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Why do we have to practice confession? I had a Father Confessor for many years, but he is not the role model I have always looked up to. I have lost my respect and confidence in him. This is leading me to thinking I do not want to replace him because, at the end of the day, we are human beings, full of sins. Why do I have to confess mine to someone else who is not better than me and that I do not trust. Why can I not talk directly to God and ask His forgiveness for my sins?

We practice the Holy Mystery of Confession because the Holy Scripture instructs us to do so. An example in the Old Testament is when a sin offering was made (see Leviticus 4). Instructions were provided for what the person or community does and what the role of the priest is. Thus, the ecclesiastical role and function of the priesthood is to pardon the people's sins by laying his hands on specific animal sacrifices and making specific prayers. The New Testament continues this process but in a deeper sense because the Lord Jesus Christ is the acceptable Sacrifice who bears our sins. He provided the Holy Mystery (Sacrament) of Confession for the atonement of our sins prior to partaking of His body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. The Lord gave His disciples the authority to bind and loose sins on earth, which will also continue to be bound or loosened in heaven (cf. Matthew 18). Furthermore, the Lord only endowed His core disciples and the ordained seventy-two apostles with authority over evil spirits, as well as to heal the sick, which means the physically and spiritually ill, and assured them that if they are not received, those who reject them will be severely punished (cf. Luke 10). St. James teaches us the importance of the prayers of the priests during times of illness and the establishment of the Mystery of the Unction of the Sick: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders [priests] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up" (James 5:13-15). Therefore, Confession is important for salvation, as well as for spiritual wellness and growth in virtue. While confessing before the priest, you are admitting to God in the presence of His anointed presbyter that you transgressed through a particular action or thought or failed to do an act of love or kindness toward someone else. These sins will be placed on the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ during the Divine Liturgy. In addition, while the priest circulates around the church during the Pauline Epistle, he receives the sins that we raise inaudibly but may not have had a chance to confess to the Father Confessor. However, at the next meeting, one ought to remember to mention these sins during Confession. These sins are placed on the body and blood of our Lord at the beginning of the Anaphora. Thus, we are constantly reminded of the significance of living a life of repentance and the rewashing of our souls during Confession. Remember the saints like St. Moses the Strong, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Paesa the Penitent, and many, many others who taught us the power and grace of the Holy Mystery of Confession by their humble, heartfelt examples of repentance and confession. If you find yourself at odds with your current Father Confessor, pray and find another with whom you are more comfortable and can develop a genuine relationship of discipleship, so that you may continue to enjoy the grace of salvation, which Jesus Christ our Lord carefully prepared for each of us.