Ways of confession?

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Sam_777

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I understand that a proper confession should be done inside the Church with the Priest, however:
  1. Can someone make confession direct to GOD through prayers without talking to the Priest?
  2. Can someone make confession to a loyal Catholic friend?
  3. Can someone make confession through email directed to a particular Priest?
  4. Can someone make confession here at CAF message board so a Priest can see it without the knowing the real identity of the person posting it?
 
  1. Can someone make confession direct to GOD through prayers without talking to the Priest?
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Yes.

*“When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.” - Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1452
*
scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1452.htm
  1. Can someone make confession to a loyal Catholic friend?
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Yes. But the Catholic friend cannot forgive the person his/her sins unless he is an ordained priest.
  1. Can someone make confession through email directed to a particular Priest?
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Yes. But the priest cannot forgive through email! One has to confess in person and receive forgiveness in person for the sacrament to be valid.
  1. Can someone make confession here at CAF message board so a Priest can see it without the knowing the real identity of the person posting it?
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Yes. One can make such a confession, however, the person cannot receive forgiveness that way. For forgiveness to be received, confession has to be in person and the priest has to give absolution in person.
 
Sam_777 said:
I understand that a proper confession should be done inside the Church with the Priest, however:
  1. Can someone make confession direct to GOD through prayers without talking to the Priest?
  2. Can someone make confession to a loyal Catholic friend?
  3. Can someone make confession through email directed to a particular Priest?
  4. Can someone make confession here at CAF message board so a Priest can see it without the knowing the real identity of the person posting it?
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  1. of course you should always take your sins and all problems immediately to God in prayer. The means Jesus Christ gave us, however, to have assurance that our sins have been not only forgiven, but absolved, is the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation of the Catholic Church. can Jesus forgive the sins of those who don’t have access to the sacraments and take them to him in prayer? Certainly if he choses, he is Lord of the sacraments, but he has given no assurance that he does so outside the sacraments of the Church.
  2. you can discuss your issues with a trusted friend, and in fact some struggles with habits that may be sinful can be helped with an accountability partner, but be very careful about doing so. That is not, however the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, and in no way absolves your sins nor imparts the grace of the sacrament.
  3. No confession by email or any manner other than face to face with priest puts the seal of confession in jeopardy for one thing, and is not one of the forms of the sacrament of penance and reconcilation, so no, even though you might discuss your issues that way (very unwise when you consider the internet is open territory and seldom confidential for long) it is NOT the Sacrament, no absolution is possible.
 
Thanks WesleyF and puzzleannie…, but what is the difference between “forgiven” sins and “absolved” sins?

However, if I would become a Catholic one day but I do not want to enter the confession room in the Church, I feel more comfortable to confess my sins direct to GOD through prayers, so will I be a 100% Catholic that way?
 
Sam_777 said:
Thanks WesleyF and puzzleannie…, but what is the difference between “forgiven” sins and “absolved” sins?

However, if I would become a Catholic one day but I do not want to enter the confession room in the Church, I feel more comfortable to confess my sins direct to GOD through prayers, so will I be a 100% Catholic that way?
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For mortal sins you would be required to take the Sacrament of Confession.
 
they way I heard it explained once is that God can forgive a person who is truly sorry for what they have done.

They may go to God and ask God I am so sorry for doing this, will you please forgive me of what I have done. There is a chance that if you go to him with loving heart he could forgive you.

There is also a chance that he doesn’t and he wants you to go to confession.

In confession there is no doubt about whether your sins are forgiven, none at all. It is one of the few things in life that we know we have forgiveness.

so if you are catholic go to confession

if you are not catholic become one and then go to confession 🙂

but confession isn’t the only way to have your sins forgiven.

but you know for sure your sins are forgiven.
 
Sam_777 said:
However, if I would become a Catholic one day but I do not want to enter the confession room in the Church, I feel more comfortable to confess my sins direct to GOD through prayers, so will I be a 100% Catholic that way?
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You should continue to confess to God. I know some people who examine their conscience, confess to God and pray an act of contrition daily. This does not change the need for confession, nor does it attain absolution. God may accept their confessions and absolve their sins, but we don’t know. Reconciliation is the normal way of having your sins forgiven in the Church, He gave us this sacrament. If you have doubts you may want to look at James 5:14-16.

You may confess to a priest anywhere. If you felt comfortable, you could confess to a priest on a park bench in the middle of a crowded city, may not be the most secluded or quiet place.

I doubted the power of Reconciliation before I entered the Church. I figured, since I had confessed to God, I didn’t need a priest. I was moved like never before. I love the sacrament, it moved me more than any other experience during that time. This is one of the sacraments of initiation, the others being baptism and Eucharist. These are necessary in order to join the Church. I feel I must point out, there is something very humbling about confessing out loud. I can justify some of my sins in my own mind, but when I say them out loud they sound so ugly and… sinful. This is to remind us that we serve a loving and perfect God, our sins are offensive to Him. He comes to us, in the sacrament of reconciliation, and offers us forgiveness and cleansing, we cannot get these on our own. Reconciliation is a reminder of our dependence on God.
 
Sam_777 said:
Thanks WesleyF and puzzleannie…, but what is the difference between “forgiven” sins and “absolved” sins?

However, if I would become a Catholic one day but I do not want to enter the confession room in the Church, I feel more comfortable to confess my sins direct to GOD through prayers, so will I be a 100% Catholic that way?
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I do not think there any difference between forgiven and absolved sins.

Here is a book recommendation to further your understanding of the sacrament…Scott Hahn’s Lord Have Mercy.

In Job 42… 7 It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will [a]accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD **accepted Job.

Here, God speaks directly to Eliphaz, but tells him to go through Job to be forgiven. So, why did not God just directly forgive Eliphaz and his two friends?**
 
Sam_777 said:
Thanks WesleyF and puzzleannie…, but what is the difference between “forgiven” sins and “absolved” sins?
Click to expand...
See this post to understand the difference - forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6048031&postcount=2
Sam_777 said:
However, if I would become a Catholic one day but I do not want to enter the confession room in the Church, I feel more comfortable to confess my sins direct to GOD through prayers, so will I be a 100% Catholic that way?
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Well, technically not 100% Catholic, because being a Catholic involves accepting that God has given ordained priests the authority to forgive sins. Also, there is an important clause in the “confessing to God directly” teaching of the church -

*“When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.” - Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1452
*

So confessing directly to God can obtain forgiveness of grave sins if your desire is to go to the ordained priest for confession as soon as you can. Think about it this way - a Catholic soldier goes to war and has no priest for confession. He confesses directly to God but he has a firm resolve to go to a priest for confession as soon as he can if it is possible. In such a situation God does forgive him directly for the grave sins he has committed. If he doesn’t have that resolve, then God will only forgive him for the venial sins and not mortal sins, because the very fact that he doesn’t want to go to an ordained priest for confession shows that he is not willing to submit to what God has instituted.
 
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