I pray you not to remove sin from the annals of suffering. The true glory of the church are the penitents; those around the confessionals, no matter the gravity of sins, these are the mighty militants who crumble the kingdom of Satan. St Augustine says, he who sings prays twice, I make bold to say, he who confesses his sin practices virtue twice. Forget the sin, for the sorrow the sin inspires is enough virtue, and the act of confessing confuses the devil and drives him afar, more potently than when one practices virtue. True exorcism is that which takes place from a humble heart in the confessional, or better still, the simplicity and humility of a soul who is not ‘abashed’ and glories in his infirmities. And yet this lovely sacrament is dying in Christendom
