Lent Penance & Confession DONE RIGHT: Species, Number, Circumstances ~ Fr. Ripperger

About this sermon

In this Lent conference we begin with prayer and dive straight into penance, confession, and the real work of conversion. Penance is not self-harm or “beating ourselves up”—it’s ordered to amending our life, correcting defects, and uprooting the sins that keep us mediocre. A major theme: confessions are getting sloppier, and many penitents are not preparing. The traditional counsel is clear: nightly examination of conscience, plus regular acts of contrition. In confession, Catholics should confess species, number, and circumstances—especially for mortal sin. Vague admissions like “I was impure” hide the true species of the sin and obstruct a clear, honest confession. You’ll also hear why confession is spiritually described as a tribunal: the penitent accuses himself, and the priest must judge whether the confession is integral and whether there is true contrition and a real purpose of amendment. We then go further: what you confess affects the sacramental graces you receive—which is why confessing venial sins and even defects can be so powerful for growth in virtue. From there, the talk applies this to common Catholic life during Lent: prayer and recollection, reverence in church, profanation of Sunday, speech and profanity, formation in the faith, presumption on God’s mercy, general confession, family duties (husbands, wives, parents, children), restitution for theft at work, grave moral issues (including IVF and contraception), and mastering anger—especially road rage—through detachment from externals. Finally, we close by asking Our Lady of Sorrows to reveal the sins and defects we’re not seeing—and to help us become saints, not spiritual plateau-dwellers. If this examination of conscience struck home, take it to confession—clearly, humbly, and concretely. 00:00 Opening prayers & intention 00:50 Lent begins: penance is for amendment, not self-punishment 01:50 Why confessions are getting “sloppier” 02:19 Nightly examination of conscience as preparation 02:44 “Species, number, circumstances” (Council of Trent) 03:29 Why vague confessions (“I was impure”) are a problem 04:14 Confession as a tribunal: court language explained 06:07 Confessing all mortal sins: integrity of confession 06:41 How a priest judges contrition and readiness 07:33 Why confess venial sins and defects 08:42 What you confess affects the sacramental graces received 10:09 Contrition and the purpose of amendment 11:23 Concrete plan: what are you doing to uproot sin? 13:37 The obligation to become perfect (Divine law) 14:15 Same-sex attraction: defect vs consent and obligation to fight defects 15:49 First Commandment: prayer, recollection, and attachments 17:48 Reverence in church; genuflecting; communion in mortal sin 19:32 Continuing education in the faith; modernism’s dangers 21:45 Presumption, pride, and “God can’t forgive me” 22:28 Final judgment: everything revealed; no private sin 24:45 Confession frequency; general confession recommendation 26:15 Acts of love of God; prayer beyond consolations 27:38 Human respect: public prayer and speaking the faith 28:04 Second Commandment: profanity, vulgarity, blasphemy 30:16 Media choices: films and the misuse of God’s name 31:38 Talking in church: why it’s spiritually dangerous 33:45 Third Commandment: Sunday obligation and servile work 34:28 Sacred Heart request to France; consequences of profaning Sundays 38:24 Fourth Commandment: honoring parents; piety; family order 40:49 Discipline of children; obedience and authority in the home 42:52 Infant baptism and parental duty in the faith 45:11 Marriage: usurpation, capitulation, and male effeminacy 49:03 The marital debt and justice in marriage 51:33 Work and theft: scrolling at work and restitution 53:06 Fifth Commandment: IVF, contraception, and grave disorder 54:46 Anger, road rage, and drunkenness 55:26 Demonic strategy: anger through attachment to externals 57:07 Ask Our Lady of Sorrows to reveal hidden defects 58:41 Blessing and conclusion Fr. Ripperger's Press https://sentradpress.com/ Fr. Ripperger's order is found at https://dolorans.org/ For more by Fr. Ripperger & please visit http://sensustraditionis.org/ https://liberchristo.org/ https://montechristo.net/ https://realestateforlife.org/ - Real Estate For Life 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 #Catholic #Confession #Lent2025 #Penance #CouncilOfTrent #CatholicFaith #CatholicSermon #OurLadyOfSorrows #MortalSin #CatholicHomily (C) 2025 Sensus Fidelium

Topics

• Repentance