Is the rite of reconciliation, including auricular confession, as taught by the Catholic Church Scriptural?

Traditional start of Catholic confession: "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned" said to a priest. What Jesus had to say? " Moreover, do not call anyone your father on earth, for one is your Father, the heavenly One. Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for your Leader is one, the Christ." (Matthew 23:9, 10)

"The Catholic Church has always taught that every sin, no matter how serious, can be forgiven." (The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1976) What does the Bible say? "For if we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left." (Hebrews 10:26)

Penance in the form of "Our Fathers" and "Hail Marys" (prayers)? Jesus said: "But when praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words... You must pray, then, this way: ‘Our Father in the heavens... forgive us our debts." (Matthew 6:7, 9, 12)

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia confessions to priests (auricular confession) were not practiced until the fourth century after Christ, long after the time of Jesus and his apostles in the first century when the Bible was completed.

Of course it's Scriptural. Why would we go against the Bible that we codified and gave to the world? Protestants who demand that we support our doctrines with Scripture would do well to remember that fact. Without the Catholic Church, Protestantism would have nothing to try to bash us over the head with.

Our Catholic David gave you all the Scriptures you or anyone else could possibly ask for to prove that the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance is straight from Jesus' lips. Now let's see if you're fair enough to give him Best Answer, whether you agree with him or not.

Sure is!

Consider this: even in the OT there were various kinds of offerings people could make: sin offerings, guilt offerings, thank offerings, etc. In terms of the sin and guilt offerings (they were not the same), one had to tell the priest in the temple what the sin/guilt was so that they could be offered in the manner according ot God's decree:

Chatat: Sin Offering

A sin offering is an offering to atone for and purge a sin. It is an expression of sorrow for the error and a desire to be reconciled with G-d. The Hebrew term for this type of offering is chatat, from the word chayt, meaning "missing the mark." A chatat could only be offered for unintentional sins committed through carelessness, not for intentional, malicious sins. The size of the offering varied according to the nature of the sin and the financial means of the sinner. Some chatatot are individual and some are communal. Communal offerings represent the interdependence of the community, and the fact that we are all responsible for each others' sins. A few special chatatot could not be eaten, but for the most part, for the average person's personal sin, the chatat was eaten by the kohanim.

Asham: Guilt Offering

A guilt offering is an offering to atone for sins of stealing things from the altar, for when you are not sure whether you have committed a sin or what sin you have committed, or for breach of trust. The Hebrew word for a guilt offering is asham. When there was doubt as to whether a person committed a sin, the person would make an asham, rather than a chatat, because bringing a chatat would constitute admission of the sin, and the person would have to be punished for it. If a person brought an asham and later discovered that he had in fact committed the sin, he would have to bring a chatat at that time. An asham was eaten by the kohanim. http://www.jewfaq.org/qorbanot.htm

The Ministry of Reconciliation

From 2 Cor. 5:18-19:

18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

For did not Jesus say to his own apostles in JN 20:22-23 -- "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." How else does one forgive them unless they are told what those sins are? Notice that the apostles have the power to "not forgive"...to hold them "bound" (see MT 16:19).

Further in the Bible, in James 5:14-15, James says this: 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. James specifically says to call the elders...in Greek, Presbyters which got shortened to prester to priest.

the Fathers of the Church certainly believed in, practiced and upheld auricular confession: http://www.staycatholic.com/ecf_confession.htm

Martin Luther upheld auricular confession and declared that it comes from the "Office of the Keys" (see MT 16:19): "Since private absolution originates in the Office of the Keys, it should not be despised [neglected], but greatly and highly esteemed [of the greatest worth], as [also] all other offices of the Christian Church.

Martin Luther says it best here:

"..a person receives absolution or forgiveness from the confessor, as if from God Himself, without doubting it, but believing firmly that his sins are forgiven by God in Heaven through it.

http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenber...

Yes.

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:21-23)

Several important things are happening here all at once and within the same context:

• "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." God the Father sent Christ to us for many reasons, one of which was to forgive our sins, so Christ sends the Apostles and their successors to, among other things, forgive our sins.

• Jesus, God the Son, "breathes" on the Apostles. The only other moment in Holy Scripture where God breathes on humanity is in Genesis 2:7, when the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. When God breathes on humans significant things happen.

• And then and only then Jesus says, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Jesus says this a bit differently in Matthew 16:19: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Oral confessing of sins is recommended over and over in both the Old and New Testaments:

• James 5:16

• Acts 19:18

• Matthew 3:5-6

• Mark 1:5

• 1 Timothy 6:12

• 1 John 1:9

• Numbers 5:6-7

• Nehemiah 9:2

• Sirach 4:26

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

Remember all sacraments are encounters with God. This sacrament is a healing encounter between God and the penitent.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1422 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2....

With love in Christ.

Caprice, the bible is written in parable. we could not engaged in literal meaning. Confess may take different form: direct petition with God or His representative or among ourselves. All of these is confession. When did the confession to priest had started, is irrelevant in the context... it is still a biblical confession.

David gets 10.

“In church confess your sins, and do not come to your prayer with a guilt conscience. Such is the Way of Life...On the Lord's own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure." Didache, 4:14,14:1 (c. A.D. 90).

90 A.D. is not the 4rth century.

Christ instituted the sacraments purposefully. The sacrament called reconciliation or penance is what we call our actions when we go to confession. Going to confession and confessing to a priest is the normative way of reconciling oneself back into God's family when we have committed a mortal sin. It is the biblical way corresponding to Jesus' teaching as recorded by the apostle John in John 20: 22-23. What we learn from John is the authority given to the priests is not only to forgive sins but also to retain sins. Jesus commanded the authority to be used. It is the duty given by Jesus for the priest to measure the contrition of the penitent and act accordingly.

However, one must repent and pray sincerely to God as an act of contrition before one enters the confessional. The priest represents Jesus by acting in persona Christi and for the entire family of God represented by the Church militant who is harmed by the sin of another. No sin is private but all sin affects others. Jesus described this relationship as a vine with Him as the vine and we as the branches (John 15:5). If one member of the branch is sick then all

the branches are affected and suffer as a result. Because of our familial relationship with each other Jesus created a means of confession so that all those affected in His family are represented by the priest as is God. The acts of sin and forgiveness are not private matters. God bless!

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

What I was taught, back when it was called "Confession" was that the Carpenter said to the Apostles, probably in Acts, "Whose sins you loose on Earth are loosed in heaven, and whose sins you bind on Earth, are bound in heaven."

OK, it's John 20:19-31 This is where the Carpenter gives the apostles the power to forgive sins, but it never says anything about oral confessions. I'm not sure when that started.

http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyM...

When we make mistakes, we want God to forgive us. Jesus taught that it is proper for us to pray for God’s forgiveness. (Matthew 6:12) However, Jesus also said that God will forgive us only to the extent that we forgive others. He said: “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; whereas if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”—Matthew 6:14, 15.

Jesus also said: “No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.” (John 6:44) Since Jehovah has drawn us to follow Jesus, He must want us to be saved. Jesus told his disciples: “It is not a desirable thing with my Father who is in heaven for one of these little ones to perish.” (Matthew 18:14) Therefore, if you are serving with a complete heart, you can exult in your fine works. (Galatians 6:4) If you are tormented by past mistakes, be assured that Jehovah will forgive “in a large way” truly repentant ones. (Isaiah 43:25; 55:7) If for any other reason you are feeling discouraged, remember that “Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.”—Psalm 34:18.

Jesus Christ Granted the Apostles His Authority to Forgive Sins

John 20:21 - before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, "as the Father sent me, so I send you." As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.

John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

John 20:23 - Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.

Matt. 9:8 - this verse shows that God has given the authority to forgive sins to "men." Hence, those Protestants who acknowledge that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins (which this verse demonstrates) must prove that this gift ended with the apostles. Otherwise, the apostles' successors still possess this gift. Where in Scripture is the gift of authority to forgive sins taken away from the apostles or their successors?

Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10 - Christ forgave sins as a man (not God) to convince us that the "Son of man" has authority to forgive sins on earth.

Luke 5:24 - Luke also points out that Jesus' authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.

Matt. 18:18 - the apostles are given authority to bind and loose. The authority to bind and loose includes administering and removing the temporal penalties due to sin. The Jews understood this since the birth of the Church.

John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 - the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ's ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an "indulgence").

2 Cor. 2:10 - Paul forgives in the presence of Christ (some translations refer to the presences of Christ as "in persona Christi"). Some say that this may also be a reference to sins.

2 Cor. 5:18 - the ministry of reconciliation was given to the ambassadors of the Church. This ministry of reconciliation refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of confession or penance.

James 5:15-16 - in verse 15 we see that sins are forgiven by the priests in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man's authority to forgive sins on earth. Then in verse 16, James says “Therefore, confess our sins to one another,” in reference to the men referred to in verse 15, the priests of the Church.

1 Tim. 2:5 - Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.

Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 - even under the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others.

The Necessity and Practice of Orally Confessing Sins

James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.

Acts 19:18 - many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.

Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 - again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).

1 Tim. 6:12 - this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.

1 John 1:9 - if we confess are sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.

Num. 5:7 - this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.

2 Sam. 12:14 - even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).

Neh. 9:2-3 - the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.

Sir. 4:26 - God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament