Confessing a sin that I already had confessed before?

[braeden_mackay]

Hi everyonre!

Okay so last night i went to confession before mass and i confessed my sins as normal. I usaully take in a list with me and i did that also last night. Buti listed ad confessed a sin that. Ihad already confessed before several months ago, and havent committed thatsin for several months. Was this a sin to tell the priest i have stolen even though i hadnt. My conscience is ver heavy and confused right now. Have i sinned by telling a priest a sin that i had already confessed and have not done it sonce that last confession, and by telling him i did it? He also recommend to dona service to the poor to seek justice for stealing, but i already did penance previously.

Thanks you so much and if i was not clear enough i apologize and perhaps i can clarify later.

 

[crystal_waters]

I dont think anybody here can give as good an answer as your priest, call him on the phone and arrange to meet him to discuss this…your priests words are far more valuable to you than a bunch of strangers on the internet

 

[FrancisBenedict]

I don’t think you have sinned by saying that.
You are confessing to God not the priest.
(The priest is a representative to pass on absolution but this comes from God not the priest).
God knows your heart and what you have done.
God has already forgiven you as you confessed with a sincere heart.

Pax Vobiscum +

 

[BiffRuffle]

It is good to confess sins that you have already confessed because of extreme sorrow for committing them. But, it’s also good to mention that the sin(s) have been confessed already. Is it a sin to ‘accidently’ reconfess something? No. But, it could be if you reconfess it, thinking that it wasn’t forgiven, or that God couldn’t possibly be able to forgive this or that.

However, confession is not about forgiveness. It’s about healing. Forgiveness is part of that, but God’s goal is to heal you. When you go to a doctor, you don’t expect him to only treat the symptoms, you expect him to heal the disease. Sin is a symptom of a greater illness in your heart, mind, and/or soul. Through frequent confession, you give God, through the priest, the opportunity to heal the illnesses.

 

[SecretaryMonday]

Sometimes I will re-confess something that I still have sorrow for, because contrition is necessary for a good Confession, and sometimes I’m not quite sure that I have contrition for venial sins/imperfections. And I usually forget to mention that it has already been confessed.

 

[R_C]

Clearly a confessed sin is absolved and forgiven. If you mention it again because you doubt that God previously forgave you, that’s an issue that you must discuss with your confessor.

However, to confess a previously confessed sin is not wrong per se and in fact sometimes is fine to do so. The booklet “A Catechism for Making a Good Confession” by Fr. James Buckley, FSSP (with Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur) states:

1. If you have no mortal sins to confess, what do you do?

You are obliged to confess only mortal sins which have not yet been forgiven. To gain the grace of the sacrament, however, one who has no mortal sins may confess some venial sins or sins that have already been absolved.

1. If you have no mortal sins, must you confess all of your venial sins?

No. You are obliged to confess all your mortal sins but you are not obliged to confess all of your venial sins. To gain the grace of the sacrament, however, you must confess at least some sin committed since baptism.

1. Should I go to confession frequently even though I have no mortal sins to confess?

Yes, you should go to confession frequently because of the following benefits: One who confesses venial sins or sins already absolved receives (1) an increase of sanctifying grace; (2) some remission of the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin; (3) the remission of venial sin; and (4) sacramental grace to avoid lapses into sin.

 

[teachccd]

Hi everyonre!

Okay so last night i went to confession before mass and i confessed my sins as normal. I usaully take in a list with me and i did that also last night. Buti listed ad confessed a sin that. Ihad already confessed before several months ago, and havent committed thatsin for several months. Was this a sin to tell the priest i have stolen even though i hadnt. My conscience is ver heavy and confused right now. Have i sinned by telling a priest a sin that i had already confessed and have not done it sonce that last confession, and by telling him i did it? He also recommend to dona service to the poor to seek justice for stealing, but i already did penance previously.

Thanks you so much and if i was not clear enough i apologize and perhaps i can clarify later.

It sounds to me like you are doubting that your sin was forgiven in the previous confession. This is a type of scrupulosity and should be mentioned to your confessor. This is not to say that you sinned in doing this but so that you may receive the proper counsel enforcing the peace that forgiveness brings. You should not be confessing sins that were already confessed. So, discuss this with your confessor and find the peace and trust in the sacrament that Christ wants you to have.