Ron Ash Articles
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On the Fence: Returning to the Fullness of Catholic Life
A charitable Catholic reflection on the risks of treating faith as a menu, and practical ways to return to Mass, Confession, prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Church’s practice of praying for the dead. Includes Scripture and Catechism references, with a careful note on conscience and culpability.
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12 Things Catholics Should Remind Themselves of Every Day
Discover twelve truths Catholics should remind themselves of every day, including God’s presence, the call to holiness, the Eucharist, prayer, confession, Scripture, vocation, human dignity, suffering, and eternal life. Each reminder includes practical ways to live the faith more fully.
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Catholic, Right? How the Seven Sacraments Shape a Life of Grace
Explore how the seven Sacraments—Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony—help Catholics live with grace and hope now and prepare for eternal life. -
How to Make the Perfect Confession: A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to make a good Catholic Confession, from examining your conscience and expressing true contrition to receiving absolution and living in the peace of God’s mercy afterward. -
Living Outside the Sacrament of Marriage: Sin, Secular Options, and the Path to Reconciliation
The Catholic Church upholds marriage as a sacred Sacrament distinct from secular civil unions. This article examines the doctrinal differences, the sins of cohabitation and invalid marriage, and the merciful remedies the Church offers — from convalidation to Confession — for those living outside the Sacrament. -
What the Catholic Church Teaches About Sexual Sin — And Why
Catholic sexual ethics is not a list of prohibitions invented by celibate clergy. It is a coherent, theologically rich vision of the human person — rooted in Scripture, developed over two millennia, and ordered toward genuine human flourishing. From fornication to pornography to lust, the Church teaches clearly what is disordered and why — and proposes the virtue of chastity as the path back to the One our hearts were made for. -
12 Sins Most Catholics Don't Realize They're Committing — And How to Get Back on the Path
Most Catholics know the obvious sins. It’s the subtle ones that slip through — skipping Mass for convenience, receiving Communion unworthily, reading horoscopes, taking God’s mercy for granted. Rooted in Scripture and the Catechism, this examination of conscience covers 12 sins that hide in plain sight, with practical remedies the Church has always provided for the journey back. -
Why Catholics Need Mass and the Sacramental Life — Not Just Personal Prayer
“I’m spiritual, not religious” sounds reasonable — until you ask what the Mass actually is. At every Mass, the sacrifice of Calvary is made present on the altar. The Eucharist is not a symbol; it is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. Confession restores what sin takes away in a way that private contrition alone cannot. Christ didn’t just leave us a book and a feeling — He founded a Church and gave us Sacraments. Here’s why that matters, and why personal prayer alone was never meant to be enough.
