The fourth key feature of the moral life is something that is often overlooked or ignored in our secular world, and that's sin.

We are all sinners in need of a Savior, but to confront the problem of sin in our lives, it's important to know what sin is.

In today's episode, find out why sin is so destructive to our lives, and learn the important distinction between lesser (venial) and grave (mortal) sin.

When it comes to living life well, what does choice have to do with it?

EVERYTHING!

Choice is one of the essential elements in the Catholic Moral life, because it is our choices that shape the people that we become; in other words, we become what we choose.

As rational, willful human beings, we have the freedom to choose between right and wrong. In this episode, learn how it is in choosing what is good and just that truly leads us to an authentically free and fulfilled life.

What does it take to make your life truly beautiful for God and to be free in life?

It takes virtue! Virtue is about excellence--about being disposed towards the GOOD.

In this episode, learn how virtue is a skill that we build--that takes practice, care, effort, and discipline. Learn also how it is the virtuous person, who by habit of living an upright and ordered life, is the person free to truly live life well.

We are all called to beatitude (communion with God in heaven)...but what does it take to get there?

It's not always easy for us to choose the Good in life and to pursue it--since we are all broken and wounded by sin.

In this episode, you'll learn about one of the key features of the Catholic Moral Life, Moral Law. Through God's moral law, divine help comes to us in Christ who gives us the grace to live life well. In this episode, Lauren breaks down the basics about moral law, and shows how all moral law ultimately finds its fullness and unity in Christ.

All of us have a common longing within us: we desire to be seen, known, appreciated, and loved for who we are.

This desire fuels so much of what we do in life, and the choices that we make, but it's important to realize that this desire is within all of us precisely because we were created for union with God!

The story of the woman at the well (John 4:7) is a good reminder of this. It shows us that all of us have a deep thirst within us, and that the thirst can only be satisfied when we draw from the Living Well, Jesus Christ.

Our world is filled with so many goods, it can be hard to turn to God in prayer. So often we turn to the well of the world, seeking to fulfill ourselves, but the problem is that our needs go well beyond this universe. Again, we were created for union with God, and we meet God, primarily, in prayer. Unless we draw from Him in prayer, we're never going to be satisfied or experience life the way we should. It's in prayer that the Lord draws near to us!

In this episode, host Lauren Montgomery will offer some tips for beginning in prayer. These tips come from her personal experience, and are also rooted in teachings of the Church. For more Church teachings on prayer, see the section on prayer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, beginning with paragraph 2558!

Check out The Catholic Commons website: thecatholiccommons.com

Find Lauren on Instagram @thecatholiccommons

To contact Lauren, email her at [email protected]

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Saint Paul exhorts Christians to "pray without ceasing."

Why is it so important for Christians to develop a life of prayer and to pray without end? Find out in todays episode!

In this episode, find out how faith is not only reasonable, but gives insight into the reality of things that go beyond reason--the things which we cannot see on our own, apart from the revelation of God Himself.

In our modern world, it is common to hear people say that they are “spiritual” but not “religious,” but Scripture and Tradition reveal to us that the Catholic Church was established by Jesus Christ Himself, so that we might all be a family of God and a communion of believers united in Him.

We were not created to be in a relationship with God as isolated individuals, and Jesus did not come to abolish religion!

Many people view religion as a bad thing, but, depending on the collection of beliefs, basic worldview, history, symbols and morality of the faith, religion can in fact speak to the heart of man, who is a religious being.

In this episode, find out what distinguishes Catholicism from all other Christian denominations.

Taking a quick break from regular TCC content to offer my thoughts on the current crisis we face in our world.

The Bible is the way God communicates His will for our lives! Learn more about how the Bible is different from all other religious texts, and how God communicates to us in a human way through Sacred Scripture!