“No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross.  No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.” (Pope St. Leo the Great) On the cross Jesus uttered a prayer to the Father which should resonate  in our hearts when we sin. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." He said to the thief on the cross besides him: "Today, you shall be with me in paradise." No matter what our sin is, no matter how often we have sinned, Jesus on the cross is there is remind us of the grace of mercy and forgiveness, healing and restoration that his death offers us. Serious sin separates us from God; the cross bridges that gap to allow us to return to the Father. Not to take advantage of this mercy is to deny for ourselves that victory that Jesus won for us on the cross. Not to repent, confess our sins and receive the healing absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when needed, is to remain hardened to the sight of the suffering Jesus on the cross.