On The Patrick Madrid Show, a caller named Tom from San Diego phoned back with an update that had Patrick – and listeners – breathing a sigh of relief. Two weeks earlier, he had admitted on air that he was too ashamed to go to the priest with what he’d done.

Lying awake one night, Tom replayed Patrick’s words and finally asked himself, “what would I rather do? Confess and get it off my shoulder or be embarrassed to go to Christ?” That simple, honest question cut through his fear and put eternity back in focus.

He chose Christ. Tom went to confession. Walking into church was still hard, he admitted, but God met him in the details: two priests were hearing confessions and he was able to go behind the screen, known yet unseen. “It was like Jesus said, you, I know you're embarrassed, but go ahead and I'm going to cover you and go ahead and do your, do your confession.”

The grace was unmistakable. “The weight that is off of your shoulders when you're walking out of that confessional and walking into the parking lot, getting in your car is like a breath of fresh air,” he said. Patrick summed it up: why cling to unconfessed mortal sin when a few moments of embarrassment can open the door to mercy?

“Jesus died on the cross to save us from that,” Patrick reminded him, rejoicing that Tom had chosen forgiveness over fear. Their conversation is a gentle nudge to anyone hesitating outside the confessional: don’t stay away. Christ is waiting, ready to cover you too.

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