Confession

Confession is such a beautiful gift, isn't it?  Forgiving one another just as Christ has forgiven us.  Some people hold on to past hurts.  They hold on to grudges for weeks, months, years & it eats away at them. Forgive them again and again and again.  Why?  Because He told us too.

Matthew 18:21-21:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Forgiveness comes easy for me.  Why?  Because I realize we are all humans with a sinful nature.  Not one of us are perfect.  Christ forgives me when I go and humble myself before Him, the least I can do is forgive those just as easily who have offended or hurt me.

Life is too brief not to forgive.

Look what James 5:16 states: 

Confess therefore your sins one to another; and pray one for another, that you may be saved.  For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much. 

The sin might be something small and minor, go to that person & get it off your chest.  Make your heart and soul pure before Christ.  :-)

There is the false misconception in the Protestant / Fundamentalist churches that Catholics / Orthodox confess their sins to the priest and not to GOD.

That is false.

Catholics / Orthodox always confess their sins to GOD.   We do it directly as well as through His ministers because that is what GOD requires, as taught in Scripture.

John 20:19-23 states:

Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you.

 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.

 He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.

 When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

 John 20:21 says 'As the Father has sent me, so I send you.'  The Apostles are to continue the mission of Christ.  What did Christ do?  He forgave sins.  Christ was a man who humbled Himself to be man and fully GOD, yet He still forgave sins. This power was passed on to the Apostles successors (Popes, Bishops, Priests, Archbishops, etc).

 

Jesus gave His disciples power to forgive sins.  He conferred that power by breathing on them.  The only other time that GOD breathed on anyone was when He breathed life into Adam (Gen. 2:7).

When I was younger and unlearned in the Catholic faith, my mom would make me go to confession.  It was so mind numbing for me.  One time I even made up sins to confess to the priest because I didn't want to be there.  I think we went once or twice a year, I don't recall.

Now as an adult who has come back to the Faith, with a much bigger, better & wiser understanding of it, I see the great joy of the sacrament of Reconciliation. It really is a gift to us.  I love how the priest reads Scripture to us and gives us counsel while in the Confessional (or office or wherever it may be). 

The Catholic Faith only requires it's faithful to attend Confession once per year as a minimum.  Can you imagine just eating or showering once a year?  Or being intimate with your spouse once a year?  Ugh!  

I don't know about other Catholics, but I enjoy having a pure conscience and clean heart every day.  I can't fathom only going once per year.  I would be spiritually malnourished. My soul would be spiritually dead.

Since coming back home to Rome, I try to make it to Confession once per week.  Of course, throughout the week I am in constant communion and confession with Almighty GOD, but there is something so humbling, so rich, to go to the Man of GOD (while GOD is there) and say 'Father, forgive me, these are my sins'.

For all my Protestant / Fundamentalist friends, guess what?  Even when Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church and began the Reformation, confession was still done by the means of the Man of GOD (i.e. Martin Luther heard confessions).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confession_in_the_Lutheran_Church

This isn't something the Catholic / Orthodox Churches just made up or "added" to their doctrines.  It's taken straight out of the Word of GOD.  

"I entreat you beloved brethren, that each one should confess his own sins while while he is still in this world -- while his confession can still be received and while the satisfaction  & remission made by the priests are still pleasing to the LORD." --  Cyprian (c.250 A.D.).

With love from my heart to yours,

Dawn