a question about confession...

[liquid1187]

In my past I have done things that I am definately not proud of and quite a few of them. I have only been sincerely catholic for about 2 years but what my issue is, is that between each confession (about every week or 2) I keep thinking of past sins that mostly would be considered grave that I forgot to confess. And this is very regular. Even sins that I committed years ago. This is getting very annoying and I am wondering if I am obligated to confess these.

Another question is some of these sins I have confessed but only the single incidence that I remembered at the time of confession. And afterward I remember I commited that same sin at another time or a couple different times. It seems with some sins I have gone 3-4 times just to confess sins that I commited numerous times but in the confessional I only remember to confess that I
commited that sin once.

I hope I am making sense…Please give me your advice whether or not I am doing the right thing.

 

[Trishie]

Dear Friend, you still lack peace and are still confused about this question. Yes, questions like this can be disturbing.

You have only been sincerely Catholic the past two years. Might you ask your priest if you can make a general confession and just work through these sins with him. Then you can move forward without all this worry.

If you can’t remember how many times you’ve commited a sin, would it help you to say something like, “I have sometimes committed a sin of …”

I only say these things because I realise now it’s not going to put your mind at ease if I say simply what I did in an earlier post.

God knows you are repentant, so would it help you to sit with Jesus after you read this post, and tell Him all about these sins and your problem with it and how sorry you are…and try then to be peaceful till you are able to get to Confession.

Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you what He wants you to remember when you’re actually in Confession.

Contrition
God, I have sinned against others, against myself, and against You. I am unworthy to be Your child. I have offended Your goodness and Your dream of who I really am. I may have denied You the joy of blessings that You wish for me and for others through me.

You alone know the entire consequences of my failure. Yet Jesus assures us that You joyfully celebrate my return from sin, and run to welcome and reclaim me as Your own. Help me to value myself as Your child, knowing that all worth and holiness comes from You.

In trust, I will not accuse myself for sins already forgiven and absolved or for temptation if I have not actually sinned. I believe that temptation can be overcome by Your grace, inspiring greater faithfulness to the Gospel and the Sacraments.

Look on those tasks of love and service that I fail to undertake or to complete, and bring them to completion. Please bring out of my failures, such fruits of these new opportunities enhanced beyond all previous expectation, for from our human betrayal of Your divine plan of Creation, Your mercy wrought the magnificent plan of redemption that reverberates through time and eternity!

In Your mercy, please transform into good all that in weakness or ignorance I may spoil. I want to give blessing that is abundant beyond original possibility, to anyone I ever harm or deprive.

May I so belong to You, may I be so transformed by Your love, that my faults no longer are sin or offence in Your sight and can foster nothing that impedes Your will. This, my soul in trusting confidence implores.

“Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” [Isaiah 43:2]

“If we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves…but if we acknowledge our sins, then God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and purify us from everything that is wrong.” [1John 1:8-10]

“I have dispelled your faults like a cloud
your sins like a mist
Come back to me, for I have redeemed you.” [Isaiah 44:22]

 

[jlpkansas]

I would suggest a general confession also. My understanding of a General confession is a complete review/confession of your adult life. I love it and have done it twice. I read once where a “general confession” was recommended once a year but I think that if you make a good general confession and then commit to regular confession monthy … doing another general would be unnecessary … unless, of course, you fall from the routine of regular confession.

Welcome home. I have done my general confessions in a retreat atmosphere when I had sufficient time to reflect and the priest knew what was coming … that it was not just a regular confession. Be sure to make an appointment and have a priest that is familiar with the general confession … not all are aware or they may feel uneasy … or just be pressed for time.

I copied this from another link: fisheaters.com/penance.html

you might want to schedule an appointment with your priest to make what’s known as a “General Confession,” which includes sins of one’s entire life, since it might take a bit longer than usual (do the same if you are a returning Catholic and haven’t been to Confession for many, many years). “General Confessions” are also often made before before marriage or ordination.

Again … welcome home and God Bless!
June in KS

 

[Holly3278]

I would also suggest a general confession. In a general confession, you will confess all of the sins since your baptism, including the ones you have previously confessed I believe. This will help to clear your conscience and make you feel better. God bless! Also, be sure that you actually schedule a general confession with your priest because your priest may not have time to hear a general confession during regularly scheduled confession hour.

 

[liquid1187]

I found this following post from someone on the forum…Is this true?? I have heard things both ways. If it is this would be very helpful to my conscience which is always thinking towards the past.

"When one makes a good confession (i.e. confessing sincerely, with contrition and not intentionally withholding any clearly known mortal sin during the confession), as you have described doing, one is forgiven EVERYTHING, every sin and every detail of every sin.

Any sin or any detail of any sin that one remembers later, is forgiven and does not need to be confessed.

No one ever NEEDS to confess something which is forgiven - the sin has been absolved and God has cast it behind his back.

Now, for a scrupulous person, this applies particulary - do not confess anything that is forgiven by a previous good confession, even things not mentioned ALL of which are forgiven in their every detail.

For a person without a scrupulous conscience, they MAY confess something forgiven previously, if they particularly want to."

 

[JimG]

You should have made a general confession of all the sins of your past life at the time you became Catholic. But if not, and since this is still bothering you, make a general confession now, of whatever you can recall. Do it ONCE, then forget about it.

 

[Chaldean_Rite]

all your sins are forgiven during confession, even the ones you forget to say.

 

[liquid1187]

I realize that I am forgiven but am I OBLIGATED to confess them when I remember them at the next confession if I make a sincere confession, confessing all that I remember at the time?

 

[rotlex]

As someone who has recently, as within the past 6 months, returned to the Catholic Church and faith, I can totally understand your feelings.

I had been away, mostly, for nearly 30 years. The reason I have returned in full I myself am still not sure of, but that is a different story.

In regards to confession. My first confession after that much time was very difficult. I made an appointment with my priest, and met outside of the normal “confession line” on Saturday afternoons. I think I was with him nearly an hour by the time I was done. It felt VERY good after all this time BUT, as the weeks went by, I began remembering things I had forgotten to confess. I new I had abosolution, performed my act of contrition, penance etc., but these thoughts kept lingering.

I make sure, even though I guess it is not mandatory, to bring these things up every time I remember them at each new confession. (I try to attend once per month). I am working through this slowly, but feeling better about it, and myself. I also discussed this briefly with my priest, and in general, he states that we all go through this, and I seemed to be handling things well.

I still think of things from time to time that I truly regret having done. Things I know I have confessed, yet the shame still lingers. I think this is something we all have to simply deal with. Pray for forgiveness from, and simply try to strive to do better in the future.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

I realize that I am forgiven but am I OBLIGATED to confess them when I remember them at the next confession if I make a sincere confession, confessing all that I remember at the time?

liquid187,

Yes, although you are absolved from guilt of all sins not deliberately concealed, if you remember a mortal sin later you are obligated to confess it, thereby submitting it to the power of the keys.

Does that help?

VC

 

[JimG]

I understand from reading the AAA Forum that this is something that Fr. Serpa has recommended–i.e., mentioning past sins that one has forgotten, even though they have been forgiven in a previous confession.

The sins, however, have been forgiven already. It’s hard to see what sort of obligation there might be to confess sins which are already forgiven. This sort of thing could go on for a lifetime. And if one happens to be even a little disposed to scrupulosity, the practice could be harmful to one’s spiritual life.

I’m thinking it would be more beneficial to make a good general confession once, making an attempt to recall everything, and then put the past behind you, even including stuff you remember later. You’ve got to at some point trust in God’s mercy and in the power of the sacrament to forgive forgotten sins, which it does.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

The sins, however, have been forgiven already. It’s hard to see what sort of obligation there might be to confess sins which are already forgiven.

Jim,

I’ll just address this point.

There is an obligation to confess all mortal sins of which you are aware, regardless of whether or not you have been absolved from them. This obligation obtains in other cases then the present case, for instance in the case of general absolution, each individual, although previously forgiven, must confess their sins when possible. Similarly, in the case of perfect contrition, although forgiven there is an obligation to confess those sins as well.

The obligation stems from Divine law, and is codified in Canon Law 988

The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after careful examination of conscience they are aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession

(emphasis added)

We can find this principle in St. Thomas’ Summa, when he regarding forgotten mortal sins:

He does not profit by his neglect, since he does not receive such full pardon, as he would otherwise have received, nor is his merit so great. Moreover he is bound to confess the sin when he calls it to mind. (Supplement, 10, 5, reply obj. 3)

The same is found in the Catechism of the Council of Trent, discussing forgotten sins:

But should the confession seem defective, either because the penitent forgot some grievous sins, or because, although intent on confessing all his sins, he did not examine the recesses of his conscience with sufficient accuracy, he is not bound to repeat his confession. It will be sufficient, when he recollects the sins which he had forgotten, to confess them to a priest on a future occasion.

Here is the Catholic Encyclopedia on the topic:

If, however, the sin be omitted, not through any fault of the penitent, but through forgetfulness, it is forgiven indirectly; but it must be declared at the nextconfession and thus submitted to the power of the keys.

That said, there may be some pastoral qualifications, especially if one were prone to scrupulosity. In general, I would just note that the obligation is to confess what you actually recall, but not an obligation to recall everything. One does not not have to *constantly *strive to recall anything forgotten, to the point of obsession. It is assumed that a good examination of conscience is sufficient. BUT, if one does happen to recall a mortal sin at some point, one is bound to confess it.

Thoughts?
VC

 

[JimG]

I agree with what you said; I just think the practical application may be a little difficult.

(Compare, for example the situation of one who returns to the Church after 30 years to one who is newly baptized at the same age. One has in effect a ‘clean start,’ and need never remember the past, while the other must always be bringing up forgotten sins.)

In any case the penitent should seek and follow the advice of his own confessor.

 

[gentlefaith]

The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after careful examination of conscience they are aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession

if you remember sins you commited before baptism are they to be mentioned in a confession?