divine-mercy-in-my-soul

How can a soul in this state obtain peace in the confessional when it has become so
oversensitive to every word of the priest? In my opinion, at times of such special trials
sent by god to a soul, the priest, if he does not understand the soul, should direct it to
some other experienced and well-instructed confessor. Or else he himself should seek
light in order to give the soul what it needs, instead of downrightly denying it confession.
For in this way he is exposing the soul to a great danger; and more than one soul may
well leave the road along which God wanted it to journey. This is a matter of great
importance, for I have experienced it myself. I myself began to waver; despite special
gifts from God, and even though God Himself reassured me, I have nevertheless always
wanted to have the Church‟s seal as well.
(52) The second thing: the confessor does not allow the soul to express itself frankly,
and shows impatience. The soul then falls silent and does not say everything [it has to
say] and, by this, profits nothing. It profits even less when the confessor, without really
knowing the soul, proceeds to put it to the test. Instead of helping the soul, he does it
harm. The soul is aware that the confessor does not know it, because he did not allow it
to lay itself open fully as regards both its graces and its misery. And so the test is illadapted.
I have been submitted to some tests at which I have had to laugh.
I will express this better thus: The confessor is the doctor of the soul, but how can a
doctor prescribe a suitable remedy if he does not know the nature of the sickness? Never
will he be able to do so. For either the remedy will not produce the desired effect, or else
it will be too strong and will aggravate the illness, and sometimes – God forbid – even
bring about death. I am speaking from my own experience because, in certain instances,
it was the Lord himself who directly sustained me.
The third thing: it also happens sometimes that the confessor makes light of little things.
There is nothing little in the spiritual life. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant thing will
disclose a matter of great consequence and will be for the confessor a beam of light
which helps him to get to know the soul. Many spiritual undertones are concealed in little
things.
A magnificent building will never rise if we reject the insignificant bricks. God demands
great purity of certain souls, and so He gives them a deeper knowledge of their own
misery. Illuminated by light from on high, the soul can better know what pleases God and
what does not. Sin depends upon de degree of knowledge and light that exists within the
soul. The same is true of imperfections. Although the soul knows that it is only sin in the
strict sense of the term which pertains to the sacrament of penance, yet these petty things
are of great importance to a soul which is tending to sanctity, and the confessor must not
treat them lightly. The patience and kindness of the confessor open the way to the
innermost secrets of the soul. The soul, unconsciously as it were, reveals its abysmal
depth and feels stronger and more resistant; it fights with greater courage and tries to do
things better because it knows it must vie an account of them.
(53) I will mention one more thing regarding the confessor. It is his duty to occasionally
put to the test, to try, to exercise, to learn whether he is dealing with straw, with iron or
with pure gold. Each of these three types of souls needs different kinds of training. The
confessor must – and this is absolutely necessary – form a clear judgment of each soul in
order to know how heavy a burden it can carry at certain times, in certain circumstances,
or in particular situations. As for myself, it was only later on, after many [negative]
experiences, that, when I saw that I was not understood; I no longer laid bare my soul or
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