and then there are those who faithfully go and confess their sins to their priest, get absolution, and then go out and do the same old same old all over again. It's not only Protestants who do these things, hmmm?
That would be a totally improper confession, totally invalid if done in the manner and spirit you imply.
A proper confession includes a searching examination of conscience and a sin cannot be properly confessed if one intends to or wishes to commit it again. One must also analyze why it happened and what they will do to prevent its re-occurence.
St. Ignatius is often used as a guide for examination of conscience. If you knew anything of this, I believe you would respect it more.
As always, the individual can harm himself in improper use of a sacrament. This is not the sacraments fault.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an excellent one for spiritual growth, perhaps the best.
But you know what Mary? I would no more say that those doctrines CAUSE a person to want to go out and sin any more than believing in eternal security makes a person feel so safe they want to go out and do whatever they wish without consequences. If one is truly saved, the "want to" is towards Christ. Doesn't mean we don't sin. But when we do, it grieves us as it does the Holy Spirit within us. Our want to is to please God. Technically, we could go out and "Sin boldly" as Luther said and not lose our salvation. However, those who quote him conveniently leave out the full quote. He said: "Sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for He is victorious over sin, death, and the world." In other words, "hey, you're going to sin. Don't beat yourself up over it. Rather, get back up, put your trust in the grace of Christ to keep you from sinning further and move on.
That is Christianity. Not perfect people, but a perfect Savior.
That would be me. I've been asking my priest for frequent flyer miles. He said he'd get back to me. (Mind you, I've also told them that things would be more efficient if they would put an "Express Lane: 10 sins or fewer" sign up by one of the confessionals, but do they listen to me?)
But here's the deal: extremely little by extremely little, I'm getting a weeny bit more "recollected." Sometimes I can see a particular sinful act sneaking up on me, and I can head it off. More often (though not nearly as often as I would like) I notice the act just as I've done it. So I can stop, shake myself, and apologize to God and to whomever I just hurt.
I figure, at this rate in about 2 or 3 thousand years I might be marginally better -- almost perceptibly better -- than I am now. Thank God it doesn't depend on me.
But what I'm saying is that I'll settle for gains of mere millimeters. Yeah it's embarrassing to have to say to God that I blew it again. Usually I try to blame it on Him, "Thus shall I always do when Thou leavest me to myself," but He is having none of that. "Dawg, I didn't leave you, YOU ignored me." "How come You're right all the time?" "Lucky for you that I am." "Yessir. Thank you."
No, but the Orthodox and Catholic at least have the courage to admit and go through the pain rather than to say, as the Protestants do, "God knows my sins, I can't help it, so pecca fortier!"
Pain has a way of extinguishing behavior and thoughts. Avoiding pain doesn't. Repeated confessions are spiritual growing pains. Some find it easier to love God by avoidng them.