For a person in a state of grace, a good examination of conscience, in and of itself, strengthens her relationship with God, but receiving the sacrament of reconciliation will greatly multiply the effects. The efficacy of the sacrament is rooted in our social nature, the gift from God by which...

Many of the lectionary readings for Lent warn of sin’s unfortunate consequences. One its more insidious consequences is the attenuation of emotional vitality, the displacement of a person’s faith, hope, and charity by feelings of worry, frustration, and boredom. God warns against sin but exhorts us as well to spiritual...

Reconciliation is the sacrament, instituted by Christ, through which we acknowledge our sins to God’s chosen representative. After his resurrection, Jesus told his Apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:23). Jesus’ decision to give particular human beings the power to forgive...

The sacrament of marriage is a divine institution given to men and women that they might be “cooperators with the love of God the Creator” (GS 50) and so attain their supernatural end (GS 48). The primary means of their cooperation are the love and support they give to one...