St Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Parish, Yonkers, NY Blog - Weekly Reflection

If Our Sins Are Forgiven in Confession, Why Do We Get a Penance?

Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Satisfaction is the final act which crowns the Sacrament of Confession. The sacramental sign is the absolution of our sins by Jesus through His priest. The act which the forgiven and absolved penitent agrees to perform after receiving absolution is precisely called his or her penance. Making satisfaction is the third act of the penitent, after contrition for sins and the confession of sins. Absolution does not take away all the disorder sin has caused: harm to self and to neighbor. This must be healed in this life or in the life to come.

God,the Blessed Trinity, Desires Our Friendship

Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In Rublev’s icon painting he depicts the three heavenly visitors to Abraham, reported in Genesis chapter 18, sitting at a table with a cup placed before them on the table. Rublev depicts the three as One Lord. Each holds a rod in his left hand, symbolizing their equality. Each wears a blue cloak, the color of divinity. And each face is the same, depicting their oneness.

Addressing the Amnesia about the Evil of Communism - Go to St. Joseph

Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The Compendium of the Social Teachings of the Church contains the following about communism:

With the Encyclical Letter Divini Redemptoris, on atheistic communism and Christian social doctrine, Pope Pius XI offered a systematic criticism of communism, describing it as “intrinsically perverse,” and indicated that the principal means for correcting the evils perpetrated by it could be found in the renewal of Christian life, the practice of evangelical charity, the fulfilment of the duties of justice at both the interpersonal and social levels in relation to the common good, and the institutionalization of professional and interprofessional groups.