Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Time of Recollection: Abandoning sin

When we turn back to God with trust, we must use universal, golden remedy to erase stain of sin from the soul most effectively - the confession. Confession is the Sacrament and established by Our Lord with following words: "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained" (John 20:23). With this words the power was given to not only to the Apostles but to all their successors to bind or loose sins. Having given that power, they had to decide the gravity of sins in terms of forgiveness. But this they could done only while listening to confessions. And this is done this way up to the present day. Even the Pope confesses as any other priest, and kings also do this the same way as all their subjects. But this excellent Sacrament is often misunderstood and disliked by those who question authority and the intermediary role of the priest between God and sinner. Can we imagine a criminal who does not care much about the court of justice and judge assigned to sentence him. He would say: "I will make a deal with the King, I do not need to go to the court and confess my crimes to the judge!" And he goes to the King asking his mercy. However, the King would say that it is his will and law to submit to the court its judges! All these objections and complains about confession are useless and not Catholic. Confession to the priest is God's law and we have respect it and submit to it, otherwise the Holy Ghost warns us: "He that hideth his sins, shall not prosper: but he that shall confess, and forsake them, shall obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13)