Who am I? A Protestant or a Catholic?

[Hodos]

Also as Catholics we are required to go to confession at least once per year minimum. Better to go to confession more regularly but once a year is required.

This statement makes me so thankful to be Lutheran for the gift that we have in corporate confession and absolution every Sunday, as well as the gift of private confession.

 

[Dorothy]

Our Catholic priests forgive sins by the power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus appeared in the upper room after His Resurrection he said:

John 20: 22,23 “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.”

They received from our Lord Jesus Christ the power to forgive or retain sins. In order to be aware of the sincerity of those who need forgiveness, they would need to hear their confessions.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

This statement makes me so thankful to be Lutheran for the gift that we have in corporate confession and absolution every Sunday, as well as the gift of private confession.

Catholics also have a gift of having their venial sins forgiven by participating in certain prayers during Mass and by receiving Eucharist.

Private confession for Catholics is only necessary for absolving grave sins which might be mortal sins.

JerryZ is actually not correct that Catholics “are required to go to confession at least once per year minimum”. This is a common misconception among Catholics. You only need to go to confession if you are aware of having committed a grave, possibly mortal, sin. If a Catholic never commits a grave sin then he could skip private confession for his whole life. It’s not recommended you do that, however, because of the graces you get when going to private confession, which help you to avoid sin. Also, many Catholics are very skeptical that someone could go years or even months without committing any grave sin (never mind that some people lead boring lives and other people think every little thing is a “grave sin”).

In this case, however, the OP seems to be saying he did commit a grave/ mortal sin, so he needs to go to Confession.

https://legatus.org/must-catholics-go-to-confession-once-a-year/

Is Confession Still an Easter Duty? - Canon Law Made EasyCanon Law Made Easy

I’m not sure why you think it’s so much better to be a Lutheran, when Catholics are getting their venial sins forgiven every Sunday at Mass, but we’ll set that aside.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

And if you are Catholic, and you haven’t been to confession in five years, you should NOT be receiving the Eucharist, period. You need to go at least once a year.

The OP in this case needs to go to confession, but only because he admitted in the next post after yours that he committed possibly mortal sins.

If OP did not commit any mortal sin, then there is no Church requirement for him to go to confession once a year. See links I posted above.

 

[rightness]

1 Timothy 2:5 says that there is only one mediator, so i believe it. My mom has prayed for me, but i think thats about it. Maybe I should ask more people to pray for me. Thanks for asking. I dont see a direct reference in the Bible that you should confess to a priest; so I believed 1 Timothy 2:5.

Just think of it as the priest becoming Jesus in confession just like when the priest consecrates the Eucharistic Host saying “This is my body.”

Why is the Sacrament of Confession better than personal confession? There is a sense of humility when confessing your sins to a physical being, and you will receive specific advice to turn away from sin and to correct your mistakes.

Also, remember that confession is scriptural. Jesus intended confession to be done this way when he gave the Apostles the power to forgive (Matthew 16:18-19, Matthew 18:18, John 20:21-22). God wants to forgive your sins whether you want it or not, so you have to think whether personal confession or the Sacrament of Confession is more effective. I think it’s great practice to show humility in your shame to talk to a person.

I just remembered something too. Read Psalm 51. This is David’s song of confession when he sinned with Bathsheba. But he didn’t just do this confession on his own, he confessed his sins to the Prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:13.

 

[TheLittleLady]

If you were Baptized in the Catholic Church, you are Catholic and will be for eternity. You may be a non practicing or fallen away Catholic, but, you are Catholic.

 

[Todd_Easton]

I dont see a direct reference in the Bible that you should confess to a priest

James 5:14-16 is probably the closest thing to a direct reference in the Bible that we should confess our sins to a priest. There, sick Christians are told to call for the presbyters (priests) of the church that they might pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord in order to obtain healing and forgiveness from the Lord. It is in that context that Christians are told to confess their sins to one another.

 

[ryansta]

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1452

1452 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.

This seems kind of like a cop out for Confession at first, but what you must remember is that you have to resolve to go to Confession as soon as possible and that this must come out of a love for God. God Bless I’ll be praying for yoh