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Absolution is a miracle in that our sins are completely wiped away from God's memory for all time, through the sacrament of Reconciliation. We are "absolved" - absolutely of our sins up to that point in our lives.

You may say to me,
But I have been made clean by Christ in Baptism. I don't need to be absolved of my sins again.

Praise God! How wonderful that you have been Baptized in Christ! But can you honestly say that you have been without sin since that moment? Have you always, without exception, lived your life in accordance with God's will, and you have always glorified Him in your actions? I'm not saying you're a bad person, but in all honesty, chances are the answer is "No."

Please read 1 John 1:5-8. I believe he is making a valid point here; we cannot deny our humanity - we do, in fact, fall away from God's will for us. The first step in walking with Christ is acknowledging the fact that we will stumble.

Now read Matthew 6:9-15. Sound familiar? It should- this is the Lord's Prayer. "...forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." What could this mean? It meas that we are asking God to forgive us for the times we have hurt Him, but only in the same way that we forgive others for the times they've hurt us. Why would Jesus command us to ask God for forgiveness if it is permanently granted, once and for all, in Baptism? Christ was divine, but he was also human. He was in complete understanding of human nature, and he knew we wouldn't always walk God's path. He shows us here that it is possible to come back to God and ask for forgiveness of the times we stumble.

You may say to me;
Only God can forgive sins, and he is supposed to do that ANYWAY. Why does the church say we have to go to confession for it to be true?

It is true. Only GOD can forgive the times we have hurt him. And he does, indeed, forgive them. Always. It's really a matter of forgive and forget. God will always, no matter what, love us. There's nothing we can do to take his love away from us; he'll always forgive us. We as humans are capable of forgiveness. If someone you love hurts you deeply, it's possible to forgive that person and continue to love him or her. Unfortunately, it's harder for us as humans to forget. We may still love that individual, but there's a good chance it will always be in the back of our minds that we were once hurt by him/her. God, through the miracle of Absolution in Reconciliation, FORGETS our sins!

Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another.
James 5:16

 
...Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
And whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:19

The above passage from Matthew is very important to the Catholic Church; it shows Jesus giving his apostles the authority on earth as to what may be "bound" and "loosed". In effect, sin not only breaks communion with God, but also with the Church. What this passage is saying is that, when one is welcomed back into communion with the Church through a "loosening" of one's sins, one is also welcomed back into Full Communion with God! We are "cleansed", as John writes in his letter, completely and thoroughly from our sins and God will never again recall the times we have hurt him up to that point.

What does this mean?
Think about it - you are in full communion with God. Your relationship is as tight as it can be... You're a Saint!
Until you break or harm that relationship again with God, you are a Saint - should you die after receiving Absolution from your sins, and without committing another one, the Church believes you go directly to Heaven. "Do not pass go, Do not collect $200" - actually, it's more like "The game is over - you win".

Saints were not sinless - only Jesus was. Saints were sinners like us, but they made every effort to live in full Communion with God, in accordance with his will. We are all called to be Saints.

What does the Catholic Church have to say? Click here to find out!