Posted on 06/24/2007 12:58:20 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
Show early Christian writings that did not use oral confessions?
Here is Scriptural support
James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.
Acts 19:18 - many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.
Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 - again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).
1 Tim. 6:12 - this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.
1 John 1:9 - if we confess are sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.
Num. 5:7 - this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.
2 Sam. 12:14 - even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).
Neh. 9:2-3 - the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.
Sir. 4:26 - God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament of reconciliation understands the import of this verse.
Baruch 1:14 - again, this shows that the people made confession in the house of the Lord, before the assembly.
1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48 - there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.
Matt. 5:19 - Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).
From scripturecatholic
I believe the booths did come later
Here are some Early Christian witings on this
“Moreover, it is in accordance with reason that we should return to soberness[of conduct], and, while yet we have opportunity, exercise repentance towards God. It is well to reverence both God and the bishop.” Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyraeans, 9 (c. A.D. 110).
“Moreover, that this Marcus compounds philters and love-potions, in order to insult the persons of some of these women, if not of all, those of them who have returned to the Church of God—a thing which frequently occurs—have acknowledged, confessing, too, that they have been defiled by him, and that they were filled with a burning passion towards him. A sad example of this occurred in the case of a certain Asiatic, one of our deacons, who had received him (Marcus) into his house. His wife, a woman of remarkable beauty, fell a victim both in mind and body to this magician, and, for a long time, travelled about with him. At last, when, with no small difficulty, the brethren had converted her, she spent her whole time in the exercise of public confession, weeping over and lamenting the defilement which she had received from this magician.” Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 1:13 (A.D. 180).
“Such are the words and deeds by which, in our own district of the Rhone, they have deluded many women, who have their consciences seared as with a hot iron. Some of them, indeed, make a public confession of their sins; but others of them are ashamed to do this, and in a tacit kind of way, despairing of [attaining to] the life of God, have, some of them, apostatized altogether; while others hesitate between the two courses, and incur that which is implied in the proverb, ‘neither without nor within;’ possessing this as the fruit from the seed of the children of knowledge.” Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 1:13 (A.D. 180).
“Father who knowest the hearts of all grant upon this Thy servant whom Thou hast chosen for the episcopate to feed Thy holy flock and serve as Thine high priest, that he may minister blamelessly by night and day, that he may unceasingly behold and appropriate Thy countenance and offer to Thee the gifts of Thy holy Church. And that by the high priestly Spirit he may have authority to forgive sins...” Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition, 3 (A.D. 215).
“The Pontifex Maximus—that is, the bishop of bishops—issues an edict: ‘I remit, to such as have discharged (the requirements of) repentance, the sins both of adultery and of fornication.’” Tertullian, Modesty, 1 (A.D. 220).
“In addition to these there is also a seventh, albeit hard and laborious: the remission of sins through penance...when he does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord.” Origen, Homilies on Leviticus, 2:4 (A.D. 248).
“For although in smaller sins sinners may do penance for a set time, and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy receive the right of communion: now with their time still unfulfilled, while persecution is still raging, while the peace of the Church itself is not vet restored, they are admitted to communion, and their name is presented; and while the penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet made, the hands Of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid upon them, the eucharist is given to them; although it is written, ‘Whosoever shall eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.’” Cyprian, To the Clergy, 9 (16):2 (A.D. 250).
“Moreover, how much are they both greater in faith and better in their fear, who, although bound by no crime of sacrifice to idols or of certificate, yet, since they have even thought of such things, with grief and simplicity confess this very thing to God’s priests, and make the conscientious avowal, put off from them the load of their minds, and seek out the salutary medicine even for slight and moderate wounds, knowing that it is written, ‘God is not mocked.’ God cannot be mocked, nor deceived, nor deluded by any deceptive cunning. Yea, he sins the more, who, thinking that God is like man, believes that he evades the penalty of his crime if he has not openly admitted his crime I entreat you, beloved brethren, that each one should confess his own sin, while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession may be received, while the satisfaction and remission made by the priests are pleasing to the Lord?” Cyprian, To the Lapsed, 28-29 (A.D. 251).
“It is necessary to confess our sins to those whom the dispensation of God’s mysteries is entrusted.” Basil, Rule Briefly Treated, 288 (A.D. 374).
“These are capital sins, brethren, these are mortal.” Pacian of Barcelona, Penance, 4 (A.D. 385).
“For if any one will consider how great a thing it is for one, being a man, and compassed with flesh and blood, to be enabled to draw nigh to that blessed and pure nature, he will then clearly see what great honor the grace of the Spirit has vouchsafed to priests; since by their agency these rites are celebrated, and others nowise inferior to these both in respect of our dignity and our salvation. For they who inhabit the earth and make their abode there are entrusted with the administration of things which are in Heaven, and have received an authority which God has not given to angels or archangels. For it has not been said to them, ‘Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.’ They who rule on earth have indeed authority to bind, but only the body: whereas this binding lays hold of the soul and penetrates the heavens; and what priests do here below God ratifies above, and the Master confirms the sentence of his servants. For indeed what is it but all manner of heavenly authority which He has given them when He says, ‘Whose sins ye remit they are remitted, and whose sins ye retain they are retained?’ What authority could be greater than this? ‘The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son?’ But I see it all put into the hands of these men by the Son.” John Chrysostom, The Priesthood, 3:5 (A.D. 387).
I was setting you up for a joke. You were supposed to insist that she was indeed bipolar, then I was going to reply, “I don’t believe you had a girlfriend.”
With the proper timing it’s very funny in person, but I guess it doesn’t translate into text.
So Cardinal Mahoney was protestant?
Confession Booths go silent?
Not around my parish. Most Saturdays we have a half-hour line for confession...and there’s almost always some people who are in line when it’s time to start the 5 PM Vigil Mass.
And the same thing every Wednesday during Lent during that campaign.
The other parish I frequent (St Mary Mother of God in Chinatown) has the same thing when they have confessions before Mass.
The reconciliation chapel at the National Shrine always have at least a few people in line, even though they offer confession about 5 hours each day. The Franciscan Monastery in NE DC, again, always has a line. And that’s with at least 3 hours a day for confessions.
So I don’t know what this article is talking about. It appears that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is alive and well.
And, btw, Alex, I do appreciate you bringing up these current event-type topics. It truly allows some ignoramuses (and you are not one of them) to come into their glory!
Ah, ok.
hmmm, looks like some here don’t know the Faith....I thought it was Catholic friendly here??
**And we are a very orthodox parish.**
The secret. It’s what people want right now.
Our priest has only been at our parish for three years but he is very orthodox. I see the same thing happening (in Oregon of all places — LOL!)
I swear, 6 months ago I read an article “Confession on the rise.”
Which is it?
Ah. So I see the religion moderator feels that calling out certain posters as being here to bash Catholics is a personal attack on them...while they come to troll these threads just to attack our religion. So I’ll just say that certain people on here, who know who they are, are once again trolling to Catholic Bash.
And if it gets me thrown off FR, so be it.
Reconciliation / confession is a wonderful opportunity to receive grace and be strengthened against even venial sin.
"Far more pervasive"? Hardly.
>> * due to more people confessing sin directly without a human mediator, or is it <<
One doesn’t need to confess sins to God, God knows all already. From what I gather, Catholics who talk like such simply decide that nothing they feel like doing is actually a sin. The answer is plainly B.
One confesses to a priest, because the priest represents the congregation, not because he represents God. The apostles were given the authority to forgive sins, not to mediate between Man and God. Biblically, the man who commits grave sin is to be rejected by the community; The man who confesses and atones from his sin is to be readmitted. The innovation of a priest representing the community was a first-century, admittedly non-biblical (but not counter-biblical, since the apostles were given such authority) innovation created to prevent scandals: How can Mrs. Johnson sincerely seek repentance is Mr. Smith has already confessed publicly to having an affair, when it’s quite obvious that Mrs. Johnson must be she who Mr. Smith had the affair with?
The irony is that those Catholics who regularly go to confession are usually those who do not need to go to confession for salvation and communion. But the priest can forgive lesser (”venial”) sins, as well as grave sins, so it is certainly a spiritual benefit to go to confession regularly.
Which is not to say that one MUST go to a priest for forgiveness of venial sins. The “Kyrie” (”Kyrie elaison...”) portion of the mass, for instance, is an opportunity to ask God directly for remission of venial sins. But it is spiritually beneficial to be responsible to another present mortal to seek forgiveness from.
>> I had a bipolar girlfriend once who stopped taking her meds and weirded out. She went to confession, where the priest told her she was under some kind of ‘spiritual attack.’ He didn’t suggest she resume her meds. Talk about fraud. <<
Did he know she had to resume her medications? A priest is not a medium, you know. I dare say that a bipolar off their meds probably IS under spiritual attack, by the way.
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