But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light; for all that is made manifest is light.
Ephesians 5:13

St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us that one of the strategies of the devil is to act like a secret lover to a daughter of a good man or wife of a good man. The licentious lover does not want his tactics revealed so he can continue with his evil intent. However, once the actions of a licentious lover are revealed, the lover runs away.

The same is true with the devil. He approaches those who are sincere in their commitment to the Lord. He gives them doubts or evil thoughts. Like a licentious lover, he does not want these to be known. And like a licentious lover, once these things are revealed, the devil stops in his mischief.

This is why it is important to keep God's word in our hearts. Psalm 119:105 tells us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths.” God's word reveals everything. When we keep God's word in our hearts, it brings light. It reveals the schemes of the devil and we are set free.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sins doesn't prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” This underscores the importance of confession. Many people mistakenly think that confession is a matter of saying our sins and then we are forgiven. Confession does not begin when we come before the priest. It begins with we prepare for it.

We first measure ourselves against the Word of God. We look into ourselves and see where we fail in our love for the Lord and neighbor. The Lord will reveal our faults to us when we approach him in humility.

Once the Lord has revealed what he wants us to confess, we approach him in the sacrament. St. Paul said all that is manifest is light. Everything we bring to the Lord becomes the light. Confession is one of the two sacraments of healing. When we approach Jesus in our brokenness, he will heal us.

This does not necessarily mean there will be physical healing. But when we approach Jesus, he heals us as he sees fit. Healing may not happen instantly. It normally takes a long time. But I have discovered that once I have confessed my sin and named it, the sin slowly loses its power over me.

Confession is not for God's benefit. It is for our benefit. We are not confessing our sins so God will know what our sins are. God knows more than we know ourselves. We come to confession so we will know our sins and so we will know where we failed.

This is why we need to confess everything. The priest may not know our secrets but God does. If we are sincere in our walk with the Lord, we would want to be healed of all the evil things within us. The only way to do this is by approaching Jesus in our brokenness and in humility.

Lord, grant me the grace to see myself in your light. Show me your ways and lead me to eternal life.