(Pieta in the Cathedral of Lisbon, Portugal)

During this week that we particularly meditate on Our Lord's Passion and Death, we are drawn to the confessional..to make a good Confession of all our sins, and draw closer to Our Lord. The following quote applies to every one of us, not just those who have been away from the Sacraments:

"The Lord Jesus said to St. Bridget of Sweden, '...Therefore let sinners who wish to be reconciled to Me and to obtain My grace and friendship, first grieve with their whole hearts that they have offended Me, their Creator and Redeemer; then, let them purify themselves before the priest by an humble, sincere confession, and amend their lives, and make satisfaction according to the advice and discretion of the priest. If they have done this I will draw near to them and the devil will have to stay away. Next, it will benefit them to receive Holy Communion with devotion and true love, since they now have the will never more to return to their former sins and are resolved to persevere in well-doing to the end. Such as are thus minded, I will advance to meet as a mother runs to meet her erring children, and will receive them most gladly. I will be in them, and they shall be in Me and shall live and rejoice in Me throughout all eternity.'"

~ Consoling Revelations collected by the Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius