Yom Kippur – Should we all maybe better go to confession?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 504Katrin
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
504Katrin said:
What if we miss out on a day that God wants us to unite with him? Wouldn’t that be a tragedy?! But I will listen to what Meltzerboy said…
Click to expand...
Do you believe if it was important to Jesus (therefor God) he would not have told Peter to make sure we still do it?
 
504Katrin said:
I understand, but where did God himself say or Jesus for that matter, that we should repent during Lent? On the other hand we have God that himself said that we should repent on Yom Kippur! If you have to chose between something that St. Peter said and something that God himself said would you not do what God said?
Click to expand...
We are a Church that not only goes by Sacred Scripture but also Tradition. The Church says so and it speaks with the authorrity granted it by Christ to speak in his name.

Also another reason we do not keep the jewish holy days is that we are not jews.
 
504Katrin said:
I know it hasn’t, but Jesus never changed that holy day. And also, the Torah mentions that "On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work whether native-born or an alien living among you because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. " So you pretty much have a date that is meant for confession and repentance. God also goes on saying that this day is supposed to be celebrated forever, like, "a lasting ordinance ".

So this is why I’m wondering if this might still be a day we should seek to repent and do confession, you know what I mean?
Click to expand...
Actaeon said:
The Torah makes no mention of a specific day of confession to commemorate the day of atonement, that is a practice which sprung up on the authority of the Jewish Leadership. The Torah only notes the day of atonement as the day that God accepted the contrition of the jews for having sinned with the golden calf.

In other words, the command to celebrate Yom Kippur is based on the authority of the Jewish Leadership over the jews… but we answer instead to the magisterial authority of the church, which has issued NO such compulsion upon Catholics.
Click to expand...
The Day of Atonement was God’s divine law. It was the tenth day of the seventh month by command of God.

*And this shall be an everlasting statute for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins." And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. (Leviticus 16:34)

Then you shall send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall send abroad the trumpet throughout all your land. (Leviticus 25:9) *

The priest would enter the Holy of Holies with blood to atone for the sins of the people and would utter God’s name. It was the only time God’s name was spoken - while the high priest was in the presence of God with blood making atonment for sin - and if the high priest was not holy enough, God would strike him dead. They tied a rope around his ankle in case they had to drag his body out.

The author of Hebrews even writes of the Day of Atonement.

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties; but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people. (Hebrews 9:7)

Jesus is our great high priest, and he entered the Holy of Holies “once and for all.”

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11:12)

Christ perfected and completed the atonement which all the high priests from Moses to Jesus could not. There is no need to make atonement because our Great High Priest Jesus Christ atoned for sin with his own blood. It is done. We participate in that through the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. Reconcilliation and the Eucharist are the ways in which we apply Jesus’ perfect atonment for our sins into our own lives. For those who believe that Jesus’s blood atoned for all sin, there is no need to celebrate the day of atonement any longer.

But I think it is a spectacular idea to celebrate the Jewish roots of our faith by going to confession on Yom Kippur. You might have to make and appointment, or just go on the closest Saturday, but what a wonderful way to honor our Jewish brother’s and sisters, and to honor the Jewish race through which God the Father chose to give us our Messiah and his Holy Mother.

I think it is an outstanding suggestion! 👍

-Tim-
 
504Katrin said:
Next week is Yom Kippur; that’s a day when everyone (Jewish) confesses to God. It’s a day that God specifically designed for confession, and this is the crucial point of my question. The question is, even though the Church doesn’t say that we sin if we don’t confess that day, don’t we miss out on an opportunity that God himself creates on that day so that we can get closer to him?
I happened to see our Priest yesterday and I asked him and he said that we didn’t have to go to confession on Yom Kippur as this was a Jewish day and not a Catholic one, but to my next question as to how he could be sure that God didn’t want all of us to confess that day even though the Torah says so he didn’t have an answer but only shook his head.
Click to expand...
Maybe he wonders if you’re not sure what religion you are? This post is confusing to me too. Are you Jewish or are you Christian?
 
504Katrin said:
thanks to everyone else for your comments, but I feel as if noone really understands me
Click to expand...
The Day of Atonement was God’s divine law. It was the tenth day of the seventh month by command of God.

***And this shall be an everlasting statute for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year **because of all their sins." And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. (Leviticus 16:34)

Then you shall send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall send abroad the trumpet throughout all your land. (Leviticus 25:9) *

The priest would enter the Holy of Holies with blood to atone for the sins of the people and would speak God’s name. It was the only time God’s name was ever spoken - while the high priest was in the presence of God with blood making atonment for sin - and if the high priest was not holy enough, God would strike him dead. They tied a rope around his ankle in case they had to drag his body out.

The author of Hebrews even writes of the Day of Atonement.

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties; but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people. (Hebrews 9:7)

Jesus is our great high priest, and he entered the Holy of Holies “once for all.”

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11:12)

Christ perfected and completed the atonement which all the high priests from Moses to Jesus could not. There is no need to make atonement because our Great High Priest Jesus Christ atoned for sin with his own blood. It is done. We participate in that through the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. Reconcilliation and the Eucharist are the ways in which we apply Jesus’ perfect atonment for our sins into our own lives. For those who believe that Jesus’s blood atoned for all sin, there is no need to celebrate the day of atonement any longer.

But I think it is a spectacular idea to celebrate the Jewish roots of our faith by going to confession on Yom Kippur. You might have to make and appointment, or just go on the closest Saturday, but what a wonderful way to honor our Jewish brother’s and sisters, and to honor the Jewish race through which God the Father chose to give us our Messiah and his Holy Mother.

It’s not judaizing, nor is it dangerous.It could be a wonderful teaching tool for our children.

I think it is an outstanding suggestion! 👍

-Tim-
 
504Katrin said:
this post offends.
Click to expand...
I don’t see how it could - your original post seemed very confused so I was explaining why we as Christians do not follow the Torah. We follow Jesus, who gave us a New Covenant which is described in the New Testament. If you want to confess on any given day, then you should go.
 
meltzerboy said:
Thank you both Katrin and Jharek. But don’t do what I say; listen to what your priest and the Church say you should do.
Click to expand...
But very curious as to what you would say, did you reply to this poster or did I miss it somewhere on the thread?
 
504Katrin said:
I know it hasn’t, but Jesus never changed that holy day. And also, the Torah mentions that "On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work whether native-born or an alien living among you because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. " So you pretty much have a date that is meant for confession and repentance. God also goes on saying that this day is supposed to be celebrated forever, like, "a lasting ordinance ".

So this is why I’m wondering if this might still be a day we should seek to repent and do confession, you know what I mean?
Click to expand...
I was asking myself the same questions a while back. Christians miss out on a great deal of blessing and scriptural understanding by not investigating the holy days G-d gave His children. For example, of the 7 feasts G-d gave, Jesus fulfilled four of them by His coming to earth. He will fulfill the next three when He returns.
Do Christians know what they are? No. Do they know the next one we’re waiting for?
No, which coincidentally we are in the midst of right now.

G-d is the vine dresser, Jesus is the vine, and we are grafted into that vine.
G-d didn’t plant separate gardens, one for Jews one for Christians.

And to the poster who asked, wouldn’t Jesus have told His apostles? No.
They were all practicing Jews. They were already observing these feast days.
 
Micah11 said:
And to the poster who asked, wouldn’t Jesus have told His apostles? No.
They were all practicing Jews. They were already observing these feast days.
Click to expand...
And yet the Church they formed has never celebrated the jewish holy days.

Again, that is because we are not jews. We are not a jewish sect.

There was a council in the Book of Acts that took place in Jerusalem to settle the point. There were a group of judiziers who wished all gentiles to go though the jewish initiation rites and to follow jewish dietary law. It was decided that Christians would not do so.

We have our own liturgical calendar that has a flow to it. To ignore that and toss in a bunch of stuff seriously changes that.

This is a matter that should not even have been brought to the forum. The OP asked her priest, he answered correctly.

It only came here because that answer was not liked and it appears that another answer is being sought out that will agree with what the OP wants rather than what the Church does.

From the posts I sense a level of misunderstanding or out right ignorance of the Catholic Church. I suggest that the OP speak with her priest again and bring up these issues and ask if you can sit through the RCIA program.
 
Actually I intended to let this topic be but it seems that some things need more clarification.
Friar_David_O.Carm said:
And yet the Church they formed has never celebrated the jewish holy days.
Click to expand...
The question “wouldn’t Jesus have told His apostles” I would like to answer with another question: Wouldn’t God have told the Jews that they’re no longer required to confess and repent on Yom Kippur if God wouldn’t want us to confess and repent on that day?
Friar_David_O.Carm said:
Again, that is because we are not jews. We are not a jewish sect.
Click to expand...
I’m nowhere saying that we should become Jews. I’m saying that what if God specifically designed that day so that we would do penance, which was my original question. Let me explain what I mean as I truly feel that noone understands me. God has a reason for everything. Yom Kippur - just like the Sabbath - is not comparable to most of our Christian holy days because we set ours randomly for the most part, while God himself said that Yom Kippur had to be celebrated on that very day. So what if he wants us to use certain days for certain things, and what if these are the days that we’re meant to connect with him? Like, Yom Kippur seems to be the day when God opens a door for us, so that we can unite with him. If we ignore this day we consequently miss out on this opportunity to connect with him.
Friar_David_O.Carm said:
There was a council in the Book of Acts that took place in Jerusalem to settle the point. There were a group of judiziers who wished all gentiles to go though the jewish initiation rites and to follow jewish dietary law. It was decided that Christians would not do so.

We have our own liturgical calendar that has a flow to it. To ignore that and toss in a bunch of stuff seriously changes that.
Click to expand...
I’m not ignoring anything. Quite the opposite, I’m taking everything, every little thing possible into account, and I’m doing this because I love God and I want to make it right for him. I’m not “tossing in a bunch of stuff” but a thought that has been in practice for thousands of years, and that is not only essential but vital it seems if you want to have a great relationship with God.
Friar_David_O.Carm said:
This is a matter that should not even have been brought to the forum. The OP asked her priest, he answered correctly.
Click to expand...
I’d hope that we still can discuss things here anymore. And no, the Priest didn’t answer my question. To say that we don’t celebrate that day doesn’t answer the question as I already knew that. When I asked him how he could be sure that God wouldn’t want us to use that day in order to unite with him (as he loves us, so wants us to be with him) he only shook his head, looked in my eyes, waited for me to say something, and I kept on looking into his’, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. He couldn’t. He didn’t have one.
Friar_David_O.Carm said:
It only came here because that answer was not liked and it appears that another answer is being sought out that will agree with what the OP wants rather than what the Church does.
Click to expand...
No, as explained above ^ in detail. And also, there’s nothing that I “want” as I don’t have an answer to these questions either. All I want is to share my thoughts, and to make it right for God. I do have fear, fear of maybe missing out on something that God commanded us to do in order to connect with him.
Friar_David_O.Carm said:
From the posts I sense a level of misunderstanding or out right ignorance of the Catholic Church. I suggest that the OP speak with her priest again and bring up these issues and ask if you can sit through the RCIA program.
Click to expand...
Please go back and read my original post if that helps, as I said that I did know what the church teaches. I’m not ignorant of all church teachings, but I’m actually challenging them. I hope and I’m pretty sure that this is not the reason that I should not have brought up this topic on the forum in your opinion.

You bet I will speak with the Priest again 😉
 
504Katrin said:
Actually I intended to let this topic be but it seems that some things need more clarification.

The question “wouldn’t Jesus have told His apostles” I would like to answer with another question: Wouldn’t God have told the Jews that they’re no longer required to confess and repent on Yom Kippur if God wouldn’t want us to confess and repent on that day?

I’m nowhere saying that we should become Jews. I’m saying that what if God specifically designed that day so that we would do penance, which was my original question. Let me explain what I mean as I truly feel that noone understands me. God has a reason for everything. Yom Kippur - just like the Sabbath - is not comparable to most of our Christian holy days because we set ours randomly for the most part, while God himself said that Yom Kippur had to be celebrated on that very day. So what if he wants us to use certain days for certain things, and what if these are the days that we’re meant to connect with him? Like, Yom Kippur seems to be the day when God opens a door for us, so that we can unite with him. If we ignore this day we consequently miss out on this opportunity to connect with him.

I’m not ignoring anything. Quite the opposite, I’m taking everything, every little thing possible into account, and I’m doing this because I love God and I want to make it right for him. I’m not “tossing in a bunch of stuff” but a thought that has been in practice for thousands of years, and that is not only essential but vital it seems if you want to have a great relationship with God.

I’d hope that we still can discuss things here anymore. And no, the Priest didn’t answer my question. To say that we don’t celebrate that day doesn’t answer the question as I already knew that. When I asked him how he could be sure that God wouldn’t want us to use that day in order to unite with him (as he loves us, so wants us to be with him) he only shook his head, looked in my eyes, waited for me to say something, and I kept on looking into his’, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t. He couldn’t. He didn’t have one.

No, as explained above ^ in detail. And also, there’s nothing that I “want” as I don’t have an answer to these questions either. All I want is to share my thoughts, and to make it right for God. I do have fear, fear of maybe missing out on something that God commanded us to do in order to connect with him.

Please go back and read my original post if that helps, as I said that I did know what the church teaches. I’m not ignorant of all church teachings, but I’m actually challenging them. I hope and I’m pretty sure that this is not the reason that I should not have brought up this topic on the forum in your opinion.

You bet I will speak with the Priest again 😉
Click to expand...
504Katrin, having read all of this thread, it appears to me that there is no one that can satisfy you so long as we say “No”. You have apparently made up your mind that the Church, instituted by Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, with the successor of St. Peter, the first Pope, at it’s head, must be wrong! And you do not see anything wrong with that? I imagine that the priest did not give you an explanation as to why we need not go to confession on Yom Kippur is because he was nonplussed by any Catholic wanting to know such a thing. We are Catholics. We are not Jews. The Church is infallible in all things pertaining to Faith and Morals.

Enough already!
 
504Katrin said:
The question “wouldn’t Jesus have told His apostles” I would like to answer with another question: Wouldn’t God have told the Jews that they’re no longer required to confess and repent on Yom Kippur if God wouldn’t want us to confess and repent on that day?
Click to expand...
The answer is yes, God did tell the Jews this. He tells them through his messiah Jesus Christ and the Church He placed on the Earth with the authority.

The Jews have chosen to not acknowledge Jesus as the Christ and do not acknowledge the authority of the Church.

You seem to be questioning the authority of the Church as well.
 
504Katrin said:
Next week is Yom Kippur; that’s a day when everyone (Jewish) confesses to God. It’s a day that God specifically designed for confession, and this is the crucial point of my question. The question is, even though the Church doesn’t say that we sin if we don’t confess that day, don’t we miss out on an opportunity that God himself creates on that day so that we can get closer to him?
I happened to see our Priest yesterday and I asked him and he said that we didn’t have to go to confession on Yom Kippur as this was a Jewish day and not a Catholic one, but to my next question as to how he could be sure that God didn’t want all of us to confess that day even though the Torah says so he didn’t have an answer but only shook his head.
Click to expand...
I suppose if God is leading a person to connect with Yom Kippur in a communal sense with the Jewish people it is possible to do that even apart from going to confession.

One might consider attending a synagogue service which allows a non-Jewish person to attend and silently ask God’s forgiveness for the ways in which we have offended the Jewish people. Or the ways in which we have not appreciated what has been faithfully handed down to the apostles and the early church. Even today, there is much we can learn from the Jewish faith without agreeing in totality.

One might consider attending a Messianic congregation which prays these public prayers that are said on Yom Kippur, and ask God’s forgiveness for the ways that we have offended our Jewish and non-Catholic brothers and sisters.

One might consider an act of charity on this day towards either the Jewish community or the non-Catholic community. For as Proverbs and the apostle Peter says, “love covers a multitude of sins”.

Or one might take the time to reflect on the meaning of Yom Kippur from the Jewish perspective. (There seems to be a correlation between what Jewish tradition says about this day when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the second table of commandments, and the gospel story of the Transfiguration and of the future Parousia).

jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=46315

Just some thoughts

God’s peace to you,

micah
 
504Katrin said:
Yom Kippur - just like the Sabbath - is not comparable to most of our Christian holy days because we set ours randomly for the most part, while God himself said that Yom Kippur had to be celebrated on that very day.
Click to expand...
Honestly, this excerpt shows your lack of knowledge. I really didn’t understand the richness and lack of randomness of the Church calendar until I started attended Mass at least twice a week. The Church calendar is several overlays with different themes.

First, the calendar is built around the Lord’s life and the major events of his life. The Annunciation is celebrated nine months before the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas). There is a reason that the Nativity of John the Baptist is celebrated six-months before the Birth of the Lord. The Visitation is celebrated after the Annunciation and before the Nativity of John the Baptist. Then there are additional feasts and solemnities that are built around the life of the Lord and His ministry…the Baptism of Our Lord, Transfiguration. Then there are the most major events of Our Lord’s life…His birth, baptism, passion, death, resurrection, ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Then there is the feast days that celebrate concepts that the Church deems important to commemorate…the Triumph of the Cross, Corpus Christi, the Holy Trinity, the Chair of Peter.

Finally, throughout the year is celebration of those who have attained holiness throughout the ages. The Lord’s friends…the Lord’s family, the Apostles, the Saints, and Angels.

There is no randomness to the calendar. Perhaps, before you start imposing your beliefs on the rest of us, you should learn about the richness of the Church.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top