When I was in the novitiate, I slipped into the habit of not quite believing that God had forgiven me for my sins. I had a sneaking hunch that He was saying, “I wish I could forgive you, but you have far to go before you are perfect enough to be forgiven.” This was the worst possible spiritual attitude, for I had conditioned God’s forgiveness on being “good enough,” yet I’d never be “good enough” without God’s forgiveness and healing! Fortunately, my novice master recognized the insanity of my position. He gave me advice I’ve followed throughout my life: “When you ask for forgiveness, turn to God with the heart of a child who trusts unconditionally in his parents, and say, ‘I accept Your forgiveness.'” from the 6th of Robert Spitzer’s “Short, Spontaneous Prayersthat Really Work”.
Audio of Fr. Spitzer discussing forgiveness …