Scripture tells us that God totally eliminates sin our sin from us when He forgives through His priests at Confession. God does more than forgive our sins. One way to picture how He is able to get rid of errors in our operating systems:
“He has turned my sins to crumbs
Had them swept into the sun.
There, each sin is blazed away.
“Thank you God, I humbly say.”
When we remember that a Roman Catholic Priest has the power to “Turn my sin to crumbs, Had them swept into the sun/where each one is blazed away. Thank you, God, I humbly pray.” we may be truly thankful. At the same time, we see neighbors who have to carry their sins around with them.
Burdened with a crushing load, they find no relief, and are slowly worn down, down, and down. They seek distraction that can only distract them from recognizing what has gone wrong: they have sinned and will eternally pay the price until they seek forgiveness.
Hurtfulness and hurting come from the crippling burden of unforgiven sins. They are especially painful for lapsed Catholics. They remember and know what they must do, but swollen vanity is a barrier they cannot clear when heavily burdened.
God, by getting rid of our sins, sets us free.