The third point in the Conference on Joy is on how we can protect our joy. The first point takes up one of the principal causes of our sadness: our sins. Let us listen to St. Paul, "To those who love God all things work together unto good."
"All - thus even our sins which can become a means of great love and sanctification in so far as they are properly used - a fault committed may be a source of grace and purification. But to achieve that result we must make use of our sins with the exact opposite tactics of the devil. He, before we commit a sin makes it appear as a nothing, but once committed he tries to convince us that it can never be remedied. He does that to make us fall into despair. We, on the contrary, must try to realize how horrible sin is before we fall, but it we have the misfortune to sin we must not let ourselves lose our courage in vain and useless tears. What is done is done and nothing can change that except our ardent desire to do better in the future. Thus how greatly we can profit of our faults to humble us and fill us with a great confidence in God....Our sins make us experience our weakness...they throw us more completely into the arms of God...Sin has no right to deprive us of joy. "
It is true that there is deep peace and joy in our hearts when we say we are sorry. I find that I feel that peace and joy often for several days after I have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
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