ArchivedCalling all Catholics!Webmaster Wrote: We are taught to confess our sins to priests. In John 20:23 Christ gave his apostles the power to forgive sins in his name. The priest acts in 'persona Christi', or in the person of Christ when giving absolution. The forgiveness comes from Christ. The authority Christ gave to his apostles is passed down to the priests of today through apostolic succession. The priest acts with Christ's authority at Christ's command. We're not saying the priest forgives the sins instead of God. Rather, and again, God works through the priest. Neither do we believe that we should go to confession instead of "praying straight to God," but rather, one should do both. At every confession, the penitent must pray an Act of Contrition, which begs God for forgiveness: "O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, O my God, who art all-good and worthy of all my love. I firmly intend, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen." The priest in return may say: God, the Father of mercies, through the death and the resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of Sins; through the ministry of the Church my God gives you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Aieno Wrote: Ofcourse I am going to give you scripture through the "filter" of the Church and its traditions and interpretations of scripture. what eles am I to do? I am a Catholic, and thats what I believe to be true. Brothers of Jesus? are we going into another topic? 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". Yes Aieno 1 John 1:9 is a good verse to quote, there are many more. For example, in Isaiah 43:25 we read, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Yes, God does forgive our sins. But, there is a further question, how does God forgive our sins? To answer this question we look to the scriptural context, that is, the pattern of how God operates in the Old and the New Testament. For example, in the Old Testament we read in Leviticus 19:20-22: "If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet, they are not to be put to death...the man must bring a ram to the entrance of the Meeting Tent for a guilt offering to the Lord. With the ram of the guilt offering, the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven." In this passage, we have a clear example of how God forgives sin. The sinner comes with his gift, the ram. Then the priest makes atonement. God has given to the priest the ministry of reconciliation. God uses the priest to make his forgiveness known to the sinner. The priest is the instrument God uses to extend his forgiveness. It is God who does the forgiving; the priest is the means God uses. This pattern that God established in the Old Testament continues in the New Testament. God forgives our sins using a priest as his instrument. Peace to you both |
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