INDULGENCES. Yes, they still exist, and they are a wonderful incentive to pray!  Any act of prayer expressed devoutly provides a way to reduce the amount of punishment one must undergo for sins that have already been forgiven. God is merciful! Not only does He offer us freedom from eternal punishment, but also from the consequence or punishment required in this world, or in Purgatory.

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ARE YOU PLEASING TO GOD? As Catholics, our ultimate objective and goal is to join in everlasting life with God, by loving God above all things, and loving neighbor as ourselves.  But are we doing our best to become more pleasing to God? Do we pursue the natural desires of this world, or the interior joy that Jesus promises us? 

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WHAT THE SOULS IN PURGATORY TELL US. We don't talk about it much these days, but it's real -- a state of purification "so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." Many Saints have heard from the souls in Purgatory, and have shared with us their requests. So, what is Purgatory like, and how can we benefit from what these souls have to say?  

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A WALK THROUGH A CATHOLIC CHURCH. When you enter a Catholic Church, you are met with a variety of symbolic and real expressions of our faith. Everything that we touch and see is there to help us give honor and praise to God. Let's walk in and remind ourselves of the beauty and wonder that surround us.  

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THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY. When we say the Rosary, we ask our Blessed Mother to "pray for us, now and at the hour of our death." In the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, we are invited through prayer to console her sorrowful heart and unite our suffering to hers, and by doing so receive beautiful graces of peace, consolation, and strength.   

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THE PARTICULAR GOOD. The Evil One is at work when we are encouraged to become attached to our Particular Goods, even if they are not what is best for us.  Whatever we desire is most important, not what God wants for us.  Then the attachments that are particular to each one of us, lead us away from God.   

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GOSSIP. It's something we all know we should not do, yet it seems to appear in so many of our conversations. It's harmful to ourselves, to those we talk about, and even to those who hear it.  Let's discuss how we can identify gossip, and how we can stop doing it.  

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SMALL SACRIFICES. The greatest penances most of us must deal with come in the small obstacles and frustrations of everyday life. If we can confront them and turn them into small sacrifices, we will achieve small victories which will strengthen our will, and draw us closer to God.   

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PRIVATE REVELATIONS. We accept that God reveals Himself through Sacred Scripture, and is present in the Eucharist at Mass.  But private revelations are messages or inspirations that come to all of us, in many different ways.  When we breathe prayer to God, sincerely from the heart, we know that God reveals His love and mercy, for each and every one of us. 

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THE 12 APOSTLES. Jesus picked these 12 ordinary men to follow Him and witness to His ministry on earth. After the Resurrection, He visited them to reassure them of His love, and to strengthen their faith.  And when they were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they became the foundation of the Church, which even the gates of hell cannot prevail against.

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