Go To Confession (Frequently)
St. Josemaria Escriva wrote: “What security should be ours in considering the mercy of the Lord! ‘He has but to cry for redress, and I, the ever merciful, will listen to him’ (Ex 22:27). It is an invitation, a promise that He will not fail to fulfill. ‘Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, and we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Heb 4:16). The enemies of our sanctification will be rendered powerless if the mercy of God goes before us. And if through our own fault and human weakness we should fall, the Lord comes to our aid and raises us up.”
We have a Divine Physician Who desires to remove all of the spiritual blocks of sin and disobedience that inhibit the free flow of Divine Life into us. These blocks are like the plaque that can build up in arteries, restricting blood flow to the heart. St. Thomas Aquinas said: “In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.”
“The whole power of the Sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with Him in an intimate friendship” (Roman Catechism, II, V, 18). St. Augustine tells us: “This very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God.” Indeed the Sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true “spiritual resurrection,” restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God (Lk 15:32).
For those who partake in frequent Confession — at least once a month — they have come to understand the restorative and refreshing value of this practice. Pope John Paul II (who went to Confession weekly) taught: “It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation. Those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress, will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives.”
(Excerpt from the “Church Militant Field Manual” – go HERE)
