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Gayle
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Posted: Mon Oct 9th, 2006 11:03 pm |
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My husband and I are evangelical Christians and are studying very seriously the claims of the Catholic Church. We have come to embrace the major issues. But my mother, who is also a committed evangelical Christian, is quite upset with us. One of her major issues was confession. She does not understand the necessity of going to someone else to confess my sins. How do I explain this to her? I tried to tell her that indeed only Jesus can forgive sins, but the Priest confirms that. Is that accurate?
Thanks,
Gayle :?
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Mon Oct 9th, 2006 11:39 pm |
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Gayle wrote:She does not understand the necessity of going to someone else to confess my sins. How do I explain this to her?
Yes, what you told her is accurate, but it may not be helpful to your mother, since she is convinced that no one can “stand between” herself and God. But “standing between” is not really what the priest is about when he celebrates the sacraments.
Confessing your sins to a priest is a little like asking someone to pray for you. Sure, you could pray all by yourself. You know how; it’s not so difficult. So why do you ask? Because there’s something powerful about “two or three gathered together” before the Lord. That’s scriptural (Matthew 18:2). In this sense, the priest (or any other person) is not a barrier to God. He stands with you and reinforces that link.
Additionally, the priest is ordained precisely to act in the person of Christ when celebrating the sacraments, through the power of the sacrament of Orders. In actuality, then, the penitent is confessing his sins directly to Christ through the priest, who has also been given the power to act on Christ’s behalf in imparting forgiveness. In fact, the words of absolution are “I absolve you,” not “May God forgive you,” because it is Christ who is speaking.
David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Mon Oct 9th, 2006 11:45 pm |
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Gayle wrote: My husband and I are evangelical Christians and are studying very seriously the claims of the Catholic Church. We have come to embrace the major issues. But my mother, who is also a committed evangelical Christian, is quite upset with us. One of her major issues was confession. She does not understand the necessity of going to someone else to confess my sins. How do I explain this to her? I tried to tell her that indeed only Jesus can forgive sins, but the Priest confirms that. Is that accurate?
A web site called Scripture Catholic gives an excellent explanation of the scriptural basis for confession of sins to a priest. You'll find the explanation here. As an Evangelical Christian, she should find the scriptural basis for oral confession irrefutable.
In essence, we confess our sins to a priest because that's what Jesus commanded us to do. The practice of oral confession dates back to the time of the apostles, and is even reflected in the Old Testament. The expectation of forgiveness without confession is a new invention with no scriptural basis. It is a "tradition of men."
Yes, we believe that God forgives our sins immediately upon our repentance, as long as we have the intention to confess as soon as possible. In other words, the sacrament of Penance, including confession, is the ordinary method of forgiveness, but God is not limited by the sacraments. Our belief in the possibility of forgiveness without confession is based on our belief in the infinite mercy of God.
Those who do not confess and receive forgiveness from the Church (through the priest) have the hope of forgiveness. Those who do confess and receive forgiveness from the Church (through the priest) have the certainty of forgiveness.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Br. Rich SFO
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 12:27 am |
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| This may help. When I seek to go to Confession. I will look for an older Church with the old style Confessionals. (yes there are many still around) For me personally closing the door to the world and kneeling in the pitch dark and almost nearly silent confessional prepares me for speaking with God. Then hearing a voice but not actually seeing a person is symbolic of speaking directly to God. I of course know that a priest is on the other side but for the first few seconds it's only a voice out of nowhere. I think she see confession as more of a chat with another human being and really just can't get the connection of "Persona Christi", where we are speaking with Christ who speaks to us using the voice of the priest.
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Talithacumi
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 03:19 am |
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Gayle wrote: My mother... does not understand the necessity of going to someone else to confess my sins. How do I explain this to her?
Gayle,
Yes, this is a very common problem for most Protestants. I think part of the problem is that many people don't take into account the human nature that God gave us. "Confession is good for the soul," is a saying not only among Catholics. If you've ever watched TV, think of all the cop shows. You may have heard that maxim a couple of times - and not only in reference to the Sacrament, but to criminals who are trying to change their ways.
There's something about confessing one's guilt to another human being. It results in giving one a feeling of... venting, cleansing, healing, allowing one to let go of the past so they can start anew. This is not only a "Catholic" thing. It's a common way of dealing with our own guilt and wrong-doing. If a child, for instance, breaks something of value that his mother cherishes, and doesn't admit it right away, he probably will eventually, because he knows he has caused some kind of hurt, some kind of wrong that requires some sort of restitution. It eats away at him. Sure, he can pray to Jesus and know that God will forgive him, but he still has to relieve that guilt to someone. One can picture him walking up to his mother in fear and trembling with head low and eyes downcast and admitting in a small voice that he was the one who broke it. A good and loving mother will take the child in her arms and forgive him. And if she's smart, she will still expect him to make some kind of restitution in order to make up for the loss and for his own benefit, as doing something positive in reparation would help him to grow into a more mature, respectful, responsible and loving person; and it would, as well, show his mother how much he loved her and wanted to please her. (This is kind of what we do when we perform a penance... we take up the responsibility to grow into more mature Christians, and by doing reparation we show our love for our Lord.)
At any rate, I hope you get the point that Confession truly is good for the soul because it allows one to put his wrong-doing behind him and move on. Sure, we can just "go straight to Jesus," but it isn't quite the same, is it? Jesus isn't "here" in the Flesh the same way He was 2,000 years ago. We need to speak to a person in the flesh. That's just human nature.
One must also keep in mind that when one sins, it isn't only a sin against God, but against His Church, because while God is the Head, the Church is His Body. So when one member suffers, the whole Body suffers. So when we sin, we need to make it up to the whole Body. The priest not only stands in the place of Jesus, but as a human being himself, he also stands for the Community of Believers. So when we confess to a priest, we are making reparation to Christ the Head and to His Body, the Church.
Also, we, as human beings, are not meant to be alone. We are interdependent and social beings. We were born for community. Thus it is that we benefit from others' advice and prayer. The priest can provide counselling and prayer, and a priestly blessing for us in the sacrament of Reconciliation. This is his God-given ministry. Would your mother or any Protestant you know deny that each member of the Body is given a specific ministry? "Ministry," for most Protestants that I know of, is a big deal. It's the important thing in a Christian's life. Why is it so hard to believe that a Catholic man might have a ministry given him by God to be a priest? In my experience, most Protestants certainly place a big emphasis on the ministerial gifts and duties of their own pastors.
One final thought, because this is always brought up... yes, Jesus is the only Mediator between God and Man, in the sense that only Jesus, as the God-Man, could make total restitution for the sins of Man, only Jesus could bring us salvation. But, Jesus chose to make us co-mediators with Him. St. Paul tells us that "I make up in my suffering what is lacking in the suffering of Christ." (paraphrasing here, don't have my bible right handy...) Not that Christ's suffering was lacking in any way! - but that He chose to allow us to suffer with Him so that we could share in His life in a greater capacity. But suffering is another subject altogether... the point being that Jesus shares His "mediation" with us, and some with special authority. Jesus chose 12 Apostles (and one can assume that includes their successors since the world did not end at their deaths) to, for instance, "do this in remembrance of me," and to those same Apostles whom He endowed with the power to transform bread and wine into His own body and blood, He said, "Whose sins you forgive shall be forgiven them, whose sins you hold bound will be held bound." (paraphrasing again...). Jesus chose to give His Apostles and their successors a measure of His own authority, and that, naturally, is partly where the problem lay with Protest-ants... in the issue of Authority.
Anyway, sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps a little...
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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yankeebob
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 04:31 am |
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Hi Gayle,
I'll say a prayer for you as you and your hsband continue your faith journey.
One thought quickly popped into my mind as I read your question. When Jesus appeared to His apostles after His resurrection He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven and whose sins you hold bound are held bound." In this passage he gave the Apostles to power to forgive sins and He did not say anything about that power dying with the death of the last Apostle. Furthermore, how would any of the Apostles, and now the priest, know what sins to forgive unless you tell them. Jesus left this wonderful, grace-giving sacrament for us because He knew we would need it. The healing power of confession can not be overstated. The old saying that "confession heals the soul" is so true. Also, you might want to contact the Mary Foundation at http://www.catholicity.com and order a copy of their free CD, Father Larry Explains Confession. It is very good and very helpful.
Yankeebob
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brian
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 01:51 pm |
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Rick,
I am a little confused. I am ok with this sacrament, but i thought that it was taught that confession is mostly necessary for more serious sins and not necessary except for the once a year obligation. I thought that all venial sins can be forgiven through repentance and participation in the mass whereas any grave sin needs really would call you to the confession for the proper source of healing.
Even so, i know that it is recommended that we would use this sacrament since it is helpful and a grace is received in it. Also I know that it is recommended that we go more often than once a year and many people seem to recommend going once a month.
So my problem is in saying that the confession is the regular way of forgiving sins and we must go as soon as we can in order to be forgiven or for the assurance. I mean, to me that seems tough cause that would bring me back everyday to the confession and i think the parish only offers it like once a week. I mean why recommend once a month when we all sin more often than that, but at the same time tell us that we need to want to confess our sins as soon as possible? In the case of venial sin is it really necessary to seek to go to confession as soon as possilbe or is it ok to wait a few weeks here and there knowing that the other prayers and sacraments of the church also bring cleansing from these sins?
Brian
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Talithacumi
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 01:59 pm |
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Talithacumi wrote: Gayle wrote: My mother... does not understand the necessity of going to someone else to confess my sins. How do I explain this to her?
Gayle,
Yes, this is a very common problem for most Protestants...
JMJ
- Cheri
Gayle,
I wanted to add something else to my post, but since what I wrote was already so long, I figured it would be pointless to edit my last post. You probably wouldn't see what I wrote anyway if you'd already read it once.
What I want to add is that the priest has the God-given power of absolving (or not absolving) one's sins, in accordance with the authority given (through the succession of the priesthood) by Jesus when He breathed on His Apostles and told them, "Whose sins you forgive will be forgiven, and whose sins you hold bound will be held bound."
This is a great source of relief to the sinner. I suppose one could compare the feeling of it to the "certainty" that a Protestant feels when he "knows" he is "saved." I speak only in supposition here regarding one's emotions. But there is something about having that certainty. As Reconciliation is a Sacrament, this absolution is a guarantee of one's forgiveness. It is this certainty that enables one to move forward with a clean slate (or in this case, a clean soul).
Of course, the priest also has the authority not to absolve one's sins if he has reason to believe that the person confessing is not sincere. This is rare, however, especially in our modern times when the very fact that someone actually takes the time and trouble to go to Confession would indicate an almost certain sincerity on their part. But once in awhile, it does happen that a person goes away unabsolved. But that, too, has its uses. It can be a jolt to the sinner that makes him realize just how far he has gone in his apathy towards sin, and it may bring about a renewed fervor to "shape up or ship out." Once a person sincerely repents, the Church will always welcome him back into the fold. The only sin that cannot be forgiven (the "sin against the Holy Spirit") is hardness of heart, where a person refuses to repent.
Anyway, just wanted to throw that in for whatever it may be worth...
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 02:24 pm |
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Hi, Brian. I know you’re addressing Rick, but since I’m here I’ll throw in my two cents’ worth anyway.
Your understanding of the principles of the sacrament is good. It is not necessary to confess venial sins if they are repented of and atoned for in other ways. You know these ways, and I’m sure you practice them.
The urgency of confessing as soon as possible, then, refers only to mortal sins. Yes, you can wait a few weeks to confess your venial sins, if you are going to confess them. If you receive the sacrament, say, once a month or even once every two months, it is sufficient. If you show up every week, your confessor will probably start talking to you about scruples.
But if you tend to go six months or a year between confessions, I would begin to wonder if you are paying enough attention to your spiritual health. “A person who relies on his own judgment in matters of conscience is relying on a fool.” – paraphrased from St. Jerome.
David
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Talithacumi
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 02:25 pm |
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brian wrote: Rick,
I am a little confused. I am ok with this sacrament, but i thought that it was taught that confession is mostly necessary for more serious sins and not necessary except for the once a year obligation. I thought that all venial sins can be forgiven through repentance and participation in the mass whereas any grave sin needs really would call you to the confession for the proper source of healing.
...why recommend once a month when we all sin more often than that, but at the same time tell us that we need to want to confess our sins as soon as possible? In the case of venial sin is it really necessary to seek to go to confession as soon as possilbe or is it ok to wait a few weeks here and there knowing that the other prayers and sacraments of the church also bring cleansing from these sins?
Brian
Brian,
Hi. Hope you don't mind me butting in here, since your question is addressed to Rick. I won't steal his thunder. I 'm sure he can answer more fully than I can, but I just finished writing another post on this subject and then read yours when it popped up, and while I'm in writing mode, thought I'd throw in my 2 cents' worth in case it'll be any help.
You are right that venial sins can be forgiven through participation in the Mass (there is the Penitential Rite that is included in the Liturgy of the Mass, and that in itself will take care of most venial sins...), but Mortal sins must be confessed ASAP. One never knows if he might be suddenly taken out of this life and into the next, and a good Catholic would certainly not want to take any chances like that on his eternal soul.
But as for the once-a-month thing, I myself try to do that. I look at Confession like a spiritual bath. Mother Angelica from EWTN also put it that way, and she once said something to the effect that (paraphrasing here) "maybe you haven't gotten real dirty, but what happens if you don't take a bath for a long time? Even if you're not really dirty, you start to stink." That's the way I look at it, too. Those little venial sins start to pile up. Even though it may not be absolutely necessary to confess them, still, if you read my former post, one who is conscious of being a sinner has a need to confess. It helps to get things off your mind. "Confession is good for the soul." It helps one to feel spiritually clean. I notice that if I haven't been to Confession in awhile, it gets harder the next time. It gets easier and easier to slip into sin as time goes on without going to Confession. One finds oneself becoming more and more apathetic towards sin. I guess for me it helps to keep me sharp and aware and focused. Clean. That's the best word that comes to mind for me right now.
Another thing that comes to mind, though, is that going once a month helps one to develop a good habit. It doesn't have to be a month. One can go every two weeks or every week or even every day if one wishes to (if one can find an available priest, but I don't think that's normally necessary, though, and one must keep in mind that priests are busy men). The point is that disciplining oneself to go every so often helps to form a good habit so that he can keep his spiritual life on track.
I don't know if I answered your question at all, but I hope it helps at least a little.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Oct 10th, 2006 02:48 pm |
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Brian, you've already gotten some good replies and I won't duplicate them. Let me summarize.
Confession is required for mortal sins and recommended for venial sins, especially sins which we commit repetitively. Venial sins are forgiven by participation in the mass and the temporal consequences are reduced through prayer and sacrifice. The obligation to confess once a year applies only to mortal sins, and then only if we must receive absolution in order to fulfill our "Easter Duties" to receive the Eucharist once a year during the Easter season.
Few Catholics would consider once-a-year Eucharist sufficient, and so once-a-year confession is not sufficient either. We need spiritual direction, and most of us receive it only in the confessional. It is a time to ask for assistance with those minor flaws in our character that we repeat time and time again, even if they are not mortally sinful. Do we need it annually, semi-annually, quarterly, monthly, bi-weekly, weekly or daily?
We need it daily. We need all the help we can get to avoid sin and stay on the "straight and narrow". But daily confession isn't practical. Pope John Paul II recommended monthly confession if we have not committed a mortal sin. Of course, if we have committed a mortal sin, we should make an immediate and sincere Act of Contrition and confess as soon as possible. If we are guilty of repetitive mortal sins, we have a more serious spiritual problem and need formal spiritual direction.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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