A question on doubt

[johnn_63]

Before I start I just want to say that I will be talking to a priest I just want to hear ideas.

A while back (I do not remember exactly) I went to confession and it was very stressful for me so that as the priest was giving me absolution I forgot the intention for my pennance not the pennance itself just the intention. I could have asked as I was leaving but I did not. I am very aware that there are a number of steps must be taken to have a good confession and with some thought I honestly did not know if I made a good confession or not. At one point I did ask a priest but I got a vague answer. I kept recieving sacraments but it was in the back of my mind. What brought this back up for me was when I wad listening to a talk about confession and the speaker said that If you have doubt on whether or not something is a mortal sin it would still count as one because you would be willing to commit the sin even without knowing if it was bad or not. If I did not know if I made a good confession or not (At this point I think I made a good confession because It was a lapse of judgement) but still recieved sacraments am I in the wrong If I did not know about the whole doubt thing until just recently?

I really apologize for the long post. Any help would be appreceated.

 

[Reuben_J]

Your Confession is valid and you are good to go. Have a better preparation next time when you go for Confession.

God bless.

 

[brian_custer]

i’ll go w/ reuben’s evaluation of the situation

when will posters here learn that:

LONG;

single spaced posts are difficult to read and/or to respond to?

this is a MESSAGE BOARD; not an essay contest

 

[johnn_63]

My apologies this is my first post and I am very stressed about the situation and I wanted to give full detail.

 

[brian_custer]

ok; at least some of us who may be interested in your thread;

believe it or not; may have eye problems

i’ve been on sports boards, political boards, i’ve learned the hard way

short, concise bullet points increase clarity

 

[Arwing]

I think we kind of have an intuitive sense that, “this might be wrong” means we shouldn’t do it until we know it’s not wrong-- in the case of sin we inform our conscience maybe by asking someone qualified. We wouldn’t want to be like the hunter who sees something in the distance thinking, “could that be a human?” and takes a shot anyway.

Of course, some people are scrupulous or may be naturally inclined to doubt everything. Such a person perhaps shouldn’t be a hunter. But we certainly don’t say he shouldn’t be a Catholic. If the level of doubt seems as if it’s just scruples or something and not to be worried about, then I could see someone deciding (perhaps mistakenly, perhaps not, but either way honestly) that they don’t need to worry. So really, it depends.

Like with the confession, I think it’s going to depend how your judgment was made. But, I agree with your decision to go over the situation with a priest.

 

[Francis]

@johnn_63 You sure did make a Good Confession,we are all humans, weak as we are, i too forgot many times the intention or to whom it should be offered Mother Mary or for the Pope or the Church or Sacred Heart or for the Souls in Purgatory etc ,Jesus understands our hearts and intentions, to keep your conscience at peace you can mention the same in the next confession ,which in this case not necessary but for your peace of mind and to keep your mind at rest you can do so,only satan brings doubts,perverse thoughts and make us feel guilty and confused, that our sins are not forgiven etc.
Mortal sins are against the 10 Commandment and the beatitudes and the Church Teaching, Days of Obligations See CCC as referance http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P6C.HTM
IV. The Gravity of Sin: Mortal and Venial Sin

1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. the distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.

1855 Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.
Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.

1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation:

When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object . . . whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery… But when the sinner’s will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbor, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.130

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131

1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

God Bless

 

[exnihilo]

A priest I go to confession for always assigns a meditation. It is usually the same general idea I should meditate on as my sins are usually the same old sins. This week I forgot exactly what he said to meditate on. I did the meditation based on what I normally meditate. I feel fairly confident I did the penance, but I will mention my doubt in my next confession.

It is key to remember you were absolved by the act of absolution. The penance is something we must do, but we are forgiven already. If you don’t do your penance then that would be a separate sin. If you truly forgot the penance then you aren’t willfully not doing it. So there is no need to worry about the state of your soul due to this. But do mention it next time in confession.