Georges de la Tour: The Penitent Magdalene. 1640

Why Penance

Why penance? If I confess my sins and am properly contrite in heart, is that not enough to atone for my sins? Why penance, then? What additional good does penance, self-imposed or otherwise, do to the penitent if a change…

Jesus Blessing Us; Benedictine Convent of Hildegard von Bingen in Bingen, Germany; own work

Joyous Sets of Seven

There are sorrowful sets of seven to concentrate on when we align our penance with the suffering of Christ, and there are also joyous sets of seven. Joyous sets of seven invite us to reflect, not so much of our…

Contemplative Prayer leaf detail

Contemplative Prayer

Contemplative prayer requires a certain humbling of the intellect. Our thoughts usually take up too much space in our head and often crowd out or drown the quiet voice of the Spirit. Therefore, contemplative prayer aims at creating an inner…

Benescripsisti Thoma

Contrition: Prerequisite for Pardon

Nobody can obtain pardon for a sin he does not regret because contrition is a prerequisite for pardon. In other words, nobody can expect pardon who keeps on sinning because he has not understood how much his sin offends God.…