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Act of Contrition

The Act of Contrition is part of the Sacrament of Penance and is prayed by the penitent after the priest assigns a penance and before he gives the penitent absolution. It is also customarily said especially before one goes to bed at night. It is generally supposed that individuals might have recourse to an Act of Contrition when they find themselves in extremis.

The prayer expresses in words a deeply personal “act” that engages a person’s affections and will. Catholic teaching holds that “imperfect” contrition, is also a gift of God. Born of fear of eternal damnation or other penalties, it is nonetheless sufficient to inspire a valid Act of Contrition. There are different versions of the Act of Contrition, but all generally include an expression of sorrow, an acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a promise to amend one’s life and avoid sin.

Were You There, When They Crucified My Lord?

“Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)” is an American spiritual that was first printed in 1899.

“Were You There” was likely composed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. It was first published in William Eleazar Barton’s 1899 Old Plantation Hymns. In 1940, it was included in the Episcopal Church hymnal, making it the first spiritual to be included in any major American hymnal. As reported in Howard Thurman’s autobiography, the song was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s favorites. The song has been recorded by artists including Marion Williams, Johnny Cash, Phil Keaggy, Max Roach, Diamanda Galás, Harry Belafonte, The Seldom Scene, Diamond Version (with Neil Tennant), Bayard Rustin, and Rajaton.

All About Faithfulness

For the person struggling with faithfulness. Being faithful means being loyal, constant, and steadfast. You are married. You be faithful. Or you’re a student, you go about studying. Keep the rules. Keep the regulations. You have a course; stick to it, do what is expected of you, and stay on it. You stay focused. Many things happen today, and people no longer want to be faithful. They want to take shortcuts, and they want…

God Does Not Abandon You

You may have prayed long, asking the Lord to give you a good spouse, but none is coming. Oh, you are married. You have been praying for a child, and none is coming, and you want to get a new job, and there is no job. It seems he’s not hearing you. You ask, “Why me?” I tell you, you’re not alone. It happens every day with many people. But I want to assure you that the Lord did not abandon you. When Christ cried…

The Prodigal Son (Lent 2024)

Would you receive the Father’s unconditional love if you were the prodigal son? The Father wants us to convert from a conditional, perfectionistic way of experiencing God to a place of just being unconditionally loved by Him. But we can sometimes hold onto shame for security. What is asked of us is to leave behind that shame—let the shame and self-contempt crumble. We don’t need to “pay rent” to be loved by the heavenly Father…

Rending the Heavens | Lent 2022

Sometimes Lent is a missed opportunity. We focus too much on what we’re going to give up, what we’re going to do, etc. This year, focus on our desire to have a Lent that brings us into contact with Jesus. Where are we going, and why are we going there? Jesus…

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