Confessing to a Priest
It is Catholic tradition and practice to confess of your sins to a priest rather than straight to God because of many reasons:
- Firstly priests take part in the sacrament of Holy Orders. Holy Orders originated from Jesus giving special powers to forgive sin to the first followers, the 12 apostles. From then it was passed down to priests for many generations and is still continuing now. Holy Orders gives the priest the power to forgive sins.
- Jesus hears the confession from the person and then gives them the penance. This is when the person tells the priest their sins and the priest gives them a prayer or collection of prayers to say. For example, the Our Father. This penance helps the person to reflect on their actions.
- Priests are trusted by Catholics to never reveal their confessions under any circumstances. This promise is called the Sacramental Seal, which can never be broken.
- Lastly when a person confesses their sins to a priest it is guaranteed that it will be forgiven.