Confession
As you probably know, Confession and an act of perfect contrition are required to remove the stain of mortal sin, which St. John calls, “deadly sin” (1 John 5:16). This is necessary before receiving Holy Communion at mass. It is also necessary for restoring our relationship with God after having committed mortal sin.
Jesus gave the Apostles (the first Bishops of the Church) the authority to forgive sins or to hold them bound (Matt, 16:19, 18:18). In John 20:21-23, Jesus appeared to the Apostles on the evening the first Easter. He told them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
This is very significant because, in all of Scripture, there are only two places where God breathes on man. The first is when he breathed life into Adam (Gen 2:7). The second place is here in John’s Gospel, where he gives the Church the power to forgive sins or hold them bound.
The 1st century document, the Didache (the Teachings of the Twelve Apostles), emphatically states the necessity of confessing our sins to the Church:
“Confess your sins in Church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . , On the Lord's Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure” (Didache 4:14,14:1 [A.D.70]).
In 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, St. Paul warns us: “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.” A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
As Catholics, we must examine ourselves to make sure that we are not guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For more information, please visit:
Catholic.com Forgiviness of Sins