I am reprinting an article I wrote for our Knights of Columbus Newsletter. Maybe it will help some of my family and friends who are Protestant to understand some of what it means to be Catholic Christian.
Brother Knights and Friends;
Many of our Protestant friends have a problem with our practice of Confession. Here are some comments and some apologetics for Brother Knights. The most common argument is that there is “That is not in the Bible”. Well, here are instances of Biblical support:
Biblical References to Confession (Penance, Reconciliation)
- John 20:22-23
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." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.- Source: Bible Answers for Bible Christians http://www.biblechristians.org/answers.cfm?ID=95
Well, there are two instances in the Bible where God breathes on man, in Genesis where Life is given to Adam and in John, where Christ breathes His Spirit and gives new life to mankind. I think all of us have times where we have felt a kind of dread in entering the Confessional. I have had those times, and it has kept me away from the Grace which is always present in the Forgiveness of Our Lord. For whatever the reason I have stayed away, I have come back and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. When I was in college, I took my walks down the front of St. Gregory’s with Fr. Ian, Fr. Louis, or Fr. Theodore.
If we think back, we can hold on to the real answer to our Protestant friends suspicions. The answer is the way we feel when we come out of the Confessional, when we feel like there is no forgiveness for how we have behaved, or how we’ve treated our friends, or our wives, or our children. But, without fail, there is forgiveness, there is no judgment, just those simple words,
“I Absolve You in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
With those simple words, we walk away feeling more refreshed than any shower, any caress, and light on our feet to receive the Body and Blood of the Savior that Redeems us, and forgives us through the Ministry of the Church.
When we confess our sins to a priest, we are confessing the guilt of our sinfulness. Why this is uplifting is that we hear Jesus, through the person of the priest, say the words:
“Your Sins are forgiven!”
This is important because when we hear and believe, God's grace is poured out on us. While going to God directly is good, after a while, when we don't hear God answering us, we begin the spiral downward. Believing that God does not hear us, and our hearts become hardened. The effect of God's Grace lessens because we do not believe we are worthy to receive this Grace. Thus, speaking your sins out loud to another person who stands in the person of Jesus as the head of the Church, is humbling because the priest, who is human, understands. It is uplifting because Jesus understands us as well. The Grace poured out is from the Heart of Jesus responding in and through the actions of the priest.
Vivat Jesus!
Next week, Eucharist…
Thank you, Fr. Jim, for your input into this article….
