Saints LightWhy Confess to a Priest?
God alone forgives sins, but on Easter night Jesus gave his apostles the power to forgive in his name, so we confess to a priest who acts in Christ's person and keeps our sins absolutely secret.
What this lesson teaches
- Only God forgives sins, and he chose to share this ministry with his apostles.
- John 20:22-23 implies that sins must be heard to be forgiven or retained.
- Confession was practiced from the earliest centuries and is shared by the Orthodox.
- The priest acts in Christ's person and is bound by an absolute seal of secrecy.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 1424
- CCC 1441-1442
- CCC 1461-1467
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: John 20:22-23; James 5:16.
A sample question from this lesson
Why does John 20:22-23 imply that sins must be spoken?
- Because the apostles could read minds
- Because they cannot decide to forgive or retain sins without knowing them
- Because Jesus told them to write down every sin
- Because it only applies to public sins
Show the answer
Because they cannot decide to forgive or retain sins without knowing them. The lesson explains that forgiving or retaining requires knowing what is being forgiven.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Seal of confession
- The absolute obligation of a priest never to reveal, in any way, what he has heard in confession.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Why Confess to a Priest?" is lesson 7 of Answers to Hard Questions. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- How Do I Go to Confession? (The Sacraments)
- the forgiveness of sins (The Creed, free)
- How Do I Make My First Confession? (Becoming Catholic, free)