Series
Introduction
After much research, prayer, and deep
reflection on the writings of St. Alphonsus Liguori, particularly his profound
work Praxis Confessarii (Guide for Confessors), I felt called to write this series. The
story that stirred my heart and sparked this work came from St. Alphonsus's
book, where he recounts the tragic tale of a woman who appeared holy to all but
died with a hidden sin that cost her eternity. This is not meant to frighten
anyone, but to awaken us to a beautiful truth: getting right with God is the
most important thing we will ever do in our lives. Heaven and hell are not myths or
metaphors; they are eternally real destinations, and our choices today matter
forever. We never know when our last day will come, which is why it is so vital
that we embed these truths deep in our hearts and minds, preparing ourselves
daily to meet our loving Father with souls washed clean. This series is an
invitation to freedom, to mercy, and to the abundant life Christ promises when
we walk in honesty and grace. Whether you are struggling with hidden sins,
seeking a fresh start, or simply wanting to grow closer to God, you are welcome
here. Together, we will discover practical wisdom from Scripture, the saints,
and the Church's rich tradition to help us live purely, confess honestly, and
love courageously throughout this year and beyond. My prayer is that this writing will be a source of hope and encouragement, reminding you that no
matter where you've been or what you've done, God's mercy is always greater,
and His arms are always open wide.
Purity Through 2026 Series Part One:
Why An Honest Confession Can Save Your Soul
The
Sacred Power of Honest Confession:
Breaking Free from the Prison of Shame
One of the most dangerous spiritual
traps we can fall into is not the sin itself, but the shame that keeps us from
confessing it honestly. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, one of the Church's greatest
teachers on the spiritual life, warned that many souls are lost not because God
refuses to forgive them, but because they refuse to speak. The story he tells
of a devoutly religious woman who appeared holy to everyone but died in a state
of mortal sin should shake us awake. Her tragedy was not that she sinned as a
young person; God's mercy covers every sin, but that shame locked her throat in
the confessional. She hid one mortal sin, received absolution invalidly, then
received Holy Communion unworthily, which created a chain reaction of
sacrilege. Each week the burden grew heavier, and the lie grew larger, until
even on her deathbed, surrounded by admirers who thought her a saint, she chose
to protect her reputation rather than save her soul. This is the work of what
Saint Alphonsus calls "the mute devil," a demon whose only job is to
silence us when we kneel before the priest. Scripture warns us clearly:
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who
confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). The path
to mercy requires our honest participation, not our fearful silence.
The devil plays a cruel game with our
souls, and Sacred Scripture reveals his tactics. Before we sin, he minimizes
everything, whispering that our actions are not really that serious, that God
understands our weakness, and that we can always confess later. He removes all
sense of shame and makes sin look small and harmless. But the moment we commit
the sin, he flips the script entirely. Suddenly, he becomes "the accuser of
our brethren" (Revelation 12:10), magnifying our guilt until it feels like
a mountain we could never possibly speak aloud. He fills us with terror at what
the priest might think, convincing us that our sin is uniquely filthy,
unforgivable, or at least unspeakable. This is a lie from the pit of hell.
Saint John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, who heard confessions for up to sixteen
hours a day, said beautifully: "The good God knows everything. Before you
confess, He already knows that you will sin again, yet He still forgives you.
What love!" The truth is that the priest has heard everything, every kind
of human weakness and darkness, and he is bound by the sacred seal of
confession never to reveal what we tell him. He would rather die as a martyr
than break that seal. Saint Padre Pio, who also spent countless hours in the
confessional, once said, "I have been forty years in the confessional and
can assure you that nothing that you can tell me can shock me." When we
confess our deepest shame, the priest is not shocked or disgusted; he is filled
with joy because he sees a soul coming back to life. We fear the judgment of
one man while forgetting that God, the devil, and our own conscience already
know everything. The only person in the universe who does not know our sin is
the one person who has the power to forgive it.
Living with hidden mortal sin is a
psychological and spiritual torture that Saint Alphonsus describes as
"hell on earth." The person looks peaceful on the outside, attending
Mass, receiving Communion, and perhaps even being admired for their piety. But
inside, they carry a burning coal of guilt that never goes out. Every homily
about honesty feels like a knife. Every Communion is a betrayal, a kiss of
Judas to Jesus Himself. Saint Paul warns us with terrifying clarity:
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let
a man examine himself and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone
who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon
himself" (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). These are not gentle suggestions but
divine warnings that pierce the heart. The woman in Saint Alphonsus's account led this double life for years, becoming an actress who performed the role of a
saint while carrying the script of the damned. She could not break free because
each bad confession made the next one harder; now she had to confess not only
the original sin but also the sacrilegious confessions and Communions that
followed. The weight multiplied, and the devil kept whispering, "If you
tell the priest now, he'll know you've been lying to him for months or years.
Just keep quiet one more time." Saint Catherine of Siena, speaking of
those who hide their sins, said: "They are like people who, having fallen
into a ditch, do not want to be helped out, but prefer to remain there,
wallowing in the mud." This is the chain that drags souls to destruction,
link by link, forged in the fire of shame and pride.
Many people think they will find
courage on their deathbed to finally confess everything, but Saint Alphonsus,
who attended hundreds of dying people, teaches us a sobering truth: you die as
you lived. If you spent decades being too ashamed to speak the truth, you will
most likely remain silent even in your final moments, especially when you are
weak, feverish, and surrounded by weeping loved ones who admire you. Scripture
itself warns us: "Now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of
salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). We are not promised tomorrow. The woman in
the story faced exactly this test. As death approached, the mute devil played
his final card, whispering that if she confessed the truth now, she would die
as a scandal and break the hearts of everyone who trusted her. He told her that
God would understand her weakness and that keeping the secret one last time was
an act of mercy toward her family. She believed the lie. She chose her earthly
reputation over her eternal soul, confessed only small faults, received the
Last Rites, and died with the entire city calling her a saint. But when her
soul stood before God, the mask fell away, and the cold iron grip of divine
justice took hold. A holy person later received a vision of her in flames, and
she delivered a warning that should terrify us: "Do not pray for me. I am
damned, not for murder or theft, but for shame." Saint Teresa of Avila
wrote with equal urgency: "What a terrible thing it is to have understood
a sermon well and yet not have profited from it! God help us, what accounts we
shall have to render!"
The solution to this spiritual death
trap is both simple and powerful: the general confession. This is not a regular
confession where we mention sins from the past week; it is a thorough review of
our entire life or a specific troubled period, a complete reset of our
spiritual house. If you are carrying the weight of a hidden sin from years ago,
if you wonder whether you ever truly confessed something properly, if the
thought of that burden makes your stomach turn, do not let it rot inside you
any longer. Jesus Himself said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is His personal
invitation to you right now. Go to a priest, perhaps one you do not know, if
that makes it easier, and say these liberating words: "Father, I want to
make a general confession." Then confess not only the sin itself but the
hiding of it. Say clearly: "Years ago, I committed this sin, and I was too
ashamed to confess it honestly. I have been carrying it ever since, and I want
to be free." Saint Alphonsus promises that when you do this, the mountain
of shame will dissolve into smoke. The mute devil will vanish. The peace you
feel afterward is the closest thing to heaven on earth; it is the feeling of a
prisoner whose chains have just fallen off. Saint John Vianney encouraged
penitents with these tender words: "I will run after you like a beggar
asking for alms when you approach the confessional. Why? Because Jesus Christ
has entrusted you to me, and I must render an account of your soul." If
you find the words too difficult to say, simply tell the priest, "Father,
there is something I am deeply ashamed to confess. Please help me." Any
good priest will gently guide you through it, asking questions to help you
speak what needs to be spoken. Remember the promise of Scripture: "If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse
us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
The lesson that should burn in our
hearts is this: your reputation is dust, but your soul is eternal. The opinion
of your family, your friends, or even your priest does not matter at the moment
of your judgment; only God will be there. Jesus Himself asked, "For what
does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark
8:36). Do not trade eternity for the sake of looking good for a few decades.
The devil promises you dignity through silence but delivers eternal disgrace.
God asks for a few minutes of embarrassment in the confessional but promises
glory forever. Saint Faustina, the apostle of Divine Mercy, received these
words from Jesus: "The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to
My mercy." Your sins, no matter how shameful they feel, are an invitation
to experience the infinite ocean of God's love. The door of mercy is open right
now. The priest is waiting. Do not gamble with your soul by thinking you have
time, you might die suddenly, without warning, without a chance for a deathbed
confession. Go this week. Be brave. Vomit out the poison and let the Divine
Physician heal you. Choose the humiliation of truth over the pride of
appearances. Saint Augustine, who himself lived a sinful youth before his
conversion, wrote: "God loves each of us as if there were only one of
us." Your humble confession is more precious to Him than a thousand acts
of false piety. Let us pray together: "Jesus, give me the courage of
truth. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, pray for us that we may have the strength to
speak honestly in confession and save our souls. Amen." If this message
has touched your heart, do not keep it to yourself, share it with someone who
needs to hear it, because there are countless souls trapped in the same silent
prison, and the truth can set them free. As our Lord promised: "You will
know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Purity Through 2026 Series Part Two:
How to Make a General Confession:
A Step-by-Step Guide to Spiritual Freedom
Now that we understand the danger of
hidden sins and the chains they create, it is time to learn exactly how to
break free. The general confession is not something to fear, it is one of the
greatest gifts the Church offers us. Saint John Paul II made a general
confession before becoming Pope, and countless saints throughout history have
used this powerful tool to sweep their souls clean and start fresh. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that "without being strictly
necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly
recommended by the Church" (CCC 1458), but when it comes to reviewing our
entire lives or a period marred by bad confessions, a general confession
becomes a vital act of spiritual restoration. This guide will walk you through
the entire process, from preparation to the moment you leave the confessional,
so that you can experience the freedom Christ died to give you. As Scripture
promises: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool"
(Isaiah 1:18).
The first step in preparing for a
general confession is to set aside quiet time for a thorough examination of
conscience. This is not something you can rush through in five minutes before
entering the confessional. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the master of spiritual
exercises, taught that we must examine our lives methodically, asking the Holy
Spirit to illuminate the dark corners of our memory. Begin with prayer:
"Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind and soften my heart. Show me my sins
as You see them, not as I have minimized them. Give me the courage to face the
truth and the humility to confess it completely." Then, divide your life
into periods: childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, and so on. For each
period, go through the Ten Commandments one by one, asking yourself honestly
where you have failed. The Catechism provides us with a helpful framework: sins
against God (the first three commandments), sins against neighbor (commandments
four through nine), and sins against ourselves (the tenth commandment and
related areas). Have you missed Mass on Sundays without serious reason? Have
you taken God's name in vain or treated holy things casually? Have you harbored
hatred, nursed grudges, or refused to forgive? Have you stolen, lied, or
damaged another's reputation through gossip? Have you engaged in sexual sins, impurity
in thought, word, or action? Saint Alphonsus Liguori advises us to write down
our sins if it helps us remember and speak them clearly, saying, "It is
better to bring a written list than to forget a mortal sin through
nervousness."
The second step is understanding what
makes a sin mortal versus venial, because this determines what you are
absolutely obligated to confess. The Catechism teaches that for a sin to be
mortal, three conditions must be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is
grave matter, and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate
consent" (CCC 1857). Grave matter includes things like missing Mass on
Sunday, serious sexual sins, theft of significant value, deliberate hatred,
abortion, and other serious offenses against God's law. Full knowledge means
you knew it was seriously wrong at the time, and deliberate consent means you
freely chose to do it anyway. If all three conditions are met, that sin is
mortal and must be confessed in number and kind. Saint Thomas Aquinas explains
that we must confess "all mortal sins of which we are conscious after
diligent self-examination, including secret sins and sins against the last two
commandments of the Decalogue" (referenced in CCC 1456). However, if you
cannot remember the exact number, perhaps you fell into a habitual sin dozens
or hundreds of times, simply say "many times" or
"habitually." God does not demand mathematical precision; He desires
honest contrition. As the Psalmist prays, "A broken and contrite heart, O
God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Venial sins do not need to be
confessed to receive absolution, but it is spiritually beneficial to mention
them, especially if they are habits that weaken your resistance to mortal sin.
The third step is the most crucial:
preparing your heart with genuine contrition. Contrition means you are truly
sorry for your sins, not just because you fear hell, but because you love God
and hate that you have offended Him. The Catechism distinguishes between two
types of contrition: perfect contrition, which "arises from a love by
which God is loved above all else," and imperfect contrition (also called
attrition), which "is born of the consideration of sin's ugliness or the
fear of eternal damnation" (CCC 1452-1453). Both are valid for confession,
but we should strive for perfect contrition, sorrow that comes from love. Saint
Catherine of Siena said beautifully, "Sins are not forgiven by the mere
fact of confessing them, but by the sorrow with which we confess them."
Before you go to confession, spend time in prayer before Jesus, perhaps in
front of the Blessed Sacrament if possible. Look at the crucifix and realize
that your sins nailed Him there. Tell Him you are sorry, not with empty words
but with your whole heart. Remember His promise: "I have loved you with an
everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you"
(Jeremiah 31:3). You must also have a firm purpose of amendment, a sincere
intention to avoid these sins in the future and to remove the near occasions of
sin from your life. This does not mean you promise never to sin again (that
would be presumption), but it means you are truly resolved to try, with God's
grace, to live differently.
When you arrive for your general
confession, it is helpful to inform the priest beforehand so he can allocate
sufficient time. You might say, "Father, I need to make a general
confession covering my entire life" or "Father, I need to make a
general confession going back to when I was [age] because I made invalid
confessions." If you are extremely nervous, you can even call the parish
office ahead of time to schedule an appointment rather than going during
regular confession hours. When you kneel or sit before the priest, make the
Sign of the Cross and begin: "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I am
making a general confession. It has been [number] years since my last good
confession, or I have never made a good confession." If you made bad confessions
in the past, you must mention this: "Father, I have not confessed honestly
in the past. I hid mortal sins because of shame, and I received Communion
unworthily." This is the moment of liberation that Saint Alphonsus
promised, when you speak these words, the chains begin to fall off. Then, go
through your list calmly and clearly. You do not need to give elaborate
explanations or justify yourself. Simply state the sins: "I missed Mass
[number] times. I committed sins of impurity [describe the type and approximate
number]. I was drunk [number] times. I stole [describe briefly]." The
priest may ask clarifying questions, but he is not there to judge you, he is
there as Christ's instrument of mercy. Saint John Vianney said, "The
priest is not the master of God's forgiveness, but its servant. He opens the
door, but it is Christ who forgives."
After you have confessed all your
mortal sins and any venial sins you wish to mention, the priest will offer you
counsel and assign you a penance. Accept the penance humbly, even if it seems
light, the penance is not meant to "pay off" your sins (only Christ's
blood can do that), but to help you make reparation and strengthen your
resolve. Then, when the priest asks you to make an act of contrition, pray from
your heart. You can use a traditional prayer like: "O my God, I am
heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I
dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they
offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly
resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to
amend my life. Amen." As the priest pronounces the words of absolution, "I
absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit", believe with your whole heart that at that very moment,
God is forgiving you completely. The Catechism teaches that "by Christ's
will, the Church possesses the power to forgive the sins of the baptized"
(CCC 986), and that absolution "takes away sin and restores communion with
God" (CCC 1468). Saint Padre Pio described this moment with awe:
"When you go to Confession, realize that I am there, waiting for you. I am
there to forgive you if you ask Me with a contrite heart." The burden you
have carried for years, perhaps decades, is now gone. You are free.
After your confession, go immediately
to pray your penance, and then spend time in thanksgiving. Kneel before the
tabernacle or sit quietly in the church and pour out your gratitude to God. You
have just experienced one of the most beautiful mysteries of our faith, the
infinite mercy of God meeting the humble honesty of a repentant sinner. Saint
Faustina wrote in her diary: "I saw that the mercy of God is beyond
comprehension. It surpasses all the works of His hands; the divine mercy
reaches to everything; it embraces all His works." This is your fresh
start, your clean slate. But remember, the general confession is not the end, it
is the beginning. You must now guard your soul carefully. Go to confession
regularly, at least once a month, so that small sins do not accumulate. Avoid
the near occasions of sin, the people, places, apps, websites, or situations
that lead you back into serious sin. Saint Paul exhorts us: "Put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its
desires" (Romans 13:14). Receive Holy Communion frequently and worthily,
now that your soul is restored to grace. Read Scripture daily. Pray the Rosary.
Find an accountability partner or spiritual director. As Jesus warned the
paralytic He healed: "See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse
befall you" (John 5:14). You have been given a tremendous gift, the gift
of spiritual freedom. Do not throw it away. Guard it, protect it, and grow in
holiness day by day. You are no longer a slave to shame. You are a beloved
child of God, washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Walk in that freedom and
let your life be a testimony to the power of honest confession and God's
boundless mercy.
Purity Through 2026 Series Part Three:
Guarding Your Soul - How to Maintain Purity
and Avoid Falling Back Into Old Patterns
You have made your general confession.
You have experienced the overwhelming peace of God's forgiveness. Your soul is
washed clean, radiant in the state of grace, and you feel lighter than you have
felt in years. But now comes the critical question that every soul must face:
how do I stay free? How do I guard this precious gift and not fall back into
the same patterns that enslaved me before? The saints who received visions of
heaven, purgatory, and hell understood something profound, that our earthly
choices have eternal consequences, and that maintaining purity requires
constant vigilance, deep prayer, and practical wisdom. Saint Padre Pio, who saw
souls from purgatory visiting him regularly and who battled demons physically
throughout his life, knew the reality of spiritual warfare better than most.
When asked about the spiritual life, he said bluntly: "The life of a
Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self." This is not
meant to discourage us but to awaken us to reality. The devil does not give up
easily. Scripture warns us clearly: "Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist
him, firm in your faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9). The battle for purity is real,
and it requires us to be spiritually armed and alert every single day.
The first weapon we must use to
maintain our purity is the power of daily prayer and the sacraments. Saint
Padre Pio had such devotion to souls in purgatory that he wrote to his
spiritual director: "For some time I have felt the need to offer myself to
the Lord as a victim for poor sinners and for souls in purgatory. This desire
has grown continuously in my heart, until now it has become a powerful
passion." This tells us something crucial, the saints understood that
holiness is not passive. It requires active, daily sacrifice and communion with
God. The Catechism teaches us that "prayer is the raising of one's mind
and heart to God" (CCC 2559) and that it is absolutely necessary for the
spiritual life. If you want to maintain your purity, you must pray every single
day without exception. Begin your morning by consecrating the day to God. Pray:
"Jesus, I give you this day. Guard my eyes, my mind, my heart, and my
body. Let me not fall into temptation but deliver me from evil." Pray the
Rosary daily, Our Lady is the most powerful intercessor against the devil and
impurity. Saint Padre Pio said, "The Rosary is the weapon," and he
meant it literally. Go to Mass as often as you can and receive Holy Communion
in the state of grace. The Eucharist is not just a symbol; it is the actual
Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Saint Bridget of Sweden had a
vision during Mass where she saw "all the powers of heaven set in motion"
at the moment of Consecration, and she witnessed "numberless Angels"
surrounding the priest "in reverential awe," while "the devils
commenced to tremble, and took to flight in greatest confusion and
terror." When you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, you receive divine
strength to resist temptation. Most importantly, go to confession at least once
a month, even if you only have venial sins. Regular confession keeps the weeds
from taking root in the garden of your soul.
The second weapon is avoiding the near
occasions of sin with ruthless honesty. The Catechism is clear: we must not
only avoid sin but also avoid "the proximate occasions of sin, whether
they be circumstances (certain places, spectacles, etc.) or associations with
other people" (CCC 1755, 2847). This requires brutal honesty with yourself
about what leads you into temptation. If certain websites, apps, or social
media platforms have been gateways to sin in the past, delete them completely
from your phone and computer. Do not negotiate with temptation. Saint Paul
commands us: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the
flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14). "Make no
provision" means cut off the supply lines that feed your weakness. If
certain friendships or relationships consistently pull you toward sin, you must
distance yourself from them, no matter how painful that feels. Jesus said with
shocking directness: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that
your whole body be thrown into hell" (Matthew 5:29). He is not speaking
literally about mutilation, but about the radical surgery required to protect
your soul. Saint Faustina was taken by an angel to see hell, and she wrote:
"Today, I was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell. It is a place of
great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I
saw: the first torture that constitutes hell is the loss of God; the second is
perpetual remorse of conscience; the third is that one's condition will never
change." When you understand the eternal stakes, cutting off occasions of
sin becomes not a burden but an act of self-preservation.
The third weapon is cultivating a deep
awareness of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. The
saints who maintained heroic purity kept these realities constantly before
their minds. Saint Faustina wrote about hell: "I am writing this at the
command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell,
or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is
like." She saw hell not to terrify us into despair, but to shock us into
taking our salvation seriously. When temptation whispers, "This sin is not
that serious, just this once," remember the eternal fire that awaits
unrepented mortal sin. But also remember heaven. Saint Faustina was also given
a vision of heaven and wrote: "Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw
its unconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw
how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is
happiness in God." Heaven is real, and it is worth every sacrifice. And
remember purgatory, the reality that even forgiven sins require purification.
When Bishop Alberto Costa asked Padre Pio if he had ever seen a soul in
purgatory, Padre Pio replied: "I have seen so many of them that they don't
scare me anymore." The souls in purgatory suffer because they failed to
purify themselves on earth. One priest told Padre Pio about his mother's soul,
and Padre Pio responded: "I could have sent him immediately to Paradise,
instead he had to stay one more night in the flames of Purgatory." Every
sin we commit in this life has consequences. Let this reality motivate you to
fight for purity now, while you still have time.
The fourth weapon is accountability
and community. You cannot fight this battle alone. Satan isolates his prey,
whispering that no one else struggles like you do and that you must keep your
battles secret. This is a lie. Find a trusted friend, a spiritual director, or
a priest with whom you can be completely honest about your struggles. Tell them
your specific temptations and ask them to check in with you regularly.
Scripture says: "Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16). The Catechism teaches that
"the lay faithful share in Christ's priesthood" and "they are
called to be a leaven in the world" (CCC 940), which means we are meant to
support one another in holiness. Join a men's or women's accountability group
or find online communities of Catholics who are fighting the same battles. When
temptation strikes, text or call your accountability partner immediately. Saint
Bridget of Sweden received a powerful revelation about the will and its
direction. The Virgin Mary questioned the devil about a woman who intended to
abstain from sin, and the devil was forced to admit: "This will of
abstaining from sin leads her toward Heaven." Your will matters. When you
commit to transparency and accountability, you strengthen your will and make it
harder for the devil to deceive you. Do not try to be a lone warrior, the
Church is an army, and we fight together.
The fifth weapon is filling your life
with beauty, truth, and goodness to crowd out evil. Nature abhors a vacuum, and
so does the spiritual life. If you simply remove sin from your life without
replacing it with virtue, the empty space will be filled again. Jesus warned
about this: "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes
through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. Then he says, 'I will
return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty,
swept, and put in order. Then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits
more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of
that man becomes worse than the first" (Matthew 12:43-45). After you have
swept your soul clean through confession, you must fill it with God. I want to
share with you something that has transformed my own spiritual life, the
practice of making rosaries. When my hands are working with the beads, wire,
and crosses, creating these sacred instruments of prayer, I find a peace that
fills every void in my heart. I need nothing else in those moments except Our
Lord, Our Lady, and the Rosary. This simple, contemplative work has become my
refuge and my place of safety. It keeps me focused one hundred percent every
single day because I am literally handling the weapon that Saint Padre Pio told
us defeats the devil. Every rosary I create is a prayer in itself, and when I
give these rosaries to others, I know I am placing in their hands the same protection
that guards my own soul. You may not be called to make rosaries, but I
encourage you to find something similarly sacred, whether it is reading
Scripture daily, spending time in Eucharistic Adoration, reading the lives of
the saints, serving the poor, or engaging in any creative work that draws you
closer to Heaven rather than earth. In the revelations of Saint Bridget, Jesus
says: "I am the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Love me with all your heart,
because I loved you and gave myself to my friends of my own free will."
When you fall in love with Jesus through the hands of Mary, sin loses its power
over you. The Catechism teaches that "the more one does what is good, the
freer one becomes" (CCC 1733). True freedom is not doing whatever you want,
it is having the power to do what is right. Cultivate that power by saturating
your life with prayer, sacraments, Scripture, service, and the company of holy
people. Build a fortress of grace around your soul so strong that temptation
cannot penetrate it.
Finally, when you do fall, and you
likely will, do not despair. Get up immediately and return to confession. The
devil's greatest weapon after sin is shame, the same weapon he used on the
woman in Saint Alphonsus's story. He will whisper: "You failed again. You
are hopeless. God is tired of forgiving you. Why even bother confessing?"
These are lies. Saint Faustina saw that "most of the souls in hell are
those who disbelieved that there is a hell," but she also received the
message of Divine Mercy, which teaches that God's mercy is infinite. Jesus told
her: "The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My
mercy." Do not let pride or shame keep you from confession. Even if you
fall into the same sin a hundred times, confess it a hundred and one times. The
Catechism assures us that "God's mercy is stronger than our weakness"
(CCC 1847). Saint Padre Pio, who heard confessions for up to sixteen hours a
day, said: "The good God knows everything. Before you confess, He already
knows that you will sin again, yet He still forgives you. What love!" Your
job is not to be perfect; your job is to keep fighting, keep confessing, and
keep returning to God's mercy. Every time you get up after a fall, you grow
stronger. Every confession is a victory, not a defeat. The goal of the
spiritual life is not sinless perfection but relentless perseverance. As Saint
Paul writes: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness"
(2 Timothy 4:7-8). Keep fighting. Keep running. Keep the faith. God's grace is
sufficient for you, and His love will bring you home. Guard your soul with
vigilance, nourish it with the sacraments, and never, ever give up. Heaven is
real, and it is waiting for you.
Purity Through 2026 Series Part Four:
The Purity of the Tongue -
Guarding the Gateway to Your Soul
We have journeyed together through the
importance of honest confession, learned how to make a general confession, and
discovered how to maintain purity and avoid falling back into sin. But there is
one area of purity that most Catholics neglect, even while they carefully guard
their bodies and minds, the purity of the tongue. Saint James warns us with
terrifying clarity: "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle
his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless"
(James 3:2). Read that again slowly. Worthless. Not "less valuable"
or "diminished," but utterly worthless. You can fast until you are
weak, pray the Rosary daily, attend Mass every morning, and give generously to
the poor, but if your tongue is unbridled, Saint James tells us that all of it
counts for nothing in God's eyes. This is not a peripheral issue or a minor
character flaw. The Catechism teaches that "the eighth commandment forbids
misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others" and that
"offenses against the truth express by word or deed a refusal to commit
oneself to moral uprightness" (CCC 2464). The tongue is the gateway to
your soul, and if that gate swings open to gossip, slander, detraction, or rash
judgment, then your entire spiritual house is exposed to demonic invasion. In
this part of our series, we will examine why purity of the tongue is just as
critical as purity of the body, and we will learn from the saints how to master
this small but deadly weapon.
The story that should shake every
Catholic to the core comes from the sixth century and is recorded by Saint
Gregory the Great in his Dialogues. Two noble women had consecrated themselves
as brides of Christ, living near the great monastery of Monte Cassino under the
spiritual direction of Saint Benedict. To everyone who saw them, they appeared
to be living saints, they fasted, prayed the Psalms, and remained chaste in
body. But Saint Benedict saw something terrifying that others missed: these
women carried a loaded weapon in their mouths. They came from aristocratic
families and looked down upon the simple man assigned as their guardian. They
used their tongues to mock him, complain about him, and stir up division in the
community. Saint Gregory tells us that "their tongues were not refrained
from hasty words." This may sound mild to modern ears, we call it venting,
being honest, or just expressing our feelings. But Saint Benedict called it
what it truly was: a mortal poison that required the most severe remedy. He
sent them a message while they were still alive: "Amend your tongues, or I
will excommunicate you." They dismissed his warning. After all, they were
consecrated virgins, noble women who had given up everything for God. Surely a
little gossip, a few sharp words about someone they considered incompetent,
could not be that serious. They died with that false assumption, and then the
horror began.
After their deaths, the two women were
given solemn funerals and buried with honor inside the monastery church, a
privilege reserved for the holiest souls. The community mourned them as saints.
But their nurse, the simple woman who had raised and cared for them, began to
witness something that made her blood run cold. Every time she attended Mass,
at the precise moment when the deacon would cry out, "If there is anyone
here who does not communicate, let him depart", the ancient call for those
in mortal sin to leave before the Eucharist, she saw the stone slabs over their
graves dissolve like mist. The two women rose from their tombs; their faces
twisted in unbearable sorrow and were forced by an invisible power to walk out
of the church. They could not remain in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
Saint Benedict's excommunication had followed them beyond the grave. The nurse
watched this terrifying scene repeat itself at every single Mass, until finally
she ran weeping to Saint Benedict and begged him for mercy. The great saint,
moved to compassion, took a consecrated host from the tabernacle and told her:
"Go and cause this oblation to be offered unto our Lord for them, and they
shall no longer be excommunicated." When the Mass was offered for their
souls, the excommunication was finally lifted, and the two women remained at
rest under the altar, welcomed back into the communion of saints. But the
question that should pierce every heart is this: if two consecrated virgins who
gave their entire lives to God were nearly lost forever because of their
unbridled tongues, where does that leave us?
The sin of the tongue takes many
forms, and the Catechism identifies them clearly so that we cannot hide behind
ignorance. Detraction is "the disclosure of another's faults and failings
to persons who did not know them without objectively valid reason" (CCC
2477). Even if what you say is true, if you reveal someone's sins or weaknesses
to others who have no need to know, you have committed the sin of detraction.
You have stolen their good name, and unlike stealing a wallet, you cannot
return a stolen reputation. Calumny or slander is even worse, it is
"remarks contrary to the truth" that "harm the reputation of
others and give occasion for false judgments concerning them" (CCC 2477).
When you spread lies or exaggerations about another person, you are committing
a grave sin that can destroy lives, relationships, and even souls. Rash
judgment is "assuming as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral
fault of a neighbor" (CCC 2477). This is the sin of the heart that often
precedes the sin of the tongue, when you jump to negative conclusions about
someone's motives or character without evidence. And finally, there is the sin
we commit most casually: gossip. The Catechism does not use this exact word,
but it encompasses all the above. Gossip is speaking about others in a way that
damages their reputation, reveals their secrets, or simply makes them the
subject of our entertainment. We justify it by saying, "I'm just asking
for prayers," or "I'm just being honest," or "I need to
vent." But God sees through these disguises. Saint Paul commands us:
"Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for
edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who
hear" (Ephesians 4:29).
The saints understood the deadly power
of the tongue because they saw the spiritual realm with clarity. Saint Padre
Pio, who bore the wounds of Christ and battled demons physically, said:
"The tongue is a small member, but it does great things. A word can save
or condemn a soul." He knew from his confessional experience that more
souls were damned by the sins of the tongue than by many other sins we consider
more serious. Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote extensively about sins of speech,
warning that "he who by backbiting or tale-bearing sows discord among
friends and causes them to separate, commits a grievous sin." He explained
that when you speak badly of someone, you do damage in four directions: you sin
against charity toward the person you speak about, you sin against the person
you speak to by poisoning their mind, you sin against yourself by damaging your
own soul, and you sin against the entire Body of Christ by creating division.
Saint John Vianney said simply: "Gossip is the plague of little
souls." He knew that those who spent their time talking about others were
spiritually stunted children who would never grow into mature holiness. And
Saint Francis de Sales, the Doctor of Charity, wrote: "If someone speaks
evil of you, amend your life so that no one will believe him." He
understood that the way to defeat gossip is not by defending yourself or
spreading counter-gossip, but by living so virtuously that lies cannot take
root.
The reason the tongue is so dangerous
is because it reveals what is truly in the heart. Jesus Himself taught us:
"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out
of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil
treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give
account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:34-37).
Read that last sentence again: by your words you will be justified, and by your
words you will be condemned. Not just by your actions, but by your words. Every
careless word. Every joke at someone's expense. Every bit of gossip is shared
in confidence. Every complaint disguised as concern. All of it will be played
back to you on judgment day. Saint James expands on this teaching with brutal
honesty: "The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is
set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire
course of life, and set on fire by hell... no human being can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:6-8). Notice he
says the tongue is "set on fire by hell", meaning that when you
gossip, you are literally being used as an instrument of Satan to destroy souls
and communities. This is not an exaggeration. This is biblical truth.
So what is the cure? How do we tame
this wild beast that Saint James says no human can control? The answer lies in
three practical disciplines that every serious Catholic must adopt. First, we
must practice the custody of the tongue through the filter of the three guards.
Before you speak about another person, ask yourself three questions: Is it
true? Do not speak rumors, assumptions, or exaggerations. If you do not have
verified facts, remain silent. Is it necessary? Does this information need to
be shared? Will it help someone or solve a problem? Or are you simply filling
silence with noise? Is it kind? Even if something is true and necessary,
examine your heart. Are you speaking with love, or is there hidden malice,
pride, or judgment in your words? If your words cannot pass all three tests,
swallow them. Saint Augustine said: "It is better to need words and not
have them than to have words and not need them." Second, we must develop
the habit of speaking well of others or remaining silent. Saint Paul exhorts
us: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is
good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who
hear" (Ephesians 4:29). Make it your daily practice to say something
genuinely positive about every person you discuss, or if you cannot, say
nothing at all. When others begin to gossip in your presence, gently change the
subject or excuse yourself. You are not required to be the audience for someone
else's sins. Third, we must go to confession regularly and specifically confess
sins of the tongue. Most Catholics confess sexual sins, anger, and missing
Mass, but they rarely confess gossip, detraction, or rash judgment. From this
day forward, examine your conscience carefully before confession and ask: Have
I spoken badly about anyone? Have I revealed secrets? Have I judged others
without evidence? Have I forwarded messages or typed comments that damaged
reputations? Confess these sins specifically and ask for the grace to guard
your tongue.
The two consecrated women in Saint
Benedict's time learned this lesson too late, in the cold darkness of the
grave, dependent on the mercy of others to save them. But you and I have the
incredible privilege of learning it now, while we still have breath in our
lungs and time to change. The Catechism reminds us that "reparation for
injustice committed requires restitution of stolen goods to their owner"
(CCC 2412), and this applies to stolen reputations as well. If you have damaged
someone's good name, you must, to the extent possible, repair that damage. If
you spread lies, you must correct them publicly. If you revealed secrets, you
must humbly apologize. If you poisoned someone's mind against another person,
you must work to restore that relationship. This is not optional; it is
required for your absolution to be valid. The damage of the tongue can be
irreversible in human terms, but with God's grace, healing is always possible.
Let us pray the prayer of the Psalmist, which King David prayed after his own
sins: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my
lips" (Psalm 141:3). Make this your daily prayer. Every morning, before
you speak to anyone, ask God to place a sentinel at the gate of your mouth. And
remember the two women who walked out of the church in shame, let their story
be a warning and a mercy to you. Purity of the tongue is not a secondary
virtue. It is essential to salvation. Guard it as fiercely as you guard your
body, and you will walk into eternity with your soul intact and your conscience
clean.
Purity Through 2026 Series Part Five:
The Forgotten Virtue -
Modesty as the Guardian of Purity
We have journeyed together through
honest confession, learned how to cleanse our souls, discovered weapons to
guard against falling back into sin, and confronted the danger of the unbridled
tongue. But there remains one critical area of purity that has been almost
completely abandoned in modern Catholic life, modesty. The Catechism teaches us
clearly: "Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means
refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity"
(CCC 2521). Without modesty, the entire fortress of purity collapses. Saint
Paul commands us: "I desire then that women should adorn themselves in
respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and
gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess
godliness, with good works" (1 Timothy 2:8-10). This is Sacred Scripture
commanding us to dress with modesty and self-control. The truth we must face is
that modesty has become the forgotten virtue, dismissed as prudish, while our
culture drowns in immodesty that destroys souls. Our Lady of Fatima told little
Jacinta a message so urgent it must pierce every Catholic heart: "More
souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason."
She also warned: "Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend our
Lord very much." If Mary warned about fashions in 1917, what would she say
about yoga pants, crop tops, tight jeans that reveal everything, and the pornification of our entire culture today?
The heart of the matter is this: when
we dress immodestly, we commit a sin against charity. We become stumbling
blocks that cause our brothers and sisters to fall into lust and mortal sin.
Jesus spoke with terrifying seriousness: "Everyone who looks at a woman
with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart"
(Matthew 5:28). Yes, men and women must practice custody of the eyes, Saint Job
made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully (Job 31:1), but this does
not excuse those who dress provocatively. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, the Doctor
of Moral Theology, taught clearly that a woman who dresses with the intention
of provoking lust commits mortal sin, and even if she dresses immodestly
without that specific intention but should reasonably know it will cause others
to sin, she commits venial sin. The same applies to men who deliberately
display their bodies to provoke admiration or lust. The key is intention. Are
you dressing to honor God and respect the dignity of others? Or are you
dressing to attract attention, to be desired, to feel powerful through lustful
gazes? God sees your heart. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that modesty is part of
the virtue of temperance, which regulates our desires according to reason and
faith. He explained that within marriage, spouses may dress attractively for
each other, this is virtuous love within the covenant. But what we wear in
public is a different matter entirely. What was once reserved for the privacy
of the bedroom is now displayed everywhere. This is not freedom; it is
spiritual suicide.
The crisis is most visible at Holy
Mass. The Mass is the wedding feast of the Lamb, heaven touching earth, the
most sacred moment available to humanity. Yet Catholics routinely attend
dressed for the beach, the gym, or a casual gathering. Pope Pius XII warned in
1957: "How many young girls there are today who do not see anything wrong
in following certain shameless fashion styles... They would certainly blush if
they could guess the impression that they make and the feelings they evoke in
those who see them." That was 1957, before the sexual revolution, before
our current cultural collapse. Saint Padre Pio, who saw visions of hell and
purgatory, refused to give absolution to women who came to confession dressed
immodestly. This was not cruelty but mercy; he knew that someone deliberately
dressing to provoke lust is not truly repentant. He once said, "The world
is walking the road to perdition; souls are falling into hell like snowflakes
in winter." Saint John Vianney preached: "A woman who dresses
immodestly is like a person who goes into a field with a torch and sets fire to
the harvest." You are not just harming yourself; you are setting fires that
burn others eternally. When you attend Mass, you stand before the King of Kings
in His own house. Would you attend a wedding in a bikini? Would you meet a head
of state in torn shorts and a tank top? Then why would you dress casually or
provocatively before the Lord of the Universe present in the Blessed Sacrament?
So what does modest dress actually
look like? The Church has never issued an exhaustive dress code because modesty
must adapt to culture and circumstance, but the principles are clear. Clothing
should cover the body adequately, should not be so tight as to function as body
paint revealing every contour, and should not deliberately draw sexual
attention. For women at Mass specifically: skirts or dresses should reach at
least past the knee, necklines should not reveal cleavage, and shoulders should
be covered. Tight leggings worn as pants or tight jeans, or any tight pants, are not appropriate; they leave
nothing to the imagination. For men: collared shirts and long pants, not
shorts, not tank tops, not clothing with vulgar messages. Our Sunday best for
the Lord. For daily life outside of church, the same principles apply with
reasonable flexibility, a mother at the beach may wear a modest swimsuit to
care for her children without sin if her intention is simply to swim, not to be
gazed upon lustfully. An athlete may wear appropriate athletic clothing for the
sport. But context matters. What is acceptable at a beach is not acceptable at
Mass or in the grocery store. The Catechism teaches: "The forms taken by
modesty vary from one culture to another. Everywhere, however, modesty exists
as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man" (CCC 2524).
Modesty is rooted in human dignity. When we dress immodestly, we say: "I
am a body to be looked at, not a person to be loved." We reduce ourselves
to objects.
What must we do? First, examine your
conscience honestly. Why do you dress the way you do? Are you seeking God's
glory or human attention? If married, are you dressing modestly in public while
reserving your beauty as a gift for your spouse? Your body is a sacred temple
of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), not public property. Second, adopt
practical modesty. Before leaving the house, ask: "Does this outfit help
others see Christ in me, or does it distract them from Him?" If the answer
is distraction, change. Third, teach your children. The average age of first
exposure to pornography is now eleven years old. Teach your daughters that
their worth comes from being beloved daughters of God, not from how many people
find them attractive. Teach your sons custody of the eyes and to view women as
sisters in Christ. Model modesty yourself, children follow what you do, not
just what you say. Fourth, reclaim reverence at Mass. Priests must lovingly but
firmly restore dress expectations. Families must prepare Sunday clothes the
night before and teach children that we wear our best for Jesus. If your parish
has no dress code, dress modestly anyway and be a witness.
Finally, recognize this is spiritual
warfare requiring spiritual weapons. Fast and pray for the grace to live
modestly. Ask Our Lady, the model of perfect purity, to intercede. Pray the
Rosary daily. Go to confession regularly and confess sins of immodesty in
dress, thought, word, and deed. Receive the Eucharist worthily. Saint Alphonsus
wrote: "He who prays is certainly saved; he who prays not is certainly
damned." You cannot win this battle through willpower alone; you need
divine grace. Remember Saint Paul's words: "Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not
your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body"
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You were bought with the precious blood of Christ.
Your body belongs to God, and you will answer to Him for how you treated this
sacred gift. The excuse "it's not my fault what others think when they
look at me" is a demonic lie. Yes, others must control their eyes, but you
must not be a stumbling block. Saint Paul commands: "Put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires"
(Romans 13:14). Make no provision, do not set yourself or others up for sin.
Let us commit today to reclaim modesty: to dress, speak, and carry ourselves in
ways that honor God, protect our purity, and serve our neighbors' souls. Heaven
is real. Hell is real. Modesty matters eternally.
Purity Through 2026 Series Part Six:
Detachment from the World -
The Purity of Empty Hands
We have learned to confess honestly,
to cleanse our souls through general confession, to guard against falling back
into sin, to tame our tongues, and to dress modestly. But there remains one
final area of purity that strikes at the very root of our relationship with God,
the purity of detachment from the things of this world. Jesus spoke with
absolute clarity: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate
the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24). Notice He did not
say it is difficult to serve either. He said it is impossible. Every possession
we cling to, every comfort we refuse to surrender, every reputation we protect,
every dollar we hoard becomes a chain that binds us to earth and prevents us
from rising to heaven. The Catechism teaches: "The tenth commandment
forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids
avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power" (CCC
2536). This is not about whether you are rich or poor, it is about where your
heart is anchored. Can you lift your hands freely to the Lord, or are they
gripping tightly to the possessions, pride, and pleasures of this dying world?
True purity requires empty hands, a detached heart, and eyes fixed solely on eternity.
The saints understood this with
stunning clarity because they saw that attachment to worldly things is
spiritual poison that kills the soul silently. Saint John of the Cross, the
great Doctor of Mystical Theology, wrote: "The soul that is attached to
anything, however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty
of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate
thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for
until the cord be broken, the bird cannot fly." Do you see the power of
this image? It does not matter if you are bound by a massive chain of wealth or
a delicate thread of vanity, both prevent you from soaring to God. The rich
young man in the Gospel had kept all the commandments from his youth, but when
Jesus told him, "Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me," the young man
"went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (Mark 10:21-22).
Jesus looked at His disciples and said something that should terrify every
comfortable Catholic: "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!... It is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark
10:23-25). He is not condemning wealth itself, He is condemning attachment to
wealth, the inability to let go when God asks.
The tragedy is that most of us do not
even realize we are enslaved. We think we own our possessions, but in reality,
our possessions own us. Saint Francis de Sales observed: "It is the great
trick of the devil to make us believe we are working for God when we are really
working for ourselves and our own plans." How
many hours do you spend thinking about your money, your wealth, vacations with
no limits, worrying about your home, and all that fills your pride, obsessing
over your physical appearance, protecting your reputation, planning your
comfort with an expensive vehicle, or just accumulating more things? How many hours do you spend in prayer, serving the poor, reading Scripture, or
contemplating eternity? Your answer reveals who your true master is. Saint
Padre Pio said bluntly: "Some people are so foolish that they think they
can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna
and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the
world today." But do you know what prevents people from praying the
Rosary? Attachment to this world, the television show they cannot miss, the social
media scroll they cannot stop, the work project they cannot put down, the hobby
they cannot sacrifice. We have no time for God because we have given all our
time to the world. This is impurity of heart, and it will cost us everything.
Scripture is relentless on this point.
Saint James warns: "Do you not know that friendship with the world is
enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). An enemy of God. Not a distant
acquaintance, not a lukewarm follower, an enemy. Saint John writes: "Do
not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of
the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life, is not from the Father
but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires,
but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17). Read
that again slowly. The world is passing away. Everything you see around you, your
house, your car, your savings account, your wardrobe, your reputation, your
career achievements, all of it is passing away like smoke. In one hundred
years, none of it will matter. In eternity, only one thing will remain: did you
love God above all else, or did you love the world? The Catechism teaches:
"Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of
heaven" (CCC 2544). Not optional. Necessary. And yet how many Catholics
live as if this life is all that matters, storing up treasures on earth while
their souls starve?
The most dangerous aspect of worldly
attachment is that it often disguises itself as innocent or even good. You
convince yourself that you work long hours because you need to provide for your
family, but in reality, you are chasing a lifestyle of comfort that God never
asked you to have. You tell yourself you need the nice house, the new car, the
designer clothes because "there is nothing wrong with having nice
things," but you never ask whether these things have become idols that
consume your thoughts and steal your peace. You justify your obsession with
your children's success, their sports achievements, their academic records, but
you never consider whether you have made them into little gods whose approval
you worship. Even good things become evil when they replace God as the center
of our lives. Saint Alphonsus Liguori warned: "It is not a sin to have
riches, but it is a sin to fix our hearts upon them." Where is your heart
fixed? Jesus said: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also" (Matthew 6:21). If you want to know what you truly worship, look at
your bank statement, your calendar, and your internet search history. They will
tell you the truth.
The path to purity of heart requires
radical detachment, and this terrifies most Catholics because we have been
baptized into a comfortable Christianity that demands nothing. But listen to
what Jesus actually said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own
father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even
his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and
come after me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27). This is not metaphor;
this is the requirement for discipleship. You must love God so intensely that
your love for everything else looks like hatred by comparison. You must be
willing to surrender everything, your family, your life, your wealth, your possessions, your
dreams, if God asks it of you. Saint Faustina recorded Jesus saying to her:
"I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart
for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call
upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this
prayer with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will
give him the grace of conversion." The path to this deep intimacy with
Christ requires stripping away everything that stands between you and Him.
Saint Teresa of Avila said: "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten
you. All things are passing away; God never changes. Patience obtains all
things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices." God alone
suffices. Do you believe that, or do you believe that God plus your wealth plus
your home plus your reputation plus your health equals sufficiency?
What does detachment look like in
practice? It does not mean you must sell everything and move to a monastery,
though God may call some to that radical path. For most, it means living in the
world without being of the world. It means holding everything with open hands,
ready to surrender it the moment God asks. It means simplifying your life,
rejecting the consumerist mentality that says you need the newest, the biggest,
the best. It means tithing generously, even sacrificially, trusting that God
will provide. It means spending less time on entertainment and more time in
prayer. It means examining every purchase and asking, "Do I truly need
this, or am I trying to fill a God-shaped void with stuff?" It means being
willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world by choosing a smaller house,
an older car, simpler clothes, so that you can give more to the poor and invest
more in eternity. Saint Padre Pio lived this radically, he owned nothing,
desired nothing, and gave everything to God and souls. When he died, his entire
personal possessions fit in a small bag. Yet he was one of the freest, most
joyful men who ever lived because his hands were empty and his heart was full
of God.
The Catechism gives us this beautiful
teaching: "The beatitude of poverty of spirit is the condition for
entering the Kingdom of heaven" (CCC 2544). Blessed are the poor in
spirit, Jesus said, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Poor in
spirit means recognizing that you own nothing, deserve nothing, and can do
nothing without God. It means acknowledging your absolute dependence on His
mercy. Even if you have great wealth, you can be poor in spirit by holding it
loosely, using it for God's glory, and being ready to lose it all without
losing your joy. The opposite, rich in spirit, is the condition of the person
who trusts in their own resources, who builds their security on earthly
foundations, who cannot imagine life without their wealth for comforts. Jesus told a
parable about such a man: "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and
he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'
And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones,
and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul,
Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be
merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you,
and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays
up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21). That
man went to bed rich and woke up in eternity with nothing.
Brothers and sisters, examine your
life today. What are you holding onto that prevents you from lifting your hands
freely to the Lord? Is it your money, your home, your career, your reputation,
your comfort, your children's success, your health, your plans for retirement?
Whatever it is, it is an idol, and idols damn souls. The First Commandment is
clear: "I am the Lord your God... you shall have no other gods before
me" (Exodus 20:2-3). Not money, not possessions, not even family, God
alone. Saint John of the Cross wrote: "In the evening of life, we will be
judged on love alone." Not on how much you accumulated, but on how much
you loved. And you cannot love God fully while your hands are full of the
world. Let go. Surrender. Detach. Give generously. Simplify radically. Pray
fervently. Live for eternity, not for the seventy or eighty or even ninety years you might
have on this earth. Remember the words of Jesus: "What will it profit a
man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Let us pray together: "Lord Jesus, I
surrender everything to You. My possessions, my reputation, my plans, my loved ones,
I hold them with open hands. You are my treasure. You alone are enough. Give me
the grace to live detached from this passing world and attached only to You.
Amen." Heaven is real. This world is passing. Choose wisely.
Purity Through 2026 Series Part Seven:
The Plan - Your Roadmap to Sainthood
We have learned to confess honestly,
to maintain purity, to guard our tongues, to dress modestly, and to detach from
the world. But all of this raises one final, critical question: What is the
ultimate goal? Where is all this leading? The answer is simple and absolutely you
are called to be a saint. Not might be called. Not could be called if you try
really hard. You ARE called. The Second Vatican Council proclaimed with
unmistakable clarity: "All Christians in any state or walk of life are
called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity"
(Lumen Gentium 40). This is the universal call to holiness, and it applies to
you, married or single, working in an office or raising children, struggling
with sin or walking in grace. God created you for one purpose: to become a
saint and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Everything else in your life is
either helping you toward that goal or pulling you away from it. There is no
middle ground, no neutral territory. As Bishop Robert Barron powerfully
proclaims, the Church must stop offering people a watered-down Christianity
that demands nothing and produces lukewarm Catholics. We are called to
something heroic, to include ourselves in the grand cosmic drama of creation
and redemption. This final part of our series is your roadmap, a practical,
concrete plan for living every day with sainthood as your north star, knowing
that eternity far exceeds even a hundred years on this earth.
The first step on the path to
sainthood is desire, you must want it with your whole heart. Saint Mother
Teresa of Calcutta said it bluntly: "Holiness is not a luxury of the few;
it is a simple duty for you and for me." Do you believe that? Most
Catholics live as if sainthood is reserved for priests, nuns, and a few
extraordinary mystics, while ordinary laypeople should simply try to avoid
mortal sin and hope for purgatory. This is a demonic lie that has crippled the
Church. The truth is that God calls you personally, by name, to heroic virtue
and total surrender. Saint Maximilian Kolbe taught: "A saint is a person
whose will is the same as God's will." Not perfect performance, but
perfect alignment of desire. Before you can grow in holiness, you must first
hunger for it. Ask yourself honestly: Is becoming a saint the most important
thing in my life, or is it something I vaguely hope will happen if I attend
Mass on Sundays? Jesus said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). Hunger. Thirst.
These are not polite wishes; they are desperate, consuming needs. When you
hunger and thirst for holiness the way you hunger for food when you have not
eaten in days, God will fill you. The Catechism teaches: "The desire for
God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for
God" (CCC 27). This desire is already in you, planted by God Himself. Your
job is to stop suppressing it with worldly distractions and let it grow into a
blazing fire.
The second step is total surrender to
Jesus Christ. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot have one foot in the
world and one foot with God and expect to become a saint. Saint Faustina
recorded Jesus saying to her: "I demand of you deeds of mercy... You are
to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from
this or try to excuse yourself from it." Sainthood requires everything, not
50%, not 80%, but 100% of your life given to God. This terrifies most Catholics
because we want to keep control, to manage our own lives while giving God the
leftovers. But Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it"
(Luke 9:23-24). Daily. Not once in a dramatic moment, but every single morning
when you wake up, you must pick up your cross and follow Him. Revelation 3:16
warns: "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit
you out of my mouth." Lukewarm Catholicism is repulsive to God. He wants
your whole heart or nothing. Surrender means trusting Him completely, with your
marriage, your children, your career, your health, your money, your reputation,
your future. It means saying with Mary: "Let it be to me according to your
word" (Luke 1:38), even when you cannot see the path ahead.
The third step is ongoing repentance
and frequent confession. There is no path to sainthood that bypasses the
confessional. The Catechism is clear: "Interior repentance is a radical
reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our
heart" (CCC 1431). Sainthood requires daily examination of conscience and
at minimum monthly confession, but ideally more often. Every single canonized
saint, even the greatest mystics and miracle workers, went to confession
regularly and considered themselves the worst of sinners. Saint Padre Pio spent
up to sixteen hours a day in the confessional hearing others' sins, yet he
still went to confession himself regularly. Why? Because sin is not just about
breaking rules, it is about wounding your relationship with God, and that
relationship must be constantly tended, healed, and renewed. Make it your habit
to examine your conscience every night before bed. Ask: Where did I fail to
love God today? Where did I fail to love my neighbor? Where did I give in to pride,
lust, anger, gluttony, greed, envy, or sloth? Write these down if it helps.
Then bring them to confession with genuine sorrow. The Catechism teaches:
"Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial
sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church" (CCC 1458). Do
not wait until you have committed mortal sin. Regular confession keeps your
soul clean and your relationship with God vibrant.
The fourth step is building your life
around the Eucharist and the sacraments. Bishop Barron emphasizes that true
discipleship requires structuring your entire day around receiving the
Eucharist. This is not optional; it is the difference between sainthood and
mediocrity. How many hours do you spend at work, enjoying entertainment, and
wasting your time compared to the time you spend receiving Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament and adoring Him? The saints reordered their entire lives around the
Mass. They attended daily, when possible, spent hours in Eucharistic adoration,
and carried the presence of Jesus with them throughout the day. Saint John
Vianney said: "If we really understood the Mass, we would die of
joy." Do you approach Mass that way, or do you treat it like an obligation
to check off? The Eucharist is not a symbol, it is the actual Body, Blood, Soul,
and Divinity of Jesus Christ. When you receive Him worthily, you are receiving
the source of all holiness, all grace, all power to become a saint. Make a
concrete plan: attend daily Mass if your state in life allows it, even if it
means waking up earlier or rearranging your schedule. If you cannot attend
daily, spend time in Eucharistic adoration. Even fifteen minutes a day sitting
silently before the Blessed Sacrament will transform your soul. The Catechism
teaches: "The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian
life'" (CCC 1324). Everything flows from it and leads back to it.
The fifth step is cultivating heroic
virtue in the ordinary moments of your daily life. This is where most people
stumble, they think sainthood requires extraordinary circumstances, but the
truth is that God sanctifies us through the ordinary. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux,
the Little Flower, became a Doctor of the Church by doing small things with
great love. She never performed public miracles, never preached to crowds,
never left her Carmelite monastery. She simply did her daily duties, prayer,
work, community life, with total love and attention to God's will in each
moment. She called this her "little way," and it is accessible to
everyone. You do not need to move to a monastery to become a saint. You become
a saint by changing diapers with patience, by working at your job with
excellence and integrity, by speaking kindly to your spouse when you want to
snap, by forgiving your teenager for the hundredth time, by praying the Rosary
even when you are exhausted, by fasting from that extra dessert, by giving
generously to the poor when you could keep the money. The Catechism teaches
about the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity (CCC 1813-1829) and
the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance (CCC
1806). These are not abstract concepts; they are muscles you build through
daily practice. Each time you choose patience over anger, you grow in
temperance. Each time you choose truth over lies, you grow in justice. Each
time you choose sacrifice over comfort, you grow in fortitude. The saints did
not become holy by accident, they practiced virtue deliberately, day after day,
year after year, until it became their second nature.
The sixth step is embracing your
specific vocation with total dedication. God does not call everyone to the same
path, but He does call everyone to holiness within their state in life. If you
are married, your path to sainthood runs directly through loving your spouse
and children sacrificially, even unto death. If you are single, your path runs
through serving God with undivided attention and using your freedom for the
kingdom. If you are a priest or religious, your path runs through total
consecration and service. Saint Francis de Sales wrote: "Devotion must be
exercised in different ways by the gentleman, the workman, the servant, the
prince, the widow, the maid, and the married woman." Your vocation is not
a barrier to holiness; it is the very means by which God will make you a saint.
Dorothy Day challenged the false notion that laypeople are called only to keep
the commandments while priests and religious pursue the evangelical counsels.
She said emphatically no, every baptized person is summoned to heroic sanctity,
which means practicing poverty, chastity, and obedience within their state in
life. For married people, this means detachment from wealth (poverty), faithful
and selfless love within marriage (chastity), and submission to God's will and
legitimate authority (obedience). Stop making excuses that you cannot be a
saint because you have a job or children. These are the very crucibles where
God is forging your holiness.
The seventh and final step is
perseverance until death. Becoming a saint is not a one-time decision but a
lifelong journey of saying yes to God every single day, no matter how many
times you fail. Father Benedict Groeschel taught: "A saint is a person who
says yes to God and who never stops saying yes." You will fall. You will
sin. You will have moments of doubt, fear, and weakness. But if you get back
up, return to confession, and keep walking toward God, you are on the path to
sainthood. Saint Paul wrote: "I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me
the crown of righteousness" (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Notice he did not say
"I never stumbled" or "I was perfect” he said, "I finished
the race." The goal is not flawless performance but faithful endurance.
When you face trials, suffering, illness, loss, or persecution, do not waste it,
offer it to God as participation in Christ's redemptive suffering. This is what
Bishop Barron calls the very meaning of sanctity in a Christological register:
entering into the sufferings of the world and bearing them within us as our
share in Jesus Christ's redemption. Every difficulty you face is an opportunity
to grow in holiness if you unite it to the Cross.
Your life on this earth, even if you
live to be one hundred years old, is nothing compared to eternity. Eternity
never ends, it stretches out infinitely in both directions of time, and you
will spend it either in the unimaginable joy of heaven with God and the saints,
or in the unspeakable horror of hell separated from Him forever. The Catechism
teaches: "Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human
longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness" (CCC 1024). This is
what you were created for, not comfort on earth, not worldly success, not being a multi-millionaire, not even
a happy family, but eternal communion with the Trinity. Every choice you make
today is either moving you toward that destiny or away from it. There is no
middle option. Bishop Barron challenges us to stop settling for mediocrity and
to pursue the heroic life we are called to. He asks: What if every Christian
actually lived according to the evangelical counsels? What if we truly detached
from wealth, lived chastely, and obeyed God's will? The world would be
revolutionized. Industries built on lust and greed would collapse. Broken
relationships would heal. The Church would become the radiant bride of Christ
she was meant to be. But it starts with you. Not with the Pope, not with your
bishop, not with your priest, with you, today, in this moment, making the
decision to pursue sainthood with everything you have. Let us pray: "Lord
Jesus, I desire to be a saint. I surrender my entire life to You, my past, my
present, my future. Transform me by Your grace. Give me hunger for holiness,
courage to repent, love for the Eucharist, and strength to persevere. Make me a
saint, for Your glory and the salvation of souls. I will see You in heaven.
Amen." This is not the end, this is the beginning. Now go and become the
saint God created you to be.
Purity Through 2026 Series - Conclusion
A
Sacred Invitation: Your Journey Begins Now
You have walked through seven powerful
parts of this series. You have learned the truth about honest confession,
discovered how to make a general confession, received weapons to guard your
soul, confronted the sins of the tongue, embraced the forgotten virtue of
modesty, learned to detach from the world, and received a roadmap to sainthood.
But all of this knowledge means nothing unless you act on it.
The saints became saints not because
they read about holiness, but because they lived it. They made hard choices.
They got up early to pray. They went to confession regularly. They guarded
their eyes, their tongues, and their hearts. They detached from comfort and
clung to Christ. They persevered through failure, doubt, and darkness until
they finally reached heaven.
Now it is your turn.
I invite you; right now, to take on
the Purity Through 2026 Challenge. This is not a vague resolution that
will fade in a few weeks. This is a concrete, specific commitment to live the
next year (and the rest of your life) pursuing holiness with everything you
have.
The challenge is simple:
1. Make a general confession
(if you have hidden sins or doubt the validity of past confessions).
2. Go to confession at least once a month throughout 2026.
3. Pray the Rosary daily
without exception.
4. Attend Mass
as often as your state in life allows.
5. Guard your tongue
from gossip, slander, and rash judgment
6. Dress modestly
especially at Mass and in public.
7. Detach from one worldly attachment (comfort, possession, reputation, or habit) that stands
between you and God.
8. Keep eternity before your eyes by meditating on death, judgment, heaven, and hell
regularly.
This is not easy. It will require
sacrifice. It will require discipline. It will require grace. But the reward is
infinite, eternal life with God in heaven, and a foretaste of that joy even
here on earth as you grow in holiness.
Will you accept the challenge?
Consecration
Prayer for the Purity Through 2026 Challenge
Pray this prayer aloud as your
commitment to God:
Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings and
Lord of Lords,
I kneel before You today as a sinner
in desperate need of Your mercy. I confess that I have failed You in countless
ways, in my thoughts, my words, my actions, and my omissions. I have allowed
impurity to stain my soul through hidden sins, unbridled speech, immodest
dress, and attachment to the passing things of this world.
But today, I say: No more.
By the grace of the Holy Spirit and
the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, I accept the Purity Through
2026 Challenge. I commit myself completely to You and to the pursuit of
holiness.
I will confess my sins honestly and
regularly. I will guard my tongue from all malice. I will dress modestly to
honor You and protect my brothers and sisters from temptation. I will detach my
heart from the world and fix my eyes on eternity. I will pray daily, receive
You in the Eucharist worthily, and fight for purity in every area of my life.
I desire to be a saint.
I know I will fail. I know I will
fall. But I promise You this: I will never stop getting back up. I will never
stop running to Your mercy in the confessional. I will never stop saying yes to
You, no matter how weak I feel.
Transform me, Lord. Purify me in the
fire of Your love. Give me the courage of the martyrs, the purity of the
virgins, the wisdom of the doctors, and the perseverance of the confessors.
Make me a living witness to Your mercy and Your power to save.
I entrust this commitment to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, who crushed the serpent's head and who intercedes for
all her children. I place myself under the protection of Saint Joseph, terror
of demons and patron of a holy death. I ask Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint
Padre Pio, Saint Faustina, Saint Thérèse, and all the saints to pray for me and
walk with me on this journey.
Jesus, I trust in You. Make me a
saint.
In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Personal
Reflection Worksheet: Purity Through 2026
Take time in prayer before the Blessed
Sacrament if possible and answer these questions with complete honesty. This is
between you and God alone. Write your answers in a journal or notebook that you
can return to throughout the year.
Part
One: Honest Confession
1. Is there any mortal sin from my
past that I have never confessed, either out of shame, fear, or forgetfulness?
2. Have I ever made a bad confession
by deliberately hiding a sin or by not being truly sorry?
3. What specific fear or shame has
kept me from confessing honestly in the past?
4. When will I schedule my general
confession? (Write a specific date and location)
Part
Two: The Path Forward
5. What is my plan for regular
confession in 2026? (Monthly? Bi-weekly? Write your specific commitment)
6. What near occasions of sin do I
need to remove from my life immediately? (Apps, websites, friendships, places,
habits)
7. What specific spiritual practices
will I commit to daily? (Rosary, Scripture reading, Eucharistic adoration,
etc.)
Part
Three: Guarding My Soul
8. What are my three biggest
temptations, and what specific strategies will I use to combat them?
Temptation 1: Strategy:
Temptation 2: Strategy:
Temptation 3: Strategy:
9. Who will be my accountability
partner? (Name a specific person and when you will ask them)
10. How much time do I spend daily in
prayer vs. entertainment/social media? What needs to change?
Current reality:
My commitment:
Part
Four: The Purity of the Tongue
11. Have I committed sins of gossip,
slander, detraction, or rash judgment recently? Against whom?
12. What damage have my words caused
to others' reputations? What reparation do I need to make?
13. What practical steps will I take
to guard my tongue? (Three guards: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?)
My commitment:
Part
Five: Modesty
14. Am I dressing modestly, especially
at Holy Mass? What specific changes do I need to make to my wardrobe?
15. Have I been a stumbling block to
others through immodest dress or behavior? How will I change this?
16. How can I model and teach modesty
to my children, family members, or friends?
Part
Six: Detachment from the World
17. What possession, comfort,
relationship, or reputation am I most attached to? Can I lift my hands freely
to God, or am I gripping this too tightly?
18. How much of my time, energy, and
money goes to earthly things vs. eternal things? What is the honest ratio?
19. What one worldly attachment will I
surrender to God in 2026? (Be specific)
20. How will I practice radical
generosity this year? (Tithing, serving the poor, sacrificial giving)
Part
Seven: The Plan for Sainthood
21. Do I truly desire to be a saint,
or am I content with "good enough" Christianity?
22. What specific virtue do I most
need to grow in? (Faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude,
temperance)
23. How will I structure my day around
the Eucharist? (Daily Mass? Weekly adoration? First Fridays? First Saturdays?)
24. What saint will I ask to be my
patron and guide for this journey?
25. If I died today, would I be ready
to meet God? What do I need to change immediately?
Final
Commitment
I, _________________________ (write
your name), on this day ____________ (write today's date), commit myself fully
to the Purity Through 2026 Challenge. I will pursue holiness with my whole
heart. I will confess regularly, pray daily, guard my tongue, dress modestly,
detach from the world, and fix my eyes on heaven. I desire to be a saint, and
with God's grace, I will become one.
Signature:
_________________________________
Date:
_________________________________
Monthly
Check-In
Return to this worksheet at the end of
each month and answer:
This month, where did I succeed in
living purity?
Where did I fail?
What do I need to confess?
What will I do differently next month?
Remember: Heaven is real. Hell is
real. Purity matters eternally. Your eternity is being decided today.
Jesus, I trust in You. Mary, pray for
me. Saints, intercede for me. I will see you all in heaven. Amen.
©2026 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
