What the Catechism Says…
https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/367/

Catholics also believe that the sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace. In this case, the outward sign is the absolution, or forgiveness of sins, that the priest grants to the penitent (the person confessing his sins); the inward grace is the reconciliation of the penitent to God.

The purpose of Confession is to reconcile man to God. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace. And by doing so, we make it even easier to sin some more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent of them, and to ask God’s forgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.

Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive the sacrament worthily:

He must be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
He must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
He must be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins.

A good rule of thumb is to go once per month. (The Church strongly recommends that, we go to Confession even if we are aware of venial sin only.)

The Sacrament of Confession is one of the seven sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that all of the sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ himself. In the case of Confession, that institution occurred on Easter Sunday, when Christ first appeared to the apostles after his Resurrection. Breathing on them, he said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).

CONFESSION: STEP BY STEP
Before going to Confession, do an examination of conscience to reflect on
what sins you have committed. Say a prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance. If
you are worried you won’t remember your sins, it’s OK to make a written list
and bring it with you to Confession.
It is important that you are truly sorry for your sins (contrition) and that you are
determined to try and avoid committing these sins in the future (resolution).

STEP 1: PREPARE FOR CONFESSION
When you enter the confessional, you can choose to kneel behind the screen
and confess anonymously or to walk over and sit in the chair across from
Father to confess face-to-face.
BEGIN WITH THE SIGN OF THE CROSS:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
CONFESS YOUR SINS:

• Begin by saying, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been (# of weeks/months/
  years) since my last confession. These are my sins.” If you are not doing a face-to-face
  confession, it can be helpful to the priest to say your age, marital status, or other important
  characteristics.
• Next, tell the priest all of the sins you have committed and if possible indicate the number
  or frequency of the sin. Is this something you do often or was it just once?
• When you have said all your sins, end with, “For these and all my sins, I am truly sorry.”
  LISTEN TO THE PRIEST:
• Listen closely as the priest talks to you and gives you your penance.
• The priest will ask you to pray an Act of Contrition (see back) out loud.
• When you finish, the priest will extend his hand and say the prayer of absolution: God, the
  Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to
  himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry
  of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the
  name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. You reply, “Amen.”
• Lastly, the priest will dismiss you with a prayer, such as: The Lord has freed you from your
  sins. Go in peace. You respond, “Thanks be to God” and leave the confessional.
  After leaving the confessional, go into a pew, kneel down and say a prayer
  of thanksgiving to God for his mercy and love. If the penance given by the
  priest is to say certain prayers, complete your penance in the church. If
  your penance is something else, such as making amends with a person, try
  to complete this as soon as you can.
  
  

LET ME BE BLUNT!
Having to make an appointment for confession
or offering one hour of confessions a week
during a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning
is negligent.
Make it longer.
Make it every day, at a time when people can actually come
Early morning before work
maybe around 5 or 6 p.m.
on their way home from work.
If you pastor more than one parish rotate daily.
Perhaps one parish is easier to get to than the other.

You cannot tell your parish confession is good if you are not there to hear it. No one should wonder if you will be there. No one should be told you cannot hear any more you have something else to do or Mass to say.

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Morning Offering given

Memory Verse — Hebrews 2:10

For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom
all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation
perfect through suffering.

Village, silent and peaceful

Coffee good

The hand continues to gain. The feet need more work. The weight seems permanently stuck. I think talking with the Doc about the possibility of my not being a good converter of T4 into T3 is in order. I have all the symptoms of thyroid issues but my blood tests are good. In all honesty, I’ve had these symptoms for years but always good blood tests. Time to get it checked out. Hopefully, the doctor will agree to send me to have that checked.

Morning! Hoping all woke rested and peaceful. Take a few moments to thank Jesus for bringing you through the night and into a new day. This can be done before your feet hit the floor. There are formal Morning Offerings or ones that come directly from your heart.

Reading any special book for Advent? I’m looking into a few.

Bacci on page 471 of his Meditations for Each Day addresses “The Blessedness of the Poor” today. He advises that we need a proper understanding of the meaning of Matthew 5:3 ” Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He advises that Christian perfection does not actually consist in being poor. That it can coexist with great wealth. This perfection consists in detachment from worldly possessions. The perfection we must have if we wish to be true followers of Christ. We must guard against riveting our ambitions on earthly objects as if they are capable of constituting the goal of our lives. St Paul warned that those who seek to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many useless and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and damnation. 1 Tim 6:9-10 Let us all (rich & poor) seek only true riches which are holiness and the grace of God.

Know you are prayed for.

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Morning Offering given

Memory verse–Daniel 12:2

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.”

Village waking

Coffee, POD type

The man in IL bringing someone back today. Already in Boscobel headed this way.

Got home last night around 9, and promptly fell asleep in my chair, waking about 2:30. Hmmm, I must have been tired.

Looking forward to this morning. I am taking one of the special scholars shopping at Dollar Tree, she has never been to one. Hope to be home by noon.

Hoping to get seat covers on both vehicles today along with the storage netting between the seats. Long time happening, hopefully, today will get it off my list. Funny how things always seem to get on the to-do list, many getting off quickly, but there is always one maybe two that linger there and one needs a push to get it done.

Today’s ponder… Men may be divided into 3 principal categories ^Bacci
“the evil” are numerous, fools are infinite, committing countless sins
“the indifferent” are content to lead materialistic lives without any thought to eternity
“the good” unfortunately these are few
WHICH ONE AM I?

Know you are prayed for.

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Morning Offering given

Village peaceful… snow disappeared

Coffee good

Memory Verse— James 5:17-18

Elijah was a human being like us;
yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,
and for three years and six months, it did not rain upon the land.
18 Then he prayed again,
and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Morning!
Today is my office day and bank run day. Tonight, I’m off to Iowa to pick someone up and bring them back to Cashton. The snow has disappeared, the cold is here to stay I’m afraid. Time to get out the silkies and put them on.
Label job completed and ready to deliver. Copy (2) jobs completed and ready to deliver. The car needs a good wash and vacuum. Laundry to fold and put away. Life is good how’s yours?
Aldi’s grand opening in Viroqua was packed with people. I understand Viroqua doesn’t have a grocery store per se. There is WalMart and the Co-Op but no real hometown grocery. For those of us who are lucky enough to have a hometown grocery store, we all should be shopping in it or it will be gone. I cannot imagine driving 20 mins to the grocery. It has been my experience if I need something ask if it can be ordered in. So far that has worked well. Well except for the apricot pie filling that is.

The man is off to Milwaukee today.

Today’s Ponder: God does not need me, I need God. Therefore, it is my obligation to work to proclaim the glory of God. If I love myself more than I love God, I seek my own glory and stray from the Lord. I become lukewarm in my faith and eventually lose it.

Know you are prayed for.

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Morning Offering given… check out Megan Woods’ music

Village covered in white

Coffee brewing

Memory Verse— 1Thessalonians 5:18

“Give thanks
in everything;
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for all of you”

Morning!
Winter has arrived in the wilds of Wisconsin. It is truly beautiful out there this morning. We are so very fortunate in this neck of the woods to have beautiful seasons every year that remind us of the power of God and the awe in his creations. Straightforward day ahead of me. Workshop clients and a quick run into Viroqua for a bit of shopping. I look forward to an evening at home with the man. The sweatshirt & tees from Eternal Light arrived yesterday… loving them!

Copy jobs (5) were completed and delivered yesterday. 1 label design job submitted for approval. Who would have thought so much use would be gotten out of this copy machine. I am looking for a new laminator. I’ve used mine till it gave up. Another useful office machine to replace.

Tracy & Pene worked their magic yesterday. These women are amazing!

Know you are prayed for.

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Morning Offering given

Memory verse
Jonah 2:(8)9
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“Those who in vain observe vanities, abandon their own mercy”

Village quiet

Coffee…White Mocha Chocolate… needs cream

Book– The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store-James McBride

Did you know soy candles (jelly jar size) will burn for almost 4 days in a votive lightkeeper? For those who keep a vigil candle burning on their home altar. White linen is my personal favorite.

The new liturgical year begins Dec 1st. Do you have plans to make this year the year you cultivate a close personal relationship with Christ? I hope so, truly I do. Pray for me to accomplish this more fully as I will pray for you. Habits will have to change. Sacrifices in your time will need to be made. satan does not like us to think of Christ so be prepared to experience difficulty… persevere!

Know you are prayed for.

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Morning Offering given

Village waking

Coffee good… in my new cup from my friend MD… I love it!

Happy Birthday to my gdd Haley. Have an awesome day!

Crazy weather here… rainy in the 50’s, it’s November for cryin’ out loud. This dampness is killing my joints.

Let’s talk about Thanksgiving. Do you have any rituals that you go thru? Any recipes that must be made for that day? What do you do all day? We head to my Sil’s for dinner looking forward to it. Take a moment and search for Thanksgiving scriptures to use.

Advent begins Dec 1. St Andrew’s Christmas Novena begins Nov 30. Found a cute Advent calendar in the thrift shop. Need to find trinkets for the drawers. My Advent wreath is ready to be put together too. This year it is very different than years gone by. I’m looking forward to it.

As normal I am behind. Have one trip to do today. Planning to be home before 5.

Know you are prayed for.

To die for…can be found at Quilt shop, Sletten Rd Cashton

Jalapeño Jelly {a.k.a. Hot Pepper Jelly}