BUT MUST YOU CONFESS TO THE PRIEST?

Reflecting on the Need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the life of Christians
Gabriel Uchechi Emeasoba (Rev. Fr) It is often interesting witnessing the everyday debate that normally ensues between Catholics and their brethren from other Church denominations. Most times, it is always about the need for sacramental confession in the life of a Christian. Catholics often see themselves in positions where they are faced with such questions as these: must you go to a priest to confess your sins? Did not the bible say that anyone who sins should ask for forgiveness from God the Father in silent? Why do you go to a mere mortal to confess your sins? What sort of idolatry is this? Is that priest without sin? Because such questions often introduce a kind of crisis into many Christians who have not yet understood why they go for sacramental confession, it is good that a little theological clarification be given within this space on the need for Christians to approach Gods throne of mercy with great appreciation for the mystery of Gods love. Why must a fallen Christian go to a priest for confession? The first reason is that it is in accord with the divine ordinance. It is according to Gods will. It pleased God to choose to dispense the grace of forgiveness through the hands of the priest in this sacrament and nobody has any right to challenge that. The sacrament of reconciliation is not an orchestra invented by the Church across the centuries. In retaining this sacrament, the Church is only remaining faithful and obedient to the command of her master. After his resurrection, with the power of victory over sin gained from the Cross, Christ came to His apostles and issued this order: Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive peoples sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. Since then, this sacrament has been part and parcel of the Churchs life to whom Christ gave the power of the sanctification of men on earth till the end of the world. It was the work of the Church to

continue the work of Christ (teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age Mt 28: 19). The Church was left to determine the structure of the specific celebration of this sacrament. No wonder, the specific celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation took time to develop in the Church over the years. There were times in the history of the Church when sinners did not just go to the priest to confess but rather confessed openly before the whole faithful. But with better reflection and exposure, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the practice of individual auricular confession to the priest became the norm. At the sacred Council of Trent, the sacrament of reconciliation was officially counted as one of the seven sacraments of the Church, necessary for salvation. Secondly, the modality of the sacrament of reconciliation is in keeping with the manner and character of Christian revelation in the history of our salvation. The question is: why use mere mortals to save other mortals? The answer is found in the mystery of Gods love and choice. God decides to come to his creation through them. He decides to speak to them with their own voice and that is why when it comes to saving them, he also uses one of their own to save. See, it is good to note that, true to Gods omnipotence, nothing stops him from forgiving human sins from an eternal distance. But no, He chooses not to condemn that which He had created, that which is human but rather to elevate it by being part of it. In the first place, the mystery of incarnation was one of such examples. Here, He decides to take the form of man, so that being fully man, He would save man. As man (but also God), He died on the Cross and as man (but also God), he offers us salvation. The same thing happens in the Eucharist and in other sacraments. Why would Christ assume the form of bread and wine, mere sub-human elements? He decides to take this form so that by means of this symbol of nourishment, He would nourish us in soul and body. In the priest at the confessional, Christ chooses a mere human to bring salvation to other humans. This is not strange in the manner of Gods revelation and sanctification. At the confessional, He reveals Himself as the Divine Mercy through the priest who acts in the name of the Church. It is

not the priest who forgives but Christ who works in and through the priest (who is a representative of the Church and indeed the whole of creation). It is indeed a mystery that God decided to come to us in a way that is familiar to us. Supposing one day, God decides to place at the confessional an angel who is a pure spirit and who does not understand the logic of sin and who has not suffered for once the risk of moral infirmity. It is difficult to imagine of what use that angel would be to the sinner. In the first case, the angel, being holy may find it difficult to make meaning of the sinful content of the sinners confession. There is hardly any interface between the sinner and the angel in speaking about sin. Both the sinner and the angel may find it difficult to understand the other. The beauty of the priesthood, as one reads in the fifth chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews is that he is chosen from among the people for the sanctification of the same people. He is as well tempted like others and so, he knows and understands fully the logic of sin and appreciates the grace of repentance. Therefore, being human, the priest freely participates in the mystery and flow of the Divine Mercy. And fortunately, he has the power to do this. Apart from this, in going to a fellow human being, the sinner does not just get a divine healing, he/she also gets a human psychological healing that is only possible through a bodied being like the priest. In reflecting on the psychological effect of sin, one discovers that the guilt of sin normally leaves a psychological log in the heart of the sinner which is removed when one meets a fellow human. The warmth from the priest who is a human being assures the sinner that he/she is not forsaken and is still loved, and therefore has hope. This bodily interconnectedness helps the sinner to feel relief and even sometimes, transports him/her to the arena of Gods forgiveness. That is why every priest at the confessional is a Merciful Father. Yes, He is a judge but He is also a Father. Even more, He is a doctor and a physician through whom the sinner receives healing and unconditional pardon. But why would a Christian who sins not just go into his room and

confess privately to his God? Is that not enough? Because sin is an act of rebellion against God, every act of reparation is a manifestation of ones renewed love for God. In repentance, the sinner comes back to God. Therefore, no true repentance is ever possible without an conversion to God in silent prayer of forgiveness. But unfortunately, this is not enough. In every sin, the sinner causes a rupture on four different levels. When one sins, one cuts oneself off from God, and then, from oneself, and then, from fellow humans, and lastly, from the rest of creation. If after sin, one reconciles just with God, the reconciliation is not complete. The person needs to repair his/her relationship with him/herself, humanity and the rest of creation. The reconciliation with God is only but vertical; there is need for the horizontal reconciliation. Actually, in the early centuries of the Church, the community reconciliation was demonstrated with public confession and penance. So, in order to be reintegrated into the community of the faithful, the sinner comes before the whole Church and confesses his/her sins. But with better reflection, things have changed now. The priest at the confessional represents God. He also represents the community of the Church. Being a human being and a part of creation (in fact, the head of creation), he also represents the rest of creation. Before every confession, the sinner resolves within the crisis introduced by sin. When he/she comes to the confessional, he/she repairs the broken relationship with God, the community and the rest of creation. That is why the Church teaches that there are three major acts of a sinner in the sacrament of reconciliation. These include: contrition, confession and satisfaction. When the Christian sins, he/she is touched by the ignominy of sin. He/she is pushed to compunction and self accusation. Alone with God, he/she is filled with contrition and before God resolves not to sin again. Without this resolution, the sinner indiscriminately goes back to the same sin. Then, the sinner comes to confession, accusing him/herself before the priest and receiving divine pardon and also, encouragement and enlightenment to continue running right on the road of virtue. Then, the sacrament ends with satisfaction or penance, within which the sinner carries out some acts of love to satisfy for his/her sins.

It is good to note that going to meet the priest brings even another advantage to the sinner. There is this sense of shame in sin and this shame is felt more when the sinner meets the other, the priest. When a Christian just simply resolves the evil of sin privately with his/her God, it will not be too long before she loses this sense of shame which sin brings. And when this happens, sins can be repeated. Nobody can be the best judge in his/her own case. The Fathers of the Church had given reasonable time to such debates in the past. From their reflections, one sees that private resolution of sin gives room for a more frequent repetition of sin and also a tendency to rationalize the event of sin. One cannot feel ashamed enough before oneself. For an open Christian who hopes to make real progress in his/her spiritual life, It is not enough to sit in ones room and confess to God. Connected to this is the fact that confessing to a priest brings caution to the sinner and helps him/her. It is like an aid in the resolution against sin. Beloved Christians, the season of Lent is a special season of repentance for Christians. May we rediscover once more during this season, the beauty of the sacramental confession. May we have the courage to approach that throne of mercy with genuine resolution against sin and hope for forgiveness. May God bless you and heal you.