The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

"""THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 393a desire of having recourse, as soon as practicable,to the tribunal of Penance; for, God s ordinancesbind only such as are able to fulfillthem.It follows, in the third place, that the power offorgiving sins on the part of God s minister, involvesthe obligation of confessing them on the part ofthe sinner. The priest is not empowered to giveabsolution to every one indiscriminately. He mustexercise the power with judgment and discretion. Hemust reject the impenitent, and absolve the penitentBut how will he judge of the disposition of thesinner, unless he knows his sins? and how will thepriest know his sins, unless they are confessed?Hence, we are not surprised when we read in theActs, that Many of them who believed, came confessing and declaring their deeds to the Apostles.lWhy did they confess their sins unless they werebound to do so? Hence, also, we understand whyIf we confess our sins, He is faithSt. John says,ful and justto forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us2from all iniquity."The strength of these tests of Scripture will appear to you much more forcible, when you are toldthat all the Fathers of the Church, from the first tothe last, insistupon the necessity of SacramentalConfession as a divine institution. We are not unfrequentlytold, by those who are little acquaintedwith the doctrine and history of the Church, thatSacramental Confession was not introduced intothe Church until 1,200 years after the time of ouiA Acts xix. 18.~2 I. John i- 9-