Reply #55: A common misconception...

[ElboRuum]

The Sacrament of Penance is NOT a Get Out of Hell Free card. One of the primary tenets of the Catholic faith (as with all Christian faiths) is that of omniscience (knowing/seeing all), omnipotence (affecting all), and omnipresence (being all/everywhere). This leads to the "catch" of the Sacrament of Penance, which is that while you can hide your true intent from everyone (including your priest), you cannot hide your true intent from God. God knows if you are truly repentant or if you're faking it for the benefit of your religious obligations. The Sacrament means NOTHING if you aren't truly repentant.

That's why I think it's important it called by its actual name, not "confession". It is true that you confess your sins in the Sacrament of Penance, but if you are not repentant (i.e. serious about not doing it again, changing your attitude, whatever) it doesn't get rid of the sin, because you had no intention of avoiding its committal in the future. There's more to it that just "confessing". The Priest is only the facilitator, he provides the forum and performs the absolution, but God only "counts" it if you mean it.