A forgotten sin

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Is is necessary to confess the sin which you have forgotten prior confession, only to have remembered again after session? I have some views that it’s not required as the priest has absolved all the sins including the ones which you have forgotten and I have been chided for being scrupulous before.
 
It is not necessary to confess a sin you forgot when you went to confession. All sins, even sins you forgot to mention, are forgiven with sacramental absolution. If you intentionally omit a grave sin in confession, then another mortal sin has been committed. If you just forgot about it, it’s fine, you’ve been forgiven. However, it is a good, pious exercise in humility to confess a sin you forgot to mention in a previous confession.

-ACEGC
 
Yes! It is certainly necessary to confess a sin forgotten in a previous confession, but thereafter remembered.

That’s “Preparing for First Confession 101”!
 
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tjmiller:
Yes! It is certainly necessary to confess a sin forgotten in a previous confession, but thereafter remembered.

That’s “Preparing for First Confession 101”!
Click to expand...
I have to go with this advice. If you forgot a mortal sin, you most definitely should mention it at your next confession.

Of course, if you are committing so many mortal sins that you’re forgetting some of them…well, that’s a discussion for another time. :whistle:
 
Yes, you must confess it at the next confession, providing you don’t forget again - been there, done that.

After returning from a life of Catholic indifference, I had to do a lot of learning and got schooled in the confessional.

:rotfl:

Just kidding - he was good about it. Actually, I asked my confessor, who knew my closet was being cleaned out - a process of purgation that occurs during any kind of conversion - big or small.

If grave matter was involved, he told me I had to bring it up next time, but to be assured that it was already forgiven, provided it was not intentionally left out, and that I could continue to receive communion until that next confession or grave sin stops me. That is the key - it is forgiven when you forget, but as he put it, the Holy Spirit resurfaces these things for a reason.

I was remembering stuff over a 25-30 year period that was emerging gradually over about a 3-4 month time frame. Let me tell you, it weighed heavily anyway and the only way to remove the boulder was to cough it up in confession. Some of these things required counsel, which is one reason why I believe it is good that we do bring them up.
 
Yes!

As an adult convert to the Catholic Church, I frequently remember sins I never before confessed. I make it a point to confess them ASAP, even should the priest confessor feel I am being scrupulous. Even if such a confession be unnecessary strictly speaking, the healing grace thus received is not something to be missed. I need all I can get…
 
Thanks for all the comments. I’ve always have the idea that a forgotten sin need not have to be confessed. Actually, I’d went to confessional this morning (I am in a different time zone) and left out the forgotten sin due to the perception I have had. Now, the air’s cleared up, I’ll definitely head for the confessional again next Sunday. Once again, thank you guys. 🙂
 
Sorry, the first answer is correct. A forgotten sin does not have to be re-confessed. An omitted sin would still need to be confessed and then confess the omission.

Think about it, what if you never remembered the forgotten sin? You would never receive absolution? Not true. As long as it was an honest accident, it’s no big deal, and it is forgiven.

On the other hand, it couldn’t hurt to confess it later anyway. So if it makes you feel better, go for it. I’m almost positive there’s no rule against it.
 
In my book How to Make a Good Confession it says that forgotten sins are forgiven but that you should (not must) tell them to the priest at the next Confession.
 
We were taught that if we forgot to confess some sin or anotther and then remembered, we should confess it, as a matter of obedience and humility, even though unless we had willfully concealed it, it was already forgiven. If we had willfully concealed it, that was another sin, and you then had to confess two of them.

The old Baltimore Catechism had a real neat illustration about that scenario.

Those apply to mortal sins.
 
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