Dear Father John, In the Catechism (CCC 2042) the second precept states: “You shall confess your sins at least once a year.” The qualification of having knowledge of a mortal sin is gone. (Or is it still mentioned somewhere else?) It makes sense to me that the precept is correct as stated because, as I … Read more
Dear Father Todd, regarding Father John’s post on “Give and Take” how does this combine with trying to be successful in a career, a type where if you do not make your accomplishments known, you will not advance? Your question is a good one because when we are trying to faithfully follow Christ in a … Read more
Dear Father Edward, does the idea of redemptive suffering apply only to physical suffering or does it also extend to submission to emotional/mental/spiritual suffering that comes from an abusive relationship? If I am the target of regular mistreatment by my husband and I offer it up, is this the same as redemptive suffering? Dear friend, … Read more
If there is one part of the spiritual life that St. Ignatius stressed, it was the daily–and even twice daily–examination of conscience. As we read the Spiritual Exercises, we may be overwhelmed by the minute detail of St. Ignatius’ treatment of what he calls the particular examination of conscience. At the same time, he is … Read more
Dear Father John, I recently heard someone mention the term “devotional confession.” I think this is what I need, but I am not sure what it really is. Is this the kind of confession we do when we are no longer living with habitual mortal or venial sins? Is this where we re-confess old sins … Read more
Dear Father John, “The truth is that we cannot remain prisoners of the past; people need a sort of ‘healing of the memories’ so that past evils will not come back again.” My question arises from this quote. HOW, HOW do I make it so that the past evils not come back, when the Hurt … Read more
Aquinas and More Dear friends, Many of you know that we are an affiliate of Aquinas and More. This means that they provide the book store in the far right column of the blog (scroll down a bit and you will see it). The way this works is that every book or item you purchase … Read more
Dear Father John, Can a root sin change over your life? It seems to me that increasingly sensuality is being replaced as a root sin by pride. have you seen this, as one sin goes, another becomes more prominent? The general opinion on this question is, as far as I can tell, that root sins … Read more
Does the Holy Spirit work in the un-baptized? Dear Father John, I thought I understood, more or less, how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. But in a recent faith sharing group, a question came up that made me wonder. Someone asked if the Holy Spirit would or would not be with un-baptized … Read more
Dear Father John, I’ve always understood the term “self-gift” in the context of relationships with people, especially a spouse. Recently I learned it is also similar to abandonment, surrender and humility – self-gift to God. Evidently I’ve missed out on something very basic to our faith. I’d sure appreciate an explanation of what exactly self-gift … Read more
Dear Catholic Spiritual Direction, I am going to a silent retreat soon. I know that I really need this and I really want to deepen my relationship with Christ. Is there anything in particular I can do to effectively prepare? Dear Friend, this is a difficult question to answer without knowing some details about your … Read more
Dear Father John, My spiritual director is recommending that I practice a daily “examination of conscience.” I thought this was just for religious, etc. Can you help me understand more about this, how it should be done, and why? In our first post we covered the “why” and an introduction to the “how” of a … Read more
Dear Father John, My spiritual director is recommending that I practice a daily “examination of conscience.” I thought this was just for religious, etc. Can you help me understand more about this, how it should be done, and why? This is a critical issue for deepening your friendship with Christ. Critical. Hands down, this spiritual … Read more
Dear Father John, Recently my mother passed away. She suffered from an irregular heartbeat and congestive heart failure. A week before she passed, she was rushed to the hospital where the ER doctor counseled us to have her put on hospice care and let nature take its course. After that, she was put on morphine … Read more
Dear Father John, What does it mean to have a “personal relationship with Christ?” I pray regularly (rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, etc.) and go to mass regularly, however, I don’t know that “personal relationship” would describe my understanding and experience of God. Am I missing something? Maybe, but maybe not. Let’s start answering your … Read more
Dear Father John, This is really interesting guidance. In the catechism, we learn that root sins are seven and they are, 1) pride, 2) covetousness, 3) lust, 4) anger, 5) gluttony, 6) envy and 7) slothfulness. In your classification there are three. Can you please make it more clear? This question illustrates how rich our … Read more
Dear Father John, Thank you for the post on root sin. It has definitely helped me. My question is, charity and humility seem to be the virtues to practice if the root sin is pride or vanity. But what would be the virtue to practice to overcome sensuality? It seems that it is more of … Read more
Dear Father John, I am not in spiritual direction right now, but I am trying to put together a program of life anyway. Can you give me some pointers about identifying my “root sin”? You are already on the right track. A program of life is worthless (well, almost worthless, at least) without having identified … Read more
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