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 5:20)
I’ll add to that sentiment, How to people raise children without the Sacrament of Confession? I’ve found it invaluable is teaching my children the nature of sin and the joy of a clean conscience. Here’s some quotes from my kids over the years: “I sometimes think of doing something, then I think, no…I’ll just have to confess it”, “It (confession) helps me to feel so clean”, “I always feel so GOOD after confession!” , “Mom, why don’t other parents take their kids to confession?”, “I really like that you make us go to confession!” “Mom, the priest started saying the absolution before I was done and I didn’t want to interrupt him, are all my sins still forgiven?” This was one said with big tears in her little eyes…”Yes sweetheart, they are all forgiven!”
God bless our Catholic Church and all her holy Sacraments!
I don’t know. It must be a real problem to commit a moral sin, and not receive forgiveness for it. It is great to get things forgiven by Jesus Christ.
I confess looking in your photobucket album today. Hope it was OK Ken. There is an adorable picture of a child confessing to a SSPX priest online, but I think it is copyrighted.
Here is the picture Ken: http://www.laportelatine.org/district/chartres/chartres2007/reportage4/sacr04.jpg
Yeah that’s OK. Without confession I would go crazy.
i teach my students to question the use of the terms reconciliation or forgiveness instead of confession we must confess our sins the priest does not have to absolve us
The same way they live without Christ, I’m afraid: They don’t!
But then again, why do people confess their sins and then commit them again at some point or the other?
We are indeed weak.
Embarrassment (a form of pride) is what keeps many away from the confessional. It’s easy to say, “I use foul language on occasion,” or “I’ve drank to excess several times.” It’s not as easy to confess, “I’ve cheated on my wife,” or “I view pornography regularly.”
But of course the only hope of breaking free of those sins is to confess them to a priest and receive the grace of the sacrament. It can be a horrible cycle for many.
Certainly the eradication of “Confession Rooms” and the return of Confessionals would be a salve.
Yeah, I think face-to-face I would have a harder time belching out my deeds. Even though I confess to 1 Priest who knows me.
I don’t understand how you can take communion w/o confession. In most Orthodox parishes the priest won’t commune someone unless the know they have been to confession recently.
ICXC NIKA
John
i am one active member of the parish in our place and usually priests knows me and it is hard confessing my sins to them thinking the fact that i see them most often, sometimes i just dont take confession anymore thinking that a prayer confessing my sins directly to him can do it.
I see the Priest I confess to all the time. I can care less that he “knows thing”. Rhiana, don’t worry, just go. Christ left us the Sacrament, and the Church for forgiveness. Just imagine Christ on the other side of the screen, who already knows all things. The priest is just an instrument.
yeah but priest sin too right.. they’re also humans
Of course they do. If we would have nothing to do with sinners we would be all alone our entire lives.