Pope Francis and the Pathway to Easter

Pope Francis was just elected and we look forward to his message to the Universal Church in the coming days.  He is a man of deep prayer and a man of profound concern for the poor.  At the beginning of Lent, he made an impassioned plea to the clergy and religious of Argentina, “The Kingdom of God may need our hearts torn by the desire for conversion and for the love, the breaking forth... Read More

CSD Book Club – Imitation of Christ (Week 9 of 10)

Woe to you… Examine your conscience with great care, and cleanse and purify it as best you can by true contrition and a humble confession. Thus, nothing grievous will remain in you and you will know of nothing that could cause you remorse and hinder your free access to Me. In general, be sorry for all your sins, but in particular, you must grieve and bewail those offenses you commit every... Read More

Video – Help me understand confession

Fr. John and Dan talk about how to better understand confession. About Marta GoodwinMail | More Posts (27)  Read More →

CSD Book Club – Journey of a Soul

 Mortification – A Bad Word? As much mortification as possible, especially of the tongue. I must always be ready to humble myself, especially when things go badly. Bodily mortifications are to be few but constant, and without excessive obligation. I will give up salt altogether; I will never eat fruit in the evening, and never drink more than one glass of wine. As a general rule, I will... Read More

Penance – Navigating the Interior Life Spiritual Dictionary

PENANCE: The virtue or disposition of heart by which one repents of one’s own sins and is converted to God. Also the punishment by which one atones for sins committed, either by oneself or by others. And finally the sacrament of penance, where confessed sins committed after baptism are absolved by a priest in the name of God. This Spiritual Dictionary Term is an excerpt from the Glossary... Read More

CSD Book Club – Spiritual Combat Conclusion – Introducing Trustful Surrender

It occurred to me that I actually had two posts to put together for today – one to sum up the book we’re reading and one to introduce our new book. That could make for a lot to read in one day, so I made two decisions: 1. Put together one post with two parts – each one short and sweet. 2. Leave an extra week at the end of future books so we can take some time to digest our current... Read More

Encounter With Mercy

Announcing: Encounter With Mercy – A Step-by-Step Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation I am happy to announce the first official publication of Catholic Spiritual Direction! The forward is written by Cardinal Justin Rigali. This step-by-step guide is compact (back pocket or purse size), simple to read, and perfect for rediscovering or deepening our understanding and practice of one... Read More

Penance and Mortification… What is the difference?

Q: Dear Father John, OK, now I have a better grasp of what we mean by “mortification,” but that has raised another question. Is there difference between mortification and penance or penitence. A: This is a very interesting question. The distinction between mortification (synonymous in most spiritual writers with self-denial, abnegation, self-renunciation, dying to self) and penance (synonymous... Read More

Penance after Reconciliation……implications of not fulfilling it!

Q: Dear Father Edward, a couple of months ago, I went to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. After I confessed my sins the priest asked me whether I could say the Angelus for my penance. He also asked me if I knew the Angelus. I very hesitatingly affirmed, thinking that if I concentrated enough (I had not said the Angelus in a long time), the words would come. However, on returning to the... Read More

More indulgence clarification…

Q: Dear Father John, As I read your excellent posts on indulgences. A question occurred to me. If a person were to perform these suggested spiritual exercises without asking for the indulgence, would he still obtain the indulgence? Also since no longer are there no longer specified “time outs” applied to the purgatory… how do we arrive at how many indulgences are enough to avoid... Read More

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