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Dear Members, Benefactors and Apostles of the Living Rosary,
Whoever suffers shipwreck on the high seas
eagerly welcomes and thankfully grips the
solitary plank of rescue that comes to view in
his distress. From the beginning of Christianity,
the Holy Fathers have called the Sacrament of
Penance, the one and only plank of salvation
for those who have suffered shipwreck by
committing a mortal sin. One thing for we
poor sinners that is full of solace, comfort,
peace and joy, is the Sacrament of Confession.
To endow His Church with the power of
forgiving sins, Our Savior had to shed all His
Blood and die the most agonizing death on
the Cross. And, if there had been but one
confession to be heard throughout the Ages,
and a single mortal sin to be forgiven, to
render this possible, Our Lord would have
shed His Blood and died the same horrible
death. Let us never minimize the tremendous
sacrifice Jesus made of His Blood and His
Life to procure for us the pardon for our sins.
After Baptism, the soul begins to merit for Heaven. Through mortal sin, all the
merits and good works of the soul are lost. However, through a good confession,
he regains them all. The Sacrament of Penance gives the soul the same spotless
luster and beauty as does Baptism, The root of every sin is pride in one form
or other. The sinner is guilty of a willful uprising against the authority of God:
“I will not serve!” When we go to confession, we throw ourselves down and
God excuses us. We sentence ourselves and God pardons us. The more humble
we are, the more God presses us to His Heart in complete and unreserved
forgiveness. Through Confession, we are strengthened and guarded against every
sin, both mortal and venial. Why must we confess? It is the Will of our Savior.
If we are thoroughly sincere in telling all our mortal sins according to kind,
number and circumstances, and we are truly sorry for them because they offend
God Whom we love above all things, and we are fully resolved
not to sin again, then no matter how materially incomplete
our recitation of sin may be, and how many mortal sins we
unintentionally forget to mention, or what necessary details
we unwittingly omit, our confession is valid and, through the
absolution the priest gives us, all our sins are forgiven. We did
what we could, and God does not expect more. We must trust in
His Mercy! We often give exaggerated time and effort to reciting
our sins and planning on how to present them to the priest. We go
over and over our examine a hundred times. It is pride that makes
us exaggerate this effort. We think of ourselves and not of God.