Mike,
First of all, Old Catholics went into Schism after Vatican I over the Council's definition of Papal Infallibility.
They retained Apostolic Succession and all 7 Sacraments. Moreover, they retained the use of the same Catholic Canon of Scripture. So this gentleman is not even following the norms and beliefs of his own Church. The King James Bible, while a fairly good translation and is indeed beautiful old English, is missing the Old Testament Books that Martin Luther ripped out during the so-called Reformation. The Canon of Scripture is not accepted by us but used by the Old Catholic Church.
Now as to the text Robert refers to. First of all, in context, Jesus is talking strictly to his Apostles. Be that as it may, the text does not refer to the forgiveness of sins. Rather it is talking about prayer requests in general.
But let's look at John Chapter 20. The setting is Easter Sunday. The Lord is in the Upper Room with His Apostles and John records the following in verses 21 -23:
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Who so ever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose who so ever sins you retain, they are retained.
John 20:21 -23
Clearly, the Lord is giving the power to forgive sins to men whom He has ordained.
James, in his epistle talks about calling the elders of the Church. That's the Greek Presbyter which was later shortened in the Greek to Prest and later became known as Priest.
James says to call the elders to anoint the sick person and his sins would be forgiven and that the prayer of the faithful would heal him. (James 5:13-16) So again, we have a connection between the ministerial priesthood and Sacrament of Confession or the forgiveness of sins.
True, throughout the centuries, the way the sacrament has been celebrated has developed. In many early communities Confessions were made before the whole Church! Confession, in some local communities, were only required for 4 sins: apostasy, adultery, fornication, and murder but, as is the case with all the Mysteries of our Faith, Holy Mother Church's understanding develops over time.
Now it is indeed true that if one is perfectly contrite for their sin, that sacramental Confession is not needed but our contrition is rarely perfect. By perfect contrition, we mean that our sorrow is solely because we've offended God, and not because we fear the consequences.
More importantly, Confession is an encounter with Christ, just like the Eucharist. Therefore, we need to begin to look at Confession as a great and positive gift. The sacrament strengthens us. Relying on the faith of the entire Church, through the ministry of the priest, who is acting in the name and with the authority of Christ. Whatever is lacking in our own contrition is made up for by the faith of the Church.
In addition when we sin, we sin against Christ. That includes His Mystical Body, the Church so we sin against our brother and sister Christians when we sin, even if it is a personal sin.
The sacrament of Confession is a sacrament of healing, reconciliation, and restoration . . . not just between me, the sinner, and Jesus but between me and my fellow Christians who make up the whole Body of Christ.
John
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