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what is up with having to take all sins to the priest instead of just confessing your sins directly to God your selfs?
Im not dissing you im just askin.

2007-06-01 17:17:50 · 2 answers · asked by bearcatz_07 4 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

2 answers

There's a Biblical precedent for it. The apostles were directly given the power to forgive sin. The Catholic Church is an apostolic Church (in other words, Catholic doctrine teaches that the Church is a direct continuation of apostolic Christian practices). Is there a verse where God suddenly revoked the mandate to confess our sins to one another, or stated that men were to no longer hear the confessions of their fellow men? No. So we do it in the Biblical way.

In John 20:23, Christ tells the apostles:
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.

James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

2007-06-01 17:47:55 · answer #1 · answered by solarius 7 · 1 0

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Luke 20:22-23)

Oral confessing sins is recommended over and over in both the Old and New Testaments:
+ James 5:16
+ Acts 19:18
+ Matthew 3:5-6
+ Mark 1:5
+ 1 Timothy 6:12
+ 1 John 1:9
+ Numbers 5:6-7
+ Nehemiah 9:2
+ Sirach 4:26

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

With love in Christ.

2007-06-02 02:04:27 · answer #2 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1 1

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