What is the whole point of confession?(Catholics)?

Question

What is the whole point of confession? I see nothing in the old or new testament that states we have to confess our sins to a man in some boxed in closet. Really, I thought we were suppose to pray to God. Also, I dont really think those priests give good advises anywayz, so I dont see the whole point of confession.

Answer 1

I'll probably get a thumbs down for this but I agree. I don't think we must go in a dark booth and spill our guts. I feel if we feel badly enough, we should try and make amends, not tell a priest. I was always terrified of confession growing up and I refuse to do it.

Answer 2

There is precedent in the Judaic law for a priest to hear the confession of a sinner and perform a rite of atonement.

"When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin." (Leviticus 5:5-6)

The levitical priest was required as part of the atonement ritual. Christ continued this tradition by expressly giving his disciples the power to forgive sins.

"Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:21-23)

Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to men, and not just any men but the ones he selected and breathed the Holy Spirit into. These men became the first Christian priests, and were ordained by Christ himself to preach his message of repentance and perform the sacrament of reconciliation. We should recognize that:

1. At the core of the preaching of both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ we hear the message that we must repent and be forgiven. Repentance means to feel truly sorry for our sins and to make an honest effort not to commit sin again. The centrality of repentance and forgiveness in Christ's teaching indicates that confession is a very important part of the Christian faith.

2. Going to a priest to receive forgiveness is what Christ expected his followers to do, otherwise he would not have given his priests the power to forgive.

3. Christ expected his priests to make a decision as to whether a sin should be forgiven or retained. This implies that the sinner must verbally describe their sins and somehow indicate that they are truly repentant. This is why there must be a "man in some boxed closet". Of course confessions can be heard anywhere, depending on how comfortable the penitent is.

Answer 3

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 4

Don't bother looking in Scripture, it isn't there. It all ties into their belief that priests are substitute Christs, that they can forgive sin, since, according to them, they have apostolic succession. It also ties into the major difference between catholics and protestants, the sufficiency of God's grace for forgiveness and salvation. We say that Christ did it all on the cross, the forgiving is done, all the sins of believers have been forgiven. They believe that His grace forgave to a certain point, but now you must confess your sins in hopes you don't die with sin on you and end up in purgatory, another doctrine not in Scripture.

Answer 5

Confession is a way for people who have taken vows of celibacy and whatever else to live vicariously through "sinners" by making themselves privy to the deepest darkest secrets they may have, it's the religious equivalent of watching soaps or reality TV.

Answer 6

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." John 20:21-23

Priests have authority from Christ to forgive sins. Christ forgives sins through the Priest.

T"herefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:20

The Bishops and Priests of the Roman Catholic Church are Christ's ambassadors (representatives), therefore, they continue in Christ's priestly mission to forgive sins and baptise. God bless!

Answer 7

the point of confession is to cleanse your soul of sins, be receiving forgiveness, and therefore be in a state of grace

Answer 8

all of it take place as quickly as we've been teenagers and went to hassle-loose college and the academics use to offer us stars for popularity. it did no longer mean something then, and it nonetheless does no longer mean something now.

Answer 9

blah blah blah, try confessing to yourself once in awhile....Then imagine how it is telling those dark personal secrets to another person....It is all about coming to grips with what we do wrong.

Answer 10

Jesus Christ Granted the Apostles His Authority to Forgive Sins
John 20:21 - before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, "as the Father sent me, so I send you." As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.

John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

John 20:23 - Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.

Matt. 9:8 - this verse shows that God has given the authority to forgive sins to "men." Hence, those Protestants who acknowledge that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins (which this verse demonstrates) must prove that this gift ended with the apostles. Otherwise, the apostles' successors still possess this gift. Where in Scripture is the gift of authority to forgive sins taken away from the apostles or their successors?

Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10 - Christ forgave sins as a man (not God) to convince us that the "Son of man" has authority to forgive sins on earth.

Luke 5:24 - Luke also points out that Jesus' authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.

Matt. 18:18 - the apostles are given authority to bind and loose. The authority to bind and loose includes administering and removing the temporal penalties due to sin. The Jews understood this since the birth of the Church.

John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 - the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ's ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an "indulgence").

2 Cor. 2:10 - Paul forgives in the presence of Christ (some translations refer to the presences of Christ as "in persona Christi"). Some say that this may also be a reference to sins.

2 Cor. 5:18 - the ministry of reconciliation was given to the ambassadors of the Church. This ministry of reconciliation refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of confession or penance.

James 5:15-16 - in verse 15 we see that sins are forgiven by the priests in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man's authority to forgive sins on earth. Then in verse 16, James says “Therefore, confess our sins to one another,” in reference to the men referred to in verse 15, the priests of the Church.

1 Tim. 2:5 - Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.

Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 - even under the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others.

The Necessity and Practice of Orally Confessing Sins
James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.

Acts 19:18 - many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.

Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 - again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).

1 Tim. 6:12 - this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.

1 John 1:9 - if we confess are sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.

Num. 5:7 - this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.

2 Sam. 12:14 - even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).

Neh. 9:2-3 - the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.

Sir. 4:26 - God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament of reconciliation understands the import of this verse.

Baruch 1:14 - again, this shows that the people made confession in the house of the Lord, before the assembly.

1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48 - there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.

Matt. 5:19 - Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).