Father, forgive them;

for they do not know what they are doing.

LUKE 23:34

It is sometimes said that we have lost our sense of sin. For Catholics, especially, this would seem a serious defect since many of us recall what now seems an unhealthy preoccupation with sin, evidenced in long queues outside confessionals, frequent sermons on the subject and the once popular parish missions.

More recently, that has changed. By and large, the confessional queues have disappeared and there is some uncertainty about what to say about the subject. The changes themselves suggest a different understanding of sin among priests and people and so the need for a new approach. The author seeks to take account of the new mindset and to suggest a new way of thinking about sin.

Frank O'Loughlin is a priest, theologian and liturgist. In Does sin matter?, he reflects on changed attitudes in the church about sin, and helps us explore an understanding of it - from Scripture, tradition, ancient and contemporary sources - to reconsider the reality of human sinfulness and to appreciate more deeply Christ's teaching about human sinfulness.

The author also offers celebrations of penance and reconciliation that reflect a renewed understanding of sin and forgiveness, inviting us to consider them precisely in the light of Christ's death and resurrection.