i'm catholic, but i haven't been to confession since.....well, since my first reconciliation?

Question

i tried once when i was about 11, but i started crying and left. i was very nervous. hehe.
so, i was wondering, what are the added benefits of confessing to the priest as opposed to God?

Answer 1

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 of 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.

Remember all sacraments are encounters with God. This sacrament is a healing encounter between God and the penitent.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1422 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

which do you think is easier? pray to God and ask for forgiveness, or saying confession to a priest? If you think the former, you are correct. The reason saying confession to a priest is more difficult is because you are encountering Jesus Christ. Make no mistake about that. Do you want to pray and just hope that you are forgiven, and do you want to encounter our Lord and know that you have been forgiven?

Some of the added benefits of saying confession to a priest, in addition to a real encounter with Christ, is that you will be healed of sins that you were not aware you committed, but for the guidance of the priest, and the priest will give you spiritual guidance. Also, you can then worthily receive the body of our Lord at Mass.

peace be with you.

Answer 3

When a Catholic goes to confession, he/she *is* confessing to God! The priest is there to help by (a) holding us accountable for our actions (b) offering us good advice on avoiding the same sin in the future, (c) pronouncing us absolved by the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus does the absolving; the priest just reminds us of this and tells us we've been absolved) and (d) assigning us a penance, usually prayers, to help us become more like Jesus as we grow in our faith.

There are many, many benefits to this process. It may be hard to get the nerve to do it, but preparing for confession is an important personal assessment -- makes you realize what you like about your life and what you want to change about your life.

Plus hearing that you've been absolved in the name of the Lord is a WONDERFUL thing. It feels really good, like a load is off your shoulders. And then you get the advice and penance from the priest to help you make those changes you want to make in your life, help you become the person you really want to be.

I always cry a lot preparing for and starting my confessions, but it's totally worth it. If you want to, you can go to a parish that you don't belong to and stay really anonymous. You can also call ahead and ask the parish secretary who is the most understanding of all the priests and when he hears confession so that you can get somebody who will make you feel more comfortable.

You'll feel a LOT better once you go, so make up your mind, pick a day and pick a parish and get ready for it. May God bless you with every good thing.

Answer 4

When Jesus breathed on the Apostles it was a very significant moment as the only other time Our Lord did this was when He breathed life into Adam. This gave them the power to forgive sins and whatever is forgiven on earth is also forgiven in Heaven for it is Christ himself in the confessional acting through the priest. The Human person needs to hear the words of forgiveness and absolution. Remember what a Sacrament is, it is a power in which the Holy Spirit can act and after praying the pray of contrition with a contrite heart and performing your penance you will receive a new infusion of Gods Mercy so that you can go on in your life. Think of it as an oil change and the getting rid of all the sin which brings us down and beginning anew. Once a month will do your soul wonders. God Bless my dear

Answer 5

None. There is no place in scripture where you are to confess to priests. That is man-made doctrine. The Bible DOES say to confess your faults one to another, and that Jesus is the ONLY mediator between you and God.

Confession to priests was the Catholic hierarchal way of keeping the laity dependent on the institution. God condemns this and refers to it a Nicolaitanism--that is "Power over the laity". See my study below for details.
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/seven_letters.pdf

Answer 6

None whatsoever.

We arent "reconciled" to God by CONFESSING, but by BELIEVING in his death, burial and resurrection as sufficient payment for ALL sins, past , present and future.

Answer 7

not being Catholic I can't help. I've never believed that there
was anyone other than Jesus that was between me and
Paradise.