lists are, however, easily discerned from the true Priest.
Should one of them ever appear before the Father of the faithful in these
ill-fitting robes the venerable Pontiff would exclaim, with the Patriarch
of old: "The voice indeed is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the
hands of Esau." I feel the garment of the Priest, but I hear the voice of
the parson.

God grant that, as our misguided brothers have assumed our sacerdotal
garments, they may adopt our faith, that their speech may conform to their
dress. Then, having laid aside their earthly stoles, may they deserve,
like all faithful Priests, to be seen "standing before the throne, and in
sight of the Lamb, with white stoles and palms in their hands, ... saying:
'Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and to the
Lamb.' "(434)

Chapter XXVI.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE.

I. The Divine Institution Of The Sacrament Of Penance.

The whole history of Jesus Christ is marked by mercy and compassion for
suffering humanity. From the moment of His incarnation till the hour of
His death every thought and word and act of His Divine life was directed
toward the alleviation of the ills and miseries of fallen man.

As soon as He enters on His public career He goes about doing good to all
men. He gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, vigor to paralyzed
limbs; He applies the salve of comfort to the bleeding heart and raises
the dead to life.

But, while Jesus occupied Himself in bringing relief to corporal
infirmities, _the principal object of His mission was to release the soul
from the bonds of sin_. The very name of Jesus indicates this important
truth: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus," says the angel, "for He shall
save His people from their sins."(435)

For, if Jesus had contented Himself with healing the maladies of our body
without attending to those of our soul, He would deserve, indeed, to be
called our Physician, but would not merit the more endearing titles of
Savior and Redeemer. But as sin was the greatest evil of man, and as Jesus
came to remove from us our greatest evils, He came into the world chiefly
as the great Absolver from sin.

Magdalen seems to have a consciousness of this. She casts herself at His
feet, which she washes with her tears and wipes with her hair, while Jesus
pronounces over her the saving words of absolution. The very demons
recognized Jesus as the enemy of sin, for