You can have any question about the Catholic faith answered right here through our parish website. Previously asked questions with their answer will appear below.

Q. I have always wanted to know the Catholic position to the Biblical reference to Jesus' brothers and sisters. The scripture makes note of siblings but as a Catholic I have never gotten a direct answer to why the church appears to "overlook" the mentioning of family.

As Catholics, we believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained a virgin throughout her life, which is the received Apostolic teaching the Church has preserved throughout her 2,000 year history.

There are about ten Biblical references to Jesus' brothers or sisters (e.g., Mt. 12:46; 13:55; Mk. 3:31-34; 6:3; Lk. 8:19-20), and the early Christians believed that these individuals were either (1) cousins or other kinsmen of Jesus or (2) half-brothers and half-sisters from the relationship between Joseph and his former wife, before she passed away, allowing Joseph to serve as the husband and guardian of Mary.

As twenty-first century Americans, we read the Bible from quite a different culture than the early Jews would have read it. Those Jews were from a Hebrew culture; their mother tongue was Hebrew. In Hebrew and in Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus and his disciples), there is not a special word for cousin. So, a speaker of one of those two languages used the term for brother when speaking of their cousins. Or, they would use a circumlocution such as "the son of my father's brother."

With this background in mind, when Saint Paul or any of the four Evangelists (the authors of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) speak of Jesus' brothers or sisters, it is just as likely that they are speaking of Jesus' cousins.

Some make the argument that these authors wrote in Greek (due to the Hellenization of the known world by Alexander the Great), which is a language that does have a special word for "cousin" (anepsios), but they used the Greek term for "brother" (adelphos); therefore, - as the argument goes - these brothers of Jesus must be full blood brothers. This argument, however, does not do justice to the power of culture and its use of idioms. This Hebrew culture, in the opinion of many Biblical scholars, is what drove the authors of Scripture to retain the use of "brother" when mentioning other kinsmen.

With this in mind, a more accurate translation of "brother" or "sister" in the Bible is the English word "kinsmen," which is a bit more neutral, respecting the culture of the Bible and its authors.

In any case, even if we do ignore this cultural factor for a moment and take the authors of Scripture literally, this does not disprove Mary's virginity and prove that she had multiple children. There is a revered tradition in the Early Church that Joseph retained children from a previous marriage. In his old age as a widower, he took the vow of marriage to Mary to serve as her guardian, for she had made a vow of virginity as a young Jewish girl.

St. Jerome, one of the great Biblical scholars of the Early Church, shows us that this "vow of virginity" is implicitly mentioned in Scripture. In the first chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation and told her that she would conceive a son. At this time, Mary was in the first stage of betrothal to Joseph, which was like engagement in our own day but much more binding (It would take a decree of divorce to break of this "engagement"). If Mary was planning on having relations with Joseph, she would naturally expect to have children, since she was probably around the age of fifteen.

But Mary responds to Gabriel with a perplexing response: "How can this be since I have no relations with a man?" (Lk 1:34). St. Jerome tells us that in this response, Mary implicitly reveals the vow of virginity she had made to the Lord previously. If she had not taken this vow, says St. Jerome, the response simply doesn't make sense.

This tradition of Mary's vow of lifelong virginity is preserved in an early writing that is not part of the Bible, which falls under the title: The Proto-evangelium of James (it was probably written around 125 A.D. and can be found here). This writing records that Joseph was selected from a group of widowers to serve as Mary's guardian and that Mary was a virgin, consecrated to God. (return to the top)

Q. Some of our good friends just became Baptists after spending their whole life being Catholic. I wanted to know the differences between the two religions

When one says "Baptist," this can mean a number of different groups. There is no one Baptist faith or church, but rather, there are hundreds of variations of Baptist churches in the United States alone. It is different when one denotes their faith by the term "Catholic" because there is only one Catholic faith. With that said, it is difficult to pinpoint what a Baptist subscribes to, aside from some main points of doctrine, which the majority of Baptists seem to hold in common. Some of these general doctrines of faith we agree with as Catholics (e.g. the divinity of Jesus Christ and the necessity of God's grace to be saved). Others, we do not (e.g. whether or not Holy Communion is mere symbol or the profound reality of Jesus' Real Presence). A wonderful online resource to use in examining these differences is the website compiled by Steve Ray, who is a former Baptist and a convert to Catholicism. He would know the differences best because he has lived with his feet firmly planted in both worlds at different times during his life. This resource can be found here at Catholic-Convert.com. (return to the top)

Q. I came across something recently in my weekly/daily bible studies that confounded me, which I am wondering if you could answer for me, if you would be so kind: I would like to consult a somewhat "male chauvinist" passage I came across in St. Paul's First Letter to the church at Corinth (11:2-14). Paul says that women should wear head-coverings, as men do not need to because they were made in the image of god. Why was Paul saying this?

On October 15, 1976, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration entitled Inter Insigniores, which repeats the infallible teaching of the Church that the ministerial priesthood is reserved for men alone.  One significant aspect of this declaration is that it distinguishes between the (1) cultural/disciplinary and (2) doctrinal teaches of Saint Paul.  It says:

It has been claimed in particular that the attitude of Jesus and the Apostles is explained by the influence of their milieu and their times. It is said that, if Jesus did not entrust to women and not even to his Mother a ministry assimilating them to the Twelve, this was because historical circumstances did not permit him to do so. No one however has ever proved—and it is clearly impossible to prove—that this attitude is inspired only by social and cultural reasons. As we have seen, an examination of the Gospels shows on the contrary that Jesus broke with the prejudices of his time, by widely contravening the discriminations practiced with regard to women. One therefore cannot maintain that, by not calling women to enter the group of the Apostles, Jesus was simply letting himself be guided by reasons of expediency. For all the more reason, social and cultural conditioning did not hold back the Apostles working in the Greek milieu, where the same forms of discrimination did not exist.

Another objection is based upon the transitory character that one claims to see today in some of the prescriptions of Saint Paul concerning women, and upon the difficulties that some aspects of his teaching raise in this regard. But it must be noted that these ordinances, probably inspired by the customs of the period, concern scarcely more than disciplinary practices of minor importance, such as the obligation imposed upon women to wear a veil on the head (1 Cor 11:2-6); such requirements no longer have a normative value. However, the Apostle's forbidding of women "to speak" in the assemblies (cf. 1 Cor 14:34-35; 1 Tim 2: 12) is of a different nature, and exegetes define its meaning in this way: Paul in no way opposes the right, which he elsewhere recognizes as possessed by women, to prophesy in the assembly (cf. 1 Cor 11:5); the prohibition solely concerns the official function of teaching in the Christian assembly. For Saint Paul this prescription is bound up with the divine plan of creation (cf. 1 Cor 11:7; Gen 2:18-24): it would be difficult to see in it the expression of a cultural fact. Nor should it be forgotten that we owe to Saint Paul one of the most vigorous texts in the New Testament on the fundamental equality of men and women, as children of God in Christ (cf. Gal 3:28). Therefore there is no reason for accusing him of prejudices against women, when we note the trust that he shows towards them and the collaboration that he asks of them in his apostolate. (click here to read entire document)

Head coverings were a disciplinary practice, which St. Paul advocated.  St. Paul’s line of argument upholding a disciplinary practice (which may change with time) is based on the divine intention that men and women be different, although they are equal in their dignity. (return to the top)

Q. Is there such a doctrine as "predestination"?

This is a wonderful question that many Catholics have these days.  It is commonly, and mistakenly, thought by Catholics that we do not believe in any form of Predestination, but that rather, this is a Protestant doctrine.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

Jean Calvin, an ex-priest who left the Catholic Church and became one of the main Protestant Reformers, did teach a form of Predestination that is at odds with what is allowed in a Catholic teaching of Predestination.

Jimmy Akin has provided a wonderful resource (available here), which contrasts the Calvinistic heresy with what is acceptable to the doctrine our Lord and his Apostles left the Church with.  Mr. Akin is a popular Catholic apologist, author, and speaker who is on the staff of Catholic Answers in El Cajon, CA. (return to the top)

Q. When we were praying the Rosary in church, after the "Glory Be” prayer, something additional has been added.  Would you please tell me what it is since I can't seem to catch the entire thing when it is recited during the Rosary.  It begins, "Oh my Jesus, forgive us of our sins, save us from the fires of hell…” When was this added to the Rosary?  I belonged to another parish before I moved here, and we never said those extra words.  I'd like to be able to say them correctly.

This particular prayer is called the "Fatima Prayer" because Mary asked us to pray this particular prayer after each decade of the Rosary when she appeared several times to the three peasant children: Lucy (“Lucia”) Dos Santos, Jacinta Marto, and Francisco Marto in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.  One of Mary’s titles is Our Lady of Fatima due to this series of apparitions.

The words of this prayer are:

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, saves us from the fires of Hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.  Amen."

For a more detailed history of the Fatima apparitions and the origin of this prayer, please visit Fatima.org, which is a wonderful and comprehensive website with just about everything you need to know. (return to the top)

Q. God promised a redeemer who would descend from the House of David, and Joseph was a descendant from that house. However, Mary was not. So was Jesus a descendant from the house of David or did earthly customs and laws make him that instead of being biologically born into the house of David?

When we ascertain whether Jesus was a direct descendant of King David and thus the royal heir to David’s throne, we must not look through the spectacles of a twenty-first century postmodern reader. The idea of the royal lineage due to the covenant is an Israelite one, and so in this matter, we must analyze and judge according to an Israelite worldview.

Looking at the situation as a Jew (a descendant of the tribe of Judah), the royal Davidic lineage must come through the father. Covenants are built upon the idea of fatherhood. In fact, in the Old Covenant before the great exodus from Egypt, the “firstborn” was a special privileged position occupied by the first male child, even if he has two or three older sisters. The firstborn would receive a blessing from his father to pass on to his own firstborn son, and in a very real sense, the firstborn held a priestly office.

So, to look at whether Jesus has the necessary royal lineage to be the “son of David,” we must look at his lineage through his father. This is St. Matthew’s purpose as he delivers to us a very revealing and astounding genealogy in the very beginning of his Gospel account: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mt. 1:1). By Jewish law, the ancestry of the offspring was determined through the line of the father, whether the father was biological or the legal father. Once Joseph named the child, as directed by the angel Gabriel, he legally became the father of Jesus (See Mt. 1:21). From a Jewish worldview, wearing the spectacles of an Israelite, this seals the case. Jesus has obtained the royal prerogatives, in a long line of father-son succession.

In addition to this, a number of the Early Church Fathers and some ancient Christian writings indicate that Mary was also of the line of David, but this is not a necessary precondition for Jesus’ royal claim. (return to the top)

Q. Please elaborate on the transition from the Jewish community from which Jesus arose (the Old Testament) to the Christocentric new church (New Testament).

The Jewish community, from which Jesus arose, was the remnant of what was once a large unified kingdom composed of the 12 tribes of Israel, united under the king, whose name was David. This kingdom is what we call the Davidic Kingdom, and it was founded upon a covenant God made with David and his son, Solomon, in 2 Samuel 7:8-29 (about 1,000 B.C.). Throughout history up until this time, God had been increasing the size of his covenant family from one couple (Adam & Eve) to a kingdom. The rise of this kingdom was not arbitrary, but it was the fulfillment of a covenant God had made much earlier to Abraham in Genesis 17:1-16.

There are many important aspects to this covenant:
1. It was international (i.e., catholic) in scope, not merely national. The Jerusalem Temple included the Court of the Gentiles (Gentile: the non-Jewish people).
2. Each of David's sons are the special beneficiary of God's covenant oath, which makes them each a "son of God" (See 2 Sam 7:14, Psalm 2:7, and Psalm 89:27).
3. The king is the Messiah or the Christ (words which mean "anointed one").
4. The Davidic throne is everlasting. It will never be abolished (See 2 Sam 7:13).
5. The mother of the king served as the queen: a queen mother (See 1 Kgs 2:19).
6. The king had a prime minister, or a vizier, who was entrusted with full and supreme royal authority (See Isaiah 22:18-23).
7. The main sacrifice of this covenant was the todah or thank offering of the Temple. This sacrifice consisted of unleavened bread and wine oblations.

When Solomon died, the kingdom tragically divided into the Northern Kingdom (which the Old Testament refers to as Israel or Ephraim) and the Southern Kingdom (which the Old Testament refers to as Judah). The Northern Kingdom was renegade, because the Southern Kingdom was centered upon the rule of the rightful heir to the throne of David: the Davidic King (examples include Hezekiah, Ahaz, and Josiah). The Northern Kingdom consisted of 10 of the 12 Tribes of Israel, whereas the Southern Kingdom consisted of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites serving in the Levitical cities in the Southern Kingdom.

Due to the consistent idolatry of both kingdoms, they were exiled. First, the Northern Kingdom was exiled by the king of Assyria in 722 B.C., never again to return to the land. The Assyrian king then repopulated the land with foreigners and their foreign idolatrous worship. The half-breeds between these foreign transplants and those who survived the exile are called Samaritans in the New Testament. In fact, they still exist as a community on Mount Gerazim today.

The Southern Kingdom was exiled by the king of Babylon in 587 B.C., but - unlike the Northern Kingdom - it was allowed to return to the land by the Persian king, Cyrus, after the Medo-Persians conquered the Babylonians. So, in Jesus' day, about 2/12 or 1/6 of Israel comprised the "Jewish" community. The Jews were named so after the majority of the population, which descended from the Tribe of Judah - the same tribe which King David was from and the same tribe from which the descendant of King David was to arise.

In the Old Testament - before, during, and after the various exiles - the prophets consistently prophesied that one day, God would raise up his Messiah, the son or descendant of King David, who would reunite all 12 Tribes with the Gentiles into one kingdom. These prophesies pointed to and were fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ and the Church he established.

The Catholic Church is that community, which Jesus established. Jesus began by appointing 12 Apostles to signify that he was forming a New Israel, reuniting all 12 Tribes of the Old Israel. Since 10/12 or 5/6 of Israel had been exiled so well by the Assyrians that they lost their national identity and were assimilated by the foreign Gentiles, the only way to reunite all 12 Tribes of Israel was the admittance of the Gentiles into the New Israel! (This explains St. Paul's enigmatic saying in Romans 11:25-26, which has baffled numerous Biblical scholars).

The Church is the fulfillment of the long story of the Old Testament. It is that kingdom foretold by the prophets, united under her Messiah/Christ/King, who is Jesus, the son of David, the son of God. She is an international community, composed of both Jew and Gentile. Her king was enthroned upon David's everlasting throne in the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus into Heaven (See Acts 2:30-31). Her Queen Mother is the mother of King Jesus: Mary. Her prime minister is Peter and his earthly successors (See Matthew 16:13-19 and compare with Isaiah 22:18-23). Her main act of worship is the Eucharistic (a Greek term meaning thanksgiving) sacrifice. Both Jesus and the Church are the fulfillment and embodiment of what the Temple was in the Old Testament. Jesus is God incarnate. The Church is the extension of Jesus on earth: his Mystical Body. (return to the top)

Q. Please elaborate on the Biblical teaching of salvation.

The term “salvation” means to be saved from the effects of sin, which is separation from God. The way in which we are saved (i.e., come into communion with God) is by means of the covenant. More precisely, it is by way of the New Covenant established between God and man by the covenant mediator: Jesus.

The swearing of an oath is the sine qua non of entering into a covenant. No oath, no covenant. An analogy would be that of a promise and a contract. Your signature is your promise to fulfill the terms of the contract, and two signatures bring about a contractual agreement. However, the difference between an oath and a promise is paramount. An oath invokes the very name of God as witness and guarantor, whereas a promise is only backed by your own word (See Hebrews 6:13-18). Oaths are much more serious because they incur the punishment of covenant curses should you transgress the covenant. However, if you keep covenant, the covenant blessings are bestowed. Examples of oaths are, “I swear to God,” “As God is my witness,” “God help me,” etc. We have public officials swear oaths as they enter into office to hold them accountable before God should they act unjustly, take bribes, or take advantage of their office. We cannot trust these people, but we have to; so, we have them swear oaths, and in the end, God delivers his justice. God also gives them his help so they may fulfill their office.

The above description of oaths and covenants is the bread and butter of the Bible. Throughout the Bible, oaths are sworn, covenants are entered into, covenants are kept, covenants are broken, and covenant curses and blessings are bestowed by God. For some examples, see Genesis 6:18; 9:9; 15:18; 17:4; and 22:16. In the Old Testament, there were the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic Covenants, just to name the major ones.

In each covenant, a sacrifice (and usually, a sacrificial meal) seals the covenant. It is made between two or more parties. The terms of the covenant are not negotiated, but rather, God lays down the terms. When covenants are between God and man, man is represented by a covenant mediator (e.g. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus). When one enters into a covenant, he is given God’s help to fulfill the covenant; this is what we call grace. Covenants also bring the parties into a familial relationship. Take for instance, the covenant of marriage. Two relatively separate individuals come together as one flesh and become family members.

So that we may be saved from our sin, and come into that blessed and eternal communion with the Trinity, God has sealed the New and Everlasting Covenant in the blood of Jesus (Luke 22:20), which we renew in every Eucharistic celebration. Humanity enters into this covenant by means by the covenant oath, which is baptism. Baptism invokes the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God then bestows his grace or his free and undeserved help to the Christian to keep the terms (i.e., the law) of the covenant. The term we use to describe this is sanctifying grace (from sanctus, which means holy and gratia, which means gift - it is a gift that makes us holy). The terms of the New Covenant is the New Law, which is the life of grace, life in Christ, life in the Holy Spirit, by which the Christian lives by faith. The New Covenant brings man into relationship with God filially. This means that we become children of God, and God becomes our Father. He gives us his very own divine life (2 Peter 1:4). We come into a familial relationship with the Trinity, which is a family of three divine persons sharing the same divine substance: one God.

Pentecost is a Jewish feast, which celebrates the giving of the Mosaic Law by God to Israel through Moses (See Galatians 6:16; Acts 2:1ff). When Jesus ascended into Heaven, he sent the New Law to the New Israel on the New Pentecost. This New Law is the very life of the Holy Spirit, and the New Israel is the Church. This correspondence is what allowed Matthew to depict Jesus as a New Moses in his richly laid out Gospel account (more).

In the Mosaic Covenant, the Israelite kept covenant by keeping the terms of that Mosaic Covenant, which is the Mosaic Law. It included circumcision, kosher food laws, ceremonial purification rituals, and calendar observances. In the New Covenant, one keeps covenant not by these works of the law (See Romans 3:28), but by what St. Paul calls “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26), which is not merely an intellectual assent of the mind, but an entire conversion that involves both personal adherence of man to God and, inseparably, the free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. The Christian keeps covenant, not on his own power, but by the gift of grace, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

As an aside, at the time of the Protestant Reformation (i.e., Revolt) in the 16th century, Martin Luther greatly misunderstood St. Paul when St. Paul spoke of the works of the law. Luther mistook these works for morally upright actions because he was unfamiliar with the Jewish lingo, so to speak, of St. Paul's day. This caused Luther to pit faith against good works. This is the source of the Protestant heresy of sola fide, which is a Latin phrase for faith alone. This heresy is the bad fruit of Luther's fundamental misreading of St. Paul who wrote: "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." (Galatians 5:6). In other words, we no longer keep covenant by means of the rituals of the Mosaic Law (e.g., circumcision) but rather by faithful adherence to God's truth and calling upon our lives. (return to the top)

Q. Is today's Bible the inerrant word of God? Where can I find out more about the differences between the Catholic Bible and the NIV or King James Bible?

Inerrancy is a quality of Sacred Scripture because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.  At the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the bishops of the Catholic Church officially taught that “since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation” (Dei Verbum, Article 11)

What is inerrant is what the inspired authors asserted.  This means that what is without error is what the author meant to say when he wrote what he did.  Inerrancy, therefore, applies to the meaning the author intends, as it was written down in the original manuscript.

Unfortunately, we do not have in our possession today a single original manuscript from any book of the Bible.  Rather, what we do have is a number of manuscripts – some partial and some full – that are copies of copies of copies, and so forth, of the originals.  The science of determining which manuscripts are the most reliable, ancient, authentic, et cetera is popularly known as textual criticism.  As the science of textual criticism continues in time, we continue to arrive at more accurate copies of Sacred Scripture.

It is possible that there are errors contained in the manuscripts we have in our possession today, but if there are such errors, they must be due to the error on the part of one or more scribes who were responsible for the copying and transmission of manuscripts.  In no way can such errors be attributed to the author(s).  Thankfully, the techniques employed by scribes over the centuries have been meticulous to the point of producing incredibly accurate documents, but even with such great human care, such work is not always infallible.

There is no such thing as “the Catholic Bible,” but there are a number of translations approved by the Catholic Church in use today.  Two such popular translations include the Revised Standard Version and the New American Bible.  To find out about the differences between these translations and other translations such as the New International Version (NIV) and the King James Version (KJV), I suggest reading “Choosing a Bible Translation” by James Akin. (return to the top)

Q. I know that masturbation is a sin. Is it a mortal or venial sin? Can I receive if I masturbate? Everyone sins, and that is what I am confused about. That is why I feel I should be able to receive. Sometimes, as a teenager, it is hard not to do. Thanks a lot!

The act of masturbation is grave matter, which means that if one knows it is grave, knows what he doing, and consents to doing it, it is a mortal sin. This means that it causes one to fall from the state of grace (to go to heaven, you must be in a state of grace). No, you should not receive Holy Communion after having committed this sin except after having confessed it in the sacrament of Confession. Confession is the way one comes back into the state of grace, into relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, everyone does sin, and to not sin is beyond our capability as fallen human beings. Saint Paul expressed this in his Letter to the Romans, when he wrote:

"For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (7:22-24)

Even when we desire to do the good, because we have disordered passions and a weakened will, wemay eventually submit to that which is delicious, yet disordered and ultimately, very harmful to us.

Saint Paul goes on in Chapter 8 of his Letter to the Romans to tell of God's great mercy in Jesus Christ. He has not left us to ourselves, but has given us the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, which allows us to become righteous and to overcome what is called concupiscence (that disordered tendency within us to commit sin). He writes:

"[I]f Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh -- for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (8:10-14)

Living this new life in the Spirit is by no means easy, but it has been made possible by the gift of the Spirit.

So, the question now is how to avoid masturbation. There are natural and supernatural helps God has given us to avoid this sin. First, on the natural level, don't put yourself in a situation that may lead to this. For example, if you find that watching a particular TV show, viewing various websites, looking at this or that magazine, drinking alcohol, dwelling upon not-so-good thoughts, sleeping in a warm environment, etc. leads you to this, then stop placing yourself in these near occasions of sin. Avoid them at all costs.

Three of the great supernatural helps God has given the Christian are (1) prayer, (2) the sacrament of the Eucharist, and (3) the sacrament of Confession. Let's begin with the last first. Confess this sin openly to your priest and make a firm resolution to never commit this sin again. God gives a special grace in Confession that allows the penitent to overcome whatever sins are confessed. This sacrament is extremely powerful and has forever changed lives dramatically. Never underestimate the power of one good Confession.

Second, frequent and devout reception of Jesus Christ present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist (also known as Holy Communion) is a sure antidote to sin. God has given us this incredible, invaluable gift not as a reward for our holiness, but as a supernatural help to become holy. For all the saints, the Holy Eucharist is what made them who they have become. The Eucharist will strengthen you in your fight against the Devil, the sinful tendencies flesh, and the godless ways of the world.

Finally, draw close constantly to God through prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 2744 quotes the famous St. John Chrysostom - who lived in the 300's AD - when he preached: "Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy... For it is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin."

Keep this invaluable advice close to heart and call upon the name of Jesus whenever temptation comes upon you. Nothing is more powerful than the invocation of God's faithful help.

One final note: if you continually find yourself committing this sin after having received the sacrament of Confession repeatedly, do not despair. Continue to faithfully remain open to God's grace and return again and again to Confession. God is good, and he is always awaiting your repentance, no matter how many times you fall.
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