More wisdom from Adrienne von Speyr

When someone looks at the Cross in a contrite spirit before making his Confession—in spite of the loathing that afflicts him on account of his sins, in spite of the anxiety about not being able to recognize and recall everything—he knows that he can be sure of the Lord’s help; he knows that the Son immediately makes this help available in the presence of his Father by interposing himself, his sufferings, for the sake of the penitent. He steps in with the whole weight of his Passion so that the penitent can be encouraged to tread the path of the sacrament full of confidence and can also dare to look up to the Cross, which has for him absolute value. But in this word there is even more: an invitation from the Son to all sinners to participate in his Cross.

—ADRIENNE VON SPEYR from The Cross: Word and Sacrament