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Connie
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| Joined: | Fri Jun 1st, 2007 |
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| First Name: | Connie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Catholic Convert from Presbyterian, then Episcopalian |
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Posted: Mon Feb 25th, 2008 05:54 pm |
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Just wondering, do Catholics HAVE to go to Confession? I know the Pope and the Catechism has declared we faithful Catholics must go what? twice a year? This I do, and more.
I really feel though, if I confess my sins to my God and Lord, (which I do frequently--daily even) why do I have to go to some man/Priest? Sure he's God's instrument, I know this, and it's a beautiful thing indeed. But what does/will he do for me that God hasn't already, when I layed my soul out for Jesus in prayer?
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~Connie~
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mg57
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Posted: Mon Feb 25th, 2008 07:41 pm |
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Just a quick thought Connie, which perhaps Dave, Rick or others can expand on. Sin is never entirely between "just Jesus and me". According Catholic teaching, sin has corporate repercussions within the whole Body. That is why we need to see a legitimate representative whose responsibility includes our spiritual welfare.
Your underlying premise is a question of does God require "structures". The ordinary way God works is through sacramental structures, - Scripture, Tradition and Magisterium, although He can act in extra-ordinary ways anytime He wants. Both are true, we can see this in Acts, the letters of St. Paul on the subject of the mystical Body of Christ, and the letters to Timothy.
Stated in the positive, -
CCC -
1474 -The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God's grace is not alone. "The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person."86
1475 In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things."87 In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is "not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy."88
1477 "This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body."89
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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Feb 25th, 2008 11:08 pm |
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The short answer to your question is yes, Catholics have to go to confession. A better answer would be yes, we are privileged to be able to go to the priest, who is Christ in persona, confess what is burdening our hearts, and be absolved through the sacrament. This must be done before receiving the Holy Eucharist if the person has committed a grave sin. We must be reconciled to Christ before receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord. It is not just some mean ole rule made to make us feel guilty, but the opposite. I believe the church requires one confession a year, during Lent. Pope John Paul II went once a week. How much sin could he have committed?
For me, the problem with just asking the Lord for forgiveness on my own, is that I assume too much in being easy on myself. Sitting in line waiting for confession, we examine our consciences and I come up with things I wouldn't have considered otherwise. And talking with the priest in confession is not like anyplace else, even talking with the same priest outside confession. There is no better feeling than walking out of the confessional, absolved, and resolving to do better.
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Kim M.
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| First Name: | Kim | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Assembly of God, Church of God, Assembly again, PCA, ... |
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Posted: Mon Feb 25th, 2008 11:18 pm |
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Not being a Catholic, I would think that having to verbalize one's sins to another human being would help discourage future sinning. Yes? No?
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"A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22
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Laughing Elf
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Posted: Tue Feb 26th, 2008 12:41 am |
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Kim,
Not being Catholic, but being quick with an answer, I'd suggest you are on to something.
I'm still trying to figure it all out where it makes sense (hence my new thread on another aspect of confession).
Confession seems an enlightened approach to the concept of dealing with a person sinning within a micro community. A number of cults adopted a distorted version of this and "forced" community members to confess to sins publically in group settings. Those cults did untold psychological damage to their members.
Yet, here, in a vastly different setting, we have the opportunity to confess, be forgiven, and perhaps while not becoming sinless, actually sin less.
What do you think?
peace,
Rod
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"Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight."
Tolkien, LOTR I
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Feb 26th, 2008 02:06 am |
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Kim M. wrote: Not being a Catholic, I would think that having to verbalize one's sins to another human being would help discourage future sinning. Yes? No?
Kim, practicing Catholics who make frequent use of the sacrament of Penance have half the suicide rate of the rest of the population. They are less likely to have severe depression, less likely to be divorced, less likely to be institutionalized, less likely to be imprisoned, etc.
There is tremendous healing power in the words, "you are forgiven". Remember that most often, Jesus did not tell people they were healed, he said they were forgiven. He tells us the same thing through his priest.
"I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." What wonderful, healing words!
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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tedjenczewski
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Posted: Tue Feb 26th, 2008 10:47 pm |
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| A catholic confession requires that the penitant carefully examine his sin and verbally express it in a clear and concise manner to a person who has the scriptural authority to bind or to loose, to forgive or retain. In my view catholic confession requires by its nature considerably more introspection than the generalized confession and assurance typical of protestantism. It is my personal experience that the release experienced by the penitent rejuvenates the soul, reconciles him to God and prepares him to receive the bread of heaven.
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"...the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1Tim 3, 15
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Kim M.
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| Joined: | Mon Feb 11th, 2008 |
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Posted: Wed Feb 27th, 2008 12:16 am |
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CajunRick wrote: Kim M. wrote: Not being a Catholic, I would think that having to verbalize one's sins to another human being would help discourage future sinning. Yes? No?
Kim, practicing Catholics who make frequent use of the sacrament of Penance have half the suicide rate of the rest of the population. They are less likely to have severe depression, less likely to be divorced, less likely to be institutionalized, less likely to be imprisoned, etc.
There is tremendous healing power in the words, "you are forgiven". Remember that most often, Jesus did not tell people they were healed, he said they were forgiven. He tells us the same thing through his priest.
"I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." What wonderful, healing words!
Rick, I believe that public confession is so very valuable. I only wish we Protestants valued it more. For most of us, it's just between us and the Lord. Not that we couldn't grab someone and start confessing our sins to them! lol Just doesn't seem the same, but I imagine the benefits you listed would be the same. Confession, as they say (whoever "they" are) is good for the soul.
I confess that I spend FAR too much time on this forum! 
____________________
"A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22
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germangreek
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| Joined: | Tue Feb 26th, 2008 |
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| First Name: | Richard | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, (Charismatic and still) Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Feb 28th, 2008 08:37 pm |
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Connie wrote: I really feel though, if I confess my sins to my God and Lord, (which I do frequently--daily even) why do I have to go to some man/Priest? Sure he's God's instrument, I know this, and it's a beautiful thing indeed. But what does/will he do for me that God hasn't already, when I layed my soul out for Jesus in prayer?
Not sure I know the whole reasoning, but...
It is known that Christ bestowed upon certain of His followers the authority to forgive (or not) the sins of another. Not all of them; not like the Holy Spirit that was given to every Christian on earth at once on Pentecost. But some identifiable men had then, and some do today, the authority given by Christ to forgive another man's sins. What the actual mechanics of doing it may be are variable, but I'm convinced that the authority was conferred for a purpose, and coming from Christ that purpose is undoubtedly a well-thought-out one. Enough reason for one who follows Christ to ensure that it happens from time to time in his life.
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"The purpose of an open mind, like that of an open mouth, is to close it on something solid." GK Chesterton.
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