Part 3 of 10: Sacrament of Penance, Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest? [Catholic Caucus]

CatholicSpirit.com ^ | 26 March 2009 | Father Michael Van Sloun

[Salvation]

Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest?

By Father Michael Van Sloun - For The Catholic Spirit   

Thursday, 26 March 2009

The following is the third in a 10-part series on reconciliation

Penance

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Father Michael Van Sloun

Of all the objections to the sacrament of reconciliation, the one most often voiced, particularly by Protestants, and sometimes by Catholics is:  “I don’t need to go to confession to a priest! The priest is just another human being! All that I need to do is to confess my sins directly to God, and that is enough!”

This objection is flawed on a number of counts:

• Jesus com­mis­sion­ed forgiveness through his apostles. Jesus ask­ed believers to ap­proach God for forgive­ness through the apostles who were com­missioned to act as his agents.

Jesus told Peter, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

After the resurrection, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:22-23). Priests alone carry out this apostolic role (Canon 965; CCC 1461 and 1462).

This is consistent with our Jewish heritage. When it came to atonement for sins in the Jewish tradition, God instructed Moses to have the people bring a holocaust to the temple, usually an unblemished bullock or lamb.

The sinner was to lay his hands on the head of the animal, symbolically transferring his sins to the animal, and then to slaughter it, to have the animal die in place of the sinner.

The sinner then handed the animal to the priest who offered it on the altar (Leviticus 1:1-5). The priest served as a go-between for the sinner to mediate God’s pardon and peace.

• Catholic sacraments are mediated. The sacraments celebrate the most profound moments of our lives: birth (baptism), the transition to adulthood (confirmation), lifetime commitment (marriage and holy orders), and the end of life (anointing).

Two other sacraments strengthen us for the journey through life: Eucharist, our spiritual sustenance; and penance, the forgiveness of sins.

We need to be fed at least weekly, and because we sin so often, we need to be forgiven regularly. The sacraments are not self-administered. Rather, the priest is the mediator, the linkage or conduit between God and the people, a rich channel of God’s grace.

• A personal encounter with Christ. The priest is not just “another human being,” but one who acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. With faith, we believe that when the penitent speaks to the priest, the penitent speaks to Christ, and when the priest speaks, the priest speaks on behalf of Christ. When the priest says, “I absolve you,” it is Christ who absolves (Mark 2:10).

• A community representative. Our sins offend not only God, but the community as well. It is not only impractical to admit our sins to others, but often also ill-advised, because of scandal or grave consequences. When we admit our sins to a priest, we reconcile with the community, and the priest, on behalf of those we have offended, says, “You are forgiven.”

• The personal touch. When we confess our sins to a priest, we are able to receive individualized counsel — advice that fits our unique circumstances — and we can be given a penance that is “medicinal,” specifically tailored to help us in the spiritual healing process (Canon 981).

Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.

[Salvation]

There seems to be a lot of information and misinformation about Penance on the FR boards these days.

Catholic Caucus thread.

[Salvation]

The words of absolution -- GOD forgives the sins -- read the words.

 

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,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
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.

[Salvation]

Catholic Discussion Ping!

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[Salvation]

Part 3 of 10: Sacrament of Penance, Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest? [Catholic Caucus]
Part 2 of 10: Sacrament of Penance, Church’s symbols help explain penance [Catholic Caucus]
Part 1 of 10: Sacrament of Penance, Jesus placed great value on forgiveness [Catholic Caucus]

[Pyro7480]

Please read the Religion Moderator’s guidelines on Caucus threads.

[Steelfish]

Where the heck did you get this notion from? This is a purely voluntary act where the penitent must be truly repentant for his sins and even priests are required to make a confession as did Kings and Queens. Control?

[Religion Moderator]

This Religion Forum thread is labeled “Catholic Caucus” meaning, if you are not Catholic do NOT post on this thread.

[srweaver]

Posted: “The personal touch. When we confess our sins to a priest, we are able to receive individualized counsel — advice that fits our unique circumstances — and we can be given a penance that is “medicinal,” specifically tailored to help us in the spiritual healing process (Canon 981).”

Rresponse: No problems with the “personal touch” as it corrsponds with Scripture. The only problem is with limiting that “touch” and “healing” to “special” believers (Catholic priests), when all Christians have the power to forgive, heal, and edify one another.

Actually (factually), John says we (Christians) are all priests in Revelation 1:6: And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Amen!

[srweaver]

Admin:

I just got your admonition, as I did not see it until after making my posts. Sorry. I did not realize I was not welcome as a non-Catholic to post to this thread. Why was it placed in the general forum?

[Judith Anne]

Can’t we have our Caucus threads without the constant interruption of people who clearly know better?

[Religion Moderator]

This thread is posted in the Religion Forum. Since the software change awhile back, the "everything" option, which is the default browse option, automatically includes the Religion Forum.

If you do not wish to see RF posts, do NOT use the "everything" option on the browse. Instead, browse by "News/Activism." When you log back in, the browse will reset to "everything" - so be sure to set it back to "News/Activism."