Confession... does it scare some people away from Church?

[colliric]

I was shaking in my boots, had missed the time I planned on going and then just thought on the sunday what the heck may as well not put it off and suck up my nerves and go in before the nighttime mass. When I actually went in I really really enjoyed it(but was still exceptionally nervous). The priest actually hurried me up because I was taking so long and there was quite a few people in line(and it was before mass)!

I thought I was going to be in there at least 20 minutes but only really needed 5(Actually I needed more really but I had said what I had planned on saying). I won’t be so scared the next time that’s for sure, it was actually fun!

Anyway my question is, does this important sacrament scare some people coming to be part of the faith? Clearly it does to me and how can that fear be really delt with? I don’t think this should stop people sometime, but I think they also may have been affected by how it’s presented in media, people crying and compleatly breaking down, like in the Godfather movies. However I guess that’s also how it does happen sometime…

Actually probally shouldn’t have gone into the pre-mass confession as I could have had more time, should have gone the day before on the Saturday!

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

We shouldn’t be scared of confession. We are richer for having this sacrament.

Protestants won’t agree - they think it is sacrilegious to have a priest absolve you of your sins.

 

[MelanieAnne]

The priest doesn’t absolve you, Jesus does, the priest is just a conduit of absolution. People that believe the priest absolves you of your sins need to check the facts!

I finally came to terms with Reconciliation by listening to Mother Angelica. And she wasn’t even talking about Reconciliation at the time, but the same principle applied.

Verbalizing where you have fallen short is not the same as thinking about it. Verbalizing makes it more “real”, it transforms the situation into something you can act on. It is much more effective than abstract thought.

God doesn’t need us to confess. Reconciliation isn’t for Him. It’s for us. God already knows where we have fallen short but He wants us to tell Him. It’s really very simple. All the sacraments are gifts from God. When I look at Reconciliation that way, it becomes something to look forward to, like a receiving a birthday present.

 

[IAmEdmund]

Protestants won’t agree - they think it is sacrilegious to have a priest absolve you of your sins.

Yet, they profess a Sola Scriptura faith, and still reject the New Testement directive to `Confess your sins to one another." NEVER, in all my protestant years (35 of them!) was confession ever addressed in any way shape or form.

Having swam/swum/swimmed (hehe) the Tiber 5 years ago, I find confession to be a true sacrement, and needed for me to receive the Eucharist. Confession is not to be feared, but embraced as a way to rebuild what was lost and obtain grace to move on.

Confession!.. don’t leave Earth without it!! ;]

 

[thirdn6]

In that small room… by being humble, we can find God’s mercy… and grace that will make us worthy to partake in the Eucharist… to give us life eternal… in Jesus Christ.

Yes, I think it scares the first-timers… please don’t:tsktsk:

---

Be angry, and sin not… Give not place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 +

 

[Green_Tea]

I am currently Protestant, not Catholic. I don’t understand why going to confession is important. It does not seem exactly objectionable to me, but I don’t see what is so great or necessary about it. Will you please explain?

Also, what does it mean to “swim the Tiber”?

(Also, as a general note, it seems that a lot of people on this site can tend to be a bit dismissive of or demeaning toward Protestants in their tone. As a Protestant who is seriously looking into the Catholic Church, that sort of thing is difficult for me. I know next to nothing about Catholicism, and am rather impressionable – if the few Catholics with whom I come in contact are rude or arrogant, it is hard to separate that impression from my impression of the Catholic Church as such. )

 

[Tonks40]

I am currently Protestant, not Catholic. I don’t understand why going to confession is important. It does not seem exactly objectionable to me, but I don’t see what is so great or necessary about it. Will you please explain?

Also, what does it mean to “swim the Tiber”?

(Also, as a general note, it seems that a lot of people on this site can tend to be a bit dismissive of or demeaning toward Protestants in their tone. As a Protestant who is seriously looking into the Catholic Church, that sort of thing is difficult for me. I know next to nothing about Catholicism, and am rather impressionable – if the few Catholics with whom I come in contact are rude or arrogant, it is hard to separate that impression from my impression of the Catholic Church as such. )

For fear of derailing this thread, if you have a chance, please read this on the Catholic Answers main page (under “Sacraments”). There is a wealth of information about Catholicism there, and may answer some of your questions.

Carry on…

 

[J_C]

I am currently Protestant, not Catholic. I don’t understand why going to confession is important. It does not seem exactly objectionable to me, but I don’t see what is so great or necessary about it. Will you please explain?

there are several angles. You have to do it for awhile before you start to see the several things that are going on. One of them is embarrassment. It seems that most people (so I am told, and it is true of me) have a problem with a single sin. So they go back again and again for this same sin. The priest is not supposed to remember the confession, but I feel like he does, so after awhile I really am embarrassed about having to go back, knowing he will recognize my voice and remember the last time, maybe only a few days before. This helps me to avoid the sin.

If you confess privately only to God, it is easy to lie to yourself, because God isn’t much of a physical presence the way the priest is.

Another thing is that the priest can offer advice. I have often had a priest make a suggestion to me about some issue that has been a problem.

as far as whether it scares some people away from the Church, i doubt that it does. There doesn’t seem to be a heavy emphasis on the need for regular confession, and pretty much everybody goes to communion at every mass.

 

[thomasf]

I am currently Protestant, not Catholic. I don’t understand why going to confession is important. It does not seem exactly objectionable to me, but I don’t see what is so great or necessary about it. Will you please explain?

What is so great about confession? It’s hard to explain. Once you’ve gone and felt that weight lifted from you, confronted those sins, and asked and received God’s forgiveness, there is no feeling like it. It is truly a source of God’s grace, and very transformative.

What’s so necessary? In baptism, your sins are forgiven and forgotten. But after baptism, as we go through this life in an imperfect state, in a sinful world, with temptations all around, we are going to sin again. Everyone is, it is inevitable. We are given the gift of God’s grace to save us and give us faith. When we sin, that sin kills that grace inside us and puts us out of communion with God. So there has to be a way to get rid of that sin and restore His grace. That is confession. The first thing Jesus did after He appeared to the apostles was give them the power to forgive and retain sins. Because He knew that now man was redeemed, he needed a way to maintain that redemption even though we will still sin. That’s confession.

We confess our sins and receive forgiveness from God, and we also receive His grace. The sacraments are the ordinary conduits of His grace. Through that forgiveness and restoration of grace we are again in communion with God. That’s why it’s also called reconcilliation.

As far as the original question, misunderstandings about confession chase away not only protestants but also catholics as well. I am amazed at how many catholics refuse to go to confession.

All I have to say is that it is very nerve wracking and causes anxiety, but the results are more than worth it and necessary.

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

The priest doesn’t absolve you, Jesus does, the priest is just a conduit of absolution. People that believe the priest absolves you of your sins need to check the facts! …

Really? I always thought is was the priest who can absolve you of your sins. Isn’t that why we call them “Father” (which is another bugbear for the Protestants). The priest says “I absolve you of your sins” - he doesn’t say “in the name of Jesus I absolve you of your sins”. Of course, this authority comes from Jesus. :twocents:

Anyway, these are just my thoughts, with not much confidence.

 

[flameburns623]

Re: Confession… does it scare some people away from Church?

No.

 

[puzzleannie]

yes, the priest does absolve you of your sins, he was given that authority by Christ himself throught the apostles who first received it.

people are afraid for many reasons, ranging from negative childhood experiences to unbalanced view of their own sin vs. God’ mercy. the solution to the anxiety is to go to confession and remove the cause of anxiety, which is sin.

 

[DJgang]

Yes, it does.

For me personally, it took a year of praying. I believed everything, but couldn’t believe in the Sacrament of Reconcilation, as in confession to a Priest.

I prayed and prayed. Saying, Lord, I must have peace with this.

One day I did. And that’s when I was finally okay to coming into the Church.

 

[MelanieAnne]

Really? I always thought is was the priest who can absolve you of your sins. Isn’t that why we call them “Father” (which is another bugbear for the Protestants). The priest says “I absolve you of your sins” - he doesn’t say “in the name of Jesus I absolve you of your sins”. Of course, this authority comes from Jesus. :twocents:

Anyway, these are just my thoughts, with not much confidence.

As I remember the process, the priest absolves in the name of Jesus. I’ll pay more attention next time. It makes sense because only Jesus has the power and authority to forgive. Protestant objection is generally based on misunderstanding. Having been an Episcopalian once myself, I can say that FOR SURE.

 

[pismopal]

I am currently Protestant, not Catholic. I don’t understand why going to confession is important. It does not seem exactly objectionable to me, but I don’t see what is so great or necessary about it. Will you please explain?

Also, what does it mean to “swim the Tiber”?

(Also, as a general note, it seems that a lot of people on this site can tend to be a bit dismissive of or demeaning toward Protestants in their tone. As a Protestant who is seriously looking into the Catholic Church, that sort of thing is difficult for me. I know next to nothing about Catholicism, and am rather impressionable – if the few Catholics with whom I come in contact are rude or arrogant, it is hard to separate that impression from my impression of the Catholic Church as such. )

Hi- There are far more reasons for the Catholic sacrament of “Confession” than I will list here but I can give a couple that have to do with my own personal experience as a convert. The idea of personal confrontation with my sin appeals to me. Telling a priest about the sin is an act of humility and honesty that cannot be matched by simply making a mental note or perhaps praying silently. I take the Sacrament on my knees and the words of absolution leaves me with a cleansed feeling…not actually just a feeling but an assurance of forgiveness that is important to me and to a lot of others. I encourage you to put away your embarrassment or fear or whatever …it is nothing but a wonderful blessing and experience. Catholic Answers has a tract entitled " The Forgiveness of Sins" that deals with the issue and it has the Bible references to support the Sacrament should you be interested. In reference to “Swimming the Tiber”, although I did not coin the phrase…my own conversion ( for which I am thankful daily) might be called swimming the Tiber…am I correct?
As for rude people…IMO this is a somewhat confrontational forum and a certain amount of emotion is to be expected so I wouldn’t use the words of some as an indication of the value or none, of their faith. I think if I was personally looking for some really sugar nice people I might be a Mormon but I was looking for an authentic faith which doesn’t blow in the wind so here I am warts and all with my wart covered brothers and sisters.

 

[Green_Tea]

I think I understand better now, but why confess to a priest specifically? I mean, it makes sense that a priest is a respected person of the faith, so it makes sense in that regard, but why not confess to any other respected person of the faith instead?

As a Protestant considering Catholicism, the notion of confession does not really “scare me away,” but it certainly makes me a bit nervous or uncomfortable about the Catholic Church – not in a “I would be ashamed to do that” sense, but rather in an “that is weird that they do that” sense. As with other dimensions of Catholic faith and practice, though, it seems that the more I learn the less “scary” or uncomfortable things become, even if they were initially foreign.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Anyway my question is, does this important sacrament scare some people coming to be part of the faith? Clearly it does to me and how can that fear be really delt with? I don’t think this should stop people sometime, but I think they also may have been affected by how it’s presented in media

I think you are right on. That’s where Catholic apologetics comes in and has grown in need.

 

[jmcrae]

As I remember the process, the priest absolves in the name of Jesus.

Jesus gave the Apostles authority to forgive our sins, and they passed it on to the Bishops, who in turn pass it on to the priests.

If they were only forgiving “in the name of” Jesus, then anybody could hear Confessions and give the absolution - but they can’t; it has to be a priest, and the reason is that it is the priest who has received Christ’s authority to forgive sins, through the laying on of hands at the Sacrament of Ordination.

 

[jmcrae]

I think I understand better now, but why confess to a priest specifically? I mean, it makes sense that a priest is a respected person of the faith, so it makes sense in that regard, but why not confess to any other respected person of the faith instead?

Because the priest, by virtue of the Sacrament of Ordination, has received authority from Christ to forgive sins. Other people can sympathize and pray for you, but only the priest can actually forgive you. This is what happens during the Absolution.

 

[J_C]

my understanding, and please someone correct me where I am wrong, is this:

the priest forgives in the name of the Church, in the sense that the Church itself has been wronged by my sin. He gives a penance assignment, which may include making amends to others who were wronged.

He can bind or he can loose, he has this authority from Jesus, the head of the Church.

Since this authority comes from Jesus, it is actually Jesus doing the forgiving, but the authority has been delegated by Jesus to the priest, who pronounces the forgiveness from God.

Even after this spiritual forgiveness, There may yet be temporal consequences of the sin that will have to be removed either in life on Earth or in Purgatory before entering the beatific vision of God.

Is that correct?