ONE CONFESSION, ONE MASS, ONE ROSARY
Make your confession once a month. Whether you have mortal sins to confess or venial sins the Sacrament of Penance is the means by which Our Lord grants to us the grace of forgiveness and mercy, so that we are not only reconciled to Him but so that we are strengthened by cooperating with His grace to forge ahead against our inclination to sin. The fact is that we all sin. We may be Baptised but concupiscence, the inclination to sin, remains. Sin is real and we can never take it lightly or presume on God’s mercy. We each take responsibility for our lives and our actions have eternal consequences. The choice for heaven or hell is ours and we make that choice by the way we live our lives. Our Lord recognises the difficulties we face and so He gives to us this Sacrament to strengthen us and to help us persevere to eternity.
Hear Holy Mass at least once a week. The Mass is the source and summit of our faith. It is the unbloody memorial of the sacrifice of Our Lord on Calvary. Because Our Lord thought us worth it He feeds us with His Body and Blood so that it may grant to us forgiveness and salvation. It purifies us from evil ways and evil passions. It brings us charity and patience, humility and obedience, and growth in the power to do good. It is a strong defence against all enemies, visible and invisible, and it calms our evil impulses. It is the foundation of our lives, the anchor by which we steady ourself against the ravages of this world and the devil. It is the most intimate experience we can have with Our Lord in this life, for only if we are blessed to reach our eternal homeland will we be perfectly united.
Pray the holy Rosary once a day. It is the spiritual weapon of Our Lady granted to St. Dominic as an instrument of devotion and a means of drawing us closer to our salvation. The Rosary grants to us abundant graces. It is a powerful armour against hell, destroys vice, decreases sin, and defeats heresies. It causes virtue and good works to flourish, it withdraws us from the love of things of this world and points us to love of things eternal. If we are faithful to the praying of the Rosary during our life we shall, at the moment of our death, participate in the merits of the Saints in heaven and we shall be delivered from the pains of purgatory to the glory of heaven. The Rosary is a gift we offer to our Good Mother, Mary. It is a garland of roses and each “Hail, Mary” prayed devoutly is like a a pure rose placed in the crown of our Mother.
Article written by Fr Andrew and originally published in the Granville Catholic Church Record – 10/07/2022.
