[oh8eleven]

The messages are erased at the end of each confession.
Oh yeah, what could go wrong?
BTW, if Catholics were able to confess directly to God, the same way they pray, you wouldn't need the computer, the priest who can sign, or the priest for that matter.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

BTW, if Catholics were able to confess directly to God, the same way they pray, you wouldn't need the computer, the priest who can sign, or the priest for that matter.

How can I explain to Protestant friends why Catholics go to confession? They ask, "Can't God forgive your sins directly?"

Fr. Eamon Tobin has written in The Sacrament of Penance:

In response to this question, the first remark I often make is, "Why do we not object to having a mediator, another man, at the sacrament of baptism? Why don’t we just baptize ourselves?" Baptism, among other things, cleanses us of sin. The sacrament of reconciliation is like a second baptism; it cleanses us of post-baptismal sin. If we have no objections to another man’s mediating to us God’s grace in the sacrament of baptism, why should we object to another man’s mediating God’s grace in the sacrament of reconciliation?

The primary reason, however, why the Catholic Church asks her members to confess their sins to a priest is simply because the Church has always believed that sin, however private, is a community affair. Every sin, however small, wounds the Body of Christ, the members of the Church. . . . When any of its members sin, they all suffer. Moreover, because my sins wound the community and diminish its effectiveness, reconciliation must include the community and not just God. In the confessional, the priest is the representative of God and of the community. In the confessional, the priest represents the whole Christ, the Head (Jesus) and the members (the Church). [Emphases added]

[Bulwyf]

yes, I skip the whole deal too and go directly to Jesus. Even if I was deaf, he could still hear my thoughts. Sign language and computers not needed.

[FourtySeven]

Just to add one thing to Carpe Cerevisi’s post:

We Catholics not only can but are encouraged to confess our sins to God directly, every time we realize we have sinned (and every night in case we forgot about some sin during the day).

The confession with a priest gives us assurance that the sin(s) have been forgiven, and that we aren’t fooling ourselves thinking we are truly sorry (contrite) when we are not.

God only forgives the truly contrite. The problem is we can all too easily fool ourselves into believing we are truly sorry when we are not. Anyone who denies this is the case is lying to themselves.

Fortunately though, He instituted the Sacrament of Penance to supplement any lack of contrition on our part with His Grace. Thus through this supplementation we can be assured we are as contrite as the Most Holy requires.

We are so contrite, not through our effort alone but by cooperating with Him.

[papertyger]

BTW, if Catholics were able to confess directly to God, the same way they pray, you wouldn't need the computer, the priest who can sign, or the priest for that matter.

But that wouldn't be Biblical.

[kitkat]

>>BTW, if Catholics were able to confess directly to God, the same way they pray, you wouldn’t need the computer, the priest who can sign, or the priest for that matter. >>

We do confess directly to God when we go to Confession. The priest is merely the intermediary to whom Jesus told while He walked this earth, “Whose sins ye shall forgive will be forgiven them; whose sins ye shall retain shall be retained.” Jesus therefor created the act of Confession.

We are sometimes confused about what is a sin, and what isn’t. We receive excellent advice from the priest when we confess to him. And, of course we can ask Jesus’ forgiveness while we wait until we go to Confession. Both things work together.

[Old Yeller]

BTW, if Catholics were able to confess directly to God, the same way they pray

No, they pray to Mary, hoping she'll tell God what to do, because she's His mother and he has to do what he says. Why else would they pray to Mary as their intercessor instead of directly to God?

[Salvation]

Are you not familiar with the passage in which Jesus confers the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, telling them that what they forgive will be forgiven and what they hold bound will be held bound?

Or did that get left out of your Bible?