wicked_fire
Priests are a go between for you and God, you dont need that and it doesn't work like it did in the OT days. You must pray directly to God in order for your sins to be washed away. Communion is a ceremony, it nothing more, its just a symbol of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins, It doesn't clense you in anyway when you take communion.
Also, there is no such thing as a minor sin or a big sin. The Bible says All sin is equal in the eyes of God. On judgement day a rapest will be held to the same degree of punishment as a little boy who stole a piece of bubble gum.
Mortal Sin: "To choose deliberately - that is, both knowing it and willing it - something gravely contrary to the divine law and to the ultimate end of man is to commit a mortal sin. This destroys in us the charity without which eternal beatitude is impossible. Unrepented, it brings eternal death."
Venial Sin: "Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God; it does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. 'Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.'"
When I go to confession I am asking God's forgiveness, the priest just guides me though the process.
"O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.
Amen.
Act of contrition (short version.) Notice how I would be praying to god not the priest. He is simply there to help me.
As for communion, that is one of the major differences between Catholicism and other forms of Christianity. We believe that when you eat the host, you are eating Jesus's body.
* The bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. The Catholic term for this is Transubstantiation.
* The bread and the wine are unchanged elements, but Christ's presence by faith is made spiritually real in and through them.
* The bread and the wine are unchanged elements, used as symbols, representing Christ's body and blood, in remembrance of his enduring sacrifice.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:26-28
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:53-54
Because we believe this, if the host falls to the floor for any reason, the priest must eat it because simply throwing it away is like throwing away Jesus's body and that is insanely disrespectful.
