We’re ALL in Need of God’s Mercy
The recent revelations about the illegal activities and infidelities of New York’s mayors should remind us how easy it is to fall from grace and that we are all in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
There’s nothing like a retreat deep in the heart of Lent to really awaken the senses to the weight and reality of my own sin and how I have deeply offended God in my own life. No matter how “on track” I think I am with God’s plans, there is always room for improvement and I should never consider myself better than anyone else.
Holy Week is an excellent time to reflect on and acknowledge our sinfulness and come to the great sacrament of God’s mercy.
One of the Confirmation candidates at my table brought up that oh-so common objection to the sacrament of Reconciliation, 
“why do we need to confess our sins to a priest, a man, when we can just go directly to God on our own and tell Him we’re sorry?” Apart from explaining that it is a Sacrament instituted by Christ (Jn. 20:23) for our benefit and that the priest acts in His person, not a mere man, I also found this passage from St. Faustina’s Diary (1602) in the words of Christ (I was also impressed with the way the other candidates at our table spoke out in defense of confession):
“[W]hen 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 vessal of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.”
It is easy to become complacent, especially when we look at the world in all its madness – war, terrorism, murder, abuse, heavy drug use, etc… – and think, hey, I’m not so bad, at least I haven’t killed anyone, I don’t really hate my neighbor, I don’t abuse drugs, and I am filled with so much love for my family and friends. But we should not be so proud. Truthfully, as fallen people, we cannot help but offend God in the smallest matters. Even one selfish thought is an act of offense and can close our hearts to the grace of God. We should detest sin so as to be willing to die rather than to offend our Lord in even the smallest matter (2 Mc 7).
All have sinned and are deprived of God’s glory, but we rejoice because we are justified through the redemption in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:23-25). This is what He died for! What are you waiting for? Go to confession and receive the grace and mercy of God!! Even if you have been away from the Sacraments for a long time, God is always waiting for you to come back home (Lk. 15:11-32)!
Read: Spitzer Case Should Serve as Warning to Christians by Jonathan Falwell.
Also read about confession from a convert’s viewpoint