Posted on 01/11/2015 12:54:31 PM PST by NYer
Freedom of speech is a great thing. Unfortunately, it comes at an unavoidable price: When citizens are free to say what they want, theyll sometimes use that freedom to say some pretty silly things. And thats the case with the 12 claims were about to cover.
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Some of them are made over and over, others are rare. Either way, while the proponents of these errors are free to promote them, we as Catholics have a duty to respond.
5. "You don't need to confess your sins to a priest. You can go straight to God."
As a former Baptist minister, I can understand the Protestant objection to confession (they have a different understanding of priesthood). But for a Catholic to say something like this...it's disappointing. I suspect that, human nature being what it is, people just don't like telling other people their sins, and so they come up with justifications for not doing so.
The Sacrament of Confession has been with us from the beginning, coming from the words of Christ Himself:
"Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)
Notice that Jesus gives His apostles the power to forgive sins. Of course, they wouldn't know which sins to forgive if they weren't told what sins were involved.
The practice of confession is also evident in the Letter Of James:
"Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (James 5:14-16)
It's interesting that nowhere does James (or Jesus) tell us to confess our sins to God alone. Rather, they seem to think that forgiveness comes through some means of public confession.
And it's not difficult to understand why. You see, when we sin, we rupture our relationship not just with God, but with His Body, the Church (since all Catholics are interconnected as children of a common Father). So when we apologize, we need to do so to all parties involved — God and the Church.
Think of it this way. Imagine you walk into a store and steal some of their merchandise. Later, you feel remorse and regret the sinful act. Now, you can pray to God to forgive you for breaking His commandment. But there's still another party involved; you'll need to return the merchandise and make restitution for your action.
It's the same way with the Church. In the confessional, the priest represents God and the Church, since we've sinned against both. And when he pronounces the words of absolution, our forgiveness is complete.
Tears of joy, because I KNOW my sins are forgiven and forgotten by God!
LOL thats how they think it works ...poor God he can only know what we tell Him ..and only forgive things WE thing are sin ..He can only do what man allows..and He must obey ..pathetic god huh ?
Catechism of the Catholic Church
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1449 The formula of absolution used in the Latin Church expresses the essential elements of this sacrament: the Father of mercies is the source of all forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation of sinners through the Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit, through the prayer and ministry of the Church:
God, the Father of mercies, |
He must have remembered all his sins when he went to confession...or God would not have even known
Yep
Good research
If I confessed my sins to a priest who is sin are my sins still forgiven? After all the priest is in sin and needs to see a priest to confess his sins or do priests get an exemption having to confess.
Did God give all those priests who were molesting young boys a pass? If sinners, such as these priests, can forgive sin can all sinners forgive sins or just sinners ordained by the catholic church?
Does anyone really believe that God would set up such a ridiculous chain of command? Hard to believe God would set up a system that throws common sense to the wind to show his mercy
Please come..your input is always welcome
But Catholics believe they still need to do some purgatory burn time for them right?
“The English word “priest” is derived from the Greek word presbuteros, which is commonly rendered into Bible English as “elder” or “presbyter.” The ministry of Catholic priests is that of the presbyters mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 15:6, 23). The Bible says little about the duties of presbyters, but it does reveal they functioned in a priestly capacity. “
This is in fact, false. The Greek word presbuteros does not mean priest. It means elder.
The ministry of priests today is not described in the passages that delineate what elders do in the Church. The Scriptures do not indicate elders functioned in a “priestly capacity.”
In the NT, every single believer in Christ is a priest. Priest, however, is not an office of the church.
Well said.
Thanks for doing the great work of posting detail.
I’ve responded to the false claims in articles posted by Nyer so many times, that it is a work of love to labor in posting detail.
You did it and I appreciate your work.
Hi Salvation. I hope your new year is starting well.
“God forgives the sins.”
Only God can forgive sins. Except in James, when sickness is caused by sin, no confession to Elders is necessary for forgiveness. Nor can anyone absolve another from sin.
“Catechism of the Catholic Church”
——> THIS IS THE PART THAT IS FALSE:
“for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven, and I fear the pains of Hell, and Thy just punishments on earth. But most of all, I seek to detest my sins simply because they offend Thee, my God, because Thou alone art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace to avoid the near occasion of sin, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
I'm a crossover from Vatican II, so you may see a few minor differences, but that is basically the Act of Contrition said by the penitent when we are absolved from our sins.
caww: Why would you argue with the guidance issued by our Lord and Savior? The author of the article posted the very clear guidance issued by Jesus in Gospels and other books of the New Testament on confession and the forgiveness of sins by his apostles. Here are a few of the excepts:
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“The Sacrament of Confession has been with us from the beginning, coming from the words of Christ Himself:
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)
Notice that Jesus gives His apostles the power to forgive sins. Of course, they wouldn’t know which sins to forgive if they weren’t told what sins were involved.
The practice of confession is also evident in the Letter Of James:
“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:14-16)
It’s interesting that nowhere does James (or Jesus) tell us to confess our sins to God alone. Rather, they seem to think that forgiveness comes through some means of public confession.
And it’s not difficult to understand why. You see, when we sin, we rupture our relationship not just with God, but with His Body, the Church (since all Catholics are interconnected as children of a common Father). So when we apologize, we need to do so to all parties involved — God and the Church.
The means by which God forgives sins after baptism is confession: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)...
This sacrament is rooted in the mission God gave to Christ in his capacity as the Son of man on earth to go and forgive sins (cf. Matt. 9:6). Thus, the crowds who witnessed this new power “glorified God, who had given such authority to men” (Matt. 9:8; note the plural “men”). After his resurrection, Jesus passed on his mission to forgive sins to his ministers, telling them, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. . . . Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:21–23).
Since it is not possible to confess all of our many daily faults, we know that sacramental reconciliation is required only for grave or mortal sins—but it is required, or Christ would not have commanded it.”
.....In the early Church, publicly known sins (such as apostasy) were often confessed openly in church, though private confession to a priest was always an option for privately committed sins. Still, confession was not just something done in silence to God alone, but something done “in church,” as theDidache (A.D. 70) indicates. “
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Similar arguments/ proofs can be made of each of the Sacraments instituted by Jesus. Baptism (which Jesus accepted from Saint John the Baptist), Confession (already addressed by the author), the Eucharist (the Last Supper), Confirmation (adult acceptance of our Baptismal vows), Marriage (wedding at Canna & multiple quotes “two become one flesh), Holy Orders (those called to religious life) and Anointing of the Sick/Last Rites (Jesus cures all forgives their sins). Yes, over time, the forms in which the sacraments have been administered have changed a bit, but have remained true to Christ’s teachings.
Jesus is the un-refuted source of all the Sacraments. What are the sources you have which would refute Him?
Take Care & God Bless.
Bill
Through the ministry of the Church
Well, Christ established the Church on the apostles, the first bishops giving them the power to bind or loose sin in this Sacrament — although in Christ’s quote no reference to a Sacrament is made.
Since Christ established the Church I have no problem with the forgiveness of sins especially since that forgiveness comes from GOD.
I realize that in their time the quote from James was appropriate, but I’ll take Christ’s words any old day. (And it’s in the Bible! Hallelujah!)
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)
Thank you
Well, the "burn time" reference may be a bit of an over-dramatization in many cases, but generally yes, as a matter of fact. Purification in purgatory addresses not just non-mortal sins, but attitude and other "mental" factors as well. You see, even a sinless soul is not pure enough to face God directly.
AMEN!
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