hand with Satan. This breaks many Commandments. Those of the first, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth. Thank you for bringing me this far, and allowing me to see the error of my ways, and desire to live the rest of my life as you give it, to learn your ways, and show my regret for not growing spiritually much sooner.

Ten. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. This is a sin against our neighbor and against God. To become jealous of someone who has worked and earned something that we want, regardless of how we can obtain it. We may have been jealous of another’s looks, attention, home, earnings, or anything that was not ours, nothing that we earned, therefore, did not deserve. Jealousy is the work of Satan, who is always against God; therefore, it places us on the side of evil. I am truly sorry, Lord, I come on bended knee in prayer and ask for your grace and protection from the evil one so that I can give to you the respect, love, and devotion that is rightfully Yours.