🤮 Go to Confession and THROW UP! Why You Can't Skip the Priest (Fr. Mark Beard)

Father Mark Beard delivers a blunt and biblically rooted challenge regarding the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). He directly confronts the idea that believers can bypass the priest and go straight to God, insisting that the way to absolution was established by Christ and rooted in the Old Testament.

The Necessity of Confession:
Mortal Sin is Non-Negotiable (0:01): He starts with the fundamental truth: You cannot receive Holy Communion while having mortal sin on your soul.

The "Book of Life" (0:15): He emphasizes that salvation is all about getting your name written in the Book of Life (not a "Book of Death"). He uses the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, noting we don't know the rich man's name precisely because there is no Book of Death.

Confession Before Christ (0:47): Father Beard uses Leviticus 4, 5, and 6 to prove that Confession was "in play" even before Christ's ministry. In the Old Testament, the sinner had to publicly proclaim their sin by bringing an animal (the size depending on the size of the sin, from a turtle dove to a bull) to the priest for sacrifice.

The Divine Institution (1:12): He cites Hebrews 5—which states that a priest is chosen from among men for the forgiveness of sins—to argue against the idea of going "directly to the big guy." Christ chose to work through men.

The Uncompromising Conclusion:
Go to Confession and Get Back in the Game (1:31): Father Beard uses a memorable, visceral image: "Go to Confession, throw up, and walk away." He means you must fully rid yourself of sin and immediately return to the path of grace.

Stop making excuses! Confession is God's gift to remove your mortal sin and restore your soul to the Book of Life.