Christ saved him through the sacrament of confession
As I was giving holy communion to the patients I came to his room. Before I met him in the same ward whilst giving Jesus to others. However, this time he was so fragile. He hardly was breathing.
His child was by his death. Upon seeing his dire situation instinctively I felt the call to invite his son to have the Divine Mercy prayed near his death. Immediately his son agreed. We started together praying this powerful. When prayer was over I his son told me: Father, he has been away from the Church for thirty years. However, four months ago he requested to confess and asked the priest to anoint him with the Sacrament of the Anointing of the sick. I am so thankful to God that he did so.
Reflecting upon this powerful experience I soon had the grace of appreciating what Jesus himself taught St Faustina on the power of this wonderful sacrament. In her Diary entry 1448, St Faustina faithfully recorded Jesus’ words concerning the hidden transformative power of the sacrament of confession. He told her:
Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
In another entry from the Diary we can fully appreciate the graces of healing which literally flow from this amazing sacrament. In entry 1602, Jesus taught St Faustina that confession is powerful because it is essentially a personal, transformative meeting with him as Savior. He told her:
Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.
Am I humble enough to go for confession as this man did? Do I feel the need, like this courageous man, to let Jesus ennoble my soul thanks to my confession to the priest? Do I really care about my life? If yes why am I neglecting the sacrament of confession which attracts Jesus’ infinite goodness on my soul?
Lord, thank You for the many gifts that You have given us. Thank You for the church which You have given us as a spiritual home. Thank You for the sacraments that give us glimpses into heaven and sustain us through our life journeys. And thank You for the sacrament of confession that You have given us in order to encourage us when we have fallen through sin. Help me to always have the courage to come for this sacrament. Lead me to sincere repentance. And help me to feel encouraged through this sacrament that not only are my sins forgiven, but that You still love me as one of Your children. Empower me through this sacrament to live a more focused and committed Christian life. Amen.
Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap
