S+L presents Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate. The PBS film provides an intimate look into the spontaneous outpouring of forgiveness: from the Amish families for the 2006 shooting of their children in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania; the struggle of ’60s radicals to cope with the serious consequences of their violent acts ...read more

So far, in part 1 and part 2  we’ve looked at sin and why we need the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are two Sacraments that can be received every day: The Eucharist and Reconciliation. The Church doesn’t say we have to go to Confession all the time but the Catechism of the Catholic Church says ...read more

Last week, we began looking at sin and the difference between venial and mortal sin. Even though we`ve all been cleansed from Original Sin at Baptism, we are all still wounded by Original Sin. Because of this, we still suffer the effects of Original Sin, which is why we have a tendency to sin. This tendency ...read more

Do you think it’s possible to have 30,000 people welcoming the year in prayer? What if the majority of that group are youth? Does that seem possible? That is exactly what happened this year in Berlin at the European meeting of the Taize community. The meeting actually begun on December 28 and ran until January ...read more

Is it really “cool” to be Catholic? A young Catholic? Ok, maybe the word “cool” isn’t the best word to use. So, let’s dig deeper. [singlepic id=23 w=320 h=240 float=right]We all like “cool”. But, what is that? What makes something “cool”? I’m pretty sure we can agree that it has to do with some idea ...read more

So far we’ve looked at sin and at the reasons why the Sacrament requires that we confess to a priest. I know some of you still struggle with that. Perhaps going through the ritual will help a bit. Remember that every Sacrament has a ritual – but the Sacrament is not just the ritual. In ...read more

Last time we looked at sin: mortal sin and venial sin and the reason why we continue sinning even after Baptism. We all have a tendency to sin called concupiscence and so that’s why we need Grace to help us bring those disordered appetites into proper order. And I don’t think most people have a ...read more

So far we’ve had a brief look at Sacraments (Parts 1, 2, & 3) in general and more specifically at Baptism. Let’s continue with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is the Sacrament that we all called “Confession.” It is sometimes referred to as the Sacrament of “Penance,” as well. Remember that all Sacraments make Christ ...read more

The queue recedes quicker than you hoped for, but you’re ready. You clutch a folded list to ensure you don’t forget the painfully exhumed results of a thorough examination of conscience, not that you can very well read it in the dark of the confessional. When your turn comes, you pull back the heavy, velvet ...read more