Sacrament of penance

In the context of an Ignatian retreat it is always beneficial to prepare oneself to make an excellent Confession. To make a good confession demands prior preparation! The better the prior preparation, the more abundant the graces and the more overflowing the river of peace in your soul! Following are ten short helps to make the […]

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [ John 20:21-3 NIV ] (The Lord “breathes” on the apostles, & then gives them the power to forgive & retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord “breathes” divine life into…

The seven sacraments of the Catholic church are baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders.

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, ...

One doesn’t usually go to the St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica for advice on emotional matters. But for the feast of St. Thomas we shall indeed go there to seek advice on sorrow and consider some of St. Thomas’ remedies for it. (His advice is contained primarily in the Prima Secundae questions 35 – 37.) … Continue reading "Five Remedies for Sorrow from St. Thomas Aquinas"

Download this free HD photo of catholic, spirituality, forgive, and dark by Josh Applegate (@joshapplegate)

From a reader... I'm a convert to the Church, so I have a large span of my life with sins that I'm not entirely sure of. I confessed a series of sins (all of the same kind) as doubtful, but then a while later remembered extra details that made me realize that I probably did consent to the sin at l