Reflecting on an Examination of Conscience helps us to be honest with ourselves and honest with God. It is not meant to be a burden. It helps us to examine our lives. If something touches our conscience, we can bring that to Confession, so that we can be at peace with Christ and with one another.
Why did Jesus need to die for our sins? Starting with an understanding of sin, this blog explains how God originally intended for us to live, the problem with Adam and Eve's actions, and the devastating consequences their sin had on their descendants.
For a period of twelve years, St Catherine de Ricci experienced all the pains of Christ’s passion. After the first of these mystical experiences, when she had received the sacred stigmata, Our Lady gave this compilation, called the ‘Canticle of the Passion’, to St Catherine and asked her to meditate on it, and so continue to grow in love for the crucified Lord Jesus.
“Stabat mater dolorosa – The Sorrowful Mother was standing.” This is the first line of one of the most celebrated Catholic hymns sung by Catholics for over eight centuries when walking from one station of the Cross to the next. The Stabat Mater teaches us that every fallen child of Adam and Eve benefits from uniting sacrificially with Jesus and Mary. Meditate on the first three stanzas in this blog.
When there is an awareness of danger or evil, these prayers may be recited to seek God’s mercy and intervention. These powerful prayers also serve as a reminder that our authentic prayers are never solitary. We are never alone in praying for what is good. The angels and saints are constant in union with us in prayer.
To protect yourself from the powers of darkness, immediate prayers can be used on occasions of perceived danger or temptation. This blog, extracted from the CTS book Deliver Us From Evil and offered to the faithful by the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, provides prayers for immediate use in those times.
