10 Lies of Contemporary Culture

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The Sacrament of Reconciliation

First week of the month, is a time when we observe 1st Saturday Devotion to Our Blessed Mother to attend Holy Mass, Holy Communion, Confession (attend Confession any day of this week) and spend 15 minutes meditating on the Rosary for the intentions of the needs of the church today.

Today I was at church and it was quiet, with hardly anybody in the Confessional queue – a good time to go I thought. Plus the Holy Spirit was nudging me for some time, but my human nature made me feel a bit lazy!  Suddenly I saw a priest enter the church and go towards the confessional. Aha I thought, that is my cue! I thought, if a priest goes to Confession, what about me! So off I went to join the small queue. I have on occasions joined many people in the Confessional queue, all brothers and sisters in Christ, nuns and priests, side by side in the queue, and it is a humbling experience to realise that we are all on this spiritual journey towards our Eternal Home and we all have occasion to sin – daily, minute by minute. We all need this great Sacrament of Forgiveness and Grace to repent, to change, to try with God’s help to overcome our weaknesses, no matter how small or big. This world has temptations all around us to draw us into a life of sin and despair. We cannot escape the temptations of sin, unless we are strengthened with God’s help alone, by frequent repentance and conscious effort to overcome that weakness.

I would like to bring to your mind that many of us today think we don’t need to go to Confession, that we are living a daily life of doing daily chores and we think we are living a good moral life. After all the requirement of the catholic church is to go to Confession and Holy Communion (at least) once a year at Easter, although we need to attend Holy Mass every Sunday.  Intentionally missing Holy Mass on every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation is a Mortal sin and our soul is in spiritual danger. Or we might think, our sins are too great, we are afraid to confess it. These are doubts coming into our minds to stop us from going to this great Sacrament and being free of sin! Do not listen to this! Many people who do not believe in this, carry on their lives day after day, soon they realise they are stuck in the same life patterns which they cannot escape, they try everything – seeking professional counselling help, courses, programs. (I am not saying they do not work, they do work). Who holds the key to the human heart, created by God? No one can get into the mind and heart of any human being, except God Himself. God alone can help mend the broken human heart.

Have no fear, the priest in the Confessional is very patient and gentle and understanding to hear us out. And before you know it, in a few minutes, you are granted Absolution of the Church and you are free! Check your local churches for Confession times on Google search (if you are on the net) or check with your local Archdiocese for the nearest church. You are not alone! I have been hearing from our priests at Mass saying to people ‘come and talk to us’.

The Confessional is the Seat of Mercy – Jesus revealed to St Faustina, the apostle of Divine Mercy, that He is there in the Confessional through the priest, listening to us. We receive the Penance the priest asks of us and God’s Mercy washes our souls clean and Grace poured into our souls to strengthen us for our spiritual journey.

Jesus gave the Sacrament of Penance to the 12 Apostles on Pentecost when He breathed on them and Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”… St John 20:22.

Do not wait or doubt, go now to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and find Jesus the Divine Mercy waiting there!  Jesus says ‘Come to me all you who labour and heavily burdened and I will give you rest’.

~ God Bless you today and always!

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Ignatian framework for making a decison

At the start of this new year, we all have many plans and decisions to make, hoping to improve our lives or when faced with critical decisions for ourselves and our families! I hope you find this website helpful in taking steps to meditate on and structure your decision making plans. This is based on St Ignatius of Loyala’s teachings:

“Ignatian spirituality can help you in making good decisions. St. Ignatius Loyola’s approach to decision making combines keen psychological observation with acute spiritual insight. It has had a great impact over the centuries.”

http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/an-approach-to-good-choices/an-ignatian-framework-for-making-a-decision

God Bless ~ Mary

 

 

 

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Ourselves – looking after our own souls

Reading The Imitation of Christ, Book II, Chapter 5, as part of my Consecration to Mary. It is so important that we build up our personal relationship with God alone, examine the state of our soul daily, by Examination of Conscience, spend time in conversation with God.  ‘What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his own soul. Mathew 16:26. Makes sense doesn’t it? If we get involved too much in the affairs of others and of the world, we neglect our own soul. To a certain degree, things around us happen, someone needs help, we need to attend to working a job, paying our bills, cooking our food to sustain us, to clean our homes and care for family around us. But we need to devote some time of the day to God alone, even if it for a few minutes early morning and late night.  If we spend some time examining our day and what happened, how did we respond to certain things, how we felt about it and what feelings it evoked within us, we ask God to shed His Light on that situation and to help us grow and change, so that next time it happens, we will respond in a charitable way, which is good for our souls and the good of other souls. This is how we grow positively and change the world a little at a time!

Ourselves

We must not rely too much upon ourselves, for grace and understanding are often lacking in us. We have but little inborn light, and this we quickly lose through negligence. Often we are not aware that we are so blind in heart. Meanwhile we do wrong, and then do worse in excusing it. At times we are moved by passion, and we think it zeal. We take others to task for small mistakes, and overlook greater ones in ourselves. We are quick enough to feel and brood over the things we suffer from others, but we think nothing of how much others suffer from us. If a man would weigh his own deeds fully and rightly, he would find little cause to pass severe judgment on others.

The interior man puts the care of himself before all other concerns, and he who attends to himself carefully does not find it hard to hold his tongue about others. You will never be devout of heart unless you are thus silent about the affairs of others and pay particular attention to yourself. If you attend wholly to God and yourself, you will be little disturbed by what you see about you.

Where are your thoughts when they are not upon yourself? And after attending to various things, what have you gained if you have neglected self? If you wish to have true peace of mind and unity of purpose, you must cast all else aside and keep only yourself before your eyes.

You will make great progress if you keep yourself free from all temporal cares, for to value anything that is temporal is a great mistake. Consider nothing great, nothing high, nothing pleasing, nothing acceptable, except God Himself or that which is of God. Consider the consolations of creatures as vanity, for the soul that loves God scorns all things that are inferior to Him. God alone, the eternal and infinite, satisfies all, bringing comfort to the soul and true joy to the body.

I wish you God’s peace and may you find God’s Grace to grow from strength to strength in the virtues that God has promised us!

~ Mary

 

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Seven Deadly Sins; Seven Lively Virtues” with Fr. Robert Barron

7 deadly sins; 7 lively virtues

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG4VF0jU568&w=560&h=315]

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To love – Pope Francis quote 17 April 2015

I think this quote from Pope Francis needs to be covered in stars and flowers and framed in everyone’s house!

To love

Don’t give hatred time. Give time to time. This is useful for us when we have wicked thoughts about others, wicked feeling, when we have hostility, hatred, to not allow it to grow, to stop it, to give time to time. Time puts things in harmony, and makes us see things in the right light. But if you react in a moment of anger, it is certain you will be unjust. You will be unjust. And you will hurt yourself, too. Here’s some advice: time, time in the moment of temptation. The one who pauses gives God time.
Homily
Casa Santa Marta
17 April 2015

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Examination of Conscience

99 Questions to complete your examination of conscience …

Here are 99 questions to prayerfully consider before going to confession:

“I am the Lord, your God.  You shall have no other gods besides me.”

1. Have I doubted or denied God’s existence?
2. Have I been ungrateful to God for His benefits?
3. Am I open to God’s will?
4. Do I rely solely on myself and not on God?
5. Have I abandoned the Catholic Faith?
6. Have I joined a non-Catholic church or anti-Catholic group?
7. Have I refused to believe any truths of the Faith or any teachings of the Church?
8. Did I fail to profess or defend the Faith?
9. Have I failed to go to confession at least once a year?
10. Have I been faithful to my daily prayers?
11. Have I practiced any superstitions?
12. Am I unwilling to turn away from everything that makes my soul unworthy?

“You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.”

13. Have I sworn by God’s name carelessly, in anger, or surprise?
14. Do I speak irreverently of holy persons, places or things?
15. Have I cursed myself of others?
16. Did I use profanity?
17. Have I called down evil upon anyone or anything?
18. Did I get angry with God?
19. Have I angered others so as to make them curse?
20. Have I broken a vow made to God?
21. Have I murmured or complained about God?

“Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.”

22. Did I miss Mass on a Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation?
23. Did I arrive to Mass late or leave early?
24. Did I receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin?
25. Have I been irreverent during the Most Blessed Sacrament?
26. Have I been willfully distracted during Mass?
27. Do I allow myself to be distracted during Mass?
28. Have I done unnecessary work on Sunday?

“Honor your father and your mother.”

29. Have I disobeyed, insulted, or shown disrespect to my parents or legitimate superiors?
30. Did I neglect my duties to my husband, wife, children or parents?
31. Did I neglect to give good religious example to my family?
32. Am I disrespectful, impolite, or discourteous toward my family?
33. Have I failed to meet my children’s physical, spiritual, emotional, and educational needs?
34. Have I disobeyed the lawful demands of my superiors, teachers, or employer?
35. Did I fail to actively take an interest in the religious education and formation of my children?
36. Did I cause anyone to leave the faith?
37. Did I cause tension and fights in my family?
38. Did I care for my aged and infirm relatives?

“You shall not kill.”

39. Did I kill or physically injure anyone?
40. Did I have an abortion, or advise someone else to have an abortion?
41. Do I use artificial contraceptive or birth control prevention?
42. Have I entertained thoughts of suicide, desired to commit suicide or attempted suicide?
43. Have I been a part of euthanasia or assisted suicide?
44. Have I placed others in harms way, by driving or texting inappropriately?
45. Have I failed to help someone in danger or in need?
46. Did I drink or smoke excessively or abuse prescribed drugs?
47. Have I wished evil on anyone?
48. Do I deliberately harbor unkind and revengeful thoughts about others?
49. Have I taken revenge?
50. Have I used harsh or abusive language toward others?
51. Have I spread gloom through my words and actions?
52. Is there anyone with whom I refuse to speak, or against whom I bear a grudge?
53. Have I taken pleasure in anyone’s misfortunes?
54. Have I led others into sin?

“You shall not commit adultery” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife”

55. Did I commit impure acts with another – fornication (premarital sex) or adultery (sex with a married person)?
56. Did I commit impure acts by myself (masturbation)?
57. Do I engage in homosexual acts?
58. Have I refused my spouse the marriage right without good reason?
59. Am I dating someone who is civilly divorced but still bound by a valid marriage?
60. Did I marry or advise anyone to marry outside the Catholic Church?
61. Have I willfully entertained impure thoughts or desires?
62. Did I respect all members of the opposite sex, or have I objectified them?
63. Have I read, listened to, viewed, or spoken impure things?
64. Have I worn tight or otherwise revealing and immodest clothing?
65. Have I avoided occasions of impurity?

“You shall not steal.”

66. Have I stolen money or property?
67. Have I cheated?
68. Have I failed to make restitution for what I stole?
69. Have I intentionally damaged property?
70. Have I accepted or bought stolen property?
71. Have I helped someone steal?
72. Am I dishonest in my business dealings?
73. Have I failed to make restitution for my stealing, cheating and frauds?
74. Do I gamble excessively?
75. Have I borrowed without permission?
76. Have I failed to return things borrowed?
77. Did I waste time at work, school or at home?
78. Have I cheated my employer of an honest day’s work?
79. Have I cheated my employees of their wages?
80. Have I refused or neglected to help anyone in urgent need?

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

81. Have I lied deliberately?
82. Have I deliberately misled or deceived anyone?
83. Did I gossip or reveal others’ faults or sins?
84. Have I failed to keep promises or oaths?
85. Have I signed false documents?
86. Have I failed to prevent the defamation of another’s character?
87. Have I revealed secrets and betrayed trust?
88. Do I make false judgments and harbor false suspicions?
89. Have a failed to forgive someone or held a grudge?
90. Have I failed to apologize or make amends?
91. Did I fail to keep secret what should be confidential?
92. Have I disclosed another’s sins without serious reason?

“You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

93. Am I greedy or selfish?
94. Am I envious of someone’s possessions, talents, or blessings?
95. Do I indulge in self-pity?
96. Am I proud, vain, or desire to be praise?
97. Have I exaggerated my success?
98. Have I minimized or explained my failures?
99. Have I measured my charity by what others have given, rather than my ability to give?

Going to confession can be overwhelming and uncomfortable. This list of questions is extensive and can be daunting. It can be hard to say out loud the things in our lives that we have done wrong. Rather than looking down upon your failings, let the sorrow for sin help you overcome them. Look upon this sacrament as an opportunity to make full reparation for your sins, and restore your soul’s relationship with God. If you are reluctant to go to confession remember God’s mercy and compassion. “Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall become white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall become white as wool.” (Isiah 1:18)

Remember, Christ came into the world to save sinners.

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Daily Examen

How to become a better person, by doing a daily examen – reflect back on your mistakes of the day and how you could improve yourself …

 

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Overcoming road blocks to the Catholic Faith

Catholics Answers Radio talkback show, answers questions on road blocks you may experience in your Catholic Faith:

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