Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/543

 sight of  the  fact  that  the  deeper  our  sorrow  the  more efficacious will  be  the  sacrament,  for  the  one  essential on  which  the  Whole  fruitfulness  or  barrenness  of the  sacrament  depends  is  the  genuineness  of  our  contrition. We should  try  to  emulate  the  great  models of repentance,  the  humility  of  the  publican  and  of  the prodigal, the  tears  of  David  and  of  Peter,  the  ecstatic abandon of  Magdalen,  the  consuming  zeal  of  St. Paul,  and  the  utter  disregard  of  earthly  things  and earthly opinions  displayed  by  the  Emperor  Theodosius  when  he  cast  aside  his  crown  and  his  purple, and in  the  presence  of  all  the  people  prostrated  himself in  the  dust  before  the  temple  of  God. In to-day's Gospel  Christ  absolves  the  paralytic  without  the formality of  a  confession;  but  Christ's  ministers  cannot, as  He,  read  the  reins  and  the  heart. To the  confessor as  judge  and  physician  the  case  must  be presented  and  the  disease  disclosed. While it  is  well to manifest  even  our  venial  faults,  it  is  absolutely necessary to  confess  all  the  mortal  sins  we  are  then and there  conscious  of  having  committed,  together with the  number  of  times  and  the  leading  circumstances of  their  commission. Alas! what care,  what order, what  exactness  are  employed  in  the  management of  business  affairs,  in  the  keeping  of  business accounts, and  how  true  it  is  that  the  children  of  this world are  wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children of light. Nor is  it  of  least  importance  to  remember that, though  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  remits  the guilt of  sin  and  the  eternal  punishment  that  is  its  due. there remains  a  temporal  atonement  to  be  under-