The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-08-05

the penitent; for example, If the sinner refuse to
make good an injury DONE to avoid the proXimate
occasion of his sin, to accept the penance imposed
or to use the means of grace and perseverance in
well doing The power given the Apostles was
two-fold power of fOrgiving or refusing forgive
ness: "Whose sins you shall forgive, they for
given them and whose sins you shall retain, they
are retained" (John Xxx. 23). The denial of pardon
by the priesthood means denial on the part of God
as the Savior says clearly: "Whatsoever you shall
bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven"
(Matt. xviii. 49,.
Is it not basphemy to declare that a mere man
forgive my offenses against God?
Catholics do not confess to any man Indifferent
ly, but only to priest, whom st. Paul calls 'the
minister of Christ and the dispenser (stewardt of
the mysteries of God" q. Cor. w. d. The priest
does not forgive man, but the representative
and the ambassador of Jesus Christ. For what [
orgive, if [ have forgiven anything, for your
sakes have done it, in the person of Christ" Oh.
Gor ii. 1O) 1--WE are therefore, ambassadors for
Christ God as it were, exhorting by us For Christ
we beseech YOU be ye reconciled to Cod II. Cor,
V. POI.
This indeed is the very objection urged against
our Savior when he forgave, as the son of man,
the man sick of the palsy Mark H., 3-12). why"
said the Jews, "does this speak thus? He bias
phemeth Who can forgive sins but God only"
The enemies of Christ Jesus denied his divinity,
and therefore his power. of forgiving sins. The
enemies of Chriss church, denying its divinity to-
day, logically must deny it the power to forgive
sins, delegated it by Jesus Christ the day of his
resurrection. (John Ky, 1929.
why not confess to God directly? Can God abro-
gate his power?
Because Jesus Christ taught us to go to God In
directly through the ministry which he established.
Why does not a soldier report for duty directly to
the commanding general! Why does not citizen
TO tha Of to-
| God does not abrogate his power, but delegates
it to men who forgive in the and with the
authority of Jesus Christ the son of God. "For
Christ therefore, ambassadors" Il. e., with.
delegated power: H. Cor. V. 20)
And we do not confess all the better to God
when aided by his ministry to do so sorrow
fully and hopefully? Remember. too, that Catho-
lies begin their confession by saying, Il confess to
Almighty God and 10 you, Father"
Does not the confessional give the priest too much
| power? object outside interference with my pr
vate affairs.
The Catholic priest undoubtedly claims the
right to lay down the moral law authoritatvely in
the sacrament of penance, and to enforce obedience
thereto under penalty OF the denial Of absoutlon.
Ills is the power to forgive sins in the of
Jesus Christ, and to advise, warn, encourage, and
help souls in their daily struggle against sin and
temptation. He has no right to pry into your prl-
vate affairs, or to interfere in family matters; he
has right whatsoever to question you unless With
regard to sin the danger thereof.
Do you object to the interference of the sta5e
when in the best interests of society, it enforces
the law against criminals? Then you should not
object to the Catholic priesthood when in the best
interests Of the individual, it enforces the law Of
Christ against evil and the evil-doer.
( How can a priest listen year after year sins
| without his own mind becoming corrupted?
Because God gives his ministers great and spec
ia graces to keep their hearts pure, daily mass and
their own weekly confession being the chief. Be
cause, again, the priest listens another Christ,
with sympathy and love for the repentant sinner,
who is causing "more JOY in heaven than the nine
ty-nine just that need not pensnce." (Luke XIV, D.
The more he understands the malice of sin and the
more he realizes its evil effects upon the sinner the
he hates it the great OF the people OF
| God. Does the judge on the bench or the physi-
| clan in the sick room become corrupted because
both come in daily contact with sin and the effects
of sin? No, the heart becomes. corrupted only by
| consenting to personal temptation.
-*-
Is priest always bound to keep secret what he
hears confession? If priest knew through confess
sion the real murderer ana an innocent man was 70
hang for it, would not common justice demand that
! he tell it?
priest is bound. even at the cost of life it
self, never to betray in any way what he has heard
| in the secrecy of the confessional. Frequently
priests have gone to prison rather than beray this
trust, although most courts respect 1t the mere
basis of natural law The confidence of millions of
! the Catholic people the world over and their fire.
quent reception of the sacrament of Penance are
ample proof that the Catholic priesthood has,
through Gods grace, been ever loyal to their trust
One of the reasons why confession will never
become the general practice in any Protestant
church-for example, the Protestant Episcopal
lies in the fact that its ministers not bound by
any divine law to keep secret the sins confded to
! them, and fail to realize their responsibility.
The absolute secrecy of the seal of confession is
also recognized by all the Oriental Christian secs,
the Russian church being the one exception be-
cause of its utter subserviency to the state.
Was not the practice of confession introduced by
the " Council of Lateran in A. D.. 1915?
By no means This council supposes the prac-
tce of confession everywhere existing, for it de-
clares that ''al the faithful and women, shall
confess their SINS at least year, to priest
approved by the church, The very fact of passing
a law as to detail of time, which at once uni
versally recognized as binding, proves conclusive
ly that confession was universally practiced. And
we have witness after witness for this fact in the
writings of the early Fathers. ('Faith- of Catho-
lies" vol iii. PIP. 1-129).
Do you honestly think that such institution,
requiring of all Christians from the Pope down