Contrition: The Secret Ingredient of Joy (Rebroadcast)

Blessed Meditations

September 5, 2024. Gospel Passages: John 4:10; Luke 5:1-11; Psalm 51:17. Quoting Pope Francis in the Apostolic Exhortation "Gaudete et Exultate" Points 66 and 137 dated March 19, 2018 in www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html For further reading: "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" by Jordan B. Peterson (Random House, 2018) and "Transformation in Christ" Chapter 2 by Dietrich Von Hildebrand (Ignatius Press, 2001) and "Christian joy stems from pardon, not sinlessness" interview with Bishop Javier Echevarría and Zenit dated February 14, 2001 in romana.org/en/32/articles-and-interviews/8220christian-joy-stems-from-pardon-not-sinlessnes. Meditation with Msgr. Fred Dolan, guest priest. This podcast originally appeared on the St. Josemaría Institute Podcast in https://stjosemaria.org/podcasts/contrition-joy © St. Josemaría Institute. Image: "Miraculous Catch of Fish" by Jan van Orley in the Sint Salvatorskathedraal (Saint-Salvator Cathedral), BrugeIs (Wikimedia Commons). Priest's Note: In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan reflects on how the secret ingredient of contrition gives our spiritual life tremendous dynamism and keeps us joyful, youthful, and approachable because we no longer give excuses for our improper behavior and it restores our proper place in God’s eyes. Contrition plays an important role in helping us shake things up and renew our quest for holiness. Contrition also leads us to seek the Sacrament of Confession, which restores and rejuvenates our friendship with the Lord. We allow Jesus to enter our life and give us the grace to be freed from our tendency to simply do the things as we’ve always done them, simply because we’ve always done them that way. To be a contrite soul is to recognize the heights to which we are called and the result is that we then fight harder to root out the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing true joy.