Marian Helper Spring 2014

7 SECRETS OF CONFESSION B y V inny F lynn , I ntroduction by F r . M ichael G aitley , MIC M ercy S ong /I gnatius P ress , 200 pp ., $12.95 P roduct C ode : B21-7SOC I n the Diary of St. Faustina , Jesus tells us, “Pray for souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy” (975). I believe that people have been praying for this intention and that 7 Secrets of Confession will help many come back to confession. When I was in the seminary, I used to go to confession every Saturday morning. But getting there wasn’t easy. Nearly every time, before confessing, there’d be a barrage of what I believe were spiritual attacks. The closer I got to the confessional, the more my fear would grow, usu- ally accompanied by thoughts such as, “The priest is going to yell at you.” … “You’re the worst sinner; there’s no mercy for you.” … “You just confess the same sins over and over, and this time God has had enough of you.” Then, one day, I read these words of Jesus to St. Faustina in the Diary: “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” (1602). I realized that Satan wanted to rob me of the graces of confession, and he knew that fear kills trust. So I made a firm resolution to approach the confessional with contrition and great trust in the Lord’s mercy. That resolution has helped, but there’s often still a battle. Thanks to 7 Secrets of Confession , the battle has become easier to fight. Vinny’s “7 Secrets” are like seven explosions that blow away the obstacles keeping us from confession. If you’ve ever dragged your feet on the way to confession, gotten discouraged about confessing the same sins, or wondered how your confessions could be more fruitful, then you’ll love this book. It turns what many see as a tiresome obligation into a precious, longed-for encounter with the Lord. ­ MEET JOHN XXIII J oyful P ope and F ather to A ll B y P atricia T reece S ervant B ooks , S t . A nthony M essenger P ress , pp . 208, $13.99 P roduct C odes : B21-MJXX I n this engaging and popularly written biography of Pope John XXIII, meet Angelo Roncalli, the son of Italian peasant sharecroppers, who grew up feel- ing the pinch of poverty but also enjoyed the security of his loving and devout Catholic family. He would endear himself to the Church and the whole world as “Good Pope John,” known for his love, humility, and good will toward all. Biographer Patricia Treece traces how his steady progress in holiness across a long lifetime of service to Christ and the Church prepared him for his election as Pope at the age of 77. Expected to serve only as an interim Pope after the long reign of Pius XII, he instead became one of the leading figures of the 20th century. Chief among Pope John’s achievements was his becoming a catalyst for great renewal in the Catholic Church by convening the Second Vatican Council in 1962. He also helped call the world back from the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 through his appeals for negotiation between the superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States. After the immediate crisis had passed, he penne d Pacem in Terris ( P eace on Earth ), his great encyclical on peace. What is most compelling about this biography, though, isn’t the big picture of Pope John’s achievements. It’s the humble and loving way in which he showed himself to be a father to all. Treece shares many poignant stories illustrating this. For instance, when Pope John learned in 1960 that the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the Vatican was dying in Rome, he quietly vis- ited the ambassador, who wasn’t Catholic. He even prayed with the ambassador and his wife during his visit — breaking the taboo before Vatican II of Catholics praying with non-Catholic s. I highly recommend you read Meet John XXIII so you can get to know this holy Pope, who will be proclaimed a saint on Divine Mercy Sunday. Online at www.shopmercy.org/b21 or call 1-800-462-7426. 6 M arian H elper • S pring 2014 •  www.marian.org Back to index