A beautiful aspect of the Body of Christ is that we are all different, and have so much to learn from each other. As Scripture says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ If the current crisis has shown us anything, it’s that we need each other.

A good example of how we can learn from each other is a story that a listener named Tracy tweeted out. Tracy is a long-time Relevant Radio® listener, and she posted a video in which she told the story of how Patrick Madrid helped her grow closer to God through Confession. What helped her have a better Confession was something that was not natural to her, something she wouldn’t have done on her own. But she took the opportunity to learn from Patrick, and it helped her spiritual life tremendously!

Tracy began her video saying, “I wanted to contribute to the fund drive, and I’m already with my husband giving as much as we can monthly. So I’m making a video to share how The Patrick Madrid Show has really helped my spiritual life in terms of Confession.”

Tracy explained that she often heard Patrick telling listeners that when they go to Confession they don’t need to give the priest the whole story and context of the sin, but simply need to state “number and kind” – the sin they committed and the number of times they committed it.

Tracy said, “I used to think, ‘Oh, how dry that is!’ Compared to what I thought was the way to do it, which is pour your heart out, tell the scenario of the sin, get a little counseling back from the priest. And, okay, people do their things differently and that’s fine.”

“But I wanted to try what Patrick Madrid recommended,” she continued. “So I went to the app that you guys have (which I love!) and I love the Examination of Conscience that you provide in the Prayer tab for how to make a good Confession. I went through, I looked for number and kind, and it forced me to be more honest, and to really just face how often I sin and in what ways.”

Tracy shared that trying this new approach helped not only before Confession in doing her Examination of Conscience, but the practice stayed with her afterwards.

“When I went to Confession it was really neat because, even though it wasn’t as emotional, it was just more honest,” she said. “And after I did my penance I found that I was still really in the mode of ‘I don’t want to do those sins.’ And I was able to see more clearly when I was committing them. I guess number and kind is really good.”

Tracy ended her video by saying, “I just want to say thank you, and I hope that people get something out of this. I know I do. I get something out of The Patrick Madrid Show whenever I listen.”

Have you learned something about the Catholic faith or grown in your spiritual life thanks to Relevant Radio? Then help us continue our work by supporting our Give Hope Pledge Drive this week! As a listener-supported apostolate, we rely on the generosity of listeners like you to continue bringing Christ to the world through media. Join our mission and make your pledge today!