Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to thee,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD";
then Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.
In confession, the priest's sacramental absolution, God grants the penitent "pardon and peace." The pricelessness of this gift is only increased by the unworthiness of the person receiving it. All over the world, there are people laboring under the terrible burden of guilt for some terrible thing which they cannot forgive themselves and which they do not believe anyone — not even God — would forgive. How beautiful it is when someone walks into a confessional, bares his soul to God, and finds not a harsh, condemning judge, but a mercy unfathomable to human reason. If there is anything — anything at all — which burdens your conscience, please do not hesitate to take it to confession and cast it into to the bottomless ocean of God's mercy. He will never fail to forgive your sins if you confess them and repent. Never. Go and have peace.
