Catholics, please help me understand?

Question

If the religious establishment of Jesus day was corrupt, and unfortuntaely today there are corrupt priest, as well as pastors, why do you believe Jesus would give the authority to forgive sins to men?

Answer 1

We do not know why Jesus did a lot of things but he did them and we cannot ignore them.

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

Actually, that's something of a misconception. Only God can forgive sins. The priest acts as a channel through which God's forgiveness can be experienced, and he determines whether or not a person has truly repented of their sins.

Since God is the ultimate source of forgiveness, the priest's holiness or sinfulness doesn't matter as far as absolution is concerned. Unless the priest has been excommunicated for some reason, he still has the Church's authority to admiminster the sacrament of reconciliation to another person, no matter what state his own soul is in.

We know that Jesus *did* give authority to forgive sins to His disciples and their successors, and He would not have done something harmful to harm His people. ("Whose sins you remit are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained.")So we can go to Confession and know that God is hearing us, no matter what the state of the priest's soul.

Answer 3

It is not the priest or even the Church who absolves you of your sin. It is Jesus Christ acting through the priest.

"1484 "Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession." There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church."

Answer 4

Jesus's authority is from the father not the church....

Answer 5

if jesus were alive today he would have a talk show on tv and use that to reach as many people as possible.

OH wait, he has, I forgot jesus n' pals with its total viewership of 6 people.