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CONFESSION - THE SECOND
BAPTISM
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Bishop Moussa |
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What is our sacrament for confession based on?
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"...and were baptised by him in the Jordan, confessing
their sins" (Matthew 3:6). |
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The sacrament of baptism is a practice and doctrine from the Old
Testament. In those days, when they committed a sin, they had to offer
an animal to God as a sacrifice. The sinner brings it to the priest,
puts his hand on the head of the animal and confesses his sins. By
this way, he is transferring his sins to the animal. After confession,
the priest takes the animal and slaughters it. The blood from this
sacrifice symbolises the blood of Jesus Christ in the New Testament;
who Himself was offered as a sacrifice for the remission of our sins.
Therefore, confession is a tradition practiced from the days of the
Old Testament. |
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"I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of
Heaven, and whatever you bound on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and
whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven" (John 16:19 &
Matthew 18:18). |
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This is the word of God to the apostles. |
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"...and when He had said this, He breathed on them
and said 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they
will be forgiven, and if you retain the sins of any they will be
retained'" (John 20:23) |
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From this verse, it is clear that the Lord gave the authority to His
apostles to loose and retain sins. But they can only do this through
hearing confessions. In our church it is very important because it
proves that confession has a Biblical foundation. Our church is not
inventing new things, but following the commandments in the Bible.
Thus, in confession the priest, through the Holy Spirit, will know if
your repentance is sincere enough to loose your sins. If your sins are
retained, you must not take the Holy Communion until your heart and
conscience is clear. Through your confession father, you can be sure
that you are going the right direction. |
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V We have
another foundation other than Biblical, and that is of
intellectuality: |
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'It is my need for guidance because I cannot guide myself, and no
other human can guide me because we are both limited.' For this
reason, we rely on being guided by the Holy Spirit. The priest is the
medium through which we are guided by the Holy Spirit. You pray to
prepare your heart to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit through
your spiritual father; for the words are not the words of the priest,
but of the Holy Spirit - 'In confession we receive absolution, and
solution.' |
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Psychological foundation: |
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Everybody has moments when they face stress, and you become in need of
speaking and throwing your troubles on someone else. Open the windows
of your soul and speak words of agony, in a way to release your
tension, and this can only occur in confession. The Lord is your
Creator, and He knows everything in your life and what is bothering
you, He can relieve your tension and give you peace. In confession, we
are dealing with the Holy Spirit through divine means. This differs
from relieving your tension by visiting a psychiatrist or talking to a
friend, because in both situations, you are dealing with a person, not
a divinity. Never lose this blessing that the church offers you,
because through this foundation you can obtain relief and know that
your confessions are kept secret by your confession father, for life. |
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Historical foundation |
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All through the history of the church, you hear that the saints and
church fathers had confession. Our church is not new, but historical
and based on early church tradition which encouraged confession. |
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SO, HOW CAN WE CONFESS? |
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You must prepare yourself by discussing with God your problems,
concerning such things as neglect in prayer, Bible reading, taking the
Holy Communion, and also such things in regards to your senses,
thoughts, feelings, deeds and relations. |
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HOW CAN WE BENEFIT FROM CONFESSION? |
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Confession is not a session between you and your spiritual father, but
a session in the presence of the Holy Spirit. If your intention is
just to sit and spend time with your confession father, you are going
in the wrong direction; in confession you should be coming to see the
Lord. Your father is just a channel through which you are going to
introduce your repentance to the Holy Spirit, and accept forgiveness
and a solution to your problems, through the priest. The priest is
just a servant of this sacrament. Prepare yourself to see and hear the
voice of the Holy Spirit. Prepare yourself to repent to God. He will
take your agony and regret and give it to the Holy Spirit. Please deal
with confession as a three-fold relation. Then you must take the
instructions and implement them in your life. To benefit from
confession, there must be preparation and implementation |
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