The Retreat that Never Ends: The Disposition of Humility
“Obedience is the foundation to authentic humility. But when you truly love someone, you want to do as much for them as possible rather than only what is required.” – Debra Black
Search Results for: confession
Keep Your Head in the Clouds
“We can and should allow the Feast of the Assumption to inspire in us a desire to imitate the saints’ focus on that which is ‘not of this world.'” – Thomas Griffin
The Ignatian Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide–Introduction
“Saint Ignatius created the Rules of Discernment for us as a sort of spiritual ‘flare’ or night vision device to cut through the fog.” – Megan Hjelmstad
The Extraordinary Gift of Ordinary Grace
“On my way toward the exit, though, I saw those same confession nuns. This time, they shouted in the crowded hallway, ‘The shortest confession lines we have seen all week! Now is your chance!’” – Danielle Bean
Persevering through Imperfection, Part I
“Above all, we must recognize our own poverty when it comes to persevering through imperfection. Don’t let perfectionist expectations become the enemy of the good.” – Megan Hjelmstad
Three Teachings on Corpus Christi
“He asks us, ‘Do you also want to leave me?'” – Monsignor Charles Pope
Healing and the Holy Spirit
“Only Jesus, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, can liberate us. He breaks our chains, rolls away the stone that is blocking our self-created tomb, calls us forth, unbinds us and pulls off the masks that have obscured our vision.” – Fr. Derek Sakowski
Tantrum in Aisle 10
“One would not expect to find any sort of Divine inspiration in such a scenario as late-night Walmart. But that would be to underestimate the creative ways God finds to crash into our distracted little brains.” – Denise Trull
Lord and Shepherd – A Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter
“To be in the Lord’s flock is to be in a life-changing, transformative relationship with the Lord.” – Monsignor Charles Pope
God is Enough: The Ascent of Mt. Carmel
“Perfect detachment from all that is not God is what we will have in fullness in Heaven. So we should start actively seeking it now, here in this life.” – Glenn Dickinson
The Importance of The Deeper Examination of Conscience
“One of the things I encourage everyone to do every day—at least once a day—is to take a few minutes to make an examination of conscience.” – Dan Burke
Pulpit Direction: Nurturing Spiritual Growth
What, pray, you will ask, is pulpit direction? Well, without attempting to make the matter appear complicated, it means simply that you explain the topic of the sermon as well as you can and that you suggest: a certain application to the personal needs of your listeners; a recourse to prayer and the sacraments for … Read more
How to Evoke Contrition
“The penitent, through perfect contrition, accompanied by the desire of confession, has already obtained remission of his sins from God.” Roman Catechism, Part 2, Section 4, Penance The idea of contrition is very unique to the Roman Catholic Tradition. The word itself literally means “the breaking of an object into small parts by means of … Read more
Understanding the Heart of Jesus in the Tabernacle
Here is a question that will leave more than a few Christians, and I will even say pious ones, perplexed: What does the Heart of Jesus do and what does it say? They had not taken into account that in the Tabernacle there is someone who can speak and speaks, someone who can work virtue … Read more
How do I Know if I am Ready for Spiritual Direction?
“You may have the impression that spiritual direction is only for spiritual marines.” – Fr. John Bartunek
A Marvelous Exchange
“The Son of God, who is eternally divine, willingly empties himself of his divine privileges (Phil 2:6-11). He assumes human nature, born of the Virgin Mary in the flesh.” – Fr. Derek Sakowski
How to Know Oneself
To know oneself is not easy. This may seem a rather paradoxical statement, since according to general belief everyone knows himself best. But one needs, in fact, quite a technique and, as it were, a special training, if one really wants to know oneself. That this is the case has been known to the wizards … Read more
Taking the ‘Sin’ Out of Sincerity: Overcoming Scrupulosity in Religious Life
“Maintaining reasonable expectations of self is key to overcoming scrupulosity. Despite grand designs and goals that might be entertained, there is only so much that one can actually do.” – Trent Beattie
