The auricular confession. Auricular - oral. It is heard, it is spoken, it is heard in the presence of another. It is not the priest who forgives sins. It is Jesus who forgives sins through the church and its priesthood.

The people that have bad things happening to them, they don't deserve it. What they do deserve is the mercy of a God who lifts them when their down, shines light into their darkness, and even after death gives them new and eternal life.

Things are moving in the wrong direction. Perhaps that explains why, in the 65 years, 3000 Catholic churches have closed in our country. Not because there aren't enough people, because there aren't enough priests.

In the Catholic Church, we are guided by scripture and tradition, but we're also guided by law. Just as there civil laws and our city, our county, our state, our country, there's even international laws. We also have laws.