If God Knows All and We Have Free Will, Why Cannot We Confess Our Sins to God Directly for Our Forgiveness Rather Than Go to Priests?

Dear Subscribers –

During my 19-1/2 years as an ordained deacon at three separate parishes, I have been asked countless questions about our Roman Catholic faith. Though I have responded when asked, these questions are often repeated.

In these next few weeks prior to The First Sunday of Advent (Liturgical Year C - 2025), my blogs will respond to these questions from Roman Catholics who either asked out of curiosity or due to life changes. I want to make sure they understand God’s meaning and purpose to follow His ways. It is by receiving such answers that they are better able to balance their life and practice of faith.

Thank you for your understanding,

Deacon Jim Merle

 

If God Knows All and We Have Free Will,

Why Cannot We Confess Our Sins to God Directly

for Our Forgiveness Rather Than Go to Priests?

 

It is no secret that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the least visited Sacrament. The main reasons for not doing so that I have heard are: The priest will look at me differently if he knows my sins; They are not mortal, so I don’t need to go as there are other ways of having my sins forgiven; and God will give me a sign of some sort if I need to go to confession.  In respect to omission, the response was I know what is best and I must protect myself.

 In each of these excuses no one has ever quoted me a Bible verse or cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church as to what Jesus wants us to do. If they had, they would have known that only God forgives sins, but that He does so through His divine authority of giving this power to priests in His name. See John 20:23.

The crux of the issues lies in the statement of Paragraph 1445 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God. In the Bible, we find that statement by Jesus to St. Peter in Matthew 16:19 when He says: “I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven, whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Paragraph 1445 further states: The words bind and loose mean: Whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into His.

Because Jesus appointed His Apostles and those who succeed them to forgive or not forgive sins on behalf of Jesus and heaven, we need to follow that dictate to fulfill the coupling of Church on earth with heaven in all aspects. Going directly to God, though great for our continuous communications with our Creator, does not allow the “transactional” aspect of what Jesus established by allowing His Apostle, Peter, to transition the bond between heaven and earth due to Christ’s death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. It establishes a protocol that needs to be honored rather than put aside when convenient, whether the sin is mortal or venial.

As to confidentiality of priests, Paragraph 1467 of the Catechism states: Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons, the Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him.  He can make no use of knowledge that confession gives him’ lives. This secret, which admits of no exceptions, is called the “sacramental seal,” because what the penitent has made known to the priest remains “sealed” by the sacrament.

The question about God knowing all, His sovereignty and us having free will has to do with the purpose of our creation regarding human freedom, morality of human acts and passions and moral conscience. “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them.”  Genesis 1:27.

With freedom comes responsibility. In the Catechism, Paragraph 1733, it reads: The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “the slavery of sin. See Romans 6:17.

In Paragraph 1776 of the Catechism it reads: His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.

Paragraph 1799: Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.

Paragraph 1800: A human must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience.

Paragraph 1802: The Word of God is a light for our path. We must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. This is how moral conscience is formed.

God has given us a gift of free will in the hope that we will always think before choosing and ask the question: What would Jesus do in this situation rather than acting irrationally and facing the consequences of what could adversely affect many? His creation of us out of His love trusts that we will make the correct decision which will strengthen our relationship with Him and all he created to the detriment of sin.

PLEASE NOTE:

 The Catechism of the Catholic Church being used is the second edition revised in 2000.

The Bible being used is The New American Bible revised in 1976.

These books or their revisions may be purchased on Amazon.