Confession?

[Halcyonna]

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to be rude or start an argument or anything, I’m just curious and hoping to learn more about my faith. I have never really understood the purpose of confession. Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God. Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven? Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession? Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

 

[mom2em]

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to be rude or start an argument or anything, I’m just curious and hoping to learn more about my faith. I have never really understood the purpose of confession. Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God. Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven? Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession? Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

I sadly cannot really help with a whole lot of your answers, theres a lot too that I am learning or still figuring out. But, yes as a Catholic, we are required to go to confession at the very least, ONCE a year to confess all mortal sins. Of course, one should confess anytime they find themselves in mortal sin instead of waiting for that yearly confession. This is one of the 5 precepts of the church.

As for why we do …

“One Mediator redeemed us, Jesus Christ. The Catholic Priest, in the sacrament of
Penance, does not redeem us; he is but an agent of the one Mediator, assigned and
empowered by the one Mediator.”

The rest of the article can be read here Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest?

Personally, I love confession. It is, the only way I feel forgiven and the one thing that drew me back to my Catholic faith. Don’t give up on it. Or rather learning it.

:hug1:

 

[HickmanJosh]

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to be rude or start an argument or anything, I’m just curious and hoping to learn more about my faith. I have never really understood the purpose of confession. Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God.

it isent really supposed to feel great, i mean were speaking about what may be our closest secrets to someone who may be a complete stranger. But then again spiritual health is not measured in comfort. To simply put them out there for God to take away, its pretty powerful.

Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven? Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession? Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

One of the precepts of the Church is that we must confess serious sins at least once a year. For perhaps the most explicit biblical example of confession (or rather the institution of the sacrament) see John 20:19-23. Or an explanation from a priest :youtube.com/watch?v=Cun9F-XCang

But most sins(non serious) can simple be forgiven by asking God but with Mortal sins(like murder, theft, called grave matter) confession is required. For a sin to be mortal it must be done in :

#1 Full knowledge(of the acts sinful nature)
#2 Full consent
#3 It must be grave matter

here is a former protestant Tim Staples giving a biblical defense of Confession youtube.com/watch?v=Tm5tMjfQnCk

Hope this helps

 

[Halcyonna]

Mom2em, thank you so much for your time, your response, and for the article you posted. It gave me a lot to think about and answers to many of my questions. I find it really interesting that confession was what brought you back to Catholicism.

 

[SeekerDan]

For me it is a matter of Faith. I don’t mean to question your Faith whatsoever and that is not what I am doing. I just want to tell you what it is for me. I am a recent convert and went to confession for the first time shortly before Easter. I had been asking God for forgiveness for MANY years for my past sins prior to becoming a Catholic through prayer. I do think that he did forgive me, but I wasn’t 100% sure. For me going to confession is not only what Jesus has asked us to do, but it also gives me a certainty that my sins are in fact forgiven. Since I have complete faith in the Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit and the Catholic church, I also have Faith that by confessing my sins to a priest that they are forgiven. I walked out of confession completely light hearted and all the sins that I dwelled on for years, I left behind in the confessional.

But if that doesn’t work for you there is a thing I think called Perfect Contrition and people may need to correct me if I get this wrong. If you honestly believe that you are 100% sorry for your sins and the reason is 100% NOT because you are afraid of going to hell but Totally because you are sorry for offending God then your sins can be forgiven without seeing a priest. But I figure why risk it when we as Catholics are privileged to know a way to get our sins forgiven

 

[smichhertz]

Hi and welcome to CAF! I hope you enjoy your time here on the forums! Hopefully, I can help answer some of your questions.

Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God.

One thing I’d note here: Confession isn’t really about feeling anything. There are many times when a friend has forgiven me for something, but I didn’t really feel forgiven. Thankfully, I still am forgiven whether or not I feel it. Same with God, even if you do not feel forgiven you still are forgiven. Sometimes He deliberately allows us to not feel forgiven to see if we will still love Him and seek Him in confession regardless of the feelings.

Same thing with the awkward and embarrassed feelings. It’s easy to do things if they make us feel good, it’s harder to do things that make us feel awkward and embarrassed. But if we truly love someone, we will do it regardless. This could be God giving you an opportunity to grow in holiness by willingly choosing to go to Confession regularly, despite the uncomfortable feelings.

Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven?

In short, yes. Remember, the first thing Jesus did after He rose from the dead was institute the sacrament of Confession. He didn’t waste any time. The second man was redeemed He gave the Apostles the power to forgive sins so that they could immediately go out and start reconciling people to God.

Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession?

To answer your second question first, yes the priest is what we call “another Christ” he represents Christ during the sacraments.

That should help you understand the answer to your first question. In reality, going to confession IS directly confessing your sins to God. It is the MOST direct way we can ask God for forgiveness and reconcile ourselves to Him, because the priest represents Christ.

Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven?

To be honest, we don’t really know. I have a tough time believing that someone who lived on some remote island somewhere and never even heard of confession would be damned to Hell for not going to confession. However, all we know for certain is that they are left up to the mercy of God.

As a final note, the church isn’t teaching that God ignores anyone who asks for forgiveness outside of Confession. Only that confession is the only sure way to know you are forgiven. Jesus instituted the sacrament of confession and that’s how He wants us to reconcile ourselves to the Father. So rejoice! God has given you an amazing gift, and know that every time you step out of the confessional (regardless of whether or not you feel it) you are saint! Completely forgiven of all your past sins, and made new in the eyes of God!

Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

You’re welcome! I hope I helped!

 

[WFS5801]

But if that doesn’t work for you there is a thing I think called Perfect Contrition and people may need to correct me if I get this wrong. If you honestly believe that you are 100% sorry for your sins and the reason is 100% NOT because you are afraid of going to hell but Totally because you are sorry for offending God then your sins can be forgiven without seeing a priest. But I figure why risk it when we as Catholics are privileged to know a way to get our sins forgiven

Part of an of act Perfect Contrition is the desire to go to Confession.

Regarding that contrition which has for its motive the love of God, the Council of Trent declares: “The Council further teaches that, though contrition may sometimes be made perfect by charity and may reconcile men to God before the actual reception of this sacrament, still the reconciliation is not to be ascribed to the contrition apart from the desire for the sacrament which it includes.”

newadvent.org/cathen/04337a.htm

So the Sacrament of Penance (or at least the desire for the Sacrament of Penance, which can be thwarted by death or other causes) is necessary even with Perfect Contrition. In other words, when you know you’ve committed a mortal sin, pray for the grace to make a Perfect act of Contrition, make the act, but still go Confession as soon as possible.

 

[WFS5801]

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to be rude or start an argument or anything, I’m just curious and hoping to learn more about my faith. I have never really understood the purpose of confession. Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God. Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven? Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession? Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

It’s good for you to feel awkward and embarrassed about your sins. Knowing that you have to confess them to a priest can make you more unwilling to commit them in the first place. I think that’s probably partly why Our Lord instituted the Sacrament of Penance, knowing that when we are accountable for them to a priest, we’ll probably be less likely to commit them in the future.

I look at the Sacrament of Penance like going to the dentist. I dread it, but know I’ve got to do it. And sure enough, after I’ve gone I’m always glad I went. Frequent confession makes it’s easier – even confession for venial sins.

There’s a great set of five sermons on Penance by our priest at:

catholicsermons.webhop.org/

Click “All Sermons” and go to the very bottom of the page and work up.

 

[Rock_Happy]

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to be rude or start an argument or anything, I’m just curious and hoping to learn more about my faith. I have never really understood the purpose of confession. Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God. Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven? Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession? Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

From a Protestant point of view you are correct. Catholicism advocates a relationship with a person who is a successor in the Apostolic succession in lieu of a relationship with God. It just depends on whether you prefer a relationship with another person who claims to be God’s surrogate, or whether you prefer to have a more direct relationship with God.

 

[WFS5801]

From a Protestant point of view you are correct. Catholicism advocates a relationship with a person who is a successor in the Apostolic succession in lieu of a relationship with God. It just depends on whether you prefer a relationship with another person who claims to be God’s surrogate, or whether you prefer to have a more direct relationship with God.

Except Catholics also pray for forgiveness of their sins directly to God (hence the Act of Contrition and other prayers). So we have a “relationship” with both God and God’s servant, the priest, who is empowered by Christ to both forgive and retain sins. We have the certitude of forgiveness in the Absolution (if we’ve made a good confession) not the gnawing of conscience that causes so many Protestants to constantly answer altar calls to “renew” their faith – at least this is often the case with those Protestants who don’t believe in “eternal security.”

 

[hooveam]

I was a Catholic convert for six years before I really understood Confession. Then I started experiencing temptations to mortal sins and of course, took full advantage of the Sacrament.

What I love about Confession is the self-examination and determination that it created in me. It really helps me to find a good examination of conscience guide (and sometimes unusual or specified ones) and let Jesus show me my weakness through this process. Of course, you don’t need to go to confession to have an examination of conscience, but there is something very stable and firm about the act. I know my sins (venial, anyway) are forgiven through prayer, but in the Sacrament, I’m offering them all up for extra help. To say my sins out loud to our Lord in such a physical process is quite strengthening, humbling, freeing, and helps me immensely (I find this with all sorts of sins) to overcome them.

Sometimes after an examination of conscience, I write out all my sins, and pray over them before going to the confessional. Then I will go to the Church and confess them one by one, making very sure that I remember them. For some reason, this process sticks with me, and I try more intently throughout the day to focus on glorifying God.

 

[OraLabora]

A good confessor is more than a confessor, but is also a healer. Don’t worry about being embarrassed, they’ve heard it all. There is a lot to be said in favour of regular confession especially to the same confessor. All I can say is that it has been a life-saver for me.

I also find that the act of humility of saying it aloud to another human being puts a whole other dimension on the act than just “confessing directly to God”. God works through the confessor, trust me. He has given us, through His Church, this most wonderful sacrament to heal our broken souls and prepare us for His banquet.

 

[Rock_Happy]

Except Catholics also pray for forgiveness of their sins directly to God (hence the Act of Contrition and other prayers). So we have a “relationship” with both God and God’s servant, the priest, who is empowered by Christ to both forgive and retain sins. We have the certitude of forgiveness in the Absolution (if we’ve made a good confession) not the gnawing of conscience that causes so many Protestants to constantly answer altar calls to “renew” their faith – at least this is often the case with those Protestants who don’t believe in “eternal security.”

A protestant would say that Catholics should have the gnawing conscience when they consider the history of the Church. If the best the apostolic succession could produce is represented by the historic record, then it has been thoroughly discredited. I understand the standard apology that the Church is not responsible for its own actions because action is only possible by a person, and since a person is not “the Church”, the Church is not responsible for being the Church. This is a very serious problem which erodes the credibility of the Church, and explains why it continues to lose influence in the educated parts of the world.

 

[Edward_H]

When we sin we offend God and His Church, which is the Body of Christ.

So when we seek to repair that relationship, we turn back to the Church. The priest acting in the name and person of Jesus judges us and forgives us when we confess. We’ve offended the Church more than the person who we might have offended directly.

It’s a wonderful sacrament, inexhaustible. Renew your love of the Sacrament. Go like a man (or like a woman) to the Sacrament. It’s sometimes called the Sacrament of Joy, for good reason.

 

[Edward_H]

I was a Catholic convert for six years before I really understood Confession. Then I started experiencing temptations to mortal sins and of course, took full advantage of the Sacrament.

What I love about Confession is the self-examination and determination that it created in me. It really helps me to find a good examination of conscience guide (and sometimes unusual or specified ones) and let Jesus show me my weakness through this process. Of course, you don’t need to go to confession to have an examination of conscience, but there is something very stable and firm about the act. I know my sins (venial, anyway) are forgiven through prayer, but in the Sacrament, I’m offering them all up for extra help. To say my sins out loud to our Lord in such a physical process is quite strengthening, humbling, freeing, and helps me immensely (I find this with all sorts of sins) to overcome them.

Sometimes after an examination of conscience, I write out all my sins, and pray over them before going to the confessional. Then I will go to the Church and confess them one by one, making very sure that I remember them. For some reason, this process sticks with me, and I try more intently throughout the day to focus on glorifying God.

 

[Edward_H]

A protestant would say that Catholics should have the gnawing conscience when they consider the history of the Church. If the best the apostolic succession could produce is represented by the historic record, then it has been thoroughly discredited. I understand the standard apology that the Church is not responsible for its own actions because action is only possible by a person, and since a person is not “the Church”, the Church is not responsible for being the Church. This is a very serious problem which erodes the credibility of the Church, and explains why it continues to lose influence in the educated parts of the world.

Actually, the Church reminds us we are not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners. An objective review of the record still shows an amazing faithfulness…hospitals, universities, schools, scientists, the scientific methods, rules of evidence, art, music, orphanages, half-way houses, medical doctors, and a million other forms of charity.

 

[Edward_H]

Pope Benedict recently responded to this sort of complaint against the Church.

I would say that a Church that seeks to be particularly attractive is already on the wrong path, because the Church does not work for her own ends, she does not work to increase numbers and thus power. The Church is at the service of another: she serves, not for herself, not to be a strong body, rather she serves to make the proclamation of Jesus Christ accessible, the great truths and great forces of love, reconciling love that appeared in this figure and that always comes from the presence of Jesus Christ. In this regard, the Church does not seek to be attractive in and of herself, but must be transparent for Jesus Christ and to the extent that she is not out for herself, as a strong and powerful body in the world, that wants power, but is simply the voice of another, she becomes truly transparent for the great figure of Christ and the great truth that he has brought to humanity. The power of love, in this moment one listens, one accepts. The Church should not consider herself, but help to consider the other and she herself must see and speak of the other. In this sense, I think, both Anglicans and Catholics have the same simple task, the same direction to take. If both Anglicans and Catholics see that the other is not out for themselves but are tools of Christ, children of the Bridegroom, as Saint John says, if both carry out the priorities of Christ and not their own, they will come together, because at that time the priority of Christ unites them and they are no longer competitors seeking the greatest numbers, but are united in our commitment to the truth of Christ who comes into this world and so they find each other in a genuine and fruitful ecumenism.

 

[Rock_Happy]

A good confessor is more than a confessor, but is also a healer. Don’t worry about being embarrassed, they’ve heard it all. There is a lot to be said in favour of regular confession especially to the same confessor. All I can say is that it has been a life-saver for me.

I also find that the act of humility of saying it aloud to another human being puts a whole other dimension on the act than just “confessing directly to God”. God works through the confessor, trust me. He has given us, through His Church, this most wonderful sacrament to heal our broken souls and prepare us for His banquet.

I am clearly missing something, because this sounds like a very immature and petty institution, if it can be offended by the acts of a person, unless by “offend” you simply mean breaking the law of God and the Church. I don’t really see where the Church has any business in it, if you have a relationship with God. The Church is far from the body of Christ. It is a political and financial institution, among other things.

 

[ATeutonicKnight]

Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

This depends upon the situation. There are two things you will be judged upon: Your faith, and your works. If you prayed the Rosary nine times a day right after you read the bible for a full hour, that’s all great and good. But if you were a mean person that slept with five different women every night, your faith was in vain. The same goes for your works. You need to learn your faith and demonstrate it through your good works in order to gain salvation. However, as previously stated, it depends upon the situation. Let’s just say that you lived in Africa in some tribe that we’ve never heard of. Obviously, they probably didn’t hear about Jesus Christ. They probably didn’t know right from wrong. In this case, they would be judged off of their works. God would not judge them for Mortal Sins, because they didn’t know what a Mortal Sin was. He would judge them on whether they were a good person, a kind person, a generous person, etc. So, in your case, you know the Catholic Faith. Confession is necessary, just as praying and doing good works. But in very rare cases, God will be kind and generous. And according to Fr. John Corapi, his name is Mercy.

Dominus Vobiscum.

:knight1:

 

[paul11b]

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to be rude or start an argument or anything, I’m just curious and hoping to learn more about my faith. I have never really understood the purpose of confession. Even with a screen, it makes me feel awkward and embarrassed, and I really don’t feel forgiven or any closer to God. Is it required that we go to Confession to repent and for our sins to be forgiven? Why can we not pray to God and confess our sins to Him directly, rather than through a priest? Or is a priest representing God during Confession? Is it impossible to go to Heaven if one does not attend Confession for sins to be forgiven? I’m just really confused. Thank you for any guidance that can be offered.

Well Confession can sometimes be a hard thing to understand I guess the best thing is to first understand that Confession was instituted by Jesus Christ. Here are some Bible verses that show us when Jesus instituted Confession:

2 Corinthians 5:18-20
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
John 20:21-23
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

You see Jesus said to his apostles, who were the first Bishops, that whoever’s sins they forgive were forgiven and whoever’s sins they retained were retained. Jesus was instituting the sacrament of confession when he said this. Jesus knew that we were not perfect and that we would need a way to have our sins forgiven once He ascended into Heaven. The Priest in confession is Jesus sacramentally. Don’t think of it as confessing your sins to a priest, you are confessing your sins to Jesus. The priest doesn’t do anything for us; the Priest cannot forgive our sins. It is Jesus acting through the Priest that forgives our sins. Also, remember it’s not like the Priest is out laughing about your sins later on while playing poker with his Priest buddies. The priest is bound by a Sacramental seal to keep all sins that are revealed in the Sacrament of Confession completely secret. Even if you went in and told the Priest that you committed murder and a court subpoenaed him to testify he could not reveal anything that you told him during the sacrament of confession.