Confession, Take Three

This question came up during our reflection this morning:

Why can't I just confess to God directly? Why do I need a priest?

Of course you can confess to God directly, and the Church encourages you to do so regularly. But confessing to a priest is a different human experience. We're made to connect with others. Hearing "God forgives" from another person is simply more powerful than saying it to yourself. In addition, the priest represents the community that has been hurt by your sin. Just as you'd apologize to someone you had hurt rather than just think about it in your mind, confession to another person is the proper human response to doing damage to others.
As Catholics we believe that God works in us through physical, material signs that touch us as embodied beings. The sacramental absolution given by the priest in the name of Christ reflects our belief in how God works most powerfully in us.