Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Excerpt from Pocket Guide to Overcoming the Seven Deadly Sins by Fr. Josh Johnson. Fr. Josh based his series, SET FREE; Daily Lenten Reflections, on the book, which helps readers better understand the ways sin affects them in their daily lives, gives practical guidance and accompaniment, and reminds them of […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Sin can be a challenging concept to teach to children, especially in today’s world where sin is not only tolerated but often celebrated. But as Christians, we know that sin is real and it damages our relationship with God. We are in a spiritual battle…good versus evil, truth versus lies, […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name…” Luke 24:35-48 What Did Jesus Actually Accomplish By Dying And Rising From The Dead? Most of us are […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Chances are, if you are a modern day Catholic and at all serious about saving your soul, you may have encountered administrative elements of the Church who may not prioritize your situation as seriously as you do. To illustrate this further, take for instance the penitent who has experienced conversion, […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn What is Sin?  “Sin” is an old archery term in Greek which means “to miss the mark.” All sin and fall short of the glory of God, as St. Paul says. When we sin, we are committing an offense against “reason, truth, and right conscience (CCC 1849).” Sin is never […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn You may have heard that the largest religious group in America is the “nones,” those without a religious affiliation. In January of 2024, Pew Research stated that 28% of US adults are religiously unaffiliated. Of those, many are commonly called “fallen away” Catholics. In fact, in 2008, Pew estimated that […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn We all have experienced anger.  Everyone has been on the receiving end of somebody else’s anger.  Anger is a response, a reaction when our ego is being attacked, a reaction when what we want to happen happened otherwise, or a demand for justice because we have been wronged We have […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Imagine this: You stand outside your teen’s bedroom door. You knock a few times and there’s no answer. A few moments pass by and you knock again. All is quiet. You make an executive decision to enter the room. As the door opens, you find your teenager sitting down with […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn As Lent draws near, we turn our hearts to Christ’s call to holiness in the Gospels: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Although our life as Catholics demands that we strive day after day and year after year for this perfection, Lent invites […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Fans of courtroom dramas might enjoy a new film, The Burial, released October 13 on Amazon Prime and is based on a true story of a legal battle between a hometown funeral director and a corporate funeral mogul.  Jerry O’Keefe inherited the family chain of funeral homes in Mississippi from his […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn What are some practical spiritual methods Catholics can use to combat the temptation to consume pornography?  Go To War First, a key tool in the evil one’s toolbox is luring us into a false sense of isolation. Temptation to consume pornography only grows without taking action to rectify loneliness.  Combating […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Gospel of Luke 20:27-38 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying,“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child,his brother must take the wifeand raise up descendants for his brother.Now there were seven brothers;the […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn “Yes, now’s the moment; I’m looking at this thing on the mantlepiece, and I understand that I am in hell.” — Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit, 1944 As most theologians point out, once we lose belief in God, it’s a short leap to the belief that there is no moral absolute, […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn An examination of conscience is a tool that is used when preparing for making a good Confession. This tool can also be used at any time of day, but can be especially fruitful at nighttime, looking back over the day. The father is the priest of his domestic Church. He […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn The word Purgatory comes from the Greek root πῦρ (“pur”) which means both “fire” and “pure.” This is a fitting description, as the fires of Purgatory, rather than destroying like the fires of Hell, instead purify. Purgatory is where we expiate for the pain due to mortal sins that have […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Even if you didn’t watch the Oscars, you’ve likely seen all over social media what occurred between Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith. An offensive joke was told at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband retaliated by walking on stage to slap Chris Rock and […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Everyone struggles with something. A root sin, a set of bad habits, some sort of fear, something that causes undue anxiety, etc. Many (most?) of us struggle with many such things. So what does a person do? Drew Taylor and I sat down recently to discuss this topic, and more. […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn An Illustrated Guide To Make An Examination Of Conscience 1. Open Yourself Up to God’s Presence Practical tip: find a quiet corner in your home or in a chapel. Having a sacred image in front of you is ideal. Light a candle. Take a few moments to breathe and relax. […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn This week on the Podcast we talk about temptations. Specifically the first temptation of Adam and Eve and the temptations of Christ in the desert. Most of our sins fall into the three categories of sin, our base passions, our vanity and our pride. We discuss fasting and finding the […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn This week we talk about how to respond to division in the Church. Do not let others’ actions drag you into sin. Focus on contemplation, be prepared even for distractions, so you will not be disturbed in those moments. When you have control over your own passions and emotions you […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Catholics are to take advantage of the sacrament of Penance at least once a year–if you’re Catholic, you should remember that from your CCD or RCIA class. Advent is a particularly good time to do this. If, like most of us, you hurry to clean your homes in preparation to […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Join is this week for the discussion of the Sunday readings. Due to a technical difficulty we had to restart the stream and jump into the second reading right away. We still talk about part of the first reading about The Lord our Justice. Father Ian talks about how we […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Many Catholics are blessed to have a priest friend. Or, even if they’re not someone you consider your friend, you still may have that priest who you look up to. You know, the one you talk to every Sunday either before or after Mass. The one who has known you […]

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gmail LinkedIn Be Courageous! How to Overcome Your Addiction to Sin Overcome your bad habits and sin by claiming authority as a child of God 1. Stop cowering in fear or acceptance of your weakness as if it’s “just the way it is, I’m stuck.” 2. Name and confront your enemy with […]