Did you think only Catholics have the Sacrament of Penance? Don't be fooled. I used to think so too but fortunately that isn't the case. 😉 Confession and absolution of sins are available to those who choose to be truly cleansed of their sins and return to God.
As someone born, raised and living in a Catholic country, one can simply take the Sacrament of Confession for granted. I know because I was once uncaring and ignorant of its importance. Hello lukewarmness in the faith. Haha.
In the words of my old self, "It's just one of those things every Catholic are told and made to do, hohum..." Fast forward to Lent last year and voila I've been renewed and now active in the faith! 💪🔥 Now I know better.
A Catholic priest celebrating mass. | Photo source
But first, let me clear things up. I will be using the word Christian in this post to encompass all kinds of denominations, including Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, etc. After all we are all brothers in Christ and believers of Jesus despite the differences in belief.
Let's stop the hate and religious infighting. Only the devil claps with glee when it happens. If anyone says being a member of certain Christian denominations will bring eternal damnation instead of salvation or eternal life, remember this:
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Let's keep our focus on God and Jesus at least. If you are bothered to know which one is the true Church, ask God/Jesus directly and do your own historical research.
Why Should We Confess Our Sins to a Priest or Pastor?
Oh the shame. 😆 Okay that's clearly not the right way to start this paragraph, but I can't help it. 😂 I've been guilty of this especially when I was in high school. I mean, come on. All those teenage hormones raging and then we have to confess our sins?!?!?! Oh my. 👀
Anyway, for everyone's benefit, I will be writing information here for all who are not aware of these things. Why? Because there are people who think only Catholics confess their sins!
Well, I too was ignorant until I checked the Wikipedia article on Absolution. Boy oh boy was I so wrong. 🤣 You'll read more on that further below.
👉 Two Ways We Act as Sinners
1 Keep quiet
If you are deeply entrenched in a certain sin, you will be ashamed to even tell anyone about it. Some may also be in denial, trying to justify the wrong actions in their minds.
Others are afraid of the consequences if people knew about their sins. This can be anything from the smallest to the biggest sin of all! (Venial and Mortal/Grave sins) For example, you lied about not going to school or you killed someone and dumped the body in the river.
2 Tell everyone about it
Of course when you are among sinful peers, you'd tell stories of your conquests and such. For example: How many women and/or men you slept with, what items or how much you stole from people, etc. You'd even be proud and happy to "spill the beans" to anyone.
Or in the unlikelihood of joining an actual murder convention (hello Sandman TV series 😆) you may even listen or share tips of the trade. Some people are proud like that. And in case you're not aware, pride and disobedience is what caused 1/3 of God's angels to rebel and fall.
What then should a person do when a crime and other bad things are committed against God, ourselves and other people?
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😉 Priests (and Pastors) Forgive via Jesus Christ alone
After doing all those wrong things we must repent and never do such ever again. Yes we might commit some over and over again but we can overcome those with God's help. No matter how long it takes to be contrite or penitent and confess, we must do so eventually. At least to avoid going to hell, at most because we love our Savior and Creator.
Fellow sinners, let us rejoice for God's love and mercy is abundant! Jesus is God personified, died for us and taught us how to live our lives. He also granted each ordained leader the permission to forgive others in His stead. We Christians who practice confession accept Jesus' forgiveness through the ordained clergy.
Of course we can all read this in the Bible. Before Jesus went back to Heaven He made it a point to give His apostles the "power to forgive" anyone via the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22-23) Nobody else except His disciples were given this ability or "gift". This is how only they were able to pass it on to the next church leaders.
Accounts from the many Catholic saints also back this up. For example St. Faustina Kowalska says whenever a priest is in the confessional, He is working through that clergyman.
The person of the priest is, for Me (Jesus), only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light. (Diary entry 1725)
Or if you'd like proof of the supernatural kind, look up the saints Padre Pio or St. John Vianney. Both of them already know the sins of penitents before even confessing. How else would they have such a power while hearing sins if not for Jesus?
If you truly wanna be cleansed by God, go to confession ASAP.
‼️ Confess now or else what?
Are you afraid to tell any clergyman your deepest, darkest wrongdoings? Or are you proud to be a sinner? 😈 Whichever you are, being contrite about your sins and confessing them to a priest/pastor will make you a better person. There are no cons to being absolved of sins. 😇
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Are you aware that sin = spiritual trash? Do you like feeling dirty and keeping garbage in your soul?
FYI some people get rid of their mental health problems via Sacrament of Reconciliation. They deeply regretted their sins, went to confession, got absolved by the priest/pastor and voila! Cleansed by God!
Or if you'd rather wait until you're possessed by demons then it's up to you. Some people don't even know they're possessed, you know. If you're highly intelligent, proud and egotistical, time to make frequent confessions! Watch talks by Catholic exorcist priests online and you'll know what I'm talking about.
Maybe being a "walking possessed" person sounds fun to you? 😆 Keep sinning gravely or piling up those mortal and venial sins, don't be shocked to find out you need an exorcism one day. Why? Desensitivity to sin can blind people. The scales covering your eyes or senses will never be removed unless you call out to God, Jesus or Mama Mary.
Change your life thru confession and live as a real Christian now. This will make the world a lovelier place for everyone. Unfortunately we all have free will here on Earth. It's your choice if you wanna keep going down or up in life. Ending up in heaven or hell is up to each one of us.
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Confession and Absolution is Available to Many Christians
Ignorance of the regular practice of reconciliation/penance and absolution is not bliss but actually the opposite. Only once absolved will your soul gain true bliss. It is actually beneficial to all, so why avoid it? 😉
A Protestant pastor. | Photo source
Here's what I learned about other Christian denominations and their confession process. I found info from their church's official website and/or a priest/pastor's online posts. I'll give you two examples that I'm aware of.
🙏 Anglican or Episcopalian
The penitent faces the altar and kneels in front of the priest at the Altar rail. The priest is within the Sanctuary and listens quietly. After confession the person is given penance (may be optional) and absolution by the priest. Otherwise it may be done face to face, in private.
An Episcopal church in the US. | Photo source
🙏 Lutheran (Protestant)
I guess this is the part where people are confused. You see, Calvinism (or those in mainline Protestantism) removed the sacrament of Confession but Lutherans (and other Protestant denominations) kept it.
For Lutherans private confession is still available to all. Martin Luther actually reformed it so it is different from the Catholic way. In this denomination, it is no longer (1) mandatory, (2) detailed (non-enumeration of all sins) nor (3) required to do penance.
It is not a religious requirement but the lay people are still encouraged to do so. However depending on the church (e.g. in Germany as opposed to in America), it is also an obligation before communion.
Would love to add more but you should get the picture.
Surely you can also do your own research on this with family and friends or online. For now, what can you say about this topic? Have you been doing regular confession or no? Do you think it makes any difference in you and your family's life if you go often or less? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
XOXO,
@artgirl