Please accept my apology...

Did you ever fight with someone and regret it later? You want to apologize but not sure it would do any good. You want to say what you feel but are scared they'll take it as 'saying what they want to hear'. Even when your intentions are good, you're nervous that they'll be misconstrued. So do you apologize or do you not? I guess a good lesson in humility is to go ahead and do it. If you were in the wrong, you should apologize - no matter what. So you apologize and you hope for the best. If they take it the way you predict, you want to get mad. You want to be angry that they are questioning your intentions. Whether your history gives reason for it or not, you don't like having your sincere apology questioned for honesty. Again, a lesson in humility. Instead of getting mad you have to be calm and understand why, especially after several similar occasions, these apologies might seem rehearsed. You have to suck up your pride and remember that you apologized for a reason. And then, as your pride is beaten out of you with every glance (because you think that every time anyone looks at you they look at you with shame), you have to keep going and keep trying. You have to, in every word and action, let them know that you are sincere - not for you though. For them. It's a hard battle. Pride is hard to beat down. But with lots of prayer and confession and Mass, it can be overcome. +Lord, teach me humility.