I have a question.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Avila

Boohoo moomoo, cebu
Feb 6, 2002
1,231
5
46
Indiana
Visit site
✟2,479.00
Faith
Catholic
It depends on the sin. If it's particularly bad, it is vital to go to Confession (or Reconciliatio, as many like to call it). For minor (venial) sins, you can confess directly to God.

Here is a link to a good article that will probably help answer your questions.
www.catholic.com/library/Confession.asp

Here's a quote from the Catholic Exchange website.

Question: A friend asked me why Catholics have to confess to a priest and not just to God. Would you please explain why?
Answer: Venial sins can be confessed to God. However, we are not purely spiritual beings who live in a vacuum or in a strictly "Jesus 'n me" relationship. We are members, not only of Christ, but of "one another" as Paul says in Romans 12:5. Therefore, Jesus gave the apostles (and their successors and delegates, the bishops and priests) the authority to authoritatively forgive sins in his name with the words "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." (John 20:23). This sacrament, like all sacraments, is intended first and foremost as a gift for our good, not as an onerous "requirement" or hoop to jump through. As human persons, we are enfleshed beings who need to both speak our sins and hear forgiveness with our ears. In addition, we need to be reconciled, not only to God but to the community we have hurt by our actions. For sin has a corporate dimension as well as a vertical one. When we sin, we damage not only our relationship with God but the Church and ourselves as well. Confession is established with this reality in mind. It is also established with the reality in mind that accountability is generally a better thing than simply relying on ourselves in isolation. As we all know, we tend to lie to ourselves about things we'd prefer not to face. Among it's many graces, confession keeps us more homest than we'd be on our own. But it also gives us mercies (as distinct from excuses) we aren't able to give ourselves. For a further discussion of the sacrament of reconciliation, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1420-1498.


HTH!

Blessings and peace,
Amy
 
Upvote 0

InspectorVol

Regular Member
Feb 6, 2002
328
0
60
TN
Visit site
✟8,183.00
Faith
Christian
I used the link you provided and examined the scripture that was given and haven't seen anything that tells me to confess to anyone but god. It made no distinction between "small" sins or "large" ones. I do not read the bible as I should nor can I quote many passages but I have spent the majority of my life in church and have never seen a passage that talked about different sized sins. In my limited knowledge and in MHO all sin is a abomination unto God.
If you have any more scripture for me examine reguarding this please post and I will review it.
 
Upvote 0
V

VOW52

Guest
1 John 5: 13-17

13 I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God. 14 And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked in him is ours. 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.


Peace be with you,
~VOW
 
Upvote 0
V

VOW52

Guest
James 5: 16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.


All of the verses, including the ones where Jesus gives his Apostles the power to forgive sins, work in conjunction with each other to support the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

It is a very normal human response to confess sins. Many relationships suffer, because the guilty party wants to "come clean" about transgressions. Bartenders are known for being great listeners. And of course, the psychiatric profession makes an extremely nice income from people's NEED to tell of their wrongdoing.


Peace be with you,
~VOW
 
Upvote 0

Avila

Boohoo moomoo, cebu
Feb 6, 2002
1,231
5
46
Indiana
Visit site
✟2,479.00
Faith
Catholic
VOW~Thanks for posting those verses! I guess I've been Catholic long enough to forget that not everybody has the same "background" info I do.

Vol~ Wols said it really well, you don't confess your sins to a priest. You confess them to God, using the priest In Persona Christi - in the person of Christ. While all sins are an abomination to God, there are some that are deadly to our soul and others that just hinder our ability to draw near to God. There may be extenuating circumstances that mitigate the severity of these sins, but that is not always the case.

Think of it this way, we fall down and God, in the person of the priest, picks us up and dusts us off. We get fall back down, get back up, etc., etc. It is a lot easier (and makes us feel better) when we have someone picking us up rather than trying to pick ourselves up.

Another thought, when we sin, we are not only hurting ourselves, we are hurting our brothers and sisters in Christ. In confessing to God, he knows we are sorry, but our brothers and sisters do not. When we confess to a priest, those sins are spoken aloud and in a way, our brothers and sisters know we have sinned, are sorry for them, and the healing of forgiveness can take place in our lives. There is a part in the Mass that does this to some extent as well (the penitential rite). We say : "I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault. (All strike their breast) In my thoughts, in my words, in what I have done, in what I have failed to do; And I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you my brothers and sisters to pray for me to the Lord our God." This rite doesn't take the place of confession, however.

HTH!
Amy
 
Upvote 0

InspectorVol

Regular Member
Feb 6, 2002
328
0
60
TN
Visit site
✟8,183.00
Faith
Christian
I read the verses you posted and 1 John 13-17 I read and reread an reread and I still don't have a feeling for what that means exactly. The only sin unto death that I can think of is Blasphemey against the Holy Spirit which is the one thing you can't get forgiveness for.
I really don't see James 5-16 making a case for confession to a priest.
As you have probably guessed I am not Catholic. What I been taught and from what I have learned myself is that God sent Jesus to die for our sins and he became the mediator between God and man and the need for a priest as was used in the Old Testament times was done.
Matthew 27-50,51: Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice,yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks rent;
 
Upvote 0
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 them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John 20:22,23

This and other similar verses like James 5:16, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed."
 
Upvote 0
V

VOW52

Guest
Your confusion in interpretation, in YOUR interpretation, is one of the major points of contention between Catholicism and Protestantism. You see, Catholics believe in the Apostolic Succession, which gives priests the authority to stand in Jesus's place and hear your confession. (See other recent threads on the validity of this sacrament)

Catholics also believe in Sacred Tradition, which means confusion over interpreting scripture is alleviated by accepting the teachings of the Church. The Church has had over two thousand years of study and prayer, along with extensive research, and can help you understand WHAT the Bible is saying to you. Now, before anyone starts pounding the desk and hollering, Catholics CAN and DO read the Bible. I myself have been enlightened many times by my personal study of scripture. But I do not have the authority to read anything INTO the Bible that the Church has not validated.

On the other hand, Protestants do not have this Sacred Tradition. They feel that the Holy Spirit can give them individual guidance to interpret the scripture on their own. And, they can, like you have, "decide" that you think differently than the Catholic church does. This individual interpretation gives them so much freedom, that if they feel "moved by the Spirit," they can set up a church of their very own, and preach the Word. That is why there are over 20,000 different Protestant denominations, and this number grows daily.

Catholics on this board hope to enlighten people with questions about the Church and her teachings; however, it causes no end to turmoil when we must stand the Church up against someone's "I think."


Peace be with you,
~VOW
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

InspectorVol

Regular Member
Feb 6, 2002
328
0
60
TN
Visit site
✟8,183.00
Faith
Christian
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Phillipians 2-12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

I won't type it all but just list Matthew 15 1-14.

Let me make it clear I am not saying anything, I am just replying with my thoughts and beliefs as you have yours.
 
Upvote 0
V

VOW52

Guest
Sincere inquiries are always welcomed, Vol.

In Catholic teaching, you cannot take one concept, or even one Bible verse, and expect it to stand alone. Human beings don't live in a vacuum, and Jesus never intended his Church to be isolated from the people who make it up. This is the understanding behind the Apostolic Succession, and Sacred Tradition. All parts are needed to make up the whole.

I tried to explain it to a non-Catholic, who said, "I worship God in my own way; I don't need to go to church to do that." I certainly do not doubt that any person can read the Bible and study the life of Jesus, and appreciate the wisdom, the beauty, and the love in His message. However, a solo venture is like trying to study a tapestry which is wadded up on the floor. The little bits you look at ARE lovely, and it's possible to enjoy the stitches and the colors from the little bit that you can see. But the structure that the Church provides to the message of Christ is like a framework that stretches the tapestry to its full length and width, allowing the entire piece of art to be visible to all.

Peace be with you,
~VOW
 
Upvote 0
Status
Not open for further replies.