Church of The Holy Name of Jesus 耶稣圣名堂 天主教Roman Catholic Church Balik Pulau

12/09/2026

HNJ CHURCH BULLETIN 12 - 18 SEP 2026

04/09/2026

HNJ CHURCH BULLETIN 6 - 12 SEP 2026

04/09/2026

WHY DO CATHOLICS CONFESS TO A PRIEST INSTEAD OF DIRECTLY TO GOD?

You may have heard someone ask this question.
And Catholics actually agree with the first part:
Yes, we should confess our sins directly to God.
But Jesus also gave His Church a sacramental way of receiving forgiveness, and it involves a priest.
So why?

1. Catholics Do Confess Their Sins Directly to God.
Catholics are encouraged to speak to God personally about their sins.
We can say:
“Lord, I am sorry for what I have done. Please forgive me.”
We should examine our conscience, repent and ask God for mercy.
But Catholic teaching does not stop there.

2. Jesus Gave the Apostles Authority to Forgive Sins.
After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His apostles and said:
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Then He breathed on them and said:
“Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” John 20:21-23.
This is one of the clearest biblical foundations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Jesus did not merely tell the apostles to pray for sinners.
He gave them a real responsibility concerning the forgiveness of sins.

3. Why Would They Need to Know Which Sins to Forgive?
Think about the words:
“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
For the apostles to exercise this ministry, they needed to know what the person was confessing.
This is one reason Catholics believe in sacramental confession.
The priest listens to the confession, offers spiritual guidance and, when the necessary conditions are present, gives absolution in the name of Christ.

4. The Priest Is Not Taking God's Place.
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings.
Catholics do not believe the priest is the source of forgiveness.
God is.
The priest acts as a minister of Christ.
The Catechism says that priests exercise the ministry of reconciliation in Christ's name. (CCC 1461)
It is ultimately Jesus who forgives the sinner.
The priest is the instrument Christ chose to use in the sacrament.

5. Jesus Also Told His Apostles to Bind and Lose.
Jesus gave Peter and the apostles another remarkable authority:
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19.
He later gave this authority to the apostles collectively in Matthew 18:18.
Catholics understand this authority as including the Church's ministry of reconciliation.

6. Confession Gives Us Something We Often Need: Assurance.
Sometimes we say:
“God, I hope You forgive me.”
But in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when we sincerely repent, confess our sins and receive valid absolution, we hear the priest say the words of forgiveness.
We don't have to rely only on our feelings.
We hear the sacramental declaration:
God has forgiven you.
That can bring tremendous peace to a troubled conscience.

7. Confession Is Also About Healing and Conversion.
The Sacrament is not simply about listing everything we have done wrong.
It is about returning to God.
The priest can help us identify patterns of sin, offer counsel, assign a penance and encourage us to begin again.
The Catechism calls Reconciliation a sacrament of conversion, confession, forgiveness and reconciliation. (CCC 1423-1424)

8. What If Someone Cannot Reach a Priest?
The Church does not teach that God is incapable of forgiving someone simply because a priest is unavailable.
A person should make a sincere act of contrition and turn to God with the intention of going to sacramental confession as soon as reasonably possible.
In particular, perfect contrition, arising from love of God above all else, can obtain forgiveness of mortal sins when it includes the firm resolution to receive sacramental confession as soon as possible. (CCC 1452)

So the Catholic Church never teaches:
“God cannot hear you unless a priest is standing beside you.”
Rather, she teaches that Christ gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation as the ordinary means for receiving forgiveness of serious sins after Baptism.
In simple words, so why do Catholics confess to a priest?
Because Jesus gave His apostles, and through them His Church, a ministry of forgiving and retaining sins.
We confess to God because God is the one who forgives.
We confess sacramentally to a priest because Christ chose the apostles and their successors to minister that forgiveness visibly in His name.
The priest is not replacing God.
He is not more powerful than God.
And Catholics are not saying that God cannot hear a private prayer of repentance.
Instead, Catholics believe Jesus gave us something beautiful:
A sacrament where we confess, receive forgiveness, hear the words of absolution, and are reconciled with God and the Church.

So the next time someone asks:
“Why don't Catholics just confess directly to God?”
The answer is simple:
We do.
But we also follow the way of reconciliation that Christ Himself entrusted to His Church.
Now you know.

SOURCES
Sacred Scripture (Catholic Dailies):
John 20:21-23, Matthew 16:19, Matthew 18:18, James 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1422-1498
Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1441-1442
Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1450-1467
Code of Canon Law, Canons 959-991
Council of Trent, Session XIV
© Catholic Dailies

28/08/2026

HNJ CHURCH BULLETIN 30 AUG - 6 SEP 2026

28/08/2026

HNJ ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR 29 AUG 2026

22/08/2026

HNJ CHURCH BULLETIN 23-30 AUG 2026

14/08/2026

CAN LAY READERS READ THE SUNDAY READINGS FROM THEIR PHONES INSTEAD OF THE LECTIONARY?

A lector walks to the ambo on Sunday.
Everyone settles down.
He opens his phone, finds the day's Scripture reading, and begins:

"A reading from the Letter of St. Paul..."

But then someone quietly asks:
"Is a lector supposed to read the Mass readings from a phone?"

After all, the words are still from the Bible.

So does it really matter whether the reading comes from a phone or from the Lectionary?

The answer is important.

1️⃣ First, The Readings at Mass Are Meant to Be Proclaimed From the Lectionary.
The Church provides a specific liturgical book for the proclamation of Scripture at Mass: the Lectionary.
The Lectionary contains the readings arranged according to the Church's liturgical calendar.
Therefore, when the Sunday readings are proclaimed at Mass, the normal practice is to use the approved liturgical book rather than a personal phone.

2️⃣ Second, The Ambo Is Reserved for the Proclamation of God's Word.
The ambo is not simply a convenient place to read Scripture.
It is the place designated for the proclamation of the Word of God.
That is why the Church gives special importance to the book from which the readings are proclaimed.
The Lectionary is placed at the ambo so that the Word is proclaimed with dignity and reverence.

3️⃣ Third, A Phone Is Not a Liturgical Book.
A phone can display the Bible.
It can be extremely useful for personal prayer, Bible study, preparation, or even checking the readings before Mass.
But a smartphone does not become the Lectionary simply because it contains the same Scripture passage.
The Church's liturgical books have a specific role in the celebration of the Mass.

4️⃣ Fourth, This Is About More Than "Paper Versus Phone".
The issue is not that phones are evil or that technology has no place in the Church.
Technology can be very useful.
The question is what is appropriate for the liturgical celebration itself.
Using a personal phone at the ambo can also create unnecessary distractions and may make it appear that the lector is checking messages or other content.
The Lectionary clearly communicates:
This is the Word of God being proclaimed to the assembly.

5️⃣ Fifth, Lectors Should Prepare Before They Approach the Ambo.
A lector should not be searching for the reading when it is time to proclaim it.
The readings should be prepared beforehand.
The lector should know the text, understand its pronunciation and meaning, and proclaim it clearly and reverently.
This preparation helps the Word of God reach the congregation with the dignity it deserves.

6️⃣ Finally, can a lay reader read the Sunday readings from a phone instead of the Lectionary?
As the normal practice at Roman Catholic Mass, no.
The Church's liturgical norms call for the readings to be proclaimed from the approved Lectionary or another approved liturgical book.
A phone can certainly be used to prepare for the reading before Mass, but it should not normally replace the liturgical book at the ambo.
So the next time you see the Lectionary opened at the ambo, remember:
It is not simply a Bible placed there for convenience.
It is the Church's liturgical book for proclaiming the readings during the celebration.

In simple words, can a lector use a phone to prepare the Sunday readings?
Yes.
Can a lector use a phone for personal Bible study?
Yes.
But during the proclamation of the readings at Mass, the normal Roman Catholic practice is:
Use the approved Lectionary.
The ambo is the place of the proclamation.
The Lectionary is the liturgical book.
And the lector's task is to proclaim God's Word with reverence and clarity.

Now you know.

SOURCES

Sacred Scripture (Catholic Translation):
Nehemiah 8:1-8, Luke 4:16-21, 1 Timothy 4:13

Missal §§309, 349, 352

General Introduction of the Lectionary §§16-37

Code of Canon Law can. 760

© Catholic Dailies

14/08/2026

HNJ CHURCH BULLETIN 16-23 AUG 2026

10/08/2026

HNJ CHURCH BULLETIN 9-13 AUG 2026

02/08/2026