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The Holy Sacrament of Confession.
C.C.C. 1423:
‘It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first
step in returning to the Father (Cf. Mk 1:15; Lk
15:18) from whom one has strayed by sin.
It is called the sacrament of Penance,
since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of
conversion, penance and satisfaction’.
C.C.C. 1424:
‘It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or
confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a
profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise
- of the holiness of God and of his mercy towards sinful man’.
It is called the sacrament of
forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the
penitent "pardon and peace." (OP 46: formula of absolution.)
It is called the sacrament of
Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who
reconciles: "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor
5:20). He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's
call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother (Mt 5:24).
Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, Post – Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul 1984,
paragraph 30:
‘As an
essential element of faith concerning the value and purpose of penance it must
be reaffirmed that our Saviour Jesus Christ
instituted in his Church the sacrament of penance so that the faithful who have
fallen into sin after baptism might receive grace and be reconciled with God’
Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, Post –Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul 1984,
paragraph 31:
‘Contrition and conversion are even more a drawing
near to the holiness of God, a rediscovery of one's true identity, which has
been upset and disturbed by sin, a liberation in the very depth of self and
thus a regaining of lost joy, the joy of being saved,(Ps
51(50)) which the majority of people in our time are no longer capable of
experiencing.
We
therefore understand why, from the earliest Christian times, in line with the
apostles and with Christ, the Church has included in the sacramental sign of
penance the confession of sins. This latter takes on such
importance that for centuries the usual name of the sacrament has been and
still is that of confession. The confession of sins is required, first
of all, because the sinner must be known by the person who in the sacrament
exercises the role of judge. He has to evaluate both the seriousness of the
sins and the repentance of the penitent; he also exercises the role of the
healer and must acquaint himself with the condition of the sick person in order
to treat and heal him. But the individual confession also has the value of a
sign: a sign of the meeting of the sinner with the mediation of the Church in
the person of the minister, a sign of
the person's revealing of self as a sinner in the sight of God and the Church,
of facing his own sinful condition in the eyes of God. The confession of sins
therefore cannot be reduced to a mere attempt at psychological self-liberation
even though it corresponds to that legitimate and natural need, inherent in the
human heart, to open oneself to another. It is a liturgical act, solemn in its
dramatic nature, yet humble and sober in the grandeur of its meaning. It is the
act of the prodigal son who returns to his Father and is welcomed by him with
the kiss of peace. It is an act of
honesty and courage. It is an act of entrusting oneself, beyond sin, to the
mercy that forgives. Thus we understand why the confession of sins must
ordinarily be individual not collective, just as sin is a deeply personal
matter. But at the same time this confession in a way forces sin out of the
secret of the heart and thus out of the area of pure individuality, emphasizing
its social character as well, for through the minister of penance it is the
ecclesial community, which has been wounded by sin, that welcomes anew the
repentant and forgiven sinner.
The other essential stage of the sacrament
of penance this time belongs to the confessor as judge and healer, a figure of
God the Father, welcoming and forgiving the one who returns: This is the
absolution. The words which express it and the gestures that
accompany it in the old and in the new Rite of Penance, are significantly
simple in their grandeur. The sacramental formula "I absolve
you" and the imposition of the hand and the Sign of the Cross made over
the penitent show that at this moment the contrite and converted sinner comes
into contact with the power and mercy of God. It is the moment at which, in
response to the penitent, the Trinity becomes
present in order to blot out sin and restore innocence.’
Spring 1985. To a married couple.
Our Lady. Put away all selfishness and
pride. Reconciliation comes in the way Christ taught it: complete forgiveness
of the unforgivable. He died on the Cross, carrying this out perfectly. So many
people say, 'If only this person will act or behave in the way I want, I will
love and forgive them.' This sort of love is worth nothing. love
is to love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable until the wounds others
inflict on you bleed with love in union with your Saviour, who did the same for
all your faults and sins.
You are all required to forgive beyond what is humanly
possible. It is made possible with Divine Help. Ask, and keep asking for this
help. Go to My Son in the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. Grace will
be given. Where someone stubbornly refuses to forgive, do penance, and pray for
that person unceasingly.
2nd
August 1985. After
Confession.
Patricia. The living, Sacred Heart of Jesus came from
the tabernacle. After
Confession I felt great waves of love and embraces from Our Lord, it was very
wonderful. Our Lord said:
Jesus. See how, in Confession, My Blood washed over
you and the excess ran even onto the floor.
This excess is the excess of My Mercy that you are to take into the
world in the form of forgiveness to those around you. Forgive, forgive, and continue to forgive, as
I continue to forgive you. Why, men, do
you continue to despise this great gift I have given you? Make full use of My Mercy in frequent
Confession and Holy Mass. How else can I
show you My Love and Mercy? Let Me embrace you in these gifts of Myself.
31st
August 1985.
Patricia. After a night of temptations and
after I had been to Confession, Our Lord said:
Jesus. The devil will harass and taunt you in
whatever way lies open to him. Always
come quickly to My Saving Blood, no matter how many times, with the same
weakness and temptations. Humble
reception of the Sacraments is where healing lies.
The
devil will say that you are too vile, too unworthy, and try to put into your
heart and mind fear of coming to the Source of love and freedom. I know how weak you are. I accept you and want to embrace you. I know of your desire not to offend Me, your longing for pure love full of integrity and a
delicate understanding of one another.
Patricia. Lord, I don’t want any thing or person to
hold me back from you, or my attention to be on anything else but you through
Our Blessed Mother.
Jesus. Come, My little
bird, I love you. Be not afraid of
anything.
Our Lady. Just because someone can’t walk,
Patricia, you do not abandon that person, so with the sinner. Those who cannot yet walk in faith, good
works, humility, truth, and all the other virtues are helpless and cannot be
abandoned. Do I or My Son abandon
you? Of course not – we treat you with
the tenderest affection, love and understanding. This is how you must behave to those around
you.
After
Confession, Patricia, you felt the immediate joy and exultation of the angels
on your receiving Absolution. When
Father feels weary and tired tell him of the joy
heaven feels at the outpouring of the Blood of Christ on his penitents.
My
children, why do you neglect this most compassionate Sacrament of Love? My Son is so humbly waiting for you through
the action of my dear sons (the Priests): My Divine Son is waiting, silent and
in deep humility in the tabernacle. What
more can He do for you? Will you reject
Him forever? Will you not come to be
healed? If My
son came in person everyone would flock to that one place, but here He has made
Himself available in every part of the world just to console and love you and
what do you do? You neglect Him. How you amaze heaven with your disbelief and
your lack of faith!
6th April 1994. Easter Week.
Patricia. Often during
Confession the Holy Family, in a spiritual sense, draws near to me. The exit from the Holy Family is sin, the doorway back is the Confessional. We should have a deep desire to be perfect
members of the Holy Family. We must try
not to grieve the Holy Family. Frequent Confession is the answer. We should appreciate this wonderful,
intimate, individual meeting with Jesus.
During the Absolution, I saw Our Lord. In a spiritual sense I kissed His wounded
feet and said I was sorry for my sins.
Our Lord was seated and Our Lady and
see the Holy Family draw near to comfort me.
Priests and the laity should reverence the precious time
of Confession and love this blessed meeting with Jesus that so consoles the
Holy Family! The Holy Spirit - the Comforter
- is poured out on us and the Father is well pleased.
24th November 1994.
Patricia. Our Lady has
come.
Patricia. I felt the need
for Confession and said to Our Lady:
“Dear Mother, I am very sorry for my sins. Forgive me”!
Our Lady. Go to Confession! You see how weak you are, how easily you
fall, and how quickly my Divine Son forgives you! You must treat others the same, even those
who treat this grace with disrespect and opposition, indifference and neglect. My Divine Son suffered much worse injustices,
so did I, His Mother. Do you find any
evidence in the Gospel of my Divine Son and myself
discussing the faults of others?
The actions of those who do not behave according to the Gospel, the Commandments
and the teaching of the Church speak for themselves. All will be revealed. Your vocation is to be innocent, holy,
humble, pure, obedient lambs. There is
no time to have discussions on the faults of others. The Novitiate of the Holy Family, my child,
is to assist you to walk in the ways of God and to truly follow Him whom the
Father sent to redeem you.
Patricia. Mother, what of
those who seem not to recover quickly from the sins of others and their own
sins, and now it is affecting their whole lives?
Our Lady. Generous souls, and truly contrite souls,
move into an area of reparation for their own faults and the faults of
others. Help them to make their
suffering creative and redemptive, in union with Jesus on the Cross. Often in souls there is also an attachment to
sin (as you have seen in many
cases), an element of wilfulness and a refusal to forgive and forget.
Patricia. Dear Mother,
some things are so terrible that many souls find it almost impossible to
forgive the unforgivable and forget the unforgettable.
Our Lady. Therein lies the
door that locks the soul in unnecessary suffering - not being forgiven by
others and they themselves not forgiving.
On the Cross the Saviour forgave the unforgivable and all down the ages. He put the sins of men behind His back. My Motherly Blessing +.
24th February l995. St. Joseph’s Church, New Malden,
Patricia. I had been
disturbed by my past sins, which could have caused the loss of my soul, had not
Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother come to rescue me. I was troubled by the
thought of so many sins and if I had confessed them all or remembered them
properly.
In Confession the priest gave me the penance of telling
God I loved Him. I did this, looking up
to the Crucifix above the altar, with love and gratitude in my heart. Suddenly I saw the most glorious vision of
Our Lord on the Cross. His precious Body
and the Cross itself were shining brighter than the Sun. It seemed as if it had been raining heavily
and dark clouds were being driven away, as they are when the sun comes
out. The warmth and heat of Divine Love
emanating from Our Lord’s Body on the Cross was drying up all the rain, and the
wonderful light that came from the Crucifixion made the raindrops sparkle as
they do when the sun comes out after the rain.
The warmth, love and glory coming from the Cross and Our Divine Saviour
gave me the most incredible joy. Our Lord said to me; “All is forgiven and all
is forgotten”. The Glory of the Cross
had driven away the storm clouds of sin and shame.
Patricia. I love you My
God and this Glorious Cross that has saved my soul from sin and death.
I saw the cross, and trials and sufferings in my own
life in a completely different light; united to the Glory, Power and Love of
Our Lord’s Cross, the crosses in my life seemed something to embrace and not to
recoil from or avoid. United to His
Cross, they seemed more like a union of mingled love, sorrow and joy. United to Our Lord’s perfect offering to the
Father they seemed beautiful and even desirable, because of the power of the
Cross to save souls. All this I saw
after Confession and Our Divine Lord said to me;
Jesus. Record
what you have seen to console poor sinners and to give them confidence to
return to me in the Sacrament of My loving forgiveness, Confession. Tell sinners not to be afraid but only to
draw near.
29th November
1996.
Patricia. Our Lord showed me
that when one has temptations, this is how to deal with them:
Jesus. If you were caring
for a small child and some evil person tried to harm that child, would you not
immediately rush to the child's defence and protect the infant with your own
life if necessary? You must do the same
when an evil temptation tries to kill My Innocent life in you. Leap to My defence, protect Me!
If you had a servant to whom you entrusted the child, you
would expect the servant to run to the child's mother should danger approach,
and call upon her assistance. My Mother
has entrusted My life in its infancy to you. As I grow in stature and wisdom in you, take
good care of Me! Run to My Mother, should the forces
of evil try to harm Me in your bodies and souls, in
your thoughts, your actions or your intentions.
Be those on whom My Mother and I can depend!
27th December 1996.
Patricia. Speaking to those who suffer from scruples and find it
hard to believe that God has forgiven them, even after Confession.
Jesus. I speak
these words to each and every soul.
Jesus. My child,
I wish you to sing to Me a Hymn of Trust.
Think of scruples as a name that belongs to an evil spirit that wishes
to frighten you, My Beloved! Do Me the great honour of trusting Me in all your frailty and
weakness. Give Me
the gift of your confidence in My Mercy!
I am your God, Your intimate friend, and the lover of
your soul. Lovers make excuses for the
one they love! Say this Prayer!
Prayer given by Our Lord on the 27th December, 1996:
‘Oh my Saviour,
look with compassion on my frailty and weakness.
I trust that, in Your goodness and love, You will not only be lenient
towards me, but will burn up all my sins and shame completely
in the
fires of Your Divine Mercy. Give me the courage to approach You
with complete confidence. When I am dying take me in Your arms
and carry me to
Jesus. This
Prayer I give to sinners who refuse to allow scruples to darken their
confidence in Me. Sinners, avail yourselves of My
Divine Mercy in Confession!
Patricia. Lord, I give You the gift of my confidence in Your Mercy and Love!
Jesus. Thank
you, My child!
Thank you!
7th
January 1998(ii).
Patricia. After Confession I said to Our Lord: “I do not seem to
be doing very well at getting rid of my sins”.
Our Lord said:
Jesus.
Root them out as soon as they appear
(in Confession.) Remember the problem
you had with ground elder in your garden and now there is no trace of it.
Patricia. I did some weeding Lord, but also conditions
changed in the garden that may not have been conducive to the plant.
Jesus.
Those conditions in the spiritual
life that are not conducive to the weeds of sin are; striving for holiness,
discipline, obedience to the laws of your God and the Church and a sensible,
holy, and wholesome way of life.
Same day at the beginning of Mass:
Patricia. Father read about the saint of the day, St.
Raymond of Penyafort, priest. 1175-1275, St. Raymond was a very brilliant
lawyer when, at the age of 47, he became a Dominican to conquer his pride. He
eventually became Master General of the Dominicans, Archbishop of Tarragona and
confessor to the Pope. He died aged one hundred.
Our Lord
pointed out that St. Raymond thought that leaving the successes and riches of
the world and joining the Dominicans would conquer his pride, but he was put in
positions in the Church that would put him in the front line in his struggle
against pride. (Head of his order, Archbishop, and confessor
to the Pope.)
Jesus.
Many souls think that when they pray
to overcome besetting sins they will no longer be tempted, and when they are
tempted they think their prayers have not been answered.
Patricia. Our Lord told me to remember the passage in
the Bible that says; [Sir
2:1] “My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for
temptation.” and [1 Tim 6:12] “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of
the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in
the presence of many witnesses.”
Jesus.
There are souls who are not prepared
to fight against temptation in order to strengthen their spiritual
muscles. These souls are like creatures
that live under stones; they prefer to live in the dark of sin rather than
enter the battle, fight the good fight, and win the crown of virtue. Turn the
stone over and suggest that they come out into the light and they will run for
cover and go back into the gloom.
There are
other souls that think that their prayers are not answered when they pray for a
particular temptation to leave them, and that temptation seems to increase.
They do not see the temptation as a training for their
souls and an opportunity to grow strong, or an opportunity to humble themselves
in Confession. When the temptation does leave them for a while they neglect to
thank God for their deliverance and they quickly point a finger at others who
fall. When temptations return again and again to train and humble these souls
they begin to lose faith in God and prayer, they dislike going to frequent
Confession for the same besetting sin; they are dissatisfied with themselves
for being so weak, and they fear God will not love them unless they can
overcome the fault with their own strength. These souls have little love for
God, for themselves, or for others.
Patricia. Our Lord pointed
out that God had answered St. Raymond’s prayers to over come his pride by
giving him many opportunities to exercise humility in the midst of temptation,
and gave him 100 years to get it right!
7th February
1998. After
Confession.
Patricia. Lord, I seem to
get worse, not better!
Jesus. That
statement shows that you have a greater understanding of your poverty.
Patricia. Thank you for
showing me what I am and my faults. How could I be so blind?
Jesus. Love
makes one blind. Love of self makes one
blind to one’s own sins.
Patricia. You certainly
get right to the heart of the matter, Lord.
Jesus. Some
sins require a surgeon’s knife. It is
better to cut out the sickness before it kills the soul. What were your faults?
Patricia. Pride, lack of love and compassion, criticism and many others*.
Jesus. Correct
these faults and appropriate what you need from the merits of the saints and
from the treasure house of your God, for yourself and for others.
Patricia. I am very sorry,
Lord!
* Patricia. On reading this message at a later date I
said a prayer of Appropriation:
“Oh My God, I appropriate the humility of My God who
condescended to be born in a stable and laid in a manger. I appropriate the Love of My Lord who died
for love of all mankind on the Cross. I
appropriate the compassion of My Saviour who gave Himself for poor, weak
sinners, who healed the sick and raised the dead, restoring them to life. I appropriate the silence of Jesus before His
accusers, who asked His Father to forgive those who put Him to death, rather
than criticise them, in reparation for my sins and the sins of the whole
world. I appropriate the perfect
Offering of Jesus on the Cross and all His merits and virtues, for all weak
sinners, including myself.’
14th February 1998.
Patricia. I was enquiring
of Our Lord why, after so many prayers and aspirations, various besetting sins
still plagued us.
Our Lord showed me a wound that was festering and needed
cleaning every day. Such badly infected
wounds seem to take a long time to heal.
This is what happens in a spiritual sense to those who have in the past
not lived as they should. There are deep seated spiritual wounds and
weaknesses, especially of the will, which show themselves in besetting sins.
Confession is the cleaning out of these infected wounds. The sin is forgiven and wiped away but the
weakness may still be there.
Jesus. Those
souls, so wounded, make reparation in bearing these wounds. They gain humility by having to confess them
often. They gain compassion for other
weak and sinful souls. They are
given the opportunity to exercise the opposite virtue. They see their extreme helplessness without
grace. They are taught to appropriate to
themselves the holiness and innocence of their God. Write the prayer I have inspired in your
heart, child.
Patricia. Oh my God I
appropriate to myself for your glory all the purity, innocence and virtues of
Our Blessed Lady,
Jesus. The soul
may appropriate any gifts the soul desires for its own needs and the needs of
others. (Patricia. For example: appropriate peace in place of
disunity, generosity in place of meanness, love in place of hate, humility in
place of pride, etc.)
Jesus. The soul
learns that all gifts and graces are a gratuitous gift from their God and they
cannot by their own merits acquire anything, however they have all things in
abundance available to them from the treasure store of my love.
19th
August 1998 (i).
Sunday. After Confession.
Patricia. After the Absolution in Confession which was
the long form, Our Lord said that those Priests who use the shorter form leave
out a lot of catechesis. From the wording of the Absolution, Our Lord showed
that the penitent was not left alone in trying to overcome their sins:
R. ‘Through the ministry of the Church, the
Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father of Mercies through the death
and Resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the
Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the
Church may God give you pardon and peace and I absolve you from your sins in
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’.
‘May
the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and the intercession of all the Saints, whatever good
you do, evil you suffer, heal your sins, help you to grow in holiness
and reward you with eternal life. The Lord has freed you from your
sins, Thanks be to God, Go in the peace of Christ’.
Patricia. “Through the ministry of the Church”; here
the penitent sees the help of the
“…..the
Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”; the Sacraments flow from Christ Himself.
“
….God the Father of Mercies”; here we
see Our Loving Father, His great Mercy for the sinner and His love for us.
“…through
the death and Resurrection of His Son has reconciled the world to Himself”; we
see here the love of Our Lord offering Himself to the Father in reparation for
our sins so that we might be reconciled.
“
… And sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins”; here we see
the Three Divine Persons complete and the action and love of the Holy Spirit.
“….Through
the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace”; virtue and
innocence and pardon bring us God’s peace to live in innocence with Our God in
union with the Saints.
“…..and
I absolve you from your sins, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit”; we must know that it is in the name of the Three Divine Persons
that we are forgiven and it does not matter if we like or dislike a particular
Priest, if he intends to do as the Church teaches.
We
are forgiven if we are truly sorry for our sins and with the help of God’s
grace we will try not to sin again even though we are so weak. We may well
sin again and have to return to Confession. We must feel sorrow for offending
such a loving God.
20th
August 1998. After
Confession.
Patricia. I was thinking about my Confession and how
good God is to be so free with His forgiveness and Mercy. I thanked Him.
Jesus. Do you forgive others?
Patricia. Oh yes, My Lord, how can I not forgive? I am
the worst of sinners and deserve only condemnation.
Jesus. You must go ahead of the sinner with your
forgiveness and make preparation for poor, weak souls as I have done for you in
giving you the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, confession, baptism and the
Sacraments. Have your banquet of mercy and forgiveness already set out and as
soon as you receive the wounds of other people’s sins, forgive and show mercy!
You have the confirmation of this advice in the words of the Scriptures;
“Forgive one another as soon as a quarrel begins” (
Patricia. I was shown a wonderful banquet of good
food, beautifully set out on long tables with lovely white linen, beautifully
embroidered. This was a symbol of all the ways God is merciful to us and how we
too must go ahead of poor sinners and prepare, with God’s grace, a banquet of
mercy, love, compassion and forgiveness. The different foods represented all
the different ways that we can forgive others and show mercy, leaving the
judgement of others to God alone, and not taking vengeance on others ourselves.
Our Lord showed me that we should anticipate the love, mercy and forgiveness we
should give to others ahead of time and be ready always to forgive.
Jesus. Regarding judging others, you must judge
what to do via prayer and the grace you have prayed to receive, in order to
discern particular situations, but refrain from passing premature judgement on
others to condemn them.
Patricia. Make judgement as to what to, do but
separate the judgement of the situation from condemnation (Do not go with the
sinner or into sinful situations).
4th September 1998. 1st Friday. Confession.
Patricia.
At the absolution when the Sign of
the Cross was made over me by the Priest I was shown a cross of light burning
into my body, cutting away my sins.
4th July 2000(i).
Patricia. I thought of my sins
and how sorry I was for them, how powerless I was to overcome them. Our Lord said:
Jesus. I am not an accountant, the books never balance from your side! I am more interested in love than
accountancy.
Patricia. I thought how good
God is to me, so patient and kind, and I told Our Lord
that I was glad to be in communion with the people of God and the Church. After Confession and during Mass, when I had
received Communion, I said to Our Lord, “I love you Lord”, and He replied:
Jesus. Tell Me again!
Patricia. I repeated again,
“I love you Lord”.
Patricia. During thanksgiving
after Mass, I said again, “I love you Lord”, and Our Lord replied:
Jesus. Say it again!
Patricia. I love you.
Jesus. Again!
Patricia. I love you, I love
you, I love you!
Jesus. And I love you and
I can say it more often than you can (in countless ways).
Patricia. You are very good.
Jesus. No, I am Goodness
and Love and it won’t run out because of your sins and failings!
Patricia. Thank goodness you
are not an accountant, I was never very good at maths.
Jesus. Love pays the debt
where your books don’t balance, Love knows a better way. How it grieves Me that so many give up
because they feel they are dealing with an accountant, not an all-loving
God. ‘Forgive and you will be forgiven’
(Lk 6:37), ‘Ask, and you will receive’ (Matt 21:22),
‘Give and it will be given back to you a hundredfold, pressed down and running
over’ (Lk 6:38).
Loving God is simple!
17th
September 2000(i).
Patricia. As absolution was given, at the words, ‘You
sent the Holy Spirit into the world for the forgiveness of sins’, I saw the
Holy Spirit in the form of a white dove hovering over the priest and myself. I
prayed silently:
“Lord,
you reveal to us the depths and misery of our sins and yet shower us with love
and compassion, tenderly comforting us. Little by little your love towards us
puts out the fires of our indignation and anger towards others who have hurt
us”.
Jesus. The fire you should feel towards others is
the fire of the Love of the Holy Spirit; all tenderness and compassion. Stoke
this fire within you by love, humility, a good confession of your own faults,
sins and failings. Poor sinners need rest for their souls and forgiveness. Make
no premature judgements, leave that to Me! My
Judgement is just and true! If you judge
prematurely, you may find unwittingly you have judged a great saint and you
will be all confusion on judgement day. Judge not and you need not fear
judgement!
I
give time for poor souls to amend. See how much time each one of you need
yourself – extend the same liberality to others. Be meek and tender-hearted and
peace and joy will reign in your souls.
Extend the same compassion to yourself. Those who are hard on themselves
are often hard on others. There are those who are hard on others but never on
themselves. It is better to tend towards clemency and forgiveness, then I can give you what you have not given to others – the
benefit of a lenient judgement. Love is
a stricter discipline than many believe – joined with good order, it brings
peace and concord.
Patricia. We do not want God to prematurely judge us
but to wait until, with grace, He has made us holy.
Jesus. Does strictness on My
part make you less sinful?
Patricia. No, Lord, it just makes me afraid because I
am so weak.
Jesus. Precisely!
What makes you want to amend?
Patricia. Love!
Jesus. Yes My dear child,
love! Love one another as I have loved
you. Love will win through. Love will achieve, ‘Not your love for your God but
My Love for you’ by the free gift of justification and transformation.
Patricia. Is it that easy, Lord?
Patricia. Our Lord smiled and then laughed humorously.
Jesus. The burden of love! My burden is light. My dear children, observe love, Divine Love, not a lesser love. Keep
the Commandments and all else will be added to you. Love is the fullness of the
Law – I am the fullness of the Law. Observe the fullness of the Law of Divine
Love! ‘Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends’. Do
this for friend and foe alike as I did, seeking the truth in love.
19th January 2001.
Patricia. Lord, what of those
who have lost their innocence?
Jesus. Confession restores innocence again!
Jesus. In Confession,
Divine Innocence draws near and kisses the soul newly washed in My Precious
Saving Blood.
24th March 2001.
Patricia. We were sharing the fruits of our studies at the Eucharistic University
and someone spoke of the liturgical movement to reform the Sacrament of
Confession from an individual confession to a communal celebration, with
general absolution the norm. Our Lord
quickly replied:
Jesus. They are denying
the meeting I wish to have with the individual sinner!
Patricia. The Gospels show us
that Jesus did not forgive sins en masse.
The Church uses general absolution only for emergency situations such as
a ship sinking or men going into battle. See Sacraments of Healing, Catechism
of the Catholic Church, chapter 2. C.f. CCC. 1497, Also
the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliation and Penance 1984,
paragraph 32:
R. ‘Following the suggestions of the
Second Vatican Council, the Ordo Paenitentiae
provided three rites which, while always keeping intact the essential elements,
make it possible to adapt the celebration of the sacrament of penance to
particular pastoral circumstances.
The first form—reconciliation of
individual penitents, is the only normal and ordinary way of celebrating the
sacrament, and it cannot and must not be allowed to fall into disuse or be
neglected. The second form—reconciliation of a number of penitents with
individual confession and absolution—even though in the preparatory acts it
helps to give greater emphasis to the community aspects of the sacrament, is
the same as the first form in the culminating sacramental act, namely
individual confession and individual absolution of sins. It can thus be
regarded as equal to the first form as regards the normality of the rite. The
third form however—reconciliation of a number of penitents with general confession
and absolution—is exceptional in character. It is therefore not left to free
choice but is regulated by a special discipline.
The first form makes possible a
highlighting of the more personal—and essential—aspects which are included in
the penitential process. The dialogue between penitent and confessor, the sum
of the elements used (the biblical texts, the choice of the forms of
"satisfaction," etc.), make the sacramental celebration correspond
more closely to the concrete situation of the penitent. The value of these
elements are perceived when one considers the different reasons that bring a
Christian to sacramental penance: a need for personal reconciliation and
readmission to friendship with God by regaining the grace lost by sin; a need
to check one's spiritual progress and sometimes a need for a more accurate
discernment of one's vocation; on many other occasions a need and a desire to
escape from a state of spiritual apathy and religious crisis. Thanks then to
its individual character, the first form of celebration makes it possible to
link the sacrament of penance with something which is different but readily
linked with it: I am referring to spiritual direction. So it is certainly true
that personal decision and commitment are clearly signified and promoted in
this first form’.
8th April 2001.
Patricia. After I had received Confession Our Lord spoke of the proper
disposition of the Priest and people towards the Sacrament:
Jesus. The Priest should
consider people coming to Confession as those returning from the battlefield,
some deeply wounded, some near to death, others with little hurts and others in
psychological trauma. Children come to a
good mother with their wounds and sinners come to their Mother the Church,
which should not send them away but bend down and comfort them. Even when little ones come with small hurts
and scratches they need love and attention.
A good mother will tend little bruises and cuts with as much
love as for deeper wounds. She will
correct gently where the children received the wounds through their own fault
and warn them of the dangers. She will
discern carefully where inexperience and where wilfulness needs to be checked. A good mother will draw the child to peace
and reconciliation with the child’s brothers, sisters and friends and set him
on the right road again. The Priest in
Confession must be like this, showing to the penitents the Church’s Motherly
love, care and instruction. This is what
is meant by priests and all men praying for a motherly heart. This you can learn from the Blessed Mother!
Regarding General Absolution, a good mother does not give
the same treatment to a broken leg as she would to a grazed knee or a sore
throat! She does not line up her
children, who have very different hurts, give each one of them a plaster and
say, “There, you are cured, God can do the rest”! General Absolution, and I refer you to the
teachings of the Church, is for extraordinary situations and emergencies!
Priests, remember you will be held accountable for the sheep in your care! Follow Me, seek out the lost sheep and bring home the lambs! When you find them bleating at the door of the Confessional, often afraid, reluctant and unsure, open wide the doors of your heart and bring them into the warmth of My Divine Love! Wash them clean of their sin and set their feet on the road to salvation!