i remember my first confession… wow what a weight and burden lifted off my shoulders knowing God has forgiven me. I was baptized Catholic as a baby, raised Protestant and than came back as an adult. best decision ever.

I'm a cradle Catholic who recently found his way back to God and his church. And yes so much yes, the sacrament of confession is so strong. My first few confessions , ever,felt like weight of the earth fell of my shoulders. Like I could breath freely for the first time ever. The priest who helped me literally said he saw how I felt extreme relief. For me confession is a place of victory, a place of Mercy. Sure it's not always fun to admit and confess certain things you feel ashamed of.

I LOVE the sacrament of confession/ reconciliation on a weekly basis. If more people took 2 min to confess their sins, vs hours complaining to a therapist about other people's sins, the world would be a holier place

I can not wait to experience my first reconciliation! This video makes my excitement grow!

I'm a cradle catholic but I was away from the church for a long time, and after I rediscovered my faith, I've been growing closer to Jesus and the Church every day, and I gotta say I love confession, I go weekly even if I haven't committed any mortal sins, becasue I want to be as clean as I can be for communion, plus it feels good, and the graces I get each time help me to withstand temptation better snd better every time. Confession and the Holy Eucharist are the 2 rays of light coming from Christ's wound in the Divine mercy portrait. They are 2 beautiful mercies given to us by God. Love my faith!!!!

As a convert to the Catholic Church, I was surprised by the experience of Reconciliation. It is a beautiful moment that will leave one in tears, every time. The #1 reason I go to confession is because we all are one in the body of Christ. If I sin, I have sinned against the laws of God and I have also weakened the body. That's why I feel compelled to go confess my sins to my priest. There is nothing like being restored to Christ and to HIs church.

I'm being confirmed this Easter. I'm so excited. This journey has been full of highs and lows. I grew up in a protestant home. My siblings and I went to church every week and our parents really tried their best to raise us all Christian (5 of their 6 kids are Christian to this day btw). They didn't talk about other denominations very often. When they did talk about catholics it wasn't very positive. We changed churches 3 times (that I can remember) when I turned 18 we started attending the church my parents and most of my siblings still attend. This church is very public about being anti-catholic. I met my now hubby at 21 and we married when we 23. Oh, did I mention he was a cradle catholic. He and the pastor of the church butted heads a lot. We attended both catholic and protestant churches ever Sunday for the first 3 years of our marriage. In hind sight we should have stopped going to the protestant church before we got married. In 2020... the world shutdown. I'm a nurse so I worked more then I did in my entire life! We had 2 under 2 at the time... by 2021 I hard ever listened to the online church services and 2022 when some things started to open back up again I had become such a workaholic that I never attended a single service at any church. In 2022 our parish got a new priest. I won't go into details, but starting in 2020 my marriage began to crumble and by 2022 it was holding on by less than a thread. We started going to marriage counselors in 2021... one even told us she didn't see how our marriage was going to last. My solution was to work even more... 2021 and 2022 two night shift jobs so I never had to face what was going on. In Jun of 2022 I thought we couldn't get any lower, bit we did. 4-5 friends/people I knew got a divorce and I was close to ending the marriage. The only thing that saved us was that he agreed to seeing another marriage counselor. The beginning of 2023 GOD with his perfect timing got ahold of me and began shaking the stupid out of me!!!! In March 2023 the poor new priest agreed to meet with me. It was the first time I'd ever talked to the poor man. He listened to me vent and cry for 3 hours. Our conversation ended with my first confession. At that time I had never even considered becoming catholic... looking back what happened that day bloomed into me joining RCIA. I started getting connected with the parish community and it was so easy! The genuine love they have for God and each other and their whole family dynamics... I loved it and felt so welcomed... I loved how worship is done TOGETHER! I love how the parish is encouraged to participate but also give reverence to GOD... the protestant church just left like a big show, but mass felt like it had purpose. I love the culture and traditions... I love that it is all about GOD... I love learning why they do what they do during mass and that each gesture and word is to glorify God. I grew up being taught catholics aren't Christians, but that was from anti-catholics... what it have learned is that it is a deeper relationship with God... I know I have become a more godly wife and mother since exploring the faith... in September 2023 I attended my first RCIA class... also that morning I got a positive pregnancy test... she's due may 31st 2024. I really hope this post made sense. There are probably spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but oh well. I hope it encouraged someone today!

im catholic, watching from the Philippines.

I was having pretty bad sleep paralysis and night terrors....i woke one night and a shadowy figure was standing over me.. It wasn't until i went to Confession,, that all my trouble ceased.. Confession can be as strong as an exorcism....i broke down to Jesus and with his help i feel like i conquered habits and sins i could of never ousted on my own.

You're a blessing to Catholic church, Bro. Keith. Praying for your channel to grow.

Sacrament of reconciliation is indeed a game changer. You explained it so well. Thank you.

As a former Buddhist, I always wondered how many lives I need to be incarnated to have my sins forgiven. A cycle of life that you need to live to atone for your sins; a never ending and tiresome cycle. As a Catholic convert, you have no idea how it feels to hear, “your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more.” A huge mess and weight was lifted from my shoulders and my heart. Thank you, Keith for doing these kind of videos to reach our Protestant friends and new Catholic brothers/sisters. May God continue to bless you always!

Mr.Nester, I admire your Zeal for God And His Christian Church,May you be blessed exceedingly with his Protection Love Good Truth Graces and Virtues Amen 🙏

Confession is the greatest gift Our Lord gave us. It's such a burden lifted as you leave the confessional.

Confessions a weight off us..stops us being dragged down by sins, guilt, worry etc ..Great answers as usual Keith...

Wonderful explanation of why we confess to a priest.

Yet some people have no problem confessing to a stranger they meet in a bar 😂 And yes Keith it's healing and transformational ... Bless you brother, bless you

Putting aside the theological point, you are right that the act of confession is a great way of cleaning the slate and moving on hopefully to a less sinful future.

I love confession I go every week And sit right down in front of the priest. The lightening weight of shame in the soul is amazing once blessed and forgiven

On my conversion-journey right now, actually more of a reversion-journey... Please pray for me.

many catholics canot defends their fait.. why u have pope , why u worship statues , jesus is not god, and this confess to a priest.. thank u for ur explanations its help a lot

Interesting thoughts about Confession from Keith. I understand the points he made

Such a good video for Lent! And a good reminder of how important confession is

Our Lord Jesus gave this sacrament to the 1st bishops, His apostles when He said "the sins you forgive will be forgiven and the sins you retain will be retained". Sad that those outside the true Catholic Church have no sacraments with their false man made churches. Pray for their conversions!

Although I as a Catholic have always been afraid of going to Confession, (not for the same reasons as most others might have), but I still have always thought of most priests as friends that you can confide in; that you know won't judge you as hopeless and condemned. In fact as a teen during years I was being seriously bullied; I often felt like the only REAL friends I had were priests and my brother Paul. However long it has taken; I am slowly learning not to be afraid, and I can only hope it helps me understand better how to be humble and kind....

Confession is a lovely thing, Catholic or not. Saying it out loud takes away the power of whatever you’re confessing. Say it to a trusted person (priest, sponsor, therapist,) own your part, make amends if needed, and LET IT GO.

Very detail explanation Keith. Thank you!

Awesome video. God bless you 😊🙏

I absolutely love this series Keith--thank you!!

Keith, you’ve ruined my Saturday morning breakfast fellowships at Denny’s 😢

Confession gives us grace from the holy ghost

Thankyou. We need you. God has called you to help our Blessed Church.

About to do cardio with this vid, thx. Can't read the comments to see the Proddies melt

THANK. YOU.

Amazing. Thankyou for being a voice for our faith. Welcome!

Thanks for your passion

God Bless you Keith 🙏🙂👍

Jesus Christ knew we needed that tangible person like a priest so he could work through him to hear you confess your sins. God can hear you at home but how much more likely are you to treat confessing your sins at home like a get out jail free card and not really mean it or plan to stop that in your life.

Thank you Keith for explaining 🙏

Very helpful, thanks!

Keith, thank you for these videos. I love how you explain everything. God bless you. Confession is uplifting and freeing. We know that our sins are forgiven. No better feeling in the world!

Also notable is, in scripture, the leaders of the faith at that time first took issue with Christ forgiving sin...while the protestant leaders in our time take issue with Christ's church forgiving sin.

Keep it up!

Amen...thank you and God bless you. 😊🙏

Thanks!

Great VIDEO !! God Bless

Great responses 😊

Thank you

Love your sharing brother absolutely AMEN I have no doubt whatsoever what people of other religions think once again brother thanks indeed God Bless 🙏

You explained this exceptionally well. I always attribute some extra context. Jesus said "I did not. Come here to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." Matthew 5:17. The correlation with this is found in Leviticus 5:16-19. It is uncanny. And works perfectly with what Jesus said to the aposltes in John 20:23. Perhaps add this to the explanation. It goes to show how both Testament coincide.

I believe confessing should be done to God because God responds to our personal confessions.

If people really believe that they just simply can confess their sins to God and be forgiven,then I’d like to see that passage in scripture’s.Nor do I recall reading anything in bible stating from Jesus own words saying that you must confess your sins to God alone if there is a verse stating that I’d like to know where it is?🤔

❤❤❤

Persona Christi is who I confess to.

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We all receive the Holy Spirit by book being born again through Jesus Christ

John 1:19 (NIV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Confess to God

Keith. My baptist friend keeps telling me he wants to confess his sins and go to confession. I think he’s craving the sacraments of the church but don’t know where to start with him.

No man come to the father but through Jesus Christ I think it’s says that in the Bible

Thanks for the video Keith. I agree with everything you said. But I still don't really get how the authority to forgive sins given to the Apostles works its way down to the Bishops and priests of the modern day...

My Protestant friends day, Jesus gave the authority to forgive/retain sins to the 12 Apostles. They reject the idea of Apostolic succession, so believe that that authority doesn't flown down to people of today.

Here is a “biblical” verse that proves the sacrament of Reconciliation. Psalm 32 : I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

But it says they have the authority, but not that I must confess to a priest. I don’t understand why I must go to a priest, especially when there isn’t a priest nearby.

How can a protestant say to themselves “I answer to Jesus alone.” How can they say a thing like that, when they ignore everything Jesus instituted.

If confession once upon a time was only available once, what was the anointment of the sick? Isn't that a sacrament you have at the end of your life?

Here is another one Keith... 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 [17]So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see. [18]It is all God's work; he reconciled us to himself through Christ and HE GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION. [19]I mean, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not holding anyone's faults against them, but ENTRUSTING TO US THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. [20]So WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST; IT IS AS THOUGH GOD WERE URGING YOU THROUGH US, and in the name of Christ we appeal to you to be reconciled to God. [21]For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God. ....if you talk about a Ministry, you have to have Ministers.

Did not John the Baptist baptize through the authority and Impowerment of God as man to forgive sins and teach penance?🤔

Peter Gore Seer, I Was Ordered By St Barbara, I Did I Was Told, And Taken To Father Tony, St Argustines Bolton Lancs Englend, By Confession It Is About Puting Your Faith In Father Tony, Giving Viability To Tony. People Come To Me For Help Reasurance, So Now I Am A Angel A Mesanger.

Anything not to go to God, it’s to God we ask forgiveness and the ones we offended.

Confession is hard….if we’re being honest….that’s why you’re scared

Are you related to Keanu Reeves?

That was very interesting, kind of went off the rails, but interesting. It is true that we are told to share our sins with one another. In doing so we create bonds that help us to overcome our temptations and sins. Note that the text doesn't say that those who hear our sins have the authority to forgive us. Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to confess our sins to God, never a man in a booth that you are required to see once a year. If your relationship with Jesus is so weak that when you pray to God for forgiveness, that you don't know if you are forgiven, you have bigger problems. In regard to the authority to forgive sins, nowhere is apostolic succession in scripture. At no time did an Apostle tell a bishop/elder or a deacon they had apostolic succession. When Perer replaced Judas he told us it was because of prophecy that he did it, not an imaginary succession. He set a standard for one to be an Apostle one had to be present from Jesus's birth through His ascension. How many of the Catholic church's Priest meet that standard? They had two who were qualified, why not make both of them apostles? Jesus had told the Apostles they would sit on the 12 thrones in heaven over the 12 tribes. Judas's actions disqualified him so he had to be replaced. When James was killed and Peter escaped why didn't he replace him? When John was the last, why didn't he replace the others? How did the Catholic church take it from 12 to hundreds of thousands if it was a one for one replacement? Why can't these Catholic apostles heal the sick and raise the dead to show their authority? Why is it they can only do that which has no physical proof? Were a priest there to pray with you as you pray to God for forgiveness of your sins, that would be a beautiful thing but when a priest who doesn't meet the standard set by Peter and isn't qualified to forgive you, you may feel better but you may find your sins still abound.

Why do you stop when a police officer stops you? Why do you accept imprisonment when a judge sentences you? Aren't they just guys like you? How is it that we except the authority of a state to grant persons special powers, but not the authority of Christ to grant His Church and the clergy of His Church special authorities? Those who reject Christ's authority bestowed upon His Church do not accept Christ's authority over them. Christ is the rightful King...all authority is His to do with as He wills.

I have the feeling not many women confess their sexual sins to a male priest. Especially if the priest knows their voice.

One thing i run into is protestants think of Confession as something we have to do, when in reality it is something we get to do. God understands mankind and how we work. When Jesus gave the apostles the ability to bind and loose it was not because He needs it, but because He knew WE would need it. It is psychologically helpful to have a man in a position of authority reinforce the fact that God does forgive us. I personally have done things that were hard to forgive myself for. By the Sacrament of Confession I was able to start the process of self forgiveness.

Do you know what it means to be born again I think Jesus explained it to Nicodemus check it out

Did you know that Jesus is our High Priest? Heb 6:19-20 " For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; BUT INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, NOW TO APPEAR BEFORE THE FACE OF GOD FOR US". Heb 2:17 " Jesus had to be made like his brethren in every way, so that he might BECOME A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST.....to make expiation for the sins of the people". Heb 4:14 " Since we have A HIGH PRIEST who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.......let us draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need". Heb 7:25 " Jesus is able FOR ALL TIME to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercessions for them. For it was fitting that we should have such A HIGH PRIEST, holy, blameless, unstained.....exalted above the heavens". Heb 9:11 " when Christ appeared as a HIGH PRIEST.......he entered ONCE FOR ALL INTO THE HOLY PLACE, taking not the blood of goats.....but his own blood thus securing an eternal redemption". So, why do you need a priest? you can confess directly to the GREAT HIGH PRIEST, his name is JESUS.

Historic Protestant response. In the Reformed tradition, confession and absolution are entrusted particularly to the officers of the church in three ways: (1) public worship, with the general confession in the liturgy; privately, to assure the conscience that the forgiveness is not merely offered generally but applies specifically to this struggling person; and privately or publicly in the practice of ecclesiastical discipline.

Why do Christians confess their sins to Jesus and to one another? Because it is in the new covenant, not a hybrid of the new and old like the Roman Catholic Church is.

Why should they? Why go to God? They have another christ an "alter cristus." Somebody is always between God and man. The priest, the pope or Mary. You know God is not the God of love or grace. He's too hard and can't be approached. After all, all he did was give us his Son. No big deal, right?

Historic Protestant response. From the Anglican rite of reconciliation of penitents in the Anglican Book Of Common Prayer: What is the Reconciliation of Penitents? The Reconciliation of Penitents, commonly called auricular confession (auricular roughly means audible), appears on pages 223 through 224 in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer as one of the pastoral healing rites. Like the ministries to the sick and dying, the priest stands in on behalf of Christ and the Church to appeal before God on behalf of the person and communicate to the person on behalf of God. Thus, the priest fulfills Jesus’ commission in John 20:23: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Like other healing ministries, reconciliation actively works against the curse and demonstrates how God repairs what is broken in us and our world. How Do Anglicans Practice Reconciliation? The rite begins with the penitent petitioning the priest, Bless me, for I have sinned. The priest then asks about the penitent’s sins. The penitent will then recite the confession part of the liturgy, beginning, I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in things done and left undone… Then the penitent names the sins they have committed, voices their remorse, and asks God and the Church for forgiveness and the priest for “counsel, direction, and absolution.” At this point, the priest can offer counsel or suggest an act of penance. Acts of penance are not some ways of punishing oneself for sin. Instead, they are disciplines to help one grow and resist sin in the future. Finally, the priest pronounces God’s forgiveness on the penitent, often making the sign of the cross or placing his hand on the penitent’s head. He ends by saying, The Lord has put away all your sins. The priest then offers a prayer. As the time together ends, the priest then requests, Go (or abide) in peace, and pray for me, a sinner. This last line is significant because it recognizes and reminds penitents that the priest is a sinner like themselves. Why Should We Practice Reconciliation? An oft-quoted mantra regarding auricular confession is attributed to Richard Hooker: “All may, some should, none must.” Obviously, since we have “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1) and we have the Holy Spirit within us who “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26), we can come before God on our own. And yet, in the Anglican tradition, we have a long history of confessing our sins and receiving absolution. The corporate version of this is an essential part of every Eucharistic liturgy. However, personal confession offers two additional benefits: It provides a personalized expression of both the sins surrendered to Jesus and the pardon delivered to the penitent. It brings with it an element of individual spiritual guidance specific to the struggles of the penitent. Just because we can confess our sins to God directly doesn’t mean we shouldn’t practice confession with a confessor. Quite the opposite is true. By practicing the Reconciliation of Penitents, we lay our sins before God, are assured of his forgiveness, and receive pastoral guidance for the future. It should enhance, not replace, our personal relationship with God.

You can start by reading the Bible.

Yes, why would you ? I can't find ANYWHERE where Christ THROUGH Paul teaches that TODAY sins are ETERNALLY forgiven if confessed to a Priest. Disagree ? Show the verses

Catholics confess their sins to a priest. Non-Catholics confess their sins by posting it on KZfaq, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media to get "Likes" and comments.

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU. - Matthew 18:15

Does this mean that if I only approach my heavenly Father to confess my sins, in the name of Jesus, am I to be looked down upon by others who go to a priest for confession? The example of delegated authority given to the Apostles by Jesus to forgive sins and retain sins was in the context of His church. An example would be a brother in the church committing a sin against another brother. The guilty one needs not to go to the church authority to confess his sin to receive the church's forgiveness. He simply needs to confess his sin to his brother, and His brother needs to forgive. However, If a brother commits a sin against the church, and confesses it to a church leader, then the church has the authority to forgive or to retain the brother's sin. If not this way, everyone would be seeing the need to go to their church leaders for every sin they commit.

Keith both Protestant question that I have a hard time explaining is Why do you call priests father? You are not allowed to call anyone father

Christ is our High Priest. Confess to Him. He is the mediator between God and humans.

Authority on earth is the priest but I still believe that God is the final Divine authority for forgiveness. They didn't become God when they became priests.

Most Evangelicals do not have the writings of St James. Hence, they simply do not know.

That’s nowhere to be found in the Bible. John 20:23 just means that if they listen to you, they believe you, their sins are forgiven. If they don’t listen to, you don’t accept the gospel then their sins won’t be forgiven. Let me tell you what sin shouldn’t be forgiven ??

You do not even know what "He" stands for in this verse in 1.John 1:9 ? Jesus Christ never gave the authority to anyone to forgive sin . It seems you suggest every thing catholics do is in a public setting and your Mass sacrifice what are you sacrificing ? You catholics are beholden to a form of Collectivism that is Catholicism + Catechism . I can explain it if you wish ?

No priest needed--If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

They confess because they are brainwashed of the false teachings & some are willing victims..

Roman Catholicism is Satans greatest masterpiece 😈

@gaylaortlieb1122 14 hours ago As I leave the confessional, I feel so much better always like a new chapter. I feel so refreshed and it’s like a do over with better choices in my thoughts. God bless thank you for this explanation today.

It's actually scriptural and goes back to the old testament. People confessed their sins to a priest, then offered a sacrifice commensurate with the gravity of their sins.

Thanks!