Acknowledgment of our sins reminds us of our weakness, that we are not self-sufficient when it comes to sanctification. We need a living encounter with Christ. The Church, the Body of Christ, is instrumental in our salvation. The lives of the saints teach us that holiness does not happen in a vacuum. It is learned via the influence of holy exemplars.
Sanctity comes by association with the saints.
The saints show us that only through a committed prayer life is growth and maturity in the faith possible. It seems strange that for the greatest saints prayer is at times difficult and they struggle with spiritual aridity. Jean Pierre de Caussade experienced a spiritual advantage to these periods of abandonment. The Divine will withdraws itself from view and stands behind the soul to push it forward. Nothing stimulates the desire for union with the Divine will so powerfully as this apparent loss.