Christ has arisen through the glory of the Father.' Do you see how,
again, St. Paul calls baptism a resurrection?
Do not despair of whatever sins you may have committed since
baptism and find yourself in true repentance, but await God's mercy.
However many and however great and burdensome your sins may be,
with God there is greater mercy. Just as His majesty is, so likewise is
His mercy. Only guard yourself from sinning henceforth, and walk
according to the aforementioned points.
Holy Communion causes great progress in the life according to
Christ. For what the external accidents of bread and wine effect in
the body, the same is effected in the immaterial soul mystically and
invisibly by the Body of Christ. And just as bread sustains and
nourishes the body, so the Body of Christ sustains and nourishes our
soul; and again, just as we are regenerated through Holy Baptism and
receive the being of grace, in place of the being of sin which we had,
so, as we are nourished by Holy Communion we grow in the grace of
God and make progress.
Not only is it wonderful that He forgives us our sins, but also that He
neither uncovers them nor does He make them stand forth clearly
revealed. Nor does He force us to come forward and publicly
proclaim our misdeeds, but He bids us to make our defense to Him
alone and to confess our sins to Him. And yet, if any judge of a
worldly tribunal were to tell some captured highwayman or grave
robber to confess his crime and be excused from paying the penalty,
this prisoner would with all alacrity admit the truth and scorn the
disgrace in his desire to go free. But this is not the case in baptism.
God forgives our sins and does not force us to make a parade of them