few questions for catholics

[ForLoveOfCHRIST]

I'd like to pose a few questions for all the Catholics here..........this isn't even regarding the recent scandals within the church....but who is a priest, and what makes him so special that I confess my sins to him?!?!? I havn't found anywhere in the New Testament where it says........"and Jesus said, 'Go to the temples, and confess your sins to the priests.'"
Also, I heard a few years back that the pope was thinking about changing the Lords prayer a little bit, rearranging words and that.........uhhhhhhh, what's this???? I don't have anything to say about that because it absolutly ridiculous..........

 

[Benedicta00]

I'd like to pose a few questions for all the Catholics here..........this isn't even regarding the recent scandals within the church....

Why the need to bring this up then?

who is a priest, and what makes him so special that I confess my sins to him?!?!?

Persona Christi-- the person of Christ.

I havn't found anywhere in the New Testament where it says........"and Jesus said, 'Go to the temples, and confess your sins to the priests.'"

John:
21
(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you ."
22
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.
23
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Also, I heard a few years back that the pope was thinking about changing the Lords prayer a little bit, rearranging words and that.........uhhhhhhh, what's this????

I have no idea.

I don't have anything to say about that because it absolutly ridiculous..........

Yes, that is ridculous.

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

What was the main reason Jesus came to Earth? Why did God take on human flesh and become a man? - We were all in need of salvation. So, Jesus, God in flesh became a man, to save us from our sins, when you come down to it, He came to forgive our sins. That was God's sole reason for sending Jesus, correct?


Now, let me set the scene. It's right after Jesus' resurrection. Jesus has died on the cross and has risen from the grave. He has concurred death! He then appears to his disciples and says, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20:21). Then Jesus did something VERY important. Something God did way back in Genesis: He breathed on them, and said "Receive the holy Spirit." (John 20:22).


So what has happened to far? We have Jesus, right after his glorious resurrection. Telling his disciples (the very first priests), he is going to send them as God has sent Him. He then breathes on them and says, "Receive the holy Spirit." You know something very important is about to happen. but what? Sacred Scripture tells us in the very next verse:

"Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:23)

In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.

Sacred Scripture tells us there is, "..one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus.." (1 Tim. 2:5), As Catholics we acknowledge, Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.

The Old Testament law is a shadow of the new things to come (Hebrews 10:1). What is a shadow? An outline of the actual thing! We can see that the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others. (Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22). Now we have Jesus under the New Covenant showing us the fulfillment of this by granting the authority to forgive sins to his disciples.

St. James also tells us the confession must be done orally in James 5:16. We also see this in Acts 19:18, Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5

We have something called venial sins and mortal sins. Venial sins are minor ones, like those mentioned in 1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48, this has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for over 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.

Again in Matt. 5:19 Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).

There is a lot more to it then this, and if you really want to understand why Catholics believe it is biblical to confess your sins to a priest, check out Scott Hahn's book: "Lord Have Mercy."

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Want to have a little Bible Study, check out these verses:

I. Jesus Christ Granted the Apostles His Authority to Forgive Sins

John 20:21 - before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, "as the Father sent me, so I send you." As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.

John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins.

Gen. 2:7 - the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. This is the only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

John 20:23 - Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Like I said before, in order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must confess their sins - the apostles are not mind readers!

Matt. 9:8 - this verse shows that God has given the authority to forgive sins to "men." Hence, those Protestants who acknowledge that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins (which this verse demonstrates) must prove that this gift ended with the apostles. Otherwise, the apostles' successors still possess this gift. Where in Scripture is the gift of authority to forgive sins taken away from the apostles or their successors?

Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10 - Christ forgave sins as a man (not God) to convince us that the "Son of man" has authority to forgive sins on earth.

Luke 5:24 - Luke also points out that Jesus' authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.

Matt. 18:18 - the apostles are given authority to bind and loose. The authority to bind and loose includes administering and removing the temporal penalties due to sin. The Jews understood this since the birth of the Church.

John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 - the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ's ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an "indulgence").

2 Cor. 2:10 - Paul forgives in the presence of Christ (some translations refer to the presences of Christ as "in persona Christi"). Some say that this may also be a reference to sins.

2 Cor. 5:18 - the ministry of reconciliation was given to the ambassadors of the Church. This ministry of reconciliation refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of confession or penance.

James 5:15 - in this verse we see that sins are forgiven by the elders in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man's authority to forgive sins on earth.

1 Tim. 2:5 - Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.

Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 - even under the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others.

*
II. The Necessity and Practice of Orally Confessing Sins

James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must confess our sins to one another (to our confessors), not just privately to God.

Acts 19:18 - many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.

Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 - again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).

1 Tim. 6:12 - this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.

1 John 1:9 - if we confess are sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.

Num. 5:7 - this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.

2 Sam. 12:14 - even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).

Neh. 9:2-3 - the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.

Sir. 4:26 - God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament of reconciliation understands the import of this verse.

Baruch 1:14 - again, this shows that the people made confession in the house of the Lord, before the assembly.

1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48 - there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for over 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.

Matt. 5:19 - Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Also, I heard a few years back that the pope was thinking about changing the Lords prayer a little bit, rearranging words and that.........uhhhhhhh, what's this???? I don't have anything to say about that because it absolutly ridiculous..........

Also, because it's not true! His Holiness, Pope John Paul II loves the Pater Noster, (or Our Father) he would never change the words of Christ!

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

 

[panterapat]

"Peter, you are a rock and upon this rock I chall build my church. I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you forgive on earth shall be forgiven in heaven and what you hold bound on earth shall be held bound in heaven."

Peter was our first pope. He, and his secessors are given to power to loose or forgive sins. This is why we confess to a priest who is acting in place of Jesus.

In Christ, Patrick