No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His prayer brought benefit to the multitude that raged against him. How much more does it bring to those who turn to him in repentance.
–Saint Leo the Great (c. 400-461)
God’s will is to save us, and nothing pleases him more than our coming back to him with true repentance…So it was that Christ proclaimed that he had come to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous, and that it was not the healthy who required a doctor, but the sick. He declared that he had come to look for the sheep that was lost, and that it was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that he had been sent.
–Saint Maximos the Confessor (580-662)
Confession is the oral avowal of one’s sins which lie heavy upon the conscience. Repentance cleanses the soul and makes it ready to receive the Holy Spirit, but confession, so to speak, only empties the soul of sins
–Saint Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879)
What does a true and correct confession consist of?
…Before everything else it is necessary to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and firmly hope that He is ready to forgive all sins, no matter of what magnitude, if only the sinner repents open-heartedly; it is necessary to believe and hope that the God of all wants and seeks our return.
…It is necessary to have a broken heart.
…It is necessary to forgive all our enemies and offenders all the harmful and offensive things they have done to us.
…likewise it is indispensable to ask also forgiveness of those people whom we have offended.
…It is necessary to reveal your sins properly and without any concealment.
…Finally, it is necessary to set forth a firm intention to live prudently in the future.
–Saint Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879)
Repentance signifies regret, change of mind. The distinguishing marks of repentance are contrition, tears, aversion towards sin, and love of the good.
–Saint Nektarios of Aegina (1846-1920)
When we are in sin, our soul is all diseased, all rotten; it is pitiful. The thought that the – good God sees it ought to make it enter into itself… Put yourself on good terms with God; have recourse to the Sacrament of Penance; you will sleep as quietly as an angel. You will be glad to waken in the night, to pray to God; you will have nothing but thanksgivings on your lips; you will rise towards Heaven with great facility, as an eagle soars through the air.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
