Can a person, fighting against their atheism and not Catholic, go to Confession?

[HelenRose]

Thank you for your words. I’m not sure what it’s about, the need for me to confess my sins, and though I understand the idea that I’d be speaking to Jesus, I think of that more as a confession in the context of what Jesus taught, as opposed to the real body of Christ (I’m working on this, trust me), I would prefer receiving absolution and would wholeheartedly do any Penance required of me, with all my heart.

And, though I understand the rules and the whys of them, I have this irrational feeling that it’s unfair for me.

It is not a good idea to expect to have it both ways.

If you don’t believe what the Church teaches about Christ, I can’t understand how you can believe that a Priest has the authority to absolve you of your sins.

“It is unfair”, is the battle cry of children.

What ever unfairness you might experience, nothing comes close to the unfairness of Christ’s death on the cross. Nothing comes close to the unfairness of the Christian babies and children who have be crucified in the Middle East by ISIS.

 

[TarkanAttila]

We are bound by the sacraments; God is not. Talk with your priest to gain a better understanding of what you need to do outwardly, and he will probably advise you about what you can do now.

Best advice one can give. Ask the priest. He knows what to do.

---

That said, on a natural level, I totally understand the need to confess one’s sins. That’s perfectly natural. We confess our sins to friends, to parents, to those we think will give us a fair trial. To television audiences.

But the sacrament of Reconciliation is more like a “second baptism” - and you have not even had your baptism! Baptism is also a forgiveness of all sins, as well as your formal introduction into the life of the Body of Christ.

Go ask the priest. I do not know what he will say.

If you absolutely need something to do right now, the most you could do is make a perfect act of contrition. In English, that means being sorry for your sins because you know God is all-good and worthy of all your love, and it is simply wrong to hurt Him.

Pretty simple, huh?

 

[WT1]

If you are interested talk to the priest about Baptism as well. Typically those in the RCIA class wait for the Easter Vigil but if you want to be baptized before then the priest will discuss that possibility with you.

Once Baptised you should be able to receive absolution. That being said it is an amazing thing to through RCIA, being baptised, confirmed and have first communion all on the same night and my guess is that is what the priest will recommend.

 

[Horton]

I read the above several times. Except for my Catholic fiancee encouraging me to go to Mass with her (initially, now I love going though I feel a bit left out at the end as I can’t participate in Communion) I have been going alone in this. My priest has advised me in terms of reading Matthew and seeing the films “Son of God” and “Risen”, plus delving into the works of Robert Barron, so he’s been of help also. My prayers are, mostly, alone, etc.

Can you explain the graces that God gives to help overcome our lack of faith?

Bolding mine.
This should help with the concept of Grace.

catholic.com/tracts/grace-what-it-is-and-what-it-does

*"Sanctifying grace stays in the soul. It’s what makes the soul holy; it gives the soul supernatural life. More properly, it is supernatural life.

Actual grace, by contrast, is a supernatural push or encouragement. It’s transient. It doesn’t live in the soul, but acts on the soul from the outside, so to speak. It’s a supernatural kick in the pants. It gets the will and intellect moving so we can seek out and keep sanctifying grace"*.

In the way of written resources, buy a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a decent Catholic dictionary. When I converted these two books helped me immensely to understand what was going on. You can get apps for both but I’m a bit old fashion and like having a hard copy with notes & highlights on my resource shelf on my book case.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

If the penitent is not Catholic, the confessor CAN give a blessing.

One of my priest-friends had memorized some blessings in Hebrew which he used as appropriate.

dummies.com/how-to/content/a-basic-blessing-in-hebrew.html

There are different ways of doing this.

 

[USMC_Convert]

We are bound by the sacraments; God is not.

I’m sorry friend, I have to disagree with you, these sacraments we do are not magical rituals.

Let me ask this, is a sacrament a ritual to get God to do what we want?
No Sacraments are when the Holy Spirit, sent by God, enters our lives so we will do his will.

What is the (greek or Latin I forget) word for oath? Sacramentum…

When you take the vows of matrimony it’s a sacrament and you take an oath not only to your spouse but with God.

When you receive the sacrament of Holy Communion God comes down and Blesses you.

A sacrament is an oath taken between us and God. If you receive the last rites God will come down and help you whether you die or are healed God honors the sacrament / oath / covenant. By making a covenant you gain access to Divine Power.

Where is the first covenant in the Holy Bible? Gen 21, Abraham makes covenant by taking an oath with his neighbor and God is called upon to be part of it. When God made His covenant with Israel He made everyone swear an oath. Look at Det 27, it’s the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s full of all the blessings and curses for if you honor and keep the covenant you made with God, there are 15 blessings, and over 50 curses, so when you take these oaths / covenants / sacraments with God, know that you must honor them.

Being a Catholic is very hard, this is not the easy road, but the benefits the blessings we receive now and after death are more than worth it. If you keep the sacraments.

 

[Yeoman]

FWIW, I believe a baptized Christian who believes in the tenants of the Catholic Faith may receive reconciliation (a confession) from a Priest in an emergency.

That is, while it would be unusual, if a Baptized Christian who believed what we Catholics do (which begs the question a bit of why that person wouldn’t be a Catholic, but you can create scenarios in your mind) was, for example, in imminent danger of death, I believe that a Catholic Priest may hear their confession and absolve them. This is probably so rare that few Priests ever experience that.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

My priest-friend often had Jewish people visit the confessional … and he explained that the sacrament of reconciliation was reserved for Catholics. HOWEVER, he offered a blessing. A baruch, as he called it.

 

[St_Francis]

St Francis;13871436:

We are bound by the sacraments; God is not.

I’m sorry friend, I have to disagree with you, these sacraments we do are not magical rituals.

Let me ask this, is a sacrament a ritual to get God to do what we want?
No Sacraments are when the Holy Spirit, sent by God, enters our lives so we will do his will.

What is the (greek or Latin I forget) word for oath? Sacramentum…

When you take the vows of matrimony it’s a sacrament and you take an oath not only to your spouse but with God.

When you receive the sacrament of Holy Communion God comes down and Blesses you.

A sacrament is an oath taken between us and God. If you receive the last rites God will come down and help you whether you die or are healed God honors the sacrament / oath / covenant. By making a covenant you gain access to Divine Power.

Where is the first covenant in the Holy Bible? Gen 21, Abraham makes covenant by taking an oath with his neighbor and God is called upon to be part of it. When God made His covenant with Israel He made everyone swear an oath. Look at Det 27, it’s the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s full of all the blessings and curses for if you honor and keep the covenant you made with God, there are 15 blessings, and over 50 curses, so when you take these oaths / covenants / sacraments with God, know that you must honor them.

Being a Catholic is very hard, this is not the easy road, but the benefits the blessings we receive now and after death are more than worth it. If you keep the sacraments.

What is meant by the sentence “we are bound by the sacraments, God is not,” is more like we have the sacraments to gain grace, but God can give grace however and whenever He wants, apart from the sacraments.

Let’s say I am trying to stop gossiping: I *know *God will give me grace to stop in Confession, but He can also give me grace apart from Confession.

 

[DAML72]

I read the above several times. Except for my Catholic fiancee encouraging me to go to Mass with her (initially, now I love going though I feel a bit left out at the end as I can’t participate in Communion) I have been going alone in this. My priest has advised me in terms of reading Matthew and seeing the films “Son of God” and “Risen”, plus delving into the works of Robert Barron, so he’s been of help also. My prayers are, mostly, alone, etc.

Can you explain the graces that God gives to help overcome our lack of faith?

Well, I think they can be different for everyone, and as you grow in your faith journey, you will begin to see them more clearly.

In your case, there is your girlfriend who initially encouraged you to go to Mass. That longing you feel to receive communion - that’s a BIG one. The desire you have for confession - another one.

In my case, there were people put in my life that helped lead me to a greater faith, and others who were there already in place to call upon when my conversion happened. I couldn’t begin to recount all the graces I have received, but there have been moments in my life when I turned to God in desperate need of help - immediate help - and my prayers were immediately answered. Those are moments that I can call upon when my faith starts to wane. I can’t tell you what graces He has in store for you, but He has them - you just need to remain open to them and keep praying. And be patient. God works in His own time.

 

[smead2942]

If the penitent is not Catholic, the confessor CAN give a blessing.

One of my priest-friends had memorized some blessings in Hebrew which he used as appropriate.

dummies.com/how-to/content/a-basic-blessing-in-hebrew.html

There are different ways of doing this.

Why on earth would a Catholic priest give a Jewish “blessing?” Are Catholic blessings, which come from Christ Himself when given by a cleric, not good enough anymore?

 

[1neophyte]

Why on earth would a Catholic priest give a Jewish “blessing?” Are Catholic blessings, which come from Christ Himself when given by a cleric, not good enough anymore?

Did you actually read the English translation in the link? Exactly which part isn’t “Catholic” enough for you? Are you so confused that you don’t even recognize the connection between a Hebrew blessing and a blessing from Jesus? Your attitude is very disturbing. Maybe you should go through complete seminary training before you try to correct a priest with your confusion.

 

[HarveyL]

This is a bit off topic but, and forgive any ignorance I may display, my understanding is that Jesus himself was Jewish. He had blessed many in his life, based on the Bible, so it doesn’t seem to me that confusing, yes?

Why on earth would a Catholic priest give a Jewish “blessing?” Are Catholic blessings, which come from Christ Himself when given by a cleric, not good enough anymore?

 

[1neophyte]

This is a bit off topic but, and forgive any ignorance I may display, my understanding is that Jesus himself was Jewish. He had blessed many in his life, based on the Bible, so it doesn’t seem to me that confusing, yes?

I assure you, your understanding is correct. The only ignorance displayed is that of the person who asked the question. Unfortunately, some people identify themselves as Christian in an almost patriotic way, where they see others as “other” because of what “country” they’re from. Ironically, this flies right in the face of what they’re supposed to believe, which is that Jesus came to save all, not just those who are “in the club”. A priest blessing a Jewish person in Hebrew is an astoundingly beautiful thing, but unfortunately, there will always be those who complain about anything outside of their limited understanding. Not unlike those who complained about quite literally everything Jesus said and did, and who He associated with. It is tragically sad.

 

[Yeoman]

Being a Catholic is very hard, this is not the easy road, but the benefits the blessings we receive now and after death are more than worth it. If you keep the sacraments.

It may be just me, but I’ve always thought being a Catholic was fairly easy. I know that people have the opposite view as they believe we have a lot of rules, but on the contrary, as our Faith is so well defined, and with such a long history, and the pathway to salvation so clearly marked, even if it is the narrow road, we have it made.

Now, a lot of folks stray off the path, but off the path its always miserable, so we know that true happiness and freedom is lies on it. Truly, our yoke is easy and our burden light.

 

[Yeoman]

non-Catholics can see the value of this Sacrament for their spiritual health, but some Catholics won’t go for anything.

Indeed, something that’s interesting is that non Catholics will often credit the Catholic church when something spiritual really needs to happen. It’s not uncommon. There are all sorts of things of this type, from people who take refuge in Catholic Churches if they feel they are pursued by something, to people who feel that they need to make a Confession or have a sacrament really stick. Rarely do you find anyone who makes such an assertion about any other denomination.

One of the Church fathers made a comment about how you could always find out where the Catholic church was in any town. It’s really true in all sorts of ways.

 

[USMC_Convert]

It may be just me, but I’ve always thought being a Catholic was fairly easy. I know that people have the opposite view as they believe we have a lot of rules, but on the contrary, as our Faith is so well defined, and with such a long history, and the pathway to salvation so clearly marked, even if it is the narrow road, we have it made.

Now, a lot of folks stray off the path, but off the path its always miserable, so we know that true happiness and freedom is lies on it. Truly, our yoke is easy and our burden light.

Life is easy here in America, but for those facing martyrdom, like the 21 who were beheaded last year, for those facing persecutions for being Catholic no it’s not easy. For those whose family rejects them, even here in America, for being Catholic or those that face constant ridicule because they pray before they eat, or pray before they go to work helping victims of natural disasters like hurricane sandy, no it’s not easy.

See we are taught that the way to heaven is easy for those that love Jesus, however we are also taught that it is a straight and narrow road full of thorns, in my readings and experience the writer quite often means those thorns to be other people, or our temptations. You can judge how well and easy we Catholics have it today by comparing the lines at confession with the lines at Holy Communion, either we have the greatest number of Saints living with us in the Church today my friend, or many Catholics have truly found faith and living in Christ to be “easy”.

 

[HarveyL]

POWERFUL points! The one that sticks with me, and it isn’t your best point nonetheless, is, "comparing the lines at confession with the lines at Holy Communion,…

The lines should be similar, but they aren’t.

Life is easy here in America, but for those facing martyrdom, like the 21 who were beheaded last year, for those facing persecutions for being Catholic no it’s not easy. For those whose family rejects them, even here in America, for being Catholic or those that face constant ridicule because they pray before they eat, or pray before they go to work helping victims of natural disasters like hurricane sandy, no it’s not easy.

See we are taught that the way to heaven is easy for those that love Jesus, however we are also taught that it is a straight and narrow road full of thorns, in my readings and experience the writer quite often means those thorns to be other people, or our temptations. You can judge how well and easy we Catholics have it today by comparing the lines at confession with the lines at Holy Communion, either we have the greatest number of Saints living with us in the Church today my friend, or many Catholics have truly found faith and living in Christ to be “easy”.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Why on earth would a Catholic priest give a Jewish “blessing?” Are Catholic blessings, which come from Christ Himself when given by a cleric, not good enough anymore?

Every time I preside at Mass, I do two berakah.

It is a beautiful thing that we appreciate just how much the liturgy that we celebrate is in continuity with our Jewish lineage and that we cherish the patrimony of blessings that come to us with that heritage.

It is a gift to be able to pray and to bless in Hebrew.

 

[Yeoman]

Life is easy here in America, but for those facing martyrdom, like the 21 who were beheaded last year, for those facing persecutions for being Catholic no it’s not easy. For those whose family rejects them, even here in America, for being Catholic or those that face constant ridicule because they pray before they eat, or pray before they go to work helping victims of natural disasters like hurricane sandy, no it’s not easy.

See we are taught that the way to heaven is easy for those that love Jesus, however we are also taught that it is a straight and narrow road full of thorns, in my readings and experience the writer quite often means those thorns to be other people, or our temptations. You can judge how well and easy we Catholics have it today by comparing the lines at confession with the lines at Holy Communion, either we have the greatest number of Saints living with us in the Church today my friend, or many Catholics have truly found faith and living in Christ to be “easy”.

I admit that I was thinking of the Western world, not other areas where things are very rough indeed for Christians. That’s an excellent point.

Still having lived now over half a century and seen plenty of the darker side of life, the illusion of the fruits of the world in our fat land, vs those real ones presented to us when we live with the Church actually does make living as a Catholic easier. It’s easier to pick up your cross and live a natural life, here where we are free to do it, than live a false one in miserable sin, which is what the world offers us around us.

On Confession, an interesting development here for the past several years is that the Confession lines are long every Sunday. I don’t know what’s going on, but that’s been the case for awhile, and applies to all the local parishes. Indeed, I’ve been to one where, on just a regular Sunday, the lines are often like we used to expect only at Easter. Something is happening.