I’m responsible for the abuse crisis in the Church. I didn’t abuse any children, or enable a priest to abuse children, or look the other way when a priest was abusing a child, or cover up any abuse. No, I haven’t done anything like that, but if I’m honest, you will see that I am [...]
"Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant's union with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins. Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between the communicant and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ." Source: [...]
"The washing of the hands is done in the celebration of mass out of reverence for this sacrament; and this for two reasons: first, because we are not wont to handle precious objects except the hands be washed; hence it seems indecent for anyone to approach so great a sacrament with hands that are, even [...]
"While it is not a hard thing to abstain from murder, but it is very difficult to avoid all passing fits of anger, which assail us at every moment. A man or woman can easily keep from adultery, often difficult to resist coveting them; easy to avoid bearing false witness in direct judgment, difficult to [...]
"Thus it sometimes happens that temptation in itself is sin to us, because we have ourselves brought it upon us. For instance, if I know that gaming leads me to passion and blasphemy, and that all play is temptation to me, I sin each and every time that I play, and I am responsible for [...]
"Indeed, it has often happened that those who had been steadfast under violent assaults, failing to correspond faithfully to Divine Grace, have yielded under the pressure of very trifling temptations." Source: St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Random House, Inc., 2002.
"The fact that we conceal sins makes them peculiarly our own. Then they are not just our fault; they are our very penalty. Any concealed fault lays a heavy burden on the soul over and above the remorse for the sin itself. The shame of having hid it in the heart always makes the hider [...]
"However long the temptation may persist, it cannot harm us so long as it is unwelcome to us." Source: St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Random House, Inc., 2002.
"On a certain occasion, the Lord said to me, 'I am more deeply wounded by the small imperfections of chosen souls than by the sins of those living in the world.' It made me very sad that chosen souls make Jesus suffer, and Jesus told me, 'These little imperfections are not all. I will reveal [...]
"Holy Communion separates us from sin. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is 'given up for us,' and the blood we drink 'shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins.' For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and [...]