On this beautiful feast of Divine Mercy, consider some quotes from St. Faustina’s diary. “‘I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was open wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world – mercy triumphed over justice.’” (1572, page 558) “‘I am love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted – it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.’” (1273, page 459) “Today the Lord said to me, ‘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 torrent of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.” (1602, page 568) I don’t believe I’m spilling the beans about what anyone confesses in the sacrament of mercy, but it’s worth thinking about this warning we find here about remaining proud in our assessments of our sins. Obviously, the sins of the flesh are among the more difficult sins not only to confess, but to admit to in the first place. Since Catholic teaching reaches heights where few other bodies fear to go, there is a kind of fight that goes on within the soul as to whether or not an act or habit even needs to be confessed. There are common practices that pass for “responsible parenthood” that our faith teaches are sins. Viewing impure images, intimate physical relationships outside of marriage, artificial contraception and sterilization for birth control purposes come to mind. It is not even uncommon for parents to defend, encourage or even insist their children know about and practice these sins. Yet few people confess this these days. If we could change this trend, asking for God’s mercy, instead of rejecting His way our families, our church and our world would experience tremendous blessings and God’s graces would overflow.