Virtue and Sin

Not all sins are equal. The Church distinguishes between mortal and venial sins — and the difference is literally a matter of spiritual life and death.

A practical guide to examining your conscience — how to prepare for Confession honestly, thoroughly, and without scrupulosity.

Pride, greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony and sloth are not just a medieval list. They are the roots from which our other sins grow — and knowing them is the first step to overcoming them.

Conscience is not a feeling or a personal opinion. Here is what the Church means by conscience, why we must follow it, and why we also have a duty to form it well.

The Christian life is not only about avoiding sin — it is about growing in virtue. Here are the four cardinal virtues and the three theological virtues, what each one means, and how we grow in them.

No — even Jesus was tempted. Here is the difference between temptation and sin, where temptations come from, and practical ways the saints recommended for resisting them.

Jesus spoke of one sin that will not be forgiven, and many people fear they have committed it. Here is what it actually is — and why, if you are worried about it, you almost certainly have not.