37 year old Convert's first Confession - Getting nervous!

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franc1sc0

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Hello friends,

I grew up a Methodist and will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter Vigil. I am so exited. I am married to a Catholic Woman and we were married through the Catholic Church 12 years ago. I finally felt a calling to join the Church, and I have no doubt this is the right decision and one of the most important in my life. I am going to do my first confession this coming week and I am nervous! I was a pretty sinful guy in my youth and still am not perfect. I am worried the Father who confesses me will think less of me cause of all the things I have done and have failed to do. Pray for me so that I may confess everything and be forgiven. Thanks!
 
Don’t worry about that at all. Father will not think any worse of you at all. Your a man having grown up in our society. Your sins aren’t going to be any worse than other men of the present age. Oh and the more often you go, the sacrament will strengthen you against sin. Go regularly once a month.
 
Praying for you!
I am pretty sure that there is nothing that you are going to say that the priest has not heard a billion times!
 
franc1sc0 said:
Hello friends,

I grew up a Methodist and will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter Vigil. I am so exited. I am married to a Catholic Woman and we were married through the Catholic Church 12 years ago. I finally felt a calling to join the Church, and I have no doubt this is the right decision and one of the most important in my life. I am going to do my first confession this coming week and I am nervous! I was a pretty sinful guy in my youth and still am not perfect. I am worried the Father who confesses me will think less of me cause of all the things I have done and have failed to do. Pray for me so that I may confess everything and be forgiven. Thanks!
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welcome home!!
you have nothing to worry about i guess canon law takes care of all that. You are in my prayers, beside if you forget some sin that doesnt mean they havent been forgiven unless you willfully concealed them.
Ubenedictus.
 
They’ve heard it all. Nothing to be upset about. Enjoy your experience with the Lord; it is He who you are meeting in confession. Be strengthened by the grace you receive there.
 
franc1sc0 said:
Hello friends,

I grew up a Methodist and will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter Vigil. I am so exited. I am married to a Catholic Woman and we were married through the Catholic Church 12 years ago. I finally felt a calling to join the Church, and I have no doubt this is the right decision and one of the most important in my life. I am going to do my first confession this coming week and I am nervous! I was a pretty sinful guy in my youth and still am not perfect. I am worried the Father who confesses me will think less of me cause of all the things I have done and have failed to do. Pray for me so that I may confess everything and be forgiven. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Hi,

I’ve just had a friend return to the church after 25 years. He was really nervous too, but upon emerging from the confessional he was so overcome with joy (due to the guidance he received, how understanding, forgiving and loving the priest was) that he actually shed tears while praying his “undeservedly lenient” penance. Honestly, just make a good examination of conscience (write it down if you have to) and let the priest ‘have it all’, you will not shock him and you will be really pleasantly surprised at how lovingly the priest will address your past sins. You will come out of the confessional feeling 70 tons lighter, as I did when I returned to the church after a prolonged absence (I actually asked Our Lord Jesus and Our Blessed Lady to be with me and gift me the graces I needed to make a good confession). Welcome home my dear brother in Christ.

God bless
 
2 thoughts to add

Remember your priest is a sinner to, and will be the first to tell you so. He wasn’t always a priest and even now is subject to the same temptations that you face.

You are washing your garments clean “in the blood of the lamb” as the book of Revelations says, so you will appear to him on the way out, a better man, than the one who came into the confessional.

Pray to the Holy Spirit and welcome home.
 
I returned to the church after a very long absence. When I went to confession I told my priest I had not been in 20 years and done evrything but murder. My confessor told me to say One Hail Mary and one Our Father and welcome back.

I go “that’s it?”
 
Humility through reconciliation is the least we can do for Jesus who sacrificed himself for us. If it makes you feel better, I read ( I cannot cite source) that Pope JPII went to confession daily. Good Luck and congrats!
 
Don’t be.

The priest has already heard it, unless you’re his first confession.

Besides, you’ve got 37 years worth; it might actually be mildly interesting for a bored priest!
 
I am praying for you, too. And please don’t let your nervousness get in the way of the awesome, wonderful sense of love from Our Father. 🙂
 
I was worried about confessing to my regular Priest, but he is fine with me going to another Parish for my first confession which I feel better about.

I’m looking forward to it in a lot of ways, but I agree it is somewhat nerve racking! We are going to feel good when it’s done though and we will be ready to receive Christ next week! 🙂
 
If you’re going to your first confession at the same time as other people in your RCIA class, the priest will be well aware of “first confession” jitters, and will most likely help you out by prompting you through the process. You should have the option of “the box” (anonymous confession,) or face to face confession. If you’re really unnerved by the idea, go with the first option.

If you need to take a list with you, take a list (and a penlight so you can read it.) Do not put a list on your cell phone (I’m thinking of phone security here, you don’t want a hacker to get access to your examination of conscience!) When you’re done with confession, take the list home and burn or shred it. Again, you don’t want it falling into other hands.

Recall what you already know about the Sacrament of Reconciliation: The priest is sitting there in the person of Jesus Christ. He isn’t sitting there on his own. The words of absolution he pronounces are the statement of Jesus Christ Himself that your sins are forgiven you. So Father isn’t going to be sitting there saying, “you jerk,” or “no way, man!” He is going to be listening, he may ask you a question or two for clarification, and he isn’t going to yell at you. He may give you some practical advice if you believe that you are struggling with something that is particularly difficult for you to overcome. Try to be humble here, too: Your sins are probably pretty run of the mill, and the priest has heard just about everything if he’s been ordained for more than a couple of years.

You will be assigned a penance. Listen carefully, and make sure you understand it. It’s a good idea to complete the penance as soon as possible after you leave the confessional.

Then the priest will pronounce the words of absolution as you make an act of contrition. If you don’t have it memorized, take a copy in with you to the confessional. And afterwards you will hear those wonderful words—“go in peace, your sins are forgiven.” Don’t forget to thank the priest.

And then enjoy the wonderful feeling of having so much lifted from your heart, mind and soul!

Welcome home!
 
I converted several years ago from the Baptist faith. I was approx. 28-29 years old when I converted. I had done some major sinning!

But as someone else on this thread pointed out, you may just make some very bored priest’s day!

I like to think that , just maybe, the priest on the other side of the screen is saying to himself “Yippee!” 😃
 
Don’t worry .

God willing , I will be going to Confession on Saturday .

I have been going to Confession regularly for more than fifty years and I still get nervous many times , granted not as nervous as my first Confession .

Sometimes it is not easy to tell the priest your sins , but rest assured he will have heard them all many times before .
 
Your priest won’t think less of you for whatever you tell him. He’ll most likely think more of you because you’re seeking God’s forgiveness and desiring to draw closer to Him. What priest wouldn’t like that?

Don’t worry about the priest remembering your sins. Your priest probably hears many confessions every week. Most priests I know are so busy that they can’t remember what they ate for dinner last night, much less who said what in the confessional. Most confessionals have a screen that you can remain behind for anonymity if you prefer.
 
franc1sc0 said:
Hello friends,

I grew up a Methodist and will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter Vigil. I am so exited. I am married to a Catholic Woman and we were married through the Catholic Church 12 years ago. I finally felt a calling to join the Church, and I have no doubt this is the right decision and one of the most important in my life. I am going to do my first confession this coming week and I am nervous! I was a pretty sinful guy in my youth and still am not perfect. I am worried the Father who confesses me will think less of me cause of all the things I have done and have failed to do. Pray for me so that I may confess everything and be forgiven. Thanks!
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Congrats! You’re almost home!
 
I have a priest friend who jokingly says he’ll buy a steak dinner for anyone who confesses something he hasn’t heard before. Course, he’s been ordained a few years now. 🙂

.
 
franc1sc0 said:
Hello friends,

I grew up a Methodist and will be receiving the Sacraments of Initiation this Easter Vigil. I am so exited. I am married to a Catholic Woman and we were married through the Catholic Church 12 years ago. I finally felt a calling to join the Church, and I have no doubt this is the right decision and one of the most important in my life. I am going to do my first confession this coming week and I am nervous! I was a pretty sinful guy in my youth and still am not perfect. I am worried the Father who confesses me will think less of me cause of all the things I have done and have failed to do. Pray for me so that I may confess everything and be forgiven. Thanks!
Click to expand...
You will be all right.

A few years ago I made a confession of 37 years. This was only the second confession of my life, the first being when I was eight years old.

Just be honest, tell him that it is your first time and that you need help making a good confession. Tell him your sins, but tell him what you struggle with, the stuff that you can’t get rid of by yourself, and ask Jesus to take it completely away from you. It can be miraculous.

In reality though, Father probably won’t really think anything of you, good or bad. Fifteen minutes after you leave the confessional he probably won’t remember a word you said.

…unless you confess that you stole the monstrance or something like that. 😃

-Tim-
 
I am forgiven!!!

Amen!!!

Praise be to you lord jesus christ!!!
 
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