You're listening to Catholic Sprouts, the daily podcast for Catholic kids that strives to plant seeds of faith.

Hey there, Sprowds. Today is Thursday, March 2, 2003. This week on the Catholic Spouts podcast, we are talking about the Mass, all the various little parts, especially at the

beginning of the Mass, is what you're talking about this week. But before we get to that, if you would please join me in praying the surrender

prayer. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Lord, take and receive all my

liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All I have and call my own. You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours to do with what you will. Give me only your love and your

grace. That is enough for me. Amen. Okay, so let's dive in. We wrapped up the introductory parts of the Mass for the song,

procession, sign of the cross, when the priest bows and kisses the altar, and when we have our

formal greeting and prayer. The next part of the Mass is the penitential act. So what happens here is the faithful, those gathered and the

priest as well, are called to reflect on the sins that we have committed. Now, this might seem a

little strange, right? We just sang this joyful song. We just had a victory parade

into church. Why are we suddenly thinking sad thoughts about what we have done wrong? Well,

there's a couple of reasons for this. First of all is that we need to prepare ourselves to be in

the presence of God. Sitting here in Mass, that's what we are. We are in the

presence of God. Jesus is usually already present in the tabernacle. We are the body of Christ.

We will be hearing the sacred word from scripture. But we have gathered as sinners.

And remember, there are two different types of sins.

There are venial sins and mortal sins.

Mortal sins we need to deal with in the confessional.

We need to go to confession.

But all of those little sins that we usually commit against the people we love,

our friends and family,

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