Posted on 12/13/2015 3:12:46 PM PST by NYer
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).
Catholic ping!
It must be exhausting. I was thrown out of the confessional at age 8 by an enraged priest when I either goofed up my sins or my “Bless me Father...” I’ve now forgotten. But I’ll never forget the horror on the face of the other parishioners when they saw an undersized, knock-kneed kid emerge from behind the velvet curtain! What, I wonder, did they think I had confessed to?
Bored. He is often bored.
Lol ... that must have been quite an experience. I had my share as well but that was a long time ago. I also recall reading about the confessions at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC. Apparently, it is not uncommon for protestants and Jews to avail themselves of the possibility to shed their sins, even if they could not receive absolution.
That’s interesting! Charlotte Bronte tried that in Brussels when she fell in love with her married mentor in the girls’ school she taught at. Priests being made of stronger stuff in those days, she didn’t get a lot of sympathy and was escorted out - pronto.
On the grief healing weekends that I used to help with many protestants would go in and talk with the priest. Also many divorced individuals came back to God through this wonderful Sacrament.
Great article and description of what the priest really does do.
God bless.
That was a good article!
I came back into full communion with the Catholic Church about 20 years ago. I asked a priest friend of mine to hear my confession. It took about 1/2 hour, at the end both of us had sweat on our brows. I walked out floating about 2 feet off the ground.
I know the feeling. A huge burden lifted and you are lighter than air. Thanks for the post and ping.
‘Hearing nuns’ confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.’
— Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Thanks be to God. Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Luke, Catholic chapter fifteen, Protestant verses one to ten,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
boldness mine
Confession is healthy, but as has been showed, nowhere does the NT prescribe confession to priests, nor is the power of binding and loosing unique to the NT pastorate either.
It's not a blanket authority given to a special class of believer to lord it over others with the threat of sending them to hell by retaining their sins.
God's promise is that if we confess our sins, *HE* is faithful and just to forgive us our sins cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There's never any indication given in the least in all of Scripture that God would not forgiven the soul that comes to Him in confession and repentance.
Just as God empowered his priests to be instruments of forgiveness in the Old Testament, the God/man Jesus Christ delegated authority to his New Testament ministers to act as mediators of reconciliation as well. Jesus made this remarkably clear in John 20:21-23:
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."
Having been raised from the dead, our Lord was here commissioning his apostles to carry on with his work just before he was to ascend to heaven. "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." What did the Father send Jesus to do? All Christians agree he sent Christ to be the one true mediator between God and men. As such, Christ was to infallibly proclaim the Gospel (cf. Luke 4:16-21), reign supreme as King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Rev. 19:16); and especially, he was to redeem the world through the forgiveness of sins (cf. I Peter 2:21-25, Mark 2:5-10).
The New Testament makes very clear that Christ sent the apostles and their successors to carry on this same mission. To proclaim the gospel with the authority of Christ (cf. Matthew 28:18-20), to govern the Church in His stead (cf. Luke 22:29-30), and to sanctify her through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (cf. John 6:54, I Cor. 11:24-29) and for our purpose here, Confession.
For those who believe in Christ, their sins have been absolved, forgotten, nailed to the Cross, separated as far as the east from the west, etc as per His Word.
IIRC he was quite a prolific writer.
You might want to read all of John in context for that.
And, like all of us, priests are sinners too. Why would I want to confess my sins to them?
“Confession is healthy, but as has been showed, nowhere does the NT prescribe confession to priests, nor is the power of binding and loosing unique to the NT pastorate either.”
Nor is an office of “priest” found in the NT Church...
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