Strangely, I had this same discussion with a close friend of mine who is Baptist a few months ago. He would ardently state "You don't need to go to a priest to confess your sins!" And quoted (KJV - 1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;") I smiled and told him you are absolutely right. Confused by my statement he then inquired, "Then why do you go?" My response was simple. God has given us the sacraments, but is not bound by them. You are correct, I can confess my sins directly to Jesus, but I would not know if I am truly forgiven. By going to confession I am assured and know my sins have been forgiven, because Jesus himself told us so. (NABRE -John 20:23 "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.")
@@paulroche5670 your sins are always forgiven when you pray to God, he never retain them, so don't be fooled by that verse , God never retain them, he forgives them.
@@juliorivera870 James 5:16 Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. That's not what either Luke says, nor Luke means. The forgiveness part of the Our Father is asking for forgiveness from God, according to how we forgive. Christ gave the authority of teaching to the Church. Since there was no Bible for ~300 years, the Apostles and their successors had ultimate teaching authority. Christ left no instructions for a Bible, nor did he tell anyone to write anything because teaching was for his Church. The assemblers of the Bible (The Catholic Church) were undeniably infallible when they formed the Bible. Aided by the same Holy Spirit Christ left with the Apostles and their successors, they were infallible when teaching, infallible when forming the Bible, and infallible today when teaching on Dogma, Doctrine, and Christian morals. Not infallible with ANYTHING else. If you deny the infallibly of the Church, you deny the infallibility of the Bible. All of this is to prove, when the Church under their infallibility and authority given by Christ, says to receive fully the Grace and forgiveness of Christ, be absolved by a priest, then that is the truth.
Every time I go to confession and get absolved, I literally feel an indeterminable location near my heart get vacuumed of guilt. I find this mystical experience very interesting. I must wonder, does anyone else experience this?
That is not true. about you feeling a burdened lifted from your heart. That sin is still there lying dormant. and is so easily reactivated repeatedly in different and similar sins. You yourself said everytime i go to confession. Two reason this is happening. Your just going to confess, evidently not to repent. Secondly you have no hope of redemption when go to a simple man, devious and wick man who knows that God can not save people when he the priest interferes, steeling and blocking your prayers to God . Only Jesus Christ alone can wash away sins. Jesus Christ is the truth the way and the life. No man cometh on to God but through me. You do know that only Jesus christ died and rose from the grave to pardon and reconcile his creation with him in his heavenly Kingdom. What has the priest done?
@@floydknight8895 are you claiming to believe that all priests are wicked men? That is rather brash of you. Allow me to explain then the method of grace that God has bestowed upon us in the form of the Sacraments. We all know that Christ's sacrifice was enough to cleanse the sins of all men, but a man can choose to deny or accept the grace that stems from that perfect sacrifice. By accepting the grace and denouncing sin, you "repent." Think of it this way then, how can you be sure if you have truly repented? Without a basis for repentance you may never truly know and therefore run the risk of losing the oh so important connection to God. The sacrament of confession then, is the anchor to which we can be sure that God's grace has healed us in combination with our repentance. Think of it as a guaranteed wipe of your present sins.
@Breaking In The Habit. Father; You are misleading me and other Catholics and even one of my family member with this explanation of Confession. Please tell me why are you making other person's feel the Sacrament of Reconciliation is Optional? Are you trying to say that if I'm in a Mortal Sin, that I can still go up and receive the Eucharist/Jesus because I prayed to Jesus and I felt His pure love in my heart and soul? If I pray to GOD/Jesus and ask for forgiveness for my sins, which I do all the time, after, I must seek out a Priest to Confess my Sins, which I also do all the time. Confession Is A Very Powerful Sacrament that remove sins and Mortal sins. The sacraments of the Catholic Church is not optional. Father this Video is misleading, please fix.
@@juliorivera870 Yes God said that and yes you can ask him for forgiveness at anytime and for whatever sin you committed but with that said, he also said you have to go confession to ensure that your sins are forgiven (in a way) especially Mortal sins. If you have committed a Mortal sin, you have and must go to confession.
I love this sacrament,,,I always explain it to my non catholic friends, as me go to the priest and ask him to pray WITH me, to guide my prayer to GOD, as I reach within, and go to that humble place I need to be in order to make a good confession.
Really great video clarifying confession and it's true purpose in the Church. It was nice to see you go beyond the persona that is used to generalize priests as just spiritual guides. Very inspiring Father, thank you :)
Thank you for this. I'm a cradle Catholic and my thought on Confession has mostly been that it makes us say what we've sinned out loud, and to be honest with ourselves about our failings. Because God already knows what we've done, and if we cant' be honest with ourselves by confessing out loud to the Priest, then how will be able to face God in the afterlife/Judgement day? Once again thank you for this. God Bless
200k subscribers when I watched this video. Congratulations Fr. Casey! May your ministry continue to grow! May through this channel, many people will be lead to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ! God bless you always!
I love being a Catholic and love doing the teachings of the church and it's one of our sacraments. True, you can just go to Jesus and confess. But being a Catholic and realizing that it is one of our sacraments, I go to confession because I know as a Catholic it is the right thing to do. I don't expect any non-catholic to agree with anything I say.
I was part of the Act of Contrition, with the Bishop. The hardest part, as a Catholic who loved the Stations of the Cross (Way of the Cross... as well as St. Mary's version of the Cross), is how to serve. Father Groschel, Father Corapi (Speeches) and especially Venerated Father Bishop Fulton Sheen. A diverse aspect, I realize. Thank you for providing the insight and answers we were to scared to ask at the time. We're a lot more understanding of people's perception.
Excellent ! In the Eastern Tradition the priest prays to God for absolution and assures the faithful saying "God forgives you". It is a great advantage to participate in this sacrament.
I'm brought to tears for two things for sure. There are other things but always the prayer of absolution and when taps is played at a military funeral.
This is an extremely deep and rich subject theologically speaking, and there are more reasons (and information) than stated here. If any are interested, I would suggest to read what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about confession, as well as pick up a book on the priesthood of the Cure de Ars (St. John Vianny) and Padre Pio (two of the greatest confessors of all time).
Wow Fr. Casey! I've been following your page for a few years now, but I just realised how many videos I still haven't watched. As of Lent 2021, your recent Confession Q&A post has a lot of Qs which I just realised you answered already. Thank you for all the content you create. Maybe you should create a confession playlist with all the relevant videos
Not sure about this... First of all, there is no difference between "mortal" and "grave" sins. A mortal sin is a grave sin. Further, anyone can come to confession, even if they have committed a venial sin.
Breaking In The Habit I was confused by that. Should I abstain from the Eucharist after committing a mortal sin if I haven’t gone to confession or can confessing my sins outside of the sacrament suffice?
@@Welcometotheclipshow Correct, we are to abstain from reception of the Holy Eucharist in that situation. Look to our Catechism: “A person who is conscious of a grave sin (aka mortal sin, as was pointed out above) is not to . . . receive the body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession..." (CIC 916). The requirement for sacramental confession can be dispensed if four conditions are fulfilled: (1) there must be a grave reason to receive Communion (for example, danger of death), (2) it must be physically or morally impossible to go to confession first, (3) the person must already be in a state of grace through perfect contrition, and (4) he must resolve to go to confession as soon as possible. It is a very grave matter as Paul tells us in Corinthians (though I doubt you're engaging in the same sins as the Corinthians were...). Even so, if you are conscious of a mortal sin, abstain.
Frequent confession of our sins (venial or mortal) is good because we show to our Lord the desire to fight for our sanctity.. And we get counsel from the Priest to assist us in our struggle against ourselves... Even if we are committing the same sins week in week out.. It's good to show to the Lord this desire that we wish to be better and that we need G His grades
What makes anyone think that they can go to school and learn how to forgive sins ? If that was the case then JESUS DID NOT HAVE TO DIE ON THE CROSS,but JUST GO TO A SEMINARY !
Thank you Father Casey. I learned a lot from this video. I’ve be telling this to my Protestants brothers and sister for years. Now, I think I an explain it to them more clearly. One thing I know is how Catholicism is misunderstood.
I believe we should confess our faults and sins to one another as Brothers and Sisters in Christ, but ultimately we are each able to go straight to the Throne of God.
From Leo: So you are saying some man is uniquely qualified to put the stamp of approval in the finished work of JESUS the Christ. That does not sound right. .
@@charlesvandenburgh7754 Remember, it is not the priest who forgives us, it is Christ working through the priest. At the moment that a priest is ordained, he is configured to Christ in a very special way, allowing him to work in persona Christi. Christ will work THROUGH the priest. Therefore, it does not matter if a priest is a 'worse sinner' than the person seeking absolution, for Christ is the one forgiving and He is perfect.
@@charlesvandenburgh7754 Have you ever thinked about what makes a Priest a Priest? Years of seminary, studing and praying all day... They are celibate and various as Fr. Casey do poverty votes... They live for God and for Jesus, but yes they are still sinners like us... A priest is capable of doing what they do because they studied hard and followed Jesus... Not ALL are good, but lets not generalize them
Good video, Fr. Casey. But isn't confession not only reconciling us with the Lord, but also to the community (the church)...so, in that case, for serious sins - isn't it still necessary to go to confession? And isn't it also mandatory for serious sins before receiving the Eucharist? Thank you for addressing this topic.
Good luck. Keep it up, accurate information is needed. Hope the backlash isn't too much. Sometimes people don't like comfort disturbed with Truth. I think the Habit is broken in.
I remember reading somewhere that sin has a two-dimensional nature. I remember reading that sin both breaks your bond with God and also breaks your bond with your fellow Catholics. When you go directly to God to apologise, you deal with the vertical aspect of your sin but you don't address the horizontal aspect of your sin.
A little confused- I’ve always been taught you MUST go to a priest for mortal sins or you will not be forgiven. for venial sins you can go to straight to Jesus. Is this not true or am I missing something?
Every thing you say is correct, but I am a bit troubled by the explanation. It may leave some to think that Confession through a priest is optional when the Church clearly states that going to Confession with a priest is mandatory yearly. I wish you would have expressed this as some will take this to mean that Confession is a good idea but not required. This would be a mortal sin in itself. Can you please make that point shortly?
@@Rich.- If the truth spreads confusion then it is not due to the words spoken but the heart receiving, or other external factors. Also, do know that such calumny is a very serious sin. Be absolutely certain you know of what you speak. And if so, what is your proof that Fr.Casey is purposefully spreading confusion? Do you have incontrovertible evidence of this? If so, please present it, elsewise this can only be called hearsay.
Why do we never see the apostles hearing anyone's confession? Acts 13:37-38 Paul is speaking, "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man (Jesus) is preached to you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him everyone is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."
Thank you for such a good video. I was quite surprised at my own ignorance a few years ago when I read R.C. Sproul’s (Presbyterian minister and founder of Ligionier Ministries) book “Does Prayer Change Things?” in which he writes that the Reformation fathers did not have any issue at the time with confession. It was the “works of satisfaction” assigned to the penitent afterward that was the cause of the controversy. He writes: -“The Roman Catholic sacrament of penance contains several elements: verbal confession, priestly absolution, and “works of satisfaction.” These works of satisfaction may be perfunctory tasks such as saying so many “Hail Marys” or “Our Fathers,” or they can be more rigorous acts of penance. The works of satisfaction are designed to accrue “congruous merit” for the penitent Christian, making it fitting for God to restore the grace of justification... It was this third aspect of the sacrament of penance that created so much controversy in the sixteenth century. The works of satisfaction, in the Reformers’ eyes, cast a shadow on the sufficiency and the efficacy of Christ’s finished work of satisfaction in our behalf on the cross... ...In practice, the priestly absolution differs very little from the Protestant minister’s “assurance of pardon,” which is given from pulpits across the land every Sunday.” - This seems to me to imply that the argument over ‘salvation by works’ really, at the time, may have had as much to do with this post confession practice as the argument over sanctification, which is the only thing everyone now seems to think it was about. There is so much misinformation about the Reformation among both Catholics AND Protestants.
Yeah, I think there is a lot of willful and unwillfull missinterpretation of catholic doctrine. I think Saint James explains it beautifully (and it was read last Sunday at mass): "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?(A) Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.(B) 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?(C) 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.(D) 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds,(E) and I will show you my faith(F) by my deeds.(G)" It's not the deeds that save you, it is your Faith in Christ, but how can you have Faith in Christ, and not act (or at least try to) accordingly?
It's not that we are unsure whether God forgives, since He always does - unconditionally, it's that we don't know whether we have accepted His grace and are transformed by it, in other words, if our contrition was true.
Perhaps I misunderstood, but we do need to go to confession before communion if we have committed a mortal sin. That has been the steadfast teaching of the Church for centuries. CCC 1415: "...Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance."
@namie lee Exactly, I just thought that he should have included that part, because some people might have the wrong idea and think that it's okay to not go to confession even if they have committed a Mortal sin.
I am a Catholic, and I believe with all my heart that this is truly the Church that Christ started. There’s only one thing that I don’t feel right about, and that is going to the confessional and confessing my sins to a humanly Priest. I don’t believe that we as Catholics HAVE to go to confession in order to be forgiven, as so many other Catholics that I have come across with who feel the same way. Jesus Christ is my mediator to the Father Almighty. I will always have an issue to open myself up to a Human Being and confess my most intimate personal sins to someone who is just as much a sinner as I am! It isn’t going to happen! Venial or mortal, all my dirty sinful laundry goes to our Father Almighty through my personal prayer of contrition, confessing and asking for forgiveness through Jesus Christ! He’s my personal savior, not a Priest! He’s my mediator, not a Priest! He’s the one who carried all my transgressions to the cross, not a Priest! I make sure that I am in a state of grace when I receive the Eucharist. I pray before I receive it and afterwards as well. I do believe in the Mass, and all the Sacraments. And yes I do believe in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, just not in the ritual of confessing to a humanly, sinful priest. We all fall short of the Glory of God no matter what your title is. I pray that one day the Church can reform this act of confession. Make it an option! I do understand that Jesus gave the Apostles the power of forgiveness; I get that. But where in the Bible does it state that in order to be forgiven, I have to confess to a Priest. 1 Timothy 2:5 “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity-the man Christ Jesus.” And that’s good enough for me!
Humility of the penitent is also demonstrated in acknowledging one's before a priest.. confession before a priest has a lot of benefits- be it psychological, sociological, interpersonal etc..only a man with pride will not acknowledge one's sin before a priest.
Brother Casey, I have to say I love your videos. Though I would like to know your position on crusading, as I feel the church has been resting on it’s laurels on that front the last 450 years or so.
Amen.... Christ can work directly with any repentant sinner and be forgiven. This is the route mature Christian's take. They know Jesus intimately and know whoever comes to Him, He will never drive away.. No doubt there. The church is great as a mother to guide the younger and weaker members of the Church to the full knowledge of Jesus Christ. Plus it's an excellent way to chat with a real person.
Nowhere in the bible says you have to confess to a priest your sins. With ALL their scandalous life and many homosexual priests how can you confess to a sinner? We confess straight to our Lord Jesus with our constricted heart and promise not to sin anymore from the bottom of our hearts! I'm not catholic anymore! I'm ashamed of the church and sad!
Fr. Casey I am confused because the precepts of the Church tell us to go to Confession once a year if we have mortal sin. And not doing so would be a mortal sin. The precepts of the Church are bound under pain of mortal sin, so how could a person just keep going to God and not go to Confession if they have mortal sin?
Hmmm, this doesn't contradict? John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." I guess forgiveness was left out of this promise in so many places in scripture such as Matthew 18:19; Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13; John 15:7; John 16:23-24; James 1:5-6; James 1:17; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 5:14-15
So to those that aren’t sure they are forgiven by God or not you need a priest to print a receipt if you will to prove that you are forgiven? Ye of little faith…why do you doubt?
Please tell me how i can see God as 'the loving God' that everyone talks about? I'm serious, i view Him as a distant God that has little to do with out lives except to count up our offenses and deal out punishment when this life is over. I am an active Catholic. I participate in the sacraments and pray but i really have no affection for Him what so ever. I tried turning to Mary in prayer to see if it would help thru her but it has not changed. What am i missing? Is it a genetic fault or a mental impediment? I don't know.
Why do people say that? Because YHWH teaches us how to love each other therefore making our lives better. He keeps us away from sin because all sin either hurts you or others. Following YHWH and praying to him for anything and everything in your life gives us peace and joy, an anxious-free life. A worry-free life. Do not pray to Mary, it is not written in the Bible anywhere. Pray to YHWH only. May he bless you!
No hate here. This just doesn't track historically. Jesus certainly did not institute the practice of priests acting as the assurance of mediation. The development of it can clearly be seen in the donatist controversy and further developed during the age of scholasticism as colored by the Crusades. Not saying it's right or wrong, but tacking it so clearly onto Christ ignores history.
He just cited a scripture there, how could you miss the whole point? oh yeah I remember, you'd rather believe in your own preferences rather than follow the Church. Because you got it all figured out and the Church which has existed since the time of the apostles did not. And yes, the Church is not historical, you are. you know all the facts and interpretation of the scriptures. yeah. No wonder the Sin of Pride is called a deadly sin.
Jesus gives the Apostles the authority to forgive sins in John 20:21-23: "[Jesus] said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. ’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Thanks for the clarification, you started out clearly by saying the person doesn't need to go the priest, very correct as taught by scripture. The problem here is that "Sacrament is a man made term" and is defined that way to want to use it. Everything is clear except when you say that the priest works on behalf of christ at some point in the process ... from your explanation and understanding of scripture, I'm sure you know that's not true, let's be honest, the church only did this to keep everything in its bossom and control and hey .... atleast you've even said this, most priests wouldn't. Historically, this "Sacrament" was also introduced as a money making scheme for the church, that's how the church got money to buld Vatican - you can read that anywhere in history on the internet, so, i guess from the start, it had nothing to do with forgiveness. But well done for the first half of this video, surely, no one needs to go to a priest for confession, may be for counseling, consolation and something related, we don't need any assurance from someone that iur sins habe been forgiven, we should accept and believe that by faith after confessing in our private rooms
YOU: , I'm sure you know that's not true, let's be honest, the church only did this to keep everything in its bossom and control and hey .... atleast you've even said this, most priests wouldn't. ME: Where did this paranoia come from against the Catholic Church?
Correct. We don't. Church just made a way so some can hear thyve been forgiven. Some folks need to hear it. For Lack of faih i suppose. I am assuredofjesus forgiveness even with No priest. I have faith. I don't mind confession but I don't be doomed without it.
It is a glorious gift, to have the benefit of a tangible, infallible sign that our sins are indeed forgiven. God can forgive us through our private confession to Him (and we should confess privately in the first place), but we then don't have the absolute assurance that we are forgiven. And mortal sin requires perfect contrition in this case, to be forgiven, but we don't really know if we are perfectly contrite since we can deceive ourselves (part of our fallen nature). Thank God for the Sacrament, through which even imperfect contrition can attain us forgiveness!
I don't believe that we are forgiven our mortal sins without perfect contrition, in the confessional or confessing directly to God if we are not truly contrite and repentant. That is what perfect contrition is....contrite and repentant. Nothing is said about mortal of venial sin in the following... "1 John 1:5-10, the apostle John describes genuine fellowship with Jesus Christ as walking in the light. One way believers walk in the light is by honestly admitting their human tendency to sin: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
@@cheechak481 said "I don't believe that we are forgiven our mortal sins without perfect contrition..." But your 'belief' is trumped by Jesus' own words to the Apostles "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them..." Jesus' Church teaches that imperfect contrition is sufficient, but only when coupled with Sacramental Confession (or true intent to go to contrition, in the case where someone who is guilty of mortal sin cannot get to Confession before they die).
A friend of mine says you don't need to confess to the priest nor a catholic only confess to god and jesus he wil only save and forgive you from your sins.
To me it still sounds like we're to go to a priest for forgiveness. Yet we don't have to. Conflicting. Anyway I go to church but only when I receive communion do I really feel God's holy spirit enter my being
ahh question, since there are like thousands of christian sects what make you sure that catholic priests are the only ones who are acting as the '' true representative'' to Jesus?
Why does the priest who listens to the sinner’s sins during confessional ask for a donation in exchange for expiation? Why does the priest sometimes ask for double the donation in exchange for the sinner being able to have a future sin forgiven or expiated? Just last week there was a story in Utah of a 26 year old admitting to murdering an elderly couple and stealing their credit cards during a confessional. The Priest during confessional asked for a $1,000 donation by credit card in exchange for forgiving the sin of murder & theft. Isn’t this an abuse of a confessional? During the confessional the priest asked for an additional $1,000 just in case the sinner wanted to repeat the crime with a second victim. 5433
That's extortion, and the sin of Simony (see Acts 8:9-24). While the church does need money to run, it is never appropriate for a priest to ask for money to hear a confession. Also, that was not request a donation, it was demanding a bribe. There is no way that priest was planning on giving that money to the church.
I’m confused. You say in the video we don’t have to confess to a priest but in the Catechism of the Council of Trent it says on page 249 about the sacrament of penance. “Returning now to the Sacrament, it is so much the special province of Penance to remit sins that it is impossible to obtain or even to hope for remission of sins by any other means; for it is written: Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish. These words were said by our Lord in reference to grievous and mortal sins, although at the same time lighter sins, which are called venial, also require some sort of penance.”
Father, I searched but didn’t find it. Honoring your mother and father is important. But what if your mother or father has done you wrong? Outside of forgiveness, what are we expected to do?
Forgive them and respect them. Even if they haven’t apologized to you, forgive them in your heart so that you may live in peace. Have respect for them either way, Honor them and pray that they find YHWH, pay to YHWH to guide them.
This is an absolute joke as Catholic priests posses no special authority and why would anyone go to an institution that claims that you can not know for sure if you are going to heaven (which contradicts what scripture says) for assurance of forgiveness of sins? Go to the scriptures instead and pray to God directly for help. 1 John 5:13-15 KJV 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Your answer makes it seem like the extraordinary method of forgiveness should just be assumed and nearly makes the sacrament seem like an unnecessary extra. This is a very dangerous implication within your video. The sacraments are the primary, indeed the assured way of receiving grace. The Successors has been given the power to bind and loose. You have suggested it’s essentially fine to not receive the sacrament of confession if you feel you are fine. This is absolutely misleading.
@@BreakingInTheHabit I don't think you said it precisely, but I think your flippancy about the necessity of the sacrament of confession especially in the beginning is misleading. I am not trying to be a hater. I admire your page and your vows, I am not some arch reactionary conservative, but I have become more sensitive to reducing and de-emphasizing the physical and its necessity. God doesn't need to sacraments this is true, but we do. We should rely on whether or not we feel like we have worked our salvation out with God without the sacraments, particularly confession even if we truly feel that we are in a state of grace. We should make use of the sacraments which Christ has given us, as a necessity.
DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT; IN A EXPLICIT WAY, COMMAND MEN TO CONFESS SINS TO A PRIEST? Protestants say that if a teaching is not explicitly taught in the bible; more explicitly in the New Testament, Christians should not believe it. As Catholics we believe Jesus gave priest the authority to forgive sins; John 20:22-23, but does the New Testament say in a explicit way "confess your sins to a priest"? The answer: Yes! The New Testament does say to confess sin to a priest; the most explicit answer is found in the context of James 5:13-16 and Ephesians 5:21-23. Ironically, protestants cite James 5:16 to say Catholics are wrong to confess to a priest because James says "confess your sins to one another"; from this they seem to conclude that sins are to be confess among believers and not to a priest as Catholics do. Therefore, in context "confess your sins to one another" is a explicit command to confess sins to a priest (James 5:13-16). Jesus gives support to this interpretation of James 5:13-16. Why is the expression "confess your sins to one another" a reference to the sacrament of confession and not a reference to regular confessing and forgiving among the laity (Col 3:13)? The answer, seems to be in how Jesus sent men in mission. We know he chose only some men with a special authority to preach the gospel. He sent this men "two by two" (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1). Why did Jesus send them "two by two"? It seems that in Jews understanding two witnesses had more authority (Deut 19:15; Luke 24:13). And God in His Wisdom says that it takes at least two persons to counsel each other so that plans will not come to a disappointment (Proverbs 15:22). The "two person rule" started in the beginning of this world with Adam and Eve; this is why Jesus sends them "two by two". Mission work is done "two by two" (Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1). THE BENEFITS OF THE "TWO BY TWO" PERSON RULE IN MISSION WORK Again, The "two person rule" started in the beginning of this world with Adam and Eve. A married couple were the first to be sent in a mission into the world (Gen 1:28). They must be "SUBJECT TO ONE ANOTHER. . . For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.(Ephesians 5:21-31) They are subject in Love for the well being of their family. TWO ELDERS IN MISSION In James 5:14 "elders" is in the plural; add to this the "two person" rule mentioned already, it is save to say that two elders came to anoint the sick person in James 5:13-16. The two elders are to pray and anoint the sick person. Notice that its the "prayer of faith" of the elders; the faith of the sick person seems not count here, too sick to have a working faith (James 2:14). Its the elders with their praying ('working") faith that speaks for the sick person {* *}. Common sense says that people seriously sick (close to death) are unable or maybe do not want to confess their sins. Therefore, the command "confess your sins to one another" (James 5:16) in context means that the two elders must confess their sin to one another. Just like the context of Ephesians 5:21; the command "be subject to one another", is for the husband and wife. "TWO BY TWO" RULE GOOD FOR SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF THE ELDERS The men Jesus sent in mission must be "blameless" (Titus 1:5-6). They must "hold fast the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience" (1 Timothy 3:8-9). To have a clear conscience as missioners in the mysteries of faith it makes sense that Jesus sent them two by two (Luke 10:1; Mark 6:7). If they need to confess their sins they need not go far. They need to counsel each other to better do the plans of Jesus (Proverbs 15:22). Today few parishes have more than one priest. Pray that Jesus sends more priest . Clearly the New Testament does say to confess sin to a priest; the most explicit answer is found in the context of James 5:13-16 and Ephesians 5:21-23. Ironically, protestants cite James 5:16 to say Catholics are wrong to confess to a priest because James says "confess your sins to one another"; from this they seem to conclude that sins are to be confess among believers and not to a priest as Catholics do. Therefore, in context "confess your sins to one another" is a explicit command to confess sins to a priest (James 5:13-16). Jesus gives support to this interpretation of James 5:13-16. He gave them authority to forgive sins (John 20:22-23). And in James 5:16 he tells them to confess their sin to better do the plans of Jesus (Proverbs 15:22). Therefore, the New Testament does explicitly command a man to confess his sins to another man. ** Its the elders with their praying ('working") faith that speaks for the sick person. Likewise in infant baptism; babies do not have a working faith (James 2:14), the prayer of faith of the elders speaks for them.
