Hello, I am sorry if this question has been asked before but I have been pondering this and found no other threads about this subject on the site. I am confused about confession. Many forms of Christianity feel that to confess to God you do not need to talk to a priest, you can talk to God directly right? How come in the Catholic religion one must confess to a priest in confession in order to be forgiven for sin? I have heard it is b/c God does not commit sin and has nothing to do with sin so therefore it must be "translated" to Him through a priest? If this is correct then would that mean that priests are sinless? As we all know with the recent media attack, not all priests are sinless. So what is the role of the priest in confession? Thank you for your responses, I really appreciate them!!!! Dan Snyder

-- Dan Snyder (cyclingusa1@msn.com), September 18, 2002

Answers

Jmj

Hello, Dan. You wrote: "How come in the Catholic religion one must confess to a priest in confession in order to be forgiven for sin? I have heard it is because God does not commit sin and has nothing to do with sin so therefore it must be 'translated' to Him through a priest? If this is correct then would that mean that priests are sinless?"

No, it is not because "God ... has nothing to do with sin so therefore it must be 'translated ...'. And, no, priests are not (and do not have to be) sinless.

Your first and main question is answered in this way by Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, New Mexico:

"One of the strongest criticisms Protestants make against the Catholic Church questions our practice of sacramental confession. 'Why tell your sins to a priest when you can go directly to God?' they ask. Our reply? Because this sacrament is one of the greatest blessings Catholics have. A sacrament -- which no other church has -- providing us with absolution of sin. The wonderful Catholic sacrament of penance (confession) through which we who are repentant are assured of the Lord's forgiveness by one of God's special representatives, a priest.

"I am reminded of the little boy who was afraid of thunder and lightning. One night, as he was sleeping, a violent storm blistered the skies. He awoke, terrified, and ran into his parents' bedroom crying. His mother tried to calm him. 'Jimmy, I told you God loves you and is with you. Don't ever be afraid. You are never alone.' Jimmy replied, 'I know, Mommy, that God loves me and listens to my prayers. But sometimes I need someone with skin!' We all need 'someone with skin.' When we have sinned -- offended God and his people, the church -- we need to open our hearts to another person ... 'someone with skin.' For Catholics, that 'someone with skin' is the priest, ordained by the church to represent Jesus and the church herself. 'Someone with skin' from whom we can ask God's forgiveness. And hear that it is granted. "Where in the Bible does Jesus give priests the power to forgive sins? In John 20:21-23, Jesus says to the disciples, 'As the Father has sent me so I send you . . . receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.' Jesus clearly expected the successors of the disciples, the bishops and priests down through the centuries, to continue his work ... to preach ... to pray ... and to forgive our sins when we are truly sorry for our failures. The New Testament tells early Christians, 'Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you' (James 5:16). The admonition is as important today as it was then. "Catholics do not confess sins to a priest instead of to God. We confess to a priest representing God. The prayer of absolution which the priest prays while administering the sacrament says, 'I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' It is in God's name the priest forgives, not in his own name.

"When Catholics receive the sacrament of penance, we have the opportunity not only to be forgiven, but to receive advice from the priest ... kind and wise counsel as to how to do better in the future, living the Christian life.

"Sin offends not only God, but others. The Body of Christ, the church, is wounded whenever we sin. (Adultery, violence, gossip and racism are obvious examples.) When the priest speaks the words of absolution, we are forgiven by the Church as well as by God. We are reconciled. Our relationships are healed. The priest can also advise us, offering ways in which we might make up, to some extent, the offenses against others. A communal celebration of the sacrament provides a rich opportunity to experience the social nature of sin and forgiveness. At the same time, penitents at these services confess their sinfulness and receive absolution privately, protecting confidentiality.

"Protestant friends have told me how embarrassing it would be for them to tell in confession the shameful things that they have done. Actually, our priests are trained to reflect the compassion and understanding of Jesus to the sinner. The priest knows that he, too, is a sinner. How often, for example, have you told a close friend something very confidential, only to find out later that your confidant then told someone else? A priest, on the other hand, has a sacred trust. He may never tell anyone what someone has told him in the secrecy of the sacrament. Not even if it would save his own life?

"It is healthy -- spiritually and psychologically -- to unburden ourselves in a humble way through this wonderful gift of Jesus to his church. Yes, all of us can tell God we are sorry in our hearts. But only the Catholic who has the good sense to confess regularly has the lighthearted joy of hearing 'someone with skin' say those comforting words, 'Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.'"

Dan, I think that you will also be helped by reading a few other fairly brief pages:
Link #1
Link #2
Link #3

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 19, 2002.

Dear Dan Snyder:
John is concise and correct in his explanation. I wonder if you have it in your heart to believe him. Or will you continue ''confused'' ???

You said something we ought to cover before you say yes or no.

'' Many forms of Christianity feel that to confess to God you do not need to talk to a priest, you can talk to God directly right?''

Dan, Jesus Christ is not the Founder of Christianity in many forms. He might be accessible to individuals from many branches of our Christian faith. But He founded one Church. It really can't matter what other ''forms'' of Christianity say about confession. These are at odds with the True Faith which is Catholicism. To find out the truth about ''confession to a priest'', you ask the Church. Only there will you get information that truly matters.

It's significant that ONLY the Catholic Church makes the sacrament of Penance (confession) available to believers. The churches where other ''believers'' congregate are quick to tell you that to confess to God you do not need to talk to a priest, you can talk to God directly-- right?

Well, a Catholic can also ''talk'' to God as well as receive his/her absolution in the sacrament. No one claims we have no need to confess in our hearts to God. That's a no- brainer. Even in that confessional, with a priest listening, our confession is offered up to God. One of the final acts in confession is the Act of Contrition, which our priest confessor asks of us before he says the words of absolution. This is how we pray:

O My God; I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee;
And I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all
Because they have offended Thee, Who art all Good and deserving of all my love!
I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more --and to avoid the near occasions of sin.''

This is an act demanded of us because God wants our total repentence. On complying, our priest gives us the absolution of ALL OUR SINS!

If this isn't impressive to other ''forms'' of Christianity, then that's their loss. We can depart the confessional in that complete security Christ intended for sinners when He personally instituted this sacrament.

John gave you the source of that biblical truth in John 20:21-23, ''As the Father has sent me so I send you . . . receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.'' Jesus intended it as His own method; it isn't our choice at all! Therefore, when another church claims it ''isn't necessary'', it flies in the face of our Divine Saviour. Why these ''believers'' would oppose the Will of Christ Himself will always be a mystery to faithful Catholics. It's just one more proof that the Catholic Church is not just another denomination within Christendom, but Christ's True Church. The only Church.

-- eugene c. chavez (chavezec@pacbell.net), September 19, 2002.