i remember my first confession… wow what a weight and burden lifted off my shoulders knowing God has forgiven me. I was baptized Catholic as a baby, raised Protestant and than came back as an adult. best decision ever.
Do you ever ask yourself why are there divisions in the church? I do. Why so many different denominations? Aren't we supposed to be unified? 1 Corinthians.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIsIn the first few centuries of Christianity, they met at homes. Unfortunately, the RCC is based on a lot of disinformation as well as misinformation. Having said that, how can we be unified with disinformation?
I remember my first confession to another believer, felt weight taken off the shoulders too. Also prayed to Jesus my sins and asked for forgiveness, also does wonders.
As a convert to the Catholic Church, I was surprised by the experience of Reconciliation. It is a beautiful moment that will leave one in tears, every time. The #1 reason I go to confession is because we all are one in the body of Christ. If I sin, I have sinned against the laws of God and I have also weakened the body. That's why I feel compelled to go confess my sins to my priest. There is nothing like being restored to Christ and to HIs church.
John 3:16-18 King James Version 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs You ask "Does it say your saved by faith or by confession?" Response : by the Blood and the Flesh of JESUS-CHRIST, THE EUCARIST. So, now => go back to the Holy Church and ask for the EUCARIST.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs Here is a “biblical” verse that proves the sacrament of Reconciliation. Psalm 32 : I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
I'm a cradle Catholic who recently found his way back to God and his church. And yes so much yes, the sacrament of confession is so strong. My first few confessions , ever,felt like weight of the earth fell of my shoulders. Like I could breath freely for the first time ever. The priest who helped me literally said he saw how I felt extreme relief. For me confession is a place of victory, a place of Mercy. Sure it's not always fun to admit and confess certain things you feel ashamed of.
I LOVE the sacrament of confession/ reconciliation on a weekly basis. If more people took 2 min to confess their sins, vs hours complaining to a therapist about other people's sins, the world would be a holier place
@johntuazon6462 wrote, "im catholic, watching from the Philippines." It seems a common habit of filipinos living in the Philippines to add, "...watching from the Philippines" to their comments, while filipinos not living in the Philippines do not add "...watching from ".
I'm a cradle catholic but I was away from the church for a long time, and after I rediscovered my faith, I've been growing closer to Jesus and the Church every day, and I gotta say I love confession, I go weekly even if I haven't committed any mortal sins, becasue I want to be as clean as I can be for communion, plus it feels good, and the graces I get each time help me to withstand temptation better snd better every time. Confession and the Holy Eucharist are the 2 rays of light coming from Christ's wound in the Divine mercy portrait. They are 2 beautiful mercies given to us by God. Love my faith!!!!
Beautifully put❣️ I'm a Convert and still learning our beautiful Catholic Faith! I didn't know about the significance of the two rays shining out of JESUS' wound in the Divine MERCY Image! 💙💙 I do *know* from daily experience the *phenomenal* POWER of Rosary Prayer ❣️ The effect when I first prayed all full 4 Rosaries in one day was like dynamite and the devotion has continued to amaze me with it's soul and even physical healing powers 4 years down the line🎺🎺🎺The Rosary alone would keep me Catholic if nothing else but I know there's so much more and I'm growing and learning🙏💙🙏✝️ There was one Saturday that coming out of confession I literally felt like I had just been *washed* and I was *clean* 💙 It was an unexpected thing but it left me with a sense of lightness and happiness. Normally I don't really notice any change after Confession but that one time I felt it vividly💙💙💙❤️🙏❤️✝️✝️✝️
I'm being confirmed this Easter. I'm so excited. This journey has been full of highs and lows. I grew up in a protestant home. My siblings and I went to church every week and our parents really tried their best to raise us all Christian (5 of their 6 kids are Christian to this day btw). They didn't talk about other denominations very often. When they did talk about catholics it wasn't very positive. We changed churches 3 times (that I can remember) when I turned 18 we started attending the church my parents and most of my siblings still attend. This church is very public about being anti-catholic. I met my now hubby at 21 and we married when we 23. Oh, did I mention he was a cradle catholic. He and the pastor of the church butted heads a lot. We attended both catholic and protestant churches ever Sunday for the first 3 years of our marriage. In hind sight we should have stopped going to the protestant church before we got married. In 2020... the world shutdown. I'm a nurse so I worked more then I did in my entire life! We had 2 under 2 at the time... by 2021 I hard ever listened to the online church services and 2022 when some things started to open back up again I had become such a workaholic that I never attended a single service at any church. In 2022 our parish got a new priest. I won't go into details, but starting in 2020 my marriage began to crumble and by 2022 it was holding on by less than a thread. We started going to marriage counselors in 2021... one even told us she didn't see how our marriage was going to last. My solution was to work even more... 2021 and 2022 two night shift jobs so I never had to face what was going on. In Jun of 2022 I thought we couldn't get any lower, bit we did. 4-5 friends/people I knew got a divorce and I was close to ending the marriage. The only thing that saved us was that he agreed to seeing another marriage counselor. The beginning of 2023 GOD with his perfect timing got ahold of me and began shaking the stupid out of me!!!! In March 2023 the poor new priest agreed to meet with me. It was the first time I'd ever talked to the poor man. He listened to me vent and cry for 3 hours. Our conversation ended with my first confession. At that time I had never even considered becoming catholic... looking back what happened that day bloomed into me joining RCIA. I started getting connected with the parish community and it was so easy! The genuine love they have for God and each other and their whole family dynamics... I loved it and felt so welcomed... I loved how worship is done TOGETHER! I love how the parish is encouraged to participate but also give reverence to GOD... the protestant church just left like a big show, but mass felt like it had purpose. I love the culture and traditions... I love that it is all about GOD... I love learning why they do what they do during mass and that each gesture and word is to glorify God. I grew up being taught catholics aren't Christians, but that was from anti-catholics... what it have learned is that it is a deeper relationship with God... I know I have become a more godly wife and mother since exploring the faith... in September 2023 I attended my first RCIA class... also that morning I got a positive pregnancy test... she's due may 31st 2024. I really hope this post made sense. There are probably spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but oh well. I hope it encouraged someone today!
I was having pretty bad sleep paralysis and night terrors....i woke one night and a shadowy figure was standing over me.. It wasn't until i went to Confession,, that all my trouble ceased.. Confession can be as strong as an exorcism....i broke down to Jesus and with his help i feel like i conquered habits and sins i could of never ousted on my own.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs “The whole power of the sacrament of Penance/Confession consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship. Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the sacrament of Penance with contrite heart and religious disposition, reconciliation is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation. Indeed the sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession with God brings about a true “spiritual resurrection,” restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God.” CCC 1468 James 5:16 Leviticus 19:20-22 Matt 9:8 John 20:21-23
As a former Buddhist, I always wondered how many lives I need to be incarnated to have my sins forgiven. A cycle of life that you need to live to atone for your sins; a never ending and tiresome cycle. As a Catholic convert, you have no idea how it feels to hear, “your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more.” A huge mess and weight was lifted from my shoulders and my heart. Thank you, Keith for doing these kind of videos to reach our Protestant friends and new Catholic brothers/sisters. May God continue to bless you always!
Yet some people have no problem confessing to a stranger they meet in a bar 😂 And yes Keith it's healing and transformational ... Bless you brother, bless you
Mr.Nester, I admire your Zeal for God And His Christian Church,May you be blessed exceedingly with his Protection Love Good Truth Graces and Virtues Amen 🙏
@@anthonyfowler2623he is NOT a apostles 😂😂. He is totally misinterpreting that scripture and people go to the priest to confess YRS OF SINS and ask them To forgive them. They can’t. It deception and KEITH is lost and have no idea what He is talking about
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tc YOU ARE A LOST SHEEP. Keith was crystal clear with reference to bible verse on the issue of confession. Catholic will sheep God's Church till the end of time.
Putting aside the theological point, you are right that the act of confession is a great way of cleaning the slate and moving on hopefully to a less sinful future.
I really like this section of scripture. Romans 4:1-12 English Standard Version Abraham Justified by Faith 4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Yes and we don’t know if we are humanly forgiven from one another unless we ask for forgiveness and hear you are forgiven. Christ knew we needed to hear this. Confession is sopowerful !
I love confession I go every week And sit right down in front of the priest. The lightening weight of shame in the soul is amazing once blessed and forgiven
@@ChristineTXnot really. It is not just in James that this is written. It is biblical and transitional from the Old Testament to the New. Jesus Died for our sin (NOT FOREVER). That is why Paul said (work out your salvation with fear and trembling).
Confession is such an uplifting experience being forgiven of one’s sins, receiving spiritual grace & healing & starting afresh with a new slate. The wisdom & experience of His One True God is rejected by the secular world that thinks it knows better with growing mental & spiritual problems!
Although I as a Catholic have always been afraid of going to Confession, (not for the same reasons as most others might have), but I still have always thought of most priests as friends that you can confide in; that you know won't judge you as hopeless and condemned. In fact as a teen during years I was being seriously bullied; I often felt like the only REAL friends I had were priests and my brother Paul. However long it has taken; I am slowly learning not to be afraid, and I can only hope it helps me understand better how to be humble and kind....
Yes humble and kind! 1 Corinthians 13 English Standard Version The Way of Love 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Ephesians 2:1-10 English Standard Version By Grace Through Faith 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
@@lois2997 you say blah blah blah to the word of God? You say blah blah blah to love? That's disrespectful. I personally appreciate God's word. A lot. And this world need more biblical love.
@@KeithNesterstill don’t understand the word of God. Misinterpreting and mucking up the meaning of scriptures. “As a catholic” Exactly. Cause Jesus has nothing to do with you all except teach what Jesus specifically said not to do. Vain repetitious prayers to your Mary. Accursed doctrine. Pope and devotion to and consecration to multiple demons
many catholics canot defends their fait.. why u have pope , why u worship statues , jesus is not god, and this confess to a priest.. thank u for ur explanations its help a lot
Confession is a lovely thing, Catholic or not. Saying it out loud takes away the power of whatever you’re confessing. Say it to a trusted person (priest, sponsor, therapist,) own your part, make amends if needed, and LET IT GO.
Keith, thank you for these videos. I love how you explain everything. God bless you. Confession is uplifting and freeing. We know that our sins are forgiven. No better feeling in the world!
Ephesians 2:1-10 English Standard Version By Grace Through Faith 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Thank you Keith, so true. As a Catholic even if I kill a person, I confess it or tell it to God through a priest. These protestants stand publicly and confess by giving testimonies about how they turn to the Lord from their pagan ways BUT will never tell their pastor or congregation that they have killed a person. My sins a forgiven in the Catholic Church.
The seal of the confessional is absolute. This, most importantly, is to the removal of scruple and doubt. Don't doubt that you are forgiven, if that is what you really desire.
@@po18guy I have gone to adoration once with my Catholic friend. It definitely had a profound impact on me, and because you said that, I’ll plan to go this week. Thanks man. I think one of my biggest mental roadblocks is more so that I have become very invested in my current church’s global missions group, and I’m very uncertain what it would mean for that if I did convert to Catholicism. The community I have right now is very authentic and it feels like God has placed them around me deliberately. I feel pulled in two directions, even though I’m just trying to follow Jesus as best as I can
@@Gummy195What a humble and honest response❣️ GOD will *not* fail to *show* you The Way!!! >>>>Psalm 51:17 a contrite and humbled heart you, God, will not despise.
Also notable is, in scripture, the leaders of the faith at that time first took issue with Christ forgiving sin...while the protestant leaders in our time take issue with Christ's church forgiving sin.
Our Lord Jesus gave this sacrament to the 1st bishops, His apostles when He said "the sins you forgive will be forgiven and the sins you retain will be retained". Sad that those outside the true Catholic Church have no sacraments with their false man made churches. Pray for their conversions!
It actually doesn’t mean that at all. All it means is to say that if they don’t accept you the Gospel then you tell them that their sins are not forgiven. And if they accept the gospel, then you tell them your sins are forgiven that’s all it’s saying. Remember if it’s not in the Old Testament, it’s not the New Testament…..
@@JC_Forum_of_Christ Well for one thing, a sin can't be forgiven if there is no resolve to turn away from the sin.. A Catholic priest cannot be forgiven if he violates the seal of confession (another example)
Romans 11:6 Amplified Bible 6 But if it is by grace [God’s unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace [it would not be a gift but a reward for works].
@@JC_Forum_of_Christ You just added so much to what the bible is actually saying. Let me ask you. When the Apostles went out as Jesus sent them, and they cured the sick; was it because Jesus gave them teh authority to heal others; or were they suppose to just announce they were healed if they believed and not healed if they didn't?? Jesus told the Pharisees; what is easier for a man to say; your sins are forgiven or get up, pick up your mat and walk? ONly God can heal people miraculously, and only God can forgive people UNLESS He lends that Authority to whomever He chooses.
You explained this exceptionally well. I always attribute some extra context. Jesus said "I did not. Come here to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." Matthew 5:17. The correlation with this is found in Leviticus 5:16-19. It is uncanny. And works perfectly with what Jesus said to the aposltes in John 20:23. Perhaps add this to the explanation. It goes to show how both Testament coincide.
Jesus Christ knew we needed that tangible person like a priest so he could work through him to hear you confess your sins. God can hear you at home but how much more likely are you to treat confessing your sins at home like a get out jail free card and not really mean it or plan to stop that in your life.
The only other time God breathed onto someone was when He breathed on Adam giving him life. Just as God gave physical life He also gave His apostles spiritual life
If people really believe that they just simply can confess their sins to God and be forgiven,then I’d like to see that passage in scripture’s.Nor do I recall reading anything in bible stating from Jesus own words saying that you must confess your sins to God alone if there is a verse stating that I’d like to know where it is?🤔
One thing i run into is protestants think of Confession as something we have to do, when in reality it is something we get to do. God understands mankind and how we work. When Jesus gave the apostles the ability to bind and loose it was not because He needs it, but because He knew WE would need it. It is psychologically helpful to have a man in a position of authority reinforce the fact that God does forgive us. I personally have done things that were hard to forgive myself for. By the Sacrament of Confession I was able to start the process of self forgiveness.
Keith. My baptist friend keeps telling me he wants to confess his sins and go to confession. I think he’s craving the sacraments of the church but don’t know where to start with him.
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tc how on earth would you know what I tell him. He has come to me saying he is craving confession which is one of the gifts Christ gave to us. Confession is an amazing gift.
Haha, hilariously untrue. How can you make such a slanderous statement? Most of the Catholic Church’s practices are man-made (yet Catholics always pull out the ‘Protestants are always misconstruing history against us’ card when that is brought up). I only know of one Catholic who goes to confession. My other Catholic friends make no bones about it that it creeps them out.
The Sacrament of confession is real and it irritates the devil. There is a scene i witnessed, when the priest absolved the sins of a young lady , she carried the chair on which the priest was seated with extraordinary strength which someone of her age would is not expected to have under normal circumstances. She was actually posessed. The demons were assulting the priest for absolving the girl's sins. Over 6 ushers restrained her.
Thanks for the video Keith. I agree with everything you said. But I still don't really get how the authority to forgive sins given to the Apostles works its way down to the Bishops and priests of the modern day...
The authority to forgive sins is passed through the unbroken Apostolic Succession of bishops, and from bishops to the priests they ordain, since Jesus first gave that authority to the Apostles. For example, we see that authority being passed on by Paul to Timothy with the laying on of his hands (i.e. ordination to the bishopric).
Succession is by laying on of hands Acts9:17 Jesus had already chosen Paul but had to be laid hands on. 2Timothy1:6 Paul in turn laid hands upon Timothy and others. Thats how succession comes about
@@simon9428that’s for healing and the Holy Ghost falling. It has nothing to do with succession. We are to forgive each other If I do something to you and it was a sin. I ask you to forgive me. Vice Versa. You don’t go to a priest for sins I did against you or you I. This is highly misinterpreted. Weird. We do not HAVE MEN forgiving sins we do to each other. They can’t and can’t forgive their own
The verse doesn’t mention God. It just says to confess our sins. Where does it say God in that passage other than he will forgive us. Maybe watch the video.
My Protestant friends day, Jesus gave the authority to forgive/retain sins to the 12 Apostles. They reject the idea of Apostolic succession, so believe that that authority doesn't flown down to people of today.
Here is a “biblical” verse that proves the sacrament of Reconciliation. Psalm 32 : I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Why are there so few confession times when it is so important? At least have two times a week. It’s so confusing because I don’t understand why they teach something groundbreaking but then deliver it to parishioners with so little enthusiasm
@@zemneo6485THIS IS A LIE We don’t have priests in this dispensation. We have God and the HOLY GHOST AND THE FIVE FOLD ministry of apostle Bishop Elder Deacon ??, the other MINISTER BUT no cardinals Pope Nuns etc. they the catholic Christ have their own RELIGION AND JESUS
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tcbut Jesus gave them the power to heal the sick, cast out demons, but not to be used as instruments through Himself to forgive sins. But he did
Why do you stop when a police officer stops you? Why do you accept imprisonment when a judge sentences you? Aren't they just guys like you? How is it that we except the authority of a state to grant persons special powers, but not the authority of Christ to grant His Church and the clergy of His Church special authorities? Those who reject Christ's authority bestowed upon His Church do not accept Christ's authority over them. Christ is the rightful King...all authority is His to do with as He wills.
Here is another one Keith... 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 [17]So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see. [18]It is all God's work; he reconciled us to himself through Christ and HE GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION. [19]I mean, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not holding anyone's faults against them, but ENTRUSTING TO US THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. [20]So WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST; IT IS AS THOUGH GOD WERE URGING YOU THROUGH US, and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God. [21]For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God. ....if you talk about a Ministry, you have to have Ministers.
@@darrellperez1029 if confession is only once in your life it looks almost exactly like anointing of the sick. So what is the point of anointing of the sick?
Why confess? John 20: 19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But it says they have the authority, but not that I must confess to a priest. I don’t understand why I must go to a priest, especially when there isn’t a priest nearby.
@@1961Lara Jesus appointed apostles as His first bishops who appointed priests in a hierarchy with delegated authority which has functioned for 2000 yrs. Confessing to Jesus via a priest introduces a personal counseling aspect which can be healing like a GP visit
Catholics confess their sins to a priest. Non-Catholics confess their sins by posting it on RUclips, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media to get "Likes" and comments.
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tc wrote, "Oh and Catholics also still think there is a purgatory and devotion to and consecrate to a bazillion deceased people" Yes, Catholics believe in Purgatory and saints.
Did you know that Jesus is our High Priest? Heb 6:19-20 " For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; BUT INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, NOW TO APPEAR BEFORE THE FACE OF GOD FOR US". Heb 2:17 " Jesus had to be made like his brethren in every way, so that he might BECOME A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST.....to make expiation for the sins of the people". Heb 4:14 " Since we have A HIGH PRIEST who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.......let us draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need". Heb 7:25 " Jesus is able FOR ALL TIME to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercessions for them. For it was fitting that we should have such A HIGH PRIEST, holy, blameless, unstained.....exalted above the heavens". Heb 9:11 " when Christ appeared as a HIGH PRIEST.......he entered ONCE FOR ALL INTO THE HOLY PLACE, taking not the blood of goats.....but his own blood thus securing an eternal redemption". So, why do you need a priest? you can confess directly to the GREAT HIGH PRIEST, his name is JESUS.
Do you realize that if you have been baptized in the Name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Spirit that you are being conformed to Christ - & Christ is Priest, Prophet, & King? So you, too, share in His life, ministry, death, resurrection, & His glory. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. Consider that Christ did the following only to the Apostles in Jn 20: 21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 *If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven* .” We know from Acts 1:20 from the Koine Greek that the Apostles were bishops, & this confirms implicitly that Christ gave the Apostles & their successors the power & authority to forgive & retain sins (Confession).
@@DannyLoyd He is Lord, & He is Our Great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, & we are being conformed to Him in accordance with Scripture, therefore we share in His priesthood.
@@EddyRobichaudso the Old Testament priests were wrong ? We go to God through the priest. The earliest Christian’s believed in confession why do you not ?
@@CarolineOwens-s1h they weren’t wrong but Jesus came with a new covenant and He’s the only mediator Christian’s ask God forgiveness through Jesus Christ, not a priest
Peter Gore Seer, I Was Ordered By St Barbara, I Did I Was Told, And Taken To Father Tony, St Argustines Bolton Lancs Englend, By Confession It Is About Puting Your Faith In Father Tony, Giving Viability To Tony. People Come To Me For Help Reasurance, So Now I Am A Angel A Mesanger.
Why do Christians confess their sins to Jesus and to one another? Because it is in the new covenant, not a hybrid of the new and old like the Roman Catholic Church is.
That was very interesting, kind of went off the rails, but interesting. It is true that we are told to share our sins with one another. In doing so we create bonds that help us to overcome our temptations and sins. Note that the text doesn't say that those who hear our sins have the authority to forgive us. Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to confess our sins to God, never a man in a booth that you are required to see once a year. If your relationship with Jesus is so weak that when you pray to God for forgiveness, that you don't know if you are forgiven, you have bigger problems. In regard to the authority to forgive sins, nowhere is apostolic succession in scripture. At no time did an Apostle tell a bishop/elder or a deacon they had apostolic succession. When Perer replaced Judas he told us it was because of prophecy that he did it, not an imaginary succession. He set a standard for one to be an Apostle one had to be present from Jesus's birth through His ascension. How many of the Catholic church's Priest meet that standard? They had two who were qualified, why not make both of them apostles? Jesus had told the Apostles they would sit on the 12 thrones in heaven over the 12 tribes. Judas's actions disqualified him so he had to be replaced. When James was killed and Peter escaped why didn't he replace him? When John was the last, why didn't he replace the others? How did the Catholic church take it from 12 to hundreds of thousands if it was a one for one replacement? Why can't these Catholic apostles heal the sick and raise the dead to show their authority? Why is it they can only do that which has no physical proof? Were a priest there to pray with you as you pray to God for forgiveness of your sins, that would be a beautiful thing but when a priest who doesn't meet the standard set by Peter and isn't qualified to forgive you, you may feel better but you may find your sins still abound.
Yes, why would you ? I can't find ANYWHERE where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches that TODAY sins are ETERNALLY forgiven if confessed to a Priest. Disagree ? Show the verses
@@KeithNester Who did Christ give the UNIQUE role of Apostle to the Gentiles/heathen/UNcircumcision ? Show the verses where Christ teaches that ANY of the other 12 Apostles have Paul's UNIQUE role of Apostle to you/I - the Gentiles/heathen/UNcircumcision. Show ANYWHERE besides repent from the sin of disbelief where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches repent from sin to be JUSTIFIED/SEALED. Show ANYWHERE where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches 'works' to remain justified/saved/sealed. Paul DOES teach that the life of a SAVED BELIEVER will be judged/rewards/loss - yet REMAINS SAVED - is Paul wrong ? 1 Cor 3:8, 1 Cor 3:10-15, 2 Cor 5:10, Rom 14:10.
@@KeithNester Yes, you have enough on your plate dealing with what the Vatican instructs you to believe, for me, I simply listen and believe to what Christ THROUGH Paul taught that applies to us now.
@@robusc4940 when Jesus was about leaving this earth he gave the role to lead the Apostles to Peter so what are saying about Paul is waste. Peter was the head and the first head of the Catholic church
Why should they? Why go to God? They have another christ an "alter cristus." Somebody is always between God and man. The priest, the pope or Mary. You know God is not the God of love or grace. He's too hard and can't be approached. After all, all he did was give us his Son. No big deal, right?
That’s not about confession, but confronting someone who sins against you. Keep reading and you’ll see the mandate to “take it to the church.” Which church?
@ester Confess of what? You read it yourself in James 5:16, ”confess your SINS to one another.” It is a confession ABOUT SIN. And Matthew 18:15-17, is the HOW to ”confess your SINS to one another.” Keep reading verse 17 of Matthew 18, and you'll understand why “take it to the church”... But FIRST, keep reading verse 16 of Matthew 18 to understand verse 17 of Matthew 18. "Which church?" WHAT is a Church - Ekklesia? The basic meaning of the Greek ekklesia is ASSEMBLY or GATHERING.
Mark 2:7 “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” These are the men you think are forgiving your sins! Some of the most senior clerics in the Roman Catholic church who have vociferously attacked homosexuality are themselves gay, according to a book to be published next week. Eighty per cent of priests working at the Vatican are gay, although not necessarily sexually active, it is claimed in the book, In the Closet of the Vatican. The 570-page book, which the French journalist and author Frédéric Martel spent four years researching, is a “startling account of corruption and hypocrisy at the heart of the Vatican”, according to its British publisher Bloomsbury. It is being published in eight languages across 20 countries next Wednesday, coinciding with the opening day of a conference at the Vatican on sexual abuse, to which bishops from all over the world have been summoned. Martel, a former adviser to the French government, conducted 1,500 interviews while researching the book, including with 41 cardinals, 52 bishops and monsignors, 45 papal ambassadors or diplomatic officials, 11 Swiss guards and more than 200 priests and seminarians, according to a report on the Catholic website the Tablet. Many spoke of an unspoken code of the “closet”, with one rule of thumb being that the more homophobic a cleric was, the more likely he was to be gay. Martel alleges that one Colombian cardinal, the late Alfonso López Trujillo, who held a senior Vatican position, was an arch-defender of church teaching on homosexuality and contraception while using male prostitutes, the Tablet said. The author found that some gay priests accepted their sexuality and a few maintained discreet relationships, but others sought high-risk casual encounters. Some were in denial about their sexuality.
Historic Protestant response. From the Anglican rite of reconciliation of penitents in the Anglican Book Of Common Prayer: What is the Reconciliation of Penitents? The Reconciliation of Penitents, commonly called auricular confession (auricular roughly means audible), appears on pages 223 through 224 in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer as one of the pastoral healing rites. Like the ministries to the sick and dying, the priest stands in on behalf of Christ and the Church to appeal before God on behalf of the person and communicate to the person on behalf of God. Thus, the priest fulfills Jesus’ commission in John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Like other healing ministries, reconciliation actively works against the curse and demonstrates how God repairs what is broken in us and our world. How Do Anglicans Practice Reconciliation? The rite begins with the penitent petitioning the priest, Bless me, for I have sinned. The priest then asks about the penitent’s sins. The penitent will then recite the confession part of the liturgy, beginning, I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in things done and left undone… Then the penitent names the sins they have committed, voices their remorse, and asks God and the Church for forgiveness and the priest for “counsel, direction, and absolution.” At this point, the priest can offer counsel or suggest an act of penance. Acts of penance are not some ways of punishing oneself for sin. Instead, they are disciplines to help one grow and resist sin in the future. Finally, the priest pronounces God’s forgiveness on the penitent, often making the sign of the cross or placing his hand on the penitent’s head. He ends by saying, The Lord has put away all your sins. The priest then offers a prayer. As the time together ends, the priest then requests, Go (or abide) in peace, and pray for me, a sinner. This last line is significant because it recognizes and reminds penitents that the priest is a sinner like themselves. Why Should We Practice Reconciliation? An oft-quoted mantra regarding auricular confession is attributed to Richard Hooker: “All may, some should, none must.” Obviously, since we have “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) and we have the Holy Spirit within us who “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26), we can come before God on our own. And yet, in the Anglican tradition, we have a long history of confessing our sins and receiving absolution. The corporate version of this is an essential part of every Eucharistic liturgy. However, personal confession offers two additional benefits: It provides a personalized expression of both the sins surrendered to Jesus and the pardon delivered to the penitent. It brings with it an element of individual spiritual guidance specific to the struggles of the penitent. Just because we can confess our sins to God directly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t practice confession with a confessor. Quite the opposite is true. By practicing the Reconciliation of Penitents, we lay our sins before God, are assured of his forgiveness, and receive pastoral guidance for the future. It should enhance, not replace, our personal relationship with God.
i remember my first confession… wow what a weight and burden lifted off my shoulders knowing God has forgiven me. I was baptized Catholic as a baby, raised Protestant and than came back as an adult. best decision ever.
Do you ever ask yourself why are there divisions in the church? I do. Why so many different denominations? Aren't we supposed to be unified? 1 Corinthians.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIsIn the first few centuries of Christianity, they met at homes. Unfortunately, the RCC is based on a lot of disinformation as well as misinformation. Having said that, how can we be unified with disinformation?
I remember my first confession to another believer, felt weight taken off the shoulders too. Also prayed to Jesus my sins and asked for forgiveness, also does wonders.
@CatholicDefender-bp7myNope, not based on my conviction by Christ.
Where are you getting the idea sin remains?
As a convert to the Catholic Church, I was surprised by the experience of Reconciliation. It is a beautiful moment that will leave one in tears, every time. The #1 reason I go to confession is because we all are one in the body of Christ. If I sin, I have sinned against the laws of God and I have also weakened the body. That's why I feel compelled to go confess my sins to my priest. There is nothing like being restored to Christ and to HIs church.
Does it say your saved by faith or by confession?
John 3:16-18
King James Version
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs
You ask "Does it say your saved by faith or by confession?"
Response : by the Blood and the Flesh of JESUS-CHRIST, THE EUCARIST.
So, now => go back to the Holy Church and ask for the EUCARIST.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs
Here is a “biblical” verse that proves the sacrament of Reconciliation. Psalm 32 : I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
You need faith to go to confession
I can not wait to experience my first reconciliation! This video makes my excitement grow!
Welcome Home!🙏🌹
Yay🎉 God bless!!
Hello, do you have an update ?
I'm a cradle Catholic who recently found his way back to God and his church.
And yes so much yes, the sacrament of confession is so strong.
My first few confessions , ever,felt like weight of the earth fell of my shoulders.
Like I could breath freely for the first time ever.
The priest who helped me literally said he saw how I felt extreme relief.
For me confession is a place of victory, a place of Mercy.
Sure it's not always fun to admit and confess certain things you feel ashamed of.
I LOVE the sacrament of confession/ reconciliation on a weekly basis.
If more people took 2 min to confess their sins, vs hours complaining to a therapist about other people's sins, the world would be a holier place
Confessing does feel nice for sure. Is it what saves us though?
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs no. It doesn't save us. It's a sacrament.
What saves us? Jesus.
Yes! And paying over $200 /hour for years and years!
im catholic, watching from the Philippines.
@johntuazon6462 wrote, "im catholic, watching from the Philippines."
It seems a common habit of filipinos living in the Philippines to add, "...watching from the Philippines" to their comments, while filipinos not living in the Philippines do not add "...watching from ".
I'm a cradle catholic but I was away from the church for a long time, and after I rediscovered my faith, I've been growing closer to Jesus and the Church every day, and I gotta say I love confession, I go weekly even if I haven't committed any mortal sins, becasue I want to be as clean as I can be for communion, plus it feels good, and the graces I get each time help me to withstand temptation better snd better every time. Confession and the Holy Eucharist are the 2 rays of light coming from Christ's wound in the Divine mercy portrait. They are 2 beautiful mercies given to us by God. Love my faith!!!!
Beautifully put❣️
I'm a Convert and still learning our beautiful Catholic Faith! I didn't know about the significance of the two rays shining out of JESUS' wound in the Divine MERCY Image! 💙💙
I do *know* from daily experience the *phenomenal* POWER of Rosary Prayer ❣️ The effect when I first prayed all full 4 Rosaries in one day was like dynamite and the devotion has continued to amaze me with it's soul and even physical healing powers 4 years down the line🎺🎺🎺The Rosary alone would keep me Catholic if nothing else but I know there's so much more and I'm growing and learning🙏💙🙏✝️
There was one Saturday that coming out of confession I literally felt like I had just been *washed* and I was *clean* 💙
It was an unexpected thing but it left me with a sense of lightness and happiness. Normally I don't really notice any change after Confession but that one time I felt it vividly💙💙💙❤️🙏❤️✝️✝️✝️
I'm being confirmed this Easter. I'm so excited. This journey has been full of highs and lows. I grew up in a protestant home. My siblings and I went to church every week and our parents really tried their best to raise us all Christian (5 of their 6 kids are Christian to this day btw). They didn't talk about other denominations very often. When they did talk about catholics it wasn't very positive. We changed churches 3 times (that I can remember) when I turned 18 we started attending the church my parents and most of my siblings still attend. This church is very public about being anti-catholic. I met my now hubby at 21 and we married when we 23. Oh, did I mention he was a cradle catholic. He and the pastor of the church butted heads a lot. We attended both catholic and protestant churches ever Sunday for the first 3 years of our marriage. In hind sight we should have stopped going to the protestant church before we got married. In 2020... the world shutdown. I'm a nurse so I worked more then I did in my entire life! We had 2 under 2 at the time... by 2021 I hard ever listened to the online church services and 2022 when some things started to open back up again I had become such a workaholic that I never attended a single service at any church. In 2022 our parish got a new priest. I won't go into details, but starting in 2020 my marriage began to crumble and by 2022 it was holding on by less than a thread. We started going to marriage counselors in 2021... one even told us she didn't see how our marriage was going to last. My solution was to work even more... 2021 and 2022 two night shift jobs so I never had to face what was going on. In Jun of 2022 I thought we couldn't get any lower, bit we did. 4-5 friends/people I knew got a divorce and I was close to ending the marriage. The only thing that saved us was that he agreed to seeing another marriage counselor. The beginning of 2023 GOD with his perfect timing got ahold of me and began shaking the stupid out of me!!!! In March 2023 the poor new priest agreed to meet with me. It was the first time I'd ever talked to the poor man. He listened to me vent and cry for 3 hours. Our conversation ended with my first confession. At that time I had never even considered becoming catholic... looking back what happened that day bloomed into me joining RCIA. I started getting connected with the parish community and it was so easy! The genuine love they have for God and each other and their whole family dynamics... I loved it and felt so welcomed... I loved how worship is done TOGETHER! I love how the parish is encouraged to participate but also give reverence to GOD... the protestant church just left like a big show, but mass felt like it had purpose. I love the culture and traditions... I love that it is all about GOD... I love learning why they do what they do during mass and that each gesture and word is to glorify God. I grew up being taught catholics aren't Christians, but that was from anti-catholics... what it have learned is that it is a deeper relationship with God... I know I have become a more godly wife and mother since exploring the faith... in September 2023 I attended my first RCIA class... also that morning I got a positive pregnancy test... she's due may 31st 2024. I really hope this post made sense. There are probably spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but oh well. I hope it encouraged someone today!
Wonderful explanation of why we confess to a priest.
I was having pretty bad sleep paralysis and night terrors....i woke one night and a shadowy figure was standing over me..
It wasn't until i went to Confession,, that all my trouble ceased.. Confession can be as strong as an exorcism....i broke down to Jesus and with his help i feel like i conquered habits and sins i could of never ousted on my own.
Agreed, Fr Ripperger specifically said going to confession is even more powerful than an exorcism
Confession is greater because it is a sacrament whereas exorcism is only a sacramental.
@@mt7754 yes, we are definitely in agreement
Can someone show me where it says confessing casts out demons? Legit question.
@@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs “The whole power of the sacrament of Penance/Confession consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship. Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the sacrament of Penance with contrite heart and religious disposition, reconciliation is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation. Indeed the sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession with God brings about a true “spiritual resurrection,” restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God.” CCC 1468
James 5:16
Leviticus 19:20-22
Matt 9:8
John 20:21-23
Sacrament of reconciliation is indeed a game changer. You explained it so well. Thank you.
As a former Buddhist, I always wondered how many lives I need to be incarnated to have my sins forgiven. A cycle of life that you need to live to atone for your sins; a never ending and tiresome cycle. As a Catholic convert, you have no idea how it feels to hear, “your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more.” A huge mess and weight was lifted from my shoulders and my heart.
Thank you, Keith for doing these kind of videos to reach our Protestant friends and new Catholic brothers/sisters. May God continue to bless you always!
Yet some people have no problem confessing to a stranger they meet in a bar 😂
And yes Keith it's healing and transformational ... Bless you brother, bless you
Confessions a weight off us..stops us being dragged down by sins, guilt, worry etc ..Great answers as usual Keith...
Confession is the greatest gift Our Lord gave us. It's such a burden lifted as you leave the confessional.
Such a good video for Lent! And a good reminder of how important confession is
Mr.Nester, I admire your Zeal for God And His Christian Church,May you be blessed exceedingly with his Protection Love Good Truth Graces and Virtues Amen 🙏
On my conversion-journey right now, actually more of a reversion-journey... Please pray for me.
You're a blessing to Catholic church, Bro. Keith. Praying for your channel to grow.
Amen…he is an apostle
@@anthonyfowler2623he is NOT a apostles 😂😂. He is totally misinterpreting that scripture and people go to the priest to confess YRS OF SINS and ask them
To forgive them. They can’t. It deception and KEITH is lost and have no idea what He is talking about
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tc YOU ARE A LOST SHEEP. Keith was crystal clear with reference to bible verse on the issue of confession. Catholic will sheep God's Church till the end of time.
Putting aside the theological point, you are right that the act of confession is a great way of cleaning the slate and moving on hopefully to a less sinful future.
I really like this section of scripture.
Romans 4:1-12
English Standard Version
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in[a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Yes and we don’t know if we are humanly forgiven from one another unless we ask for forgiveness and hear you are forgiven. Christ knew we needed to hear this. Confession is sopowerful !
@@CarolineOwens-s1h Absolutely.
Interesting thoughts about Confession from Keith. I understand the points he made
I love confession
I go every week
And sit right down in front of the priest. The lightening weight of shame in the soul is amazing once blessed and forgiven
I thought Confession was Anonymous You "sit down right in front of him.."
Just because you like it & it makes you feel good doesn’t mean it’s effective. Your sin was forgiven at the cross by the blood of Jesus.
@@PhilAlumb you have the choice
I prefer going face to face.
@@ChristineTX no
@@ChristineTXnot really. It is not just in James that this is written. It is biblical and transitional from the Old Testament to the New. Jesus Died for our sin (NOT FOREVER). That is why Paul said (work out your salvation with fear and trembling).
Thanks for your passion
Awesome video. God bless you 😊🙏
Very detail explanation Keith. Thank you!
Confession is such an uplifting experience being forgiven of one’s sins, receiving spiritual grace & healing & starting afresh with a new slate.
The wisdom & experience of His One True God is rejected by the secular world that thinks it knows better with growing mental & spiritual problems!
THANK. YOU.
Although I as a Catholic have always been afraid of going to Confession, (not for the same reasons as most others might have), but I still have always thought of most priests as friends that you can confide in; that you know won't judge you as hopeless and condemned. In fact as a teen during years I was being seriously bullied; I often felt like the only REAL friends I had were priests and my brother Paul. However long it has taken; I am slowly learning not to be afraid, and I can only hope it helps me understand better how to be humble and kind....
Yes humble and kind!
1 Corinthians 13
English Standard Version
The Way of Love
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Ephesians 2:1-10
English Standard Version
By Grace Through Faith
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Blah blah blah @@YakmonSaysItLikeItIs
@@lois2997 you say blah blah blah to the word of God? You say blah blah blah to love? That's disrespectful. I personally appreciate God's word. A lot. And this world need more biblical love.
God Bless you Keith 🙏🙂👍
Thanks!
Thank you!
Thank you so much:)
@@KeithNesterstill don’t understand the word of God. Misinterpreting and mucking up the meaning of scriptures. “As a catholic”
Exactly. Cause Jesus has nothing to do with you all except teach what Jesus specifically said not to do. Vain repetitious prayers to your Mary. Accursed doctrine. Pope and devotion to and consecration to multiple demons
many catholics canot defends their fait.. why u have pope , why u worship statues , jesus is not god, and this confess to a priest.. thank u for ur explanations its help a lot
Confession also produces humility . It is truly healing and you encounter the compassion and mercy of Christ ❤
Keep it up!
Thank you Keith for explaining 🙏
Confession is a lovely thing, Catholic or not. Saying it out loud takes away the power of whatever you’re confessing. Say it to a trusted person (priest, sponsor, therapist,) own your part, make amends if needed, and LET IT GO.
Keith, thank you for these videos. I love how you explain everything. God bless you.
Confession is uplifting and freeing. We know that our sins are forgiven. No better feeling in the world!
Ephesians 2:1-10
English Standard Version
By Grace Through Faith
2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Keith, you’ve ruined my Saturday morning breakfast fellowships at Denny’s 😢
Thank you Keith, so true. As a Catholic even if I kill a person, I confess it or tell it to God through a priest. These protestants stand publicly and confess by giving testimonies about how they turn to the Lord from their pagan ways BUT will never tell their pastor or congregation that they have killed a person. My sins a forgiven in the Catholic Church.
Very helpful, thanks!
The seal of the confessional is absolute. This, most importantly, is to the removal of scruple and doubt. Don't doubt that you are forgiven, if that is what you really desire.
I absolutely love this series Keith--thank you!!
About to do cardio with this vid, thx. Can't read the comments to see the Proddies melt
I’m a proddie :/
But I’m discerning though! It’s not easy. Have a good workout bro
@@po18guy I have gone to adoration once with my Catholic friend. It definitely had a profound impact on me, and because you said that, I’ll plan to go this week. Thanks man.
I think one of my biggest mental roadblocks is more so that I have become very invested in my current church’s global missions group, and I’m very uncertain what it would mean for that if I did convert to Catholicism. The community I have right now is very authentic and it feels like God has placed them around me deliberately. I feel pulled in two directions, even though I’m just trying to follow Jesus as best as I can
@@Gummy195What a humble and honest response❣️ GOD will *not* fail to *show* you The Way!!!
>>>>Psalm 51:17
a contrite and humbled heart you, God, will not despise.
Also notable is, in scripture, the leaders of the faith at that time first took issue with Christ forgiving sin...while the protestant leaders in our time take issue with Christ's church forgiving sin.
Thank you
Great responses 😊
Love your sharing brother absolutely AMEN I have no doubt whatsoever what people of other religions think once again brother thanks indeed God Bless 🙏
❤from The Philippines.
Great explanation. Thanks!
Our Lord Jesus gave this sacrament to the 1st bishops, His apostles when He said "the sins you forgive will be forgiven and the sins you retain will be retained". Sad that those outside the true Catholic Church have no sacraments with their false man made churches. Pray for their conversions!
It actually doesn’t mean that at all. All it means is to say that if they don’t accept you the Gospel then you tell them that their sins are not forgiven. And if they accept the gospel, then you tell them your sins are forgiven that’s all it’s saying. Remember if it’s not in the Old Testament, it’s not the New Testament…..
@JC-yr1ql It actually does mean that. You don't think so because you reject the interpretation of the Holy Spirit and use your pseronal one
@@JC_Forum_of_Christ Your tradition is unbiblical
@@Michael-pw2td so who sin are they not supposed to forgive people people they don’t like? Who sin doesn’t get forgiven?
@@JC_Forum_of_Christ Well for one thing, a sin can't be forgiven if there is no resolve to turn away from the sin..
A Catholic priest cannot be forgiven if he violates the seal of confession (another example)
Thanks for your videos, there enlightening for me.
Confession gives us grace from the holy ghost
Romans 11:6
Amplified Bible
6 But if it is by grace [God’s unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace [it would not be a gift but a reward for works].
Grace isn't a reward. It's unmerited favor. Grace and works cannot be mixed
Amazing.
Thankyou for being a voice for our faith.
Welcome!
@@JC_Forum_of_Christ You just added so much to what the bible is actually saying. Let me ask you. When the Apostles went out as Jesus sent them, and they cured the sick; was it because Jesus gave them teh authority to heal others; or were they suppose to just announce they were healed if they believed and not healed if they didn't?? Jesus told the Pharisees; what is easier for a man to say; your sins are forgiven or get up, pick up your mat and walk?
ONly God can heal people miraculously, and only God can forgive people UNLESS He lends that Authority to whomever He chooses.
Thankyou.
We need you.
God has called you to help our Blessed Church.
He has called a lot of poachers to be game keepers! Praise the Lord!
Amen...thank you and God bless you. 😊🙏
I believe confessing should be done to God because God responds to our personal confessions.
Confession is to God via His duly appointed priest who can offer advice & guidance
Great VIDEO !! God Bless
You explained this exceptionally well. I always attribute some extra context. Jesus said "I did not. Come here to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." Matthew 5:17.
The correlation with this is found in Leviticus 5:16-19. It is uncanny. And works perfectly with what Jesus said to the aposltes in John 20:23.
Perhaps add this to the explanation. It goes to show how both Testament coincide.
Jesus Christ knew we needed that tangible person like a priest so he could work through him to hear you confess your sins. God can hear you at home but how much more likely are you to treat confessing your sins at home like a get out jail free card and not really mean it or plan to stop that in your life.
The only other time God breathed onto someone was when He breathed on Adam giving him life. Just as God gave physical life He also gave His apostles spiritual life
If people really believe that they just simply can confess their sins to God and be forgiven,then I’d like to see that passage in scripture’s.Nor do I recall reading anything in bible stating from Jesus own words saying that you must confess your sins to God alone if there is a verse stating that I’d like to know where it is?🤔
Amen
We all receive the Holy Spirit by book being born again through Jesus Christ
You receive it through baptism
One thing i run into is protestants think of Confession as something we have to do, when in reality it is something we get to do. God understands mankind and how we work. When Jesus gave the apostles the ability to bind and loose it was not because He needs it, but because He knew WE would need it. It is psychologically helpful to have a man in a position of authority reinforce the fact that God does forgive us. I personally have done things that were hard to forgive myself for. By the Sacrament of Confession I was able to start the process of self forgiveness.
Persona Christi is who I confess to.
That’s a you issue
Have you seen Jesus?
@@lois2997 What are you talking about? I confess to Persona Christi.
@@texaslocoman1 Are you asking me?
@@joanne1468 I guess you are trying to say Jesus in person from broke Latin
Keith. My baptist friend keeps telling me he wants to confess his sins and go to confession. I think he’s craving the sacraments of the church but don’t know where to start with him.
I'm with you.
I make a guys day out after confession grab an early dinner, beer.
It’s only because you tell him he has to and he is believing your false catholic doctrine and deceived himself and don’t have the Holy Ghost
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tc how on earth would you know what I tell him. He has come to me saying he is craving confession which is one of the gifts Christ gave to us. Confession is an amazing gift.
Ask your priest for guidance.
Excellent show. Just one comment. It wasn't even Jesus who said only God can forgive sins. It was the pharisees. The ones who called Jesus beelzebub.
How can a protestant say to themselves “I answer to Jesus alone.” How can they say a thing like that, when they ignore everything Jesus instituted.
Haha, hilariously untrue. How can you make such a slanderous statement? Most of the Catholic Church’s practices are man-made (yet Catholics always pull out the ‘Protestants are always misconstruing history against us’ card when that is brought up). I only know of one Catholic who goes to confession. My other Catholic friends make no bones about it that it creeps them out.
What did Jesus institute? I’m genuinely curious. (Non catholic)
@@ChristinaTodd1970 to follow the bible and confess to a priest.
@@ChristinaTodd1970 Jesus started a Church and instituted the 7 sacraments to give us the graces and strength to draw closer to God.
@@lonniestoute8762 spot on ! Thank you.
The Sacrament of confession is real and it irritates the devil. There is a scene i witnessed, when the priest absolved the sins of a young lady , she carried the chair on which the priest was seated with extraordinary strength which someone of her age would is not expected to have under normal circumstances. She was actually posessed. The demons were assulting the priest for absolving the girl's sins. Over 6 ushers restrained her.
Thanks for the video Keith. I agree with everything you said.
But I still don't really get how the authority to forgive sins given to the Apostles works its way down to the Bishops and priests of the modern day...
The authority to forgive sins is passed through the unbroken Apostolic Succession of bishops, and from bishops to the priests they ordain, since Jesus first gave that authority to the Apostles. For example, we see that authority being passed on by Paul to Timothy with the laying on of his hands (i.e. ordination to the bishopric).
Apostolic Succession.
@@carolynkimberly4021 that's what it's called, not how it works. How can things just flow from person to person down the ages?
Succession is by laying on of hands
Acts9:17 Jesus had already chosen Paul but had to be laid hands on.
2Timothy1:6 Paul in turn laid hands upon Timothy and others.
Thats how succession comes about
@@simon9428that’s for healing and the Holy Ghost falling. It has nothing to do with succession. We are to forgive each other
If I do something to you and it was a sin. I ask you to forgive me. Vice Versa. You don’t go to a priest for sins I did against you or you I. This is highly misinterpreted. Weird. We do not HAVE MEN forgiving sins we do to each other. They can’t and can’t forgive their own
John 1:19 (NIV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Confess to God
The verse doesn’t mention God. It just says to confess our sins. Where does it say God in that passage other than he will forgive us. Maybe watch the video.
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault BETWEEN YOU AND HIM ALONE.
- Matthew 18:15
@@johnduncan7484and if he doesn’t listen to you take it to the church …. That passage continues.
Read 1 corinthians 5:18
My Protestant friends day, Jesus gave the authority to forgive/retain sins to the 12 Apostles.
They reject the idea of Apostolic succession, so believe that that authority doesn't flown down to people of today.
❤❤❤❤❤
Here is a “biblical” verse that proves the sacrament of Reconciliation. Psalm 32 : I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Why are there so few confession times when it is so important? At least have two times a week. It’s so confusing because I don’t understand why they teach something groundbreaking but then deliver it to parishioners with so little enthusiasm
No man come to the father but through Jesus Christ I think it’s says that in the Bible
Jesus did establish a church. In the confessional, the priest is acting under the authority of Jesus.
@@zemneo6485THIS IS A LIE
We don’t have priests in this dispensation. We have God and the HOLY GHOST
AND THE FIVE FOLD ministry of apostle
Bishop
Elder
Deacon
??, the other MINISTER
BUT no cardinals
Pope
Nuns etc. they the catholic Christ have their own RELIGION AND JESUS
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tcbut Jesus gave them the power to heal the sick, cast out demons, but not to be used as instruments through Himself to forgive sins. But he did
Why do you stop when a police officer stops you? Why do you accept imprisonment when a judge sentences you? Aren't they just guys like you? How is it that we except the authority of a state to grant persons special powers, but not the authority of Christ to grant His Church and the clergy of His Church special authorities? Those who reject Christ's authority bestowed upon His Church do not accept Christ's authority over them. Christ is the rightful King...all authority is His to do with as He wills.
🙏
Here is another one Keith...
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
[17]So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see.
[18]It is all God's work; he reconciled us to himself through Christ and HE GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
[19]I mean, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not holding anyone's faults against them, but ENTRUSTING TO US THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION.
[20]So WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST; IT IS AS THOUGH GOD WERE URGING YOU THROUGH US, and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God.
[21]For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God.
....if you talk about a Ministry, you have to have Ministers.
If confession once upon a time was only available once, what was the anointment of the sick? Isn't that a sacrament you have at the end of your life?
? Don't get it.
@@darrellperez1029 if confession is only once in your life it looks almost exactly like anointing of the sick. So what is the point of anointing of the sick?
Why confess?
John 20:
19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But it says they have the authority, but not that I must confess to a priest. I don’t understand why I must go to a priest, especially when there isn’t a priest nearby.
An act of contrition until you can get the sacrament.
Minor sins can be forgiven by asking for forgiveness.
Mortal sin , needs a priest.
Confession is a sacrament whereby the priest bestows Jesus’ grace!
@@geoffjs why can’t Jesus bestow his grace directly? I understand that it is a sacrament, just not why I have to go to a priest to be forgiven.
@@1961Lara Jesus appointed apostles as His first bishops who appointed priests in a hierarchy with delegated authority which has functioned for 2000 yrs.
Confessing to Jesus via a priest introduces a personal counseling aspect which can be healing like a GP visit
Catholics confess their sins to a priest. Non-Catholics confess their sins by posting it on RUclips, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media to get "Likes" and comments.
Oh and Catholics also still think there is a purgatory and devotion to and consecrate to a bazillion deceased people
@@TriciaPerry-mz7tc wrote, "Oh and Catholics also still think there is a purgatory and devotion to and consecrate to a bazillion deceased people"
Yes, Catholics believe in Purgatory and saints.
it started with Peter... Mat 16:19
Did you know that Jesus is our High Priest? Heb 6:19-20 " For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; BUT INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, NOW TO APPEAR BEFORE THE FACE OF GOD FOR US". Heb 2:17 " Jesus had to be made like his brethren in every way, so that he might BECOME A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST.....to make expiation for the sins of the people". Heb 4:14 " Since we have A HIGH PRIEST who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.......let us draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need". Heb 7:25 " Jesus is able FOR ALL TIME to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercessions for them. For it was fitting that we should have such A HIGH PRIEST, holy, blameless, unstained.....exalted above the heavens". Heb 9:11 " when Christ appeared as a HIGH PRIEST.......he entered ONCE FOR ALL INTO THE HOLY PLACE, taking not the blood of goats.....but his own blood thus securing an eternal redemption". So, why do you need a priest? you can confess directly to the GREAT HIGH PRIEST, his name is JESUS.
Do you realize that if you have been baptized in the Name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Spirit that you are being conformed to Christ - & Christ is Priest, Prophet, & King?
So you, too, share in His life, ministry, death, resurrection, & His glory.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:25
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Consider that Christ did the following only to the Apostles in Jn 20:
21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 *If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven* .”
We know from Acts 1:20 from the Koine Greek that the Apostles were bishops, & this confirms implicitly that Christ gave the Apostles & their successors the power & authority to forgive & retain sins (Confession).
@@kainosktisis777 And what does this have to do with the scriptures above? Is Jesus our High Priest? Yes or no
@@DannyLoyd
If you look at the OT, there were other priests who’d served under the high priest.
These were a shadow - types of what was to come.
@@kainosktisis777 and what does that have to do with Christ being our High Priest? Is Jesus our high priest? Yes or No?
@@DannyLoyd
He is Lord, & He is Our Great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, & we are being conformed to Him in accordance with Scripture, therefore we share in His priesthood.
Dont try to flirt peoples do what ever uou likes to do dont flirt us we knew every things
Did not John the Baptist baptize through the authority and Impowerment of God as man to forgive sins and teach penance?🤔
Confession is hard….if we’re being honest….that’s why you’re scared
I understand, but it needn’t be hard. Prepare by prayer & meditation & the more frequent, the easier it becomes!
Anything not to go to God, it’s to God we ask forgiveness and the ones we offended.
Watch the video.
@@janeyount8412
I don’t have to I know catholics go to priests to confess their sins which is unbiblical
@@EddyRobichaudyou can’t tell them nothing. Dead people sir. You talking to dead people who want this designer religion
@@EddyRobichaudso the Old Testament priests were wrong ? We go to God through the priest. The earliest Christian’s believed in confession why do you not ?
@@CarolineOwens-s1h they weren’t wrong but Jesus came with a new covenant and He’s the only mediator Christian’s ask God forgiveness through Jesus Christ, not a priest
Peter Gore Seer,
I Was Ordered By St Barbara, I Did I Was Told, And Taken To Father Tony, St Argustines Bolton Lancs Englend, By Confession It Is About Puting Your Faith In Father Tony, Giving Viability To Tony. People Come To Me For Help Reasurance, So Now I Am A Angel A Mesanger.
I have the feeling not many women confess their sexual sins to a male priest. Especially if the priest knows their voice.
Are you related to Keanu Reeves?
Even the Devil Come to Confess to St Padre PIO.
Why do Christians confess their sins to Jesus and to one another? Because it is in the new covenant, not a hybrid of the new and old like the Roman Catholic Church is.
That was very interesting, kind of went off the rails, but interesting.
It is true that we are told to share our sins with one another. In doing so we create bonds that help us to overcome our temptations and sins. Note that the text doesn't say that those who hear our sins have the authority to forgive us.
Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to confess our sins to God, never a man in a booth that you are required to see once a year. If your relationship with Jesus is so weak that when you pray to God for forgiveness, that you don't know if you are forgiven, you have bigger problems.
In regard to the authority to forgive sins, nowhere is apostolic succession in scripture. At no time did an Apostle tell a bishop/elder or a deacon they had apostolic succession. When Perer replaced Judas he told us it was because of prophecy that he did it, not an imaginary succession. He set a standard for one to be an Apostle one had to be present from Jesus's birth through His ascension. How many of the Catholic church's Priest meet that standard? They had two who were qualified, why not make both of them apostles? Jesus had told the Apostles they would sit on the 12 thrones in heaven over the 12 tribes. Judas's actions disqualified him so he had to be replaced.
When James was killed and Peter escaped why didn't he replace him? When John was the last, why didn't he replace the others? How did the Catholic church take it from 12 to hundreds of thousands if it was a one for one replacement? Why can't these Catholic apostles heal the sick and raise the dead to show their authority? Why is it they can only do that which has no physical proof?
Were a priest there to pray with you as you pray to God for forgiveness of your sins, that would be a beautiful thing but when a priest who doesn't meet the standard set by Peter and isn't qualified to forgive you, you may feel better but you may find your sins still abound.
You’re away with the fairies!
Yes, why would you ?
I can't find ANYWHERE where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches that TODAY sins are ETERNALLY forgiven if confessed to a Priest.
Disagree ? Show the verses
Are you saying everything we believe must explicitly be taught by Paul?
@@KeithNester Who did Christ give the UNIQUE role of Apostle to the Gentiles/heathen/UNcircumcision ?
Show the verses where Christ teaches that ANY of the other 12 Apostles have Paul's UNIQUE role of Apostle to you/I - the Gentiles/heathen/UNcircumcision.
Show ANYWHERE besides repent from the sin of disbelief where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches repent from sin to be JUSTIFIED/SEALED.
Show ANYWHERE where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches 'works' to remain justified/saved/sealed.
Paul DOES teach that the life of a SAVED BELIEVER will be judged/rewards/loss - yet REMAINS SAVED - is Paul wrong ?
1 Cor 3:8, 1 Cor 3:10-15, 2 Cor 5:10, Rom 14:10.
@@robusc4940 you have a nice day. I don’t have time for this kind of wacky do it yourself theology.
@@KeithNester Yes, you have enough on your plate dealing with what the Vatican instructs you to believe, for me, I simply listen and believe to what Christ THROUGH Paul taught that applies to us now.
@@robusc4940 when Jesus was about leaving this earth he gave the role to lead the Apostles to Peter so what are saying about Paul is waste. Peter was the head and the first head of the Catholic church
Why should they? Why go to God? They have another christ an "alter cristus." Somebody is always between God and man. The priest, the pope or Mary. You know God is not the God of love or grace. He's too hard and can't be approached. After all, all he did was give us his Son. No big deal, right?
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU.
- Matthew 18:15
That’s not about confession, but confronting someone who sins against you. Keep reading and you’ll see the mandate to “take it to the church.” Which church?
@ester
Confess of what?
You read it yourself in James 5:16, ”confess your SINS to one another.”
It is a confession ABOUT SIN. And Matthew 18:15-17, is the HOW to ”confess your SINS to one another.”
Keep reading verse 17 of Matthew 18, and you'll understand why “take it to the church”...
But FIRST, keep reading verse 16 of Matthew 18 to understand verse 17 of Matthew 18.
"Which church?"
WHAT is a Church - Ekklesia?
The basic meaning of the Greek ekklesia is ASSEMBLY or GATHERING.
You can start by reading the Bible.
Yes no condensed bibles
Mark 2:7
“Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?”
These are the men you think are forgiving your sins!
Some of the most senior clerics in the Roman Catholic church who have vociferously attacked homosexuality are themselves gay, according to a book to be published next week.
Eighty per cent of priests working at the Vatican are gay, although not necessarily sexually active, it is claimed in the book, In the Closet of the Vatican.
The 570-page book, which the French journalist and author Frédéric Martel spent four years researching, is a “startling account of corruption and hypocrisy at the heart of the Vatican”, according to its British publisher Bloomsbury.
It is being published in eight languages across 20 countries next Wednesday, coinciding with the opening day of a conference at the Vatican on sexual abuse, to which bishops from all over the world have been summoned.
Martel, a former adviser to the French government, conducted 1,500 interviews while researching the book, including with 41 cardinals, 52 bishops and monsignors, 45 papal ambassadors or diplomatic officials, 11 Swiss guards and more than 200 priests and seminarians, according to a report on the Catholic website the Tablet.
Many spoke of an unspoken code of the “closet”, with one rule of thumb being that the more homophobic a cleric was, the more likely he was to be gay.
Martel alleges that one Colombian cardinal, the late Alfonso López Trujillo, who held a senior Vatican position, was an arch-defender of church teaching on homosexuality and contraception while using male prostitutes, the Tablet said.
The author found that some gay priests accepted their sexuality and a few maintained discreet relationships, but others sought high-risk casual encounters. Some were in denial about their sexuality.
Historic Protestant response. From the Anglican rite of reconciliation of penitents in the Anglican Book Of Common Prayer: What is the Reconciliation of Penitents? The Reconciliation of Penitents, commonly called auricular confession (auricular roughly means audible), appears on pages 223 through 224 in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer as one of the pastoral healing rites. Like the ministries to the sick and dying, the priest stands in on behalf of Christ and the Church to appeal before God on behalf of the person and communicate to the person on behalf of God. Thus, the priest fulfills Jesus’ commission in John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Like other healing ministries, reconciliation actively works against the curse and demonstrates how God repairs what is broken in us and our world.
How Do Anglicans Practice Reconciliation?
The rite begins with the penitent petitioning the priest,
Bless me, for I have sinned.
The priest then asks about the penitent’s sins. The penitent will then recite the confession part of the liturgy, beginning,
I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in things done and left undone…
Then the penitent names the sins they have committed, voices their remorse, and asks God and the Church for forgiveness and the priest for “counsel, direction, and absolution.” At this point, the priest can offer counsel or suggest an act of penance. Acts of penance are not some ways of punishing oneself for sin. Instead, they are disciplines to help one grow and resist sin in the future. Finally, the priest pronounces God’s forgiveness on the penitent, often making the sign of the cross or placing his hand on the penitent’s head. He ends by saying,
The Lord has put away all your sins.
The priest then offers a prayer. As the time together ends, the priest then requests,
Go (or abide) in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.
This last line is significant because it recognizes and reminds penitents that the priest is a sinner like themselves.
Why Should We Practice Reconciliation?
An oft-quoted mantra regarding auricular confession is attributed to Richard Hooker: “All may, some should, none must.” Obviously, since we have “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) and we have the Holy Spirit within us who “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26), we can come before God on our own. And yet, in the Anglican tradition, we have a long history of confessing our sins and receiving absolution. The corporate version of this is an essential part of every Eucharistic liturgy. However, personal confession offers two additional benefits:
It provides a personalized expression of both the sins surrendered to Jesus and the pardon delivered to the penitent.
It brings with it an element of individual spiritual guidance specific to the struggles of the penitent.
Just because we can confess our sins to God directly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t practice confession with a confessor. Quite the opposite is true. By practicing the Reconciliation of Penitents, we lay our sins before God, are assured of his forgiveness, and receive pastoral guidance for the future. It should enhance, not replace, our personal relationship with God.
Plus, there is no certainty we are forgiven. Further, look at my comment for further connection of this sacrament in the Old Testament too.