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From the talk Become a Better Version of Yourself
Matthew Kelly
courtesy of columbuscatholicmen.com
The Sacrament of Reconciliation, aka confession, is a very important sacrament and it is a shame that more people do not take advantage of this great gift given to us by God. When we sin, we break our relationship with God and are separated from God. By receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are once again united and reconciled with God. It once again puts you in a state of grace after you fall, and you need to be in a state of grace to enter heaven. So if the devil's main purpose is to make people miss out on heaven and go to hell, wouldn't you think the main thing that he would attack would be the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I am sure we have all heard the line "I can confess my sins directly to God." Or maybe we have even said this before. But let us not forget that Satan is the father of all lies (John 8:44) and has convinced many people of this deception. So let me clear up this misconception once and for all and explain why everyone needs to go to confession.
Despite what anyone will tell you, confession is indeed biblical. In John 20:21-23 we clearly see Jesus breath on the apostles and give them the power to forgive and retain sins. Why would he give them this power if he does not want them to use it? Note that the only other passage in the Bible where God breaths on man is Genesis 2:7 where God breathes life into Adam. So what is going on here is very significant. It is the first thing Jesus does when appearing to his apostles after the resurrection. Confession is also mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 when Saint Paul writes about being given the ministry of reconciliation and that God is appealing through them when the action of reconciling sinners is carried out. In 2 Corinthians 2:10 Paul says "For indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for you in the presence of Christ." Also, James 5:14-16 talks about summoning the presbyters (Latin for priest) and to "confess your sins to one another." The Bible also speaks in many places of people openly acknowledging their sins in public (not just between you and God), such as Acts 19:18. God wants us to externally acknowledge our sins. A great example of this is in Genesis 3:11 when God asks Adam "Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat." Certainly an omniscient God already knows the answer to this question, yet still asks it for Adam to be able to externally acknowledge his sin.
It is always important to remember that all priests are descendants of the apostles and can trace an unbroken line back to the apostles. The gift of forgiving sins (as well as other priestly gifts) is passed down by the laying of hands from generation to generation. Paul writes about this in many places, such as 1 Timothy 4:14 when he says "Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate."
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Why Be Catholic? (part 3)by 100PercentCatholic3,197 views
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