Sacred Sunday: Why Do Catholics Do That?

Why Do We, as Catholics, Confess Our Sins to Priests?

(photo from Google Image Search; Flickr.com)

Jesus Christ gave his disciples (by extension, priests) the power not only to "loose" sins (i.e., forgive in god's name), but also to "bind" (i.e., impose penances: Matthew 16:19, 18:18; John 20:23), as the representatives of God and ambassadors of His mercy. The absolution imparted by the priest is not a mere expression of hope but a sacramental, objective reality. One also learns humility by this practice, receives additional grace in order to avoid sin, and attains a certainty of forgivenes, which is superior to the mere subjective feelings. This Catholic practice is frimly grounded in Scripture and early and constant Christian Tradition.


Catholics are required to repent of (contrition) and confess all mortal, or grave, sins to a priest, in order to be absolved. The priest assings a penance (satisfaction), which removes the temporal punishment of sin. The famous Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton wrote:


"...the Church deduces that sin confessed and adequately repented is actualy abolished; and that the sinner does really begin again as if he had never sinned...God has really remade him in His own image. He is now a new experiment of the Creator. He is as much a new experiment as he was when he was really only five years old."

With his every deed he offered thanks to God Most High, 
in words of praise. 

With his whole being he loved his Maker 
and daily had his praises sung...

The Lord forgave him his sins and exalted his strength forever...

Sirach 47:8 and 11

(Other Related Scripture: Leviticus 19:20-22; Numbers 5:607; Psalms 32:5: Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 43:25; Matthew 3:5-6; Mark 1:5; Luke 15:18-19; John 20:21-23; Acts 19:18; 2 Corinthians 5:8-20; James 5;16; 1 John 1:8-9) 


Disclaimer: I am not the author of the above. All information came out of "The Catholic Answer Bible" version of The New American Bible.

Free at Last! Now Time for Reflection

I am now free to take back my blog! Did you all enjoy Mr. Sister's post? He took his mission very seriously, I see.

On another note, I am feeling some "breathing room" now. We are on break from our home school duties and responsibilities, there is one last choir performance, just a gift or two left to wrap and a dinner to plan. Easy. I can now focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

With that said, this week's focus will be on the biblical teachings about the birth of Jesus. Today's scripture is from Luke 1:26-38...The Annunciation.

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Image courtesy of St. Peter Canisius Apostolate at http://catholic-teaching.org