DAY 13: Confession

     Even though this is one of the biggest misconceptions of the church, I was going to try to avoid this subject until I had a better grasp of it, but then I found a website that explains it pretty simply. : ) http://catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0140.html

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    Confession in the Catholic Church is called a sacrament (signs of sacred things that "cause grace in the souls of man"- catholic encyclopedia) It is when sins that are committed after baptism are forgiven. One of the biggest problem Protestants seem to have with the Sacrament of Confession is the direct link to God. "Only God can erase your sins. So why don't you (Catholics) ask Him for forgiveness?" Don't get me wrong, we do, but, speaking from personal experience, it does help to hear the priest say " I absolve you of your sins."

     The first thing I need to cover, I suppose, is this. When we sin, we separate ourselves from God. That link with Him is not broken, but it becomes strained.  As the above website says "when we sin, we rupture our relationship not just with God, but with His Body, the Church (since all Catholics are interconnected as children of a common Father). So when we apologize, we need to do so to all parties involved — God and the Church.
     Think of it this way. Imagine you walk into a store and steal some of their merchandise. Later, you feel remorse and regret the sinful act. Now, you can pray to God to forgive you for breaking His commandment. But there’s still another party involved; you’ll need to return the merchandise and make restitution for your action.
     It’s the same way with the Church. In the confessional, the priest represents God and the Church, since we’ve sinned against both. And when he pronounces the words of absolution, our forgiveness is complete."

     The Priest is the connection between his Church and God.  He is the only one who can say the words "I absolve you of your sins" and then he is speaking for God. Of course anyone can forgive the sins of others. It's in the "Our Father." We pray, " and forgive us our trespasses, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US."
      The Sacrament of Confession has been part of the Church since the beginning. There are two examples where confession is written into the Bible. The first is in the Gospel of John and the second in the Letter to James.

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I 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, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)

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“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:14-16)

Remember, I don't have a degree in any of this stuff. I'm just trying to explain it in a way that everyone can understand. If you have any questions or I said something wrong, please comment. Thanks!