To confess to a priest, is to confess to God. It is an amazing experience
Don't you think that every believer is, in some sense, a priest?
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To confess to a priest, is to confess to God. It is an amazing experience
I do, in the sense I interpret scripture to have meant it.Don't you think that every believer is, in some sense, a priest?
When I came into the church (Chrismation 2015), working with the parish priest during catechism, I was introduced the the older gentleman who would be my mentor.
I know there are members of our parish who have a spiritual father in nearby monasteries and they will make their confession there. I'm unsure of how that process works. Our priest has mentioned, on several occasions, that he has a spiritual father that he makes regular confession in the presence of.
I still make my Confession in the presence of our parish Priest (confession is to God, not the priest). Unfortunately for me, my mentor has since passed away and I turn to several elders in the church for advice as well as the priest.
To confess to a priest, is to confess to God. It is an amazing experience
I think there is a certain benefit to having a fellow Christ follower to keep oneself accountable. But the dogma that sins can only be forgiven by a priest following confession to a priest flies in the face of scripture, in the very face of Jesus' teaching.
I don't see why confession to an individual would be necessary in order to rightly partake of communion. But I see why it would be very useful.
I completely agree, which is why Jesus taught us to pray to God for forgiveness.
Once it was suggested to me that I make a list of my sins and admit to myself and another what I had done wrong. I was supposed to show the list to someone. I had forgotten to add something to the list after I confessed it. I am not Catholic, but went to a Catholic Church in the big city where I was staying and found a confession booth. I can't remember the face of the man I confessed to, but was glad to have completed my confession. It took years of study and work to gain greater blessings than what I had that day. Some people wrote that you are not saved by works. I know you are not saved by being idle. Even if my body aches, I might go to my chair and pick up a book or tablet computer to study again.Because you want to be sure you are not in mortal sin. if you go the sacrament of reconcilation properly, you can quite confident you are forgiven, If you don't, its impossible to be sure if you are pefectly contrite. If you are willing to confess your guilt, you probably are. This isn't a total argument, but one practical one.
Another thing, we believe priests have special authority they are able to excercise on behalf of god they recieve through Holy Orders. Lay people do not have the same authority, so they cannot authoritatively absolve sins.
I'm not saying that people can't/shouldn't confess their sins to lay people, or that they cannot be forgiven by them, just that is important to go to to a priest to recieve authoritative absolution.
That's my two cents. There is probably bit more to the question, but I understand this much.
Don't you think that every believer is, in some sense, a priest?
Four problems with Catholic confession:the Catholic practice of confession.
Confessing to a priest is confessing to God
I think there is a certain benefit to having a fellow Christ follower to keep oneself accountable. But the dogma that sins can only be forgiven by a priest following confession to a priest flies in the face of scripture, in the very face of Jesus' teaching.