About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
This REALLY helps! And it’s great coffee (and tea)
Polls
Loading ...Donate using VENMO
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
Do you have a faithful Catholic website that needs competent and reliable tech support?
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
hilltop on Baseball’s Cleveland Indians change name to… guess what….: “What a bunch of babies.”
on BISHOP: “Francis used a chainsaw when only a scalpel was needed.”: “My eyes popped out…and then I remembered that I have to get my Bishops Tobin straight. Almost didn’t believe my…”
on BISHOP: “Francis used a chainsaw when only a scalpel was needed.”: “I think Bishop Tobin is speaking for a good portion of the American Bishops here. What is evident to me…”
on BISHOPS! Have you ever see the pain?: “It all seems like yet another “pest” during which we should continue to pray the Stella caeli extirpavit.”
on BISHOP: “Francis used a chainsaw when only a scalpel was needed.”: “Thank you, Bishop Tobin, for having acted as a shepherd. God bless you richly! Thank you, too, to the other…”
on Baseball’s Cleveland Indians change name to… guess what….: “I was a 40+ year fan. Some of my earliest memories are Indian games. They’re dead to me.”
on Baseball’s Cleveland Indians change name to… guess what….: “So. I suppose they will yell from the stands: “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!””
on Baseball’s Cleveland Indians change name to… guess what….: “Apparently they’re named for the iconic Guardians of Traffic on the Hope Bridge just outside the stadium. You can see…”
on 13 July: St. Ezra (Esdras), Old Testament Scribe and spectacular baroque musical weirdness: “There is some resemblance between the Pachamama (goddess of fertility, agriculture, mountains) rituals at the Vatican in 2019 and the…”
on BISHOP: “Francis used a chainsaw when only a scalpel was needed.”: “So blessed to have Bp. Tobin as my local Ordinary!”
on BISHOPS! Have you ever see the pain?: “–>”I want to know…” It is a second chance. If one has Faith, one knows that Sacred Scripture and Sacred…”
on Baseball’s Cleveland Indians change name to… guess what….: “The members of the Space Force will also be called Guardians. https://www.afa.org/publications-news/air-force-magazine/2020-12-21/-guardians–of-the-galaxy–space-force-members-get-new-name”
on BISHOPS! Have you ever see the pain?: “St. John Henry Newman’s poignant question mirrors our daily prayer, which I’ve had cause to ponder far more immediately in…”
on BISHOP: “Francis used a chainsaw when only a scalpel was needed.”: “Anyone who has eyes can see the document isn’t about certain tendencies, nor survey results. It’s about Francis’ (and others)…”
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…
Be a “Zed-Head”!
CHALLENGE COINS!
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc.
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren’t and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR “Zednet” hotspot when I’m mobile. It’s a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
GREAT causes to support
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Tag Archives: examination of conscience
ASK FATHER: My mind goes blank just before confession
From a reader… QUAERITUR: I have a frustrating problem that has plagued me for years without fail. Throughout the week, all my faults and sins that a I’ve committed since my last confession ruminate through my mind clearly and distinctly. … Read More
The Continuity of Examinations of Conscience
His Hermeneuticalness, my good friend Fr. Tim Finigan, has reposted his good Examen pamphlets. Perpend: Confession leaflets back online People quite often ask me for the confession leaflets that I published on the website of my previous parish. Fr Zuhlsdorf … Read More
Examination of Conscience resources from a rock-solid, reliable priest!
I am often asked for a good Examination of Conscience resource, or Examen. Some time ago my good friend Fr. Tim Finigan, His Hermeneuticalness, had posted on the website of his former parish 3 good PDFS for a small trifold … Read More
Prep Wednesday: All Bleeding Stops – Spiritual and Physical “Blow Out Kits”
The analogy of the Church Militant as a spiritual field hospital is pretty good, provided that we remember that in field hospitals lots of people don’t make it. We are like pilgrim soldiers in the Church Militant, on the march to our … Read More
Pope Francis greets Curia for Christmas, and rips them to shreds
Each year it is customary for the Roman Pontiff to meet and greet members of the Roman Curia just before Christmas. The Pope gives an address. Often that address is a kind of “State of the Union”, describing things that … Read More
76 Comments
QUAERITUR: Priest asked me to say Act of Contrition after getting out of the confessional
From a reader: During Confession, the parochial vicar at my parish insists that I say the Act of Contrition after absolution, when I have left the confessional. So I say it in the pew prior to doing my penance. I … Read More
Disasters, Death, and You
Terrible things happen to people through natural disasters or attacks or human error. We now see the images virtually in real time splashed on our screens. Misery, loss, pain come in the blink of an eye to people who, the … Read More
Pope Francis on sin, the virtue of feeling shame, and confession
Pope Francis continues to talk about sin and confession. I have no idea if Francis’ little fervorini are going to wind up published in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, but they have some real meat. He is speaking more or less “a … Read More
Have you made your good confession yet? Fr. Z’s 20 Tips.
Lent is a time for introspection and conversion. Has it been a while since you have made a good confession? Here are some tips. Fr. Z’s 20 Tips For Making A Good Confession o{]:¬) We should… 1) …examine our consciences regularly … Read More
An examination of conscience to help make a better confession by a really sound priest
Last year I posted about some sheets developed by my friend the great Fr. Finigan, His Hermeneuticalness, to help people with an examination of conscience before going to confession. He made them available at the blog of his parish, Our … Read More
QUAERITUR: Examination of conscience and “Speaking against priests or consecrated religious”
From a reader: Hello Father! An examination of conscience asks, “Have I spoken against a priest, or against anyone consecrated to God? (This is a sacrilege).” I am not sure what constitutes “speaking against”, but I have made fun of … Read More
CH: Why have confessions dropped off in England but not Kenya?
From the UK’s best Catholic weekly, The Catholic Herald. Many Catholics in Britain do not grasp how important and rewarding regular Confession can be Why has the practice dropped off so dramatically here, but not in Italy, say, or Kenya? … Read More
A reader used an Examination of Conscience to identify a sin
A while back I linked to the site of Fr. Tim Finigan’s parish where he has made available different examinations of conscience. Thank you for this invaluable advice. I found a check-box style examination of conscience similar to the one … Read More
10 Comments
QUAERITUR: If I forget to confess a mortal sin, am I still forgiven?
From a reader: If i forget to confess a mortal/grave sin in the confessional, when i fully intended to confess it before i walked in, is it still absolved? If you truly forget to confess something, but otherwise make a … Read More
Old book for confessors: examination of conscience in different languages
We recently saw from the Congregation for Clergy a guide for confessors along with an examination of conscience for the confessor himself. While sorting through some things I ran across a fascinating old confessional aid for priests. It is an … Read More
QUAERITUR: Participation in the sins of other people
Yesterday I posted about the entry at the blog of the USCCB about the benefits of confession. In that post the subject of “structural sin” came up. “Structural sin” is something liberals use to mask the reality of personal responsibility … Read More
Cong. for Clergy issues a guide for confessors, with examination of conscience
The Congregation for Clergy issued a guide for confessors entitled The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy – An Aid for Confessors and Spiritual Directors. I have read through this once and will eventually comment on it more. I invite priests … Read More
QUAERITUR: How to confess well? I worry I am not doing a good enough job of it.
From a reader: Hi. I am convert. [… S]ince being brought up in a protestant tradition and only becoming catholic as an adult, I was never exposed to the traditions, the formality. In our confirmation classes we was taught the … Read More
