10/12/2026
Drawing profit from confession. (Diary 112)
~ Daily Diary Quote/Reflection ~ “Mercy on the Move” invites you to pray and help to bring Mercy to a world greatly in need of God’s Mercy.
DIARY OF SAINT MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA: Divine Mercy in My Soul
NOTEBOOK I
+ A few words about confession and confessors. I shall speak only of what I have experienced and gone through within my own soul. There are three things which hinder the soul from drawing profit from confession in these exceptional moments.
The first thing: when the confessor has little knowledge of extraordinary ways and shows surprise if a soul discloses to him the great mysteries worked in it by God. Such surprise frightens a sensitive soul, and it notices that the confessor hesitates to give his opinion; and if it does notice this, it will not be set at peace, but will have even more doubts after confession than before, because it will sense that the confessor is trying to set it at peace while he himself is uncertain. Or else, as has happened to me, a confessor, unable to pe*****te some of the soul’s mysteries, refuses to hear the confession, showing a certain fear when the soul approaches the confessional.
How can a soul in this state obtain peace in the confessional when it has become so oversensitive to every word of the priest? In my opinion, at times of such special trials sent by God to a soul, the priest, if he does not understand the soul, should direct it to some other experienced and well-instructed confessor. Or else he himself should seek light in order to give the soul what it needs, instead of downrightly denying it confession. For in this way he is exposing the soul to a great danger; and more than one soul may well leave the road along which God wanted it to journey. This is a matter of great importance, for I have experienced it myself. I myself began to waver; despite special gifts from God, and even though God himself reassured me, I have nevertheless always wanted to have the Church’s seal as well.
The second thing: the confessor does not allow the soul to express itself frankly, and shows impatience. The soul then falls silent and does not say everything [it has to say] and, by this, profits nothing. It profits even less when the confessor, without really knowing the soul, proceeds to put it to the test. Instead of helping the soul, he does it harm. The soul is aware that the confessor does not know it, because he did not allow it to lay itself open fully as regards both its graces and its misery. And so the test is ill-adapted. I have been submitted to some tests at which I have had to laugh.
I will express this better thus: The confessor is the doctor of the soul, but how can a doctor prescribe a suitable remedy if he does not know the nature of the sickness? Never will he be able to do so. For either the remedy will not produce the desired effect, or else it will be too strong and will aggravate the illness, and sometimes — God forbid — even bring about death. I am speaking from my own experience because, in certain instances, it was the Lord himself who directly sustained me.
The third thing: it also happens sometimes that the confessor makes light of little things. There is nothing little in the spiritual life. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant thing will disclose a matter of great consequence and will be for the confessor a beam of light which helps him to get to know the soul. Many spiritual undertones are concealed in little things.
A magnificent building will never rise if we reject the insignificant bricks. God demands great purity of certain souls, and so He gives them a deeper knowledge of their own misery. Illuminated by light from on high, the soul can better know what pleases God and what does not. Sin depends upon the degree of knowledge and light that exists within the soul. The same is true of imperfections. Although the soul knows that it is only sin in the strict sense of the term which pertains to the sacrament of penance, yet these petty things are of great importance to a soul which is tending to sanctity, and the confessor must not treat them lightly. The patience and kindness of the confessor open the way to the innermost secrets of the soul. The soul, unconsciously as it were, reveals its abysmal depth and feels stronger and more resistant; it fights with greater courage and tries to do things better because it knows it must give an account of them.
I will mention one more thing regarding the confessor. It is his duty to occasionally put to the test, to try, to exercise, to learn whether he is dealing with straw, with iron or with pure gold. Each of these three types of souls needs different kinds of training. The confessor must — and this is absolutely necessary — form a clear judgment of each soul in order to know how heavy a burden it can carry at certain times, in certain circumstances, or in particular situations. As for myself, it was only later on, after many [negative] experiences, that, when I saw that I was not understood, I no longer laid bare my soul or allowed my peace to be disturbed. But this happened only when all these graces had already been submitted to the judgement of a wise, well-instructed and experienced confessor. Now I know what to go by in certain cases.
(Used with permission of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. (https://www.marian.org ))
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REFLECTION
Scripture: And a prayer of faith will save the infirm, and the Lord will alleviate him. And if he has sins, these will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be saved. For the unremitting prayer of a just person prevails over many things. (James 5:15,16)
Prayer: Lord, we give You thanks for holy priests who hear confessions. We give You thanks for this sacrament, which is healing for our souls and reconciliation with You. As we read Saint Faustina’s detailed account, we give special thanks for those priests who have been given this gift of providing insight and healing through their words of counsel, encouragement and guidance. May we always prepare well for the Sacrament of Confession and try to go often to receive the healing graces of this sacrament.
Action: Consider preparing well through an examination of conscience and going to the Sacrament of Confession as soon as you possibly can. Consider saying a prayer for the priest who hears your confession.
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Bible source: http://www.sacredbible.org/catholic/
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Saint Faustina, pray for us.
Jesus, I Trust in You!
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The Icon:
“The Virgin Mary of Nazareth
Ark of The New Covenant
Throne of The Divine Mercy Incarnate”
Entitled by: + Fr. S. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC
Former Vice Postulator for North America
in the Canonization Cause of St. M. Faustina Kowalska
https://www.jesusthedivinemercy.com/the-icon
Artist: James Sulkowski (https://marian.org/articles/how-god-led-artist-divine-mercy-and-conversion)
Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us. (Diary 1746)
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