The Glory of Christ Crucified
March 18, 2013 by Anthony Lilles
Filed under Contemplation, Conversion, Divine Mercy, Penance/Confession, Sin
The Cross of Christ brings His glorious grace into the focus of contemplation. It is a difficult mystery to dwell on. The heart sometimes finds itself weary and sometimes even too discouraged to fix its gaze on the agony of the Lord. This is where frequent confession and humble examination of conscience can help the practice of mental prayer – which is a humbled gaze of the heart on the mercy of God. Oftentimes,... Read More
Gethsemane’s Night and the Hope of Christian Prayer
March 9, 2013 by Anthony Lilles
Filed under Contemplation, Divine Mercy, Eucharist/Mass, God's Will
Gethsemane: Those who enter into this hidden garden of prayer with fear of the Lord and right reverence are permitted to overhear part of the Son’s conversation with the Father in secret. Extending the blessing He offered at the Last Supper, Christ offered perfect praise with bold confidence in the Father while cherishing everything about his human existence, especially His friends. He was vigilant that they should... Read More
Video – Help me understand confession
January 21, 2013 by Marta Goodwin
Filed under Penance/Confession, Sacraments, Videos
Fr. John and Dan talk about how to better understand confession. About Marta GoodwinMail | More Posts (26) Read More →
A miracle in adoration
January 11, 2013 by Dan Burke
Filed under Adoration, Eucharist/Mass, Featured
A number of years ago I had an amazing experience in adoration. I had suffered for years with chronic and often debilitating pain. The pain caused me to isolate myself because after fighting the pain, I had so little energy to interact with or serve others. After a period of reflection and prayer I decided that I would try to fight through the pain to serve others anyway. I had no idea how I could accomplish this ideal,... Read More
Distractions at Mass – Part II of II
December 15, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Mass
Q: Dear Father John, I hate to admit this, but I still get distracted at Mass. I mean, I love Mass! I go almost every day! I believe in it, I look forward to it… But I still get distracted during Mass. I really wish I didn’t – I want to worship God perfectly, like we’re supposed to. Can you help me? In our first post on this topic, we discussed distractions during Mass. Fr. John gave reflections on the mystery... Read More
Distractions at Mass – Part I of II
December 10, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Eucharist/Mass
Q: Dear Father John, I hate to admit this, but I still get distracted at Mass. I mean, I love Mass! I go almost every day! I believe in it, I look forward to it… But I still get distracted during Mass. I really wish I didn’t – I want to worship God perfectly, like we’re supposed to. Can you help me? A: As long as we are human, we will be battling distractions. Even the Catechism makes this clear: “The habitual... Read More
Why do Catholics attend church more often than Protestants?
September 24, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Eucharist/Mass, Sacraments
Q: Dear Father John, Can you help me understand and explain why Catholics go to Church so much more than Protestants (as with daily communicants)? A: Here is the short answer to this question: Catholics go to Mass daily because of the Eucharist. Protestants and evangelicals, with very rare exceptions (e.g. some of our faithful Anglican friends), believe neither in the abiding, Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, nor... Read More
Penance – Navigating the Interior Life Spiritual Dictionary
August 24, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Navigating, Penance/Confession, 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 of Dan’s book Navigating the... Read More
Confession – Devotional – Navigating the Interior Life Spiritual Dictionary
July 13, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Penance/Confession, Sacraments, Spiritual Dictionary
CONFESSION – DEVOTIONAL: The practice of regular confession even when one is not aware of mortal or even venial sins. This practice includes setting and keeping a specific schedule of self-examination and confession. This may also include the confession of past mortal or venial sins even if confessed previously in specific or in general. Devotional confession can also make note of imperfections though they are not sufficient... Read More
Who can receive Holy Communion?
May 13, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Eucharist/Mass, Liturgy, Mass, Q and A
Dear Father John, It is my understanding that only Catholics who are in the state of grace may receive Holy Communion. I know that only God really knows the state of a person’s soul. I am also aware that there have been hurts inflicted by very fallible and imperfect members of the Church that may prevent a person from fully and outwardly embracing the Church. If a person is not a member of the Catholic Church, but... Read More
