Why Does The Sacrament of Confession Exist?


One of the biggest objections non-Catholics and even Catholics have over the faith is about confession. The common defensive these people have is: “If I am sorry for my sins, why can’t I just pray to God and tell him?”

So, I have many things to say about this topic. I can list about 100 reasons why confession is an essential part to Christianity. But we don’t have all day, so I’ll just give you a few for now.

Well first, you need to understand that a priest who is hearing confessions is not by any means a God. They are simply the mediator between you and God. Some may ask, “Well why would God give a man the power to forgive sins?”. Let’s take a look at John’s gospel for a minute. Jesus tells his disciples in John 20:23, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Why would he give man the power to forgive sins if he did not want them to use it?
Peter, our first pope and head disciple of Jesus, has passed this down to all generations. Our priests are just taking the order from their boss, Jesus Christ. He himself said so.

Another argument that I think many can agree with me on is how human beings have a need to tell their sins to another person out loud. This desire is within us whether we realize it or not. Do you vent to your friends when you’ve done something you know is wrong? Do you ever vent to your sister, mom, or even a therapist about these sins? A big part of the time, our sins are not private. The world finds out about them in some way, shape, or form. But the one thing that cannot come out of these conversations is God’s forgiveness. You can rant on and on, but most of the time, that won’t bring you peace. That’s where confession comes in. We can get our sins all out to someone who is going to look at us with love and mercy. This very person that we speak to was given the power to wipe away absolutely any sin that is on our hearts. Yet we run away from the sacrament because we feel like we may be judged or frowned upon by the priest. This is a lame excuse and keeps us from receiving the grace God wants to give us! It is only possible through confession.


If you aren’t sold by any of this, check out this guide written by the Bishops of a Pennsylvania Catholic Conference which can give you a deeper understanding of this essential sacrament. Click here to have your minds blown: https://ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/GUIDEPEN.HTM

God Bless and may Christ Be With You! 

Comments

  1. PaddyJanuary 31, 2018 at 11:10 AM

    Interesting points... I might have some look at this blog....

    ReplyDelete

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