The Book of Heaven
—Unofficial Version—

January 5, 1900

Effects of sin and of Confession.

As I was in my usual state, I felt I was going outside of myself, and I found my adorable Jesus; but – oh, how full of sins I saw myself before His presence!  In my interior I felt a strong desire to make my confession to Our Lord, and so, turning to Him, I began to tell my sins, and Jesus was listening to me.  When I finished speaking, turning to me with a face full of sadness, He told me:  “My daughter, sin is a poisonous and deadly embrace to the soul, if it is grave; and not only to her, but also to all the virtues present in the soul.  If then it is venial, it is a wounding embrace, which renders the soul very weak and infirm, and together with her the virtues which she had acquired also become infirm.  What a deadly weapon sin is!  Sin alone can wound and give death to the soul!  Nothing else can harm her, nothing else but sin alone renders her opprobrious and odious before Me.”

While He was saying this, I comprehended the ugliness of sin and I felt such pain that I cannot even express it.  And Jesus, seeing me all contrite, raised His blessed right hand and pronounced the words of the absolution.  Then He added:  “Just as sin wounds and gives death to the soul, so does the Sacrament of Confession give life, heal the wounds, and give back vigor to virtues; and this, more or less, according to the dispositions of the soul – so does the virtue of the Sacrament operate.”  It seemed to me that my soul had received new life; I no longer felt the bother of before, after Jesus gave me the absolution.  May the Lord be always thanked and glorified!