"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you", Jesus said. He breathed on them and said to them, "receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Jn. 20:21 23) Notice the empowerment. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." The disciples are being sent to forgive sins just as Jesus was sent to forgive sins. 

When Jesus walked the face of this earth, he could personally extend forgiveness. He could tell someone, "Your sins are forgiven." He defended his authority and power to forgive sins. In Matthew 9: 1 8 we see Jesus challenge them in regard to this authority ." Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Rise and walk"? "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher and go home. He then grants that same authority to his disciples. Jesus ascended into Heaven. His work with future generations is accomplished through the organization He established for that purpose, the Church. The Church is the extension of Jesus from his day and age to all generations. 

There are those who say, "I confess my sins to God. I don't believe in confession." Well, let us say that if you believe in Jesus, if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived, then believe what He tells you. When God speaks you have no alternative but to accept it whether you understand it or not. God has spoken. What kind of a person believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but believes or accepts only what they want to believe. 

It is not sufficient to "Confess to God in our hearts," alone. To have that attitude is not to have the mind of Jesus, but a mind of our own. You have got to humble yourself before God and express your guilt in words as a human being. "Take with you words and return to the Lord." (Hosea 14:3) People want to keep their sins in darkness, but you must bring them to light. If you want to hide your sins, you are not sincere. "Confessing to God" in that sense is a big cop out. Do what Jesus tells you to do! 

Modern psychology recognizes the healing that can take place when we bring to light the hidden secrets of our lives. Reconciliation between people is not possible as long as they harbor their sins and hurts in the deep recesses of their minds and hearts. We communicate with words in a truly human fashion, our sorrow and our forgiveness. This same process is involved in Sacramental confession. We express our guilt in words, our sorrow and pain, our desire to do what is right and good, and in return we hear, in words, the forgiveness of God extended to us through the priest. A great healing takes place. 

We must also note that until we admit our problem, bring it to light, we don't solve it. We remain wounded. For example, alcoholism will destroy anyone who simply wants to do it all themselves and keep it all hidden. When such a person puts it into words and admits guilt, it becomes possible for a healing process to begin, but only when guilt is expressed or accepted, only when it is brought to light. 

In confession we encounter God. We come face to face with our guilt. We deal with it, and we hear in words God's forgiveness. Doubt regarding forgiveness is removed. We then know for certain that our sins are forgiven, that we are healed. This certitude is psychologically a very important aspect of confession. 

Jesus deals with us according to our human nature. He first became similar to us in every way but sin. He became man to live among us, to speak to us, to deal with us. Even to this day, through the ministry of priests, He is with us as human beings through our senses. We hear the word of God. We speak the truth of God. We speak out our guilt. We hear his forgiveness as human beings still on earth. God has never dealt with us through some kind of supernatural illumination. He has always dealt with us in a truly human fashion. 

To sum it all up, when you confess your sins to the priest, you do indeed confess them to God. Sacramental confession is still in and will remain in until the end of time. It is God's doing. It is the means selected by Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Do what He tells you and do it often.