by Seán on Wed Jan 07, 2009 12:05 am
Hi Siobhán.
The visionaries of Garabandal have asserted that the Warning will not be a sort of life review, but that it will make us aware of the wrongs we have done in our lives, the sins on our consciences. Fr Gobbi has likened it to a 'mini judgment' and this is also misleading; God will not judge us on the day of the Warning, instead He will offer Mercy and Forgiveness.
It is immensly difficult to try and describe something none of us have ever experienced before, so we can only really go by what the visionaries have stated.
The Warning cannot possibly show us every sin we have committed, but it most likely will show us the most grave sins on our consciences that we have not repented from.
To repent from sins, the Confessional is not absolutely necessary, albeit highly recommendable. You could offer your daily prayers as penance for your sins, you could name a specific serious sin(s) in your prayers or at Mass and offer penance. Because one of the greatest faults which God will accuse humanity on the day of the Warning is that many people do not practise repentance nor make acts of penance. Acts of penance greatly please Our Lord. The more penance we do in this lifetime, the less we may have to do in Purgatory, and of course, the closer we come to God and His Blessed Mother.
To root out as many sins as possible, a good examination of conscience is very helpful, especially if done regularly. Use the 10 commandments as a guide, to see if any of these have been broken in any way.
Seán