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 done. Should this  be  no  longer  possible, your compunction  of  heart  and  your  honest confession will  be  sufficient  for  him. For your penance  he  will  tell  you  to  repeat  certain short prayers,  he  will  raise  his  hands  and pronounce some  brief  formulas  in  Latin, You will  then  depart,  freed  from  your  guilt, and as  happy  as  if  you  had  already  joined  the angelic host."

3. Now  tell  me,  do  these  words  sound  as if  confession  were  a  difficult  matter,  as  if  it were  an  intolerable  load? On the  contrary, the remarkable  man  who  wrote  these  admirable lines  regards  it  as  a  great  happiness, a blessed  privilege  to  be  eagerly  desired, that we  are  allowed  to  go  to  confession.

And so  indeed  it  is. Confession only  appears difficult  to  those  who  do  not  understand it  at  all,  or  whose  knowledge  is  very limited. Therefore I  will  now  proceed  to give  a  few  hints  as  to  the  right  way  to  make your confession.

4. Before  all  things  be  careful  not  to  make your confession  in  a  mechanical  and  perfunctory manner. Do your  very  utmost to awaken  a  true  and  heartfelt  contrition. That is  the  principal  thing,  even  if  you  have only venial  sins  to  confess. And it  is  not difficult to  awaken  this  true  contrition  out of love  to  your  crucified  Redeemer,  and  with the assistance  of  divine  grace,  which  at  such times will  never  fail  to  come  to  your  aid.

In regard  to  self-accusation,  if  it  is  a  ques-