Where in the Bible does it say one must go to confession?

Question: Where in the Bible does it say one must go to confession? I believe it was made up at some time so the “church” could know what its parishioners were doing. I pray daily to God and ask forgiveness of sins personally. They are forgiven. Why would I want to tell them to someone else? Priests are no “closer” to God than I am. What say you?

A priest hears confession before Mass. (CNS photo/Tim Kupsick)
A priest hears confession before Mass. (CNS photo/Tim Kupsick)
Kudos to you for praying daily and asking God for forgiveness for your sins. These are vital steps in healing wounds caused by human failings. Yet there is more to the healing process…

Although the Bible doesn’t spell out the rubrics for going to confession — aka the Sacrament of Reconciliation — the Church practices it. The Sacrament does have things to teach us about the importance of a public ritual for confessing our sins, making amends, and receiving pardon. St. Paul wrote beautifully about the mystical body of Christ (Colossians 1:18): the sense that we are all connected, we are all parts of one body in Christ. Our relationship with God is not just vertical — me and God — but horizontal as well, me and all of the other humans I encounter. Our sins don’t just offend God, they hurt others, even if we don’t see that.

The point of going to confession isn’t so that priests can keep tabs on us, but so that we have a ritual whereby we can publicly ask forgiveness from another member of the Body of Christ. So that we can be reconciled to God and to the community. So that a fellow member of the Body of Christ can welcome us back into communion with other believers. Check out this “Sacraments 101: Penance (why we confess)” video from Busted Halo, which addresses your very question in greater depth: