Confessing Sins You Forgot At Your First Confession

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I’ve gone to confession once since my first confession.

At my first confession, I confessed every mortal sin I could remember. And I asked for absolution for everything I could not remember.

But then I remembered one more thing.

So at my second confession I confessed that too.

I just remembered another sin…

So my question is, can I just believe that everything I didn’t confess at my first confession was absolved and leave it at that, or should I confess them as they pop up in my memory?

Thanks!
 
You Should Confess them if they come to mind.

They were indeed forgiven though at any previous confession if you forgot them, but we are to confess them next time round.

See question 215 of the Baltimore Catechism or here is the Catholic Encyclopedia link to its confession page - newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm

See the end of the paragraphy titled “What Sins are to be confessed” - “* 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 next confession and thus submitted to the power of the keys.” *

Hope this is of help to you, im to go to my first confession soon God willing and no doubt will be in this situation many times!

I pray God helps you in this! 🙂

Lincs
 
TrueLight said:
I’ve gone to confession once since my first confession.

At my first confession, I confessed every mortal sin I could remember. And I asked for absolution for everything I could not remember.

But then I remembered one more thing.

So at my second confession I confessed that too.

I just remembered another sin…

So my question is, can I just believe that everything I didn’t confess at my first confession was absolved and leave it at that, or should I confess them as they pop up in my memory?

Thanks!
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Been there, done that! 😃 Frankly, it stinks.

Here’s what I’ve done - if it was something I’d confessed already but had gotten the number of times wrong, I let it go. If it was venial, I let it go. If I’m not sure if it was mortal or venial, I let it go. If I know it was mortal and I hadn’t confessed anything like it already, I confess it.

I always remember something I forgot. I try to start thinking about my “list” a few days beforehand so this doesn’t happen, but in the “heat of the moment”, even with a physical list that I’ve made and a thorough examination of conscience, something always gets left out. Now that I’ve made confession more of a habit, it’s happening less (especially with serious sins), but something is always forgotten.

For me, this kind of thing seems a short jump to scrupulosity, so I try to let it go. But it’s hard!
 
Lincoln7 said:
Hope this is of help to you, im to go to my first confession soon God willing and no doubt will be in this situation many times!

I pray God helps you in this! 🙂

Lincs
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Thanks Lincoln! I had forgotten that section.
 
silicasandra said:
Been there, done that! 😃 Frankly, it stinks.

Here’s what I’ve done - if it was something I’d confessed already but had gotten the number of times wrong, I let it go. If it was venial, I let it go. If I’m not sure if it was mortal or venial, I let it go. If I know it was mortal and I hadn’t confessed anything like it already, I confess it.

I always remember something I forgot. I try to start thinking about my “list” a few days beforehand so this doesn’t happen, but in the “heat of the moment”, even with a physical list that I’ve made and a thorough examination of conscience, something always gets left out. Now that I’ve made confession more of a habit, it’s happening less (especially with serious sins), but something is always forgotten.

For me, this kind of thing seems a short jump to scrupulosity, so I try to let it go. But it’s hard!
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Silicasandra, they are both mortal, but they happened so long ago, I was hoping for general absolution.
 
TrueLight said:
I’ve gone to confession once since my first confession.

At my first confession, I confessed every mortal sin I could remember. And I asked for absolution for everything I could not remember.

But then I remembered one more thing.

So at my second confession I confessed that too.

I just remembered another sin…

So my question is, can I just believe that everything I didn’t confess at my first confession was absolved and leave it at that, or should I confess them as they pop up in my memory?

Thanks!
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Mortal sins need to be confessed in the next confession if you remember them. We are obliged to confess all our mortal sins in number and kind (and circumstance that changes it like it was your Father you murdered)

So if one pops into your memory and it is an unconfessed Mortal sin…well one brings it to the next confession even though you intended all of them …and it was absolved indirectly. Easy 🙂

(Those however who struggle with scruples…speak with your “regular confessor” if you start doing such.)
 
TrueLight said:
Silicasandra, they are both mortal, but they happened so long ago, I was hoping for general absolution.
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General absolution is a term denoting the absolution of a crowd in very specific circumstances…like the ship is going down! (they still need to confess all mortal sin individually as soon as possible afterwards if they survive).
 
If you got the number wrong on a mortal sin …where you committed more than you confessed…then one is confess that too.

Like I go in and confess murder. (the Priest presumes it was one time since I say nothing more). Then later I realize what I did …so I confess the next time that it was Murder 3x.

But if I make a mistake and say Murder 4x and later realize it was only 3x I would say that I do not have to do anything. (but one should not make the number bigger on purpose…)

(again one with scruples…discuss with your regular confessor…)
 
Thanks Bookcat.

Oh man, the Lord sure is humbling me, over and over.

Every time I think, “All right Truelight, now you just have to make sure you don’t commit any mortal sins”, there I am back in the confessional with mortal sins.
 
Of course focus on the reality of the *true life *you now have in Christ! Let us Focus on him 🙂
 
It may help for you to make an appointment for confession. Start by explaining to your priest what you have told us here. He will be able to guide you on what you need to bring up and what you don’t.

Usually for a First Confession or when a Catholic returns to the sacraments, the priest guides you through confession, asking questions designed to help you remember mortal sins. When I returned to the sacraments after years away, my priest certainly did so for me! :o

Also, sometime the “number” issue trips us up. For some sins (especially sexual sins that may have been daily occurrences for adults coming to the faith) it is best to confess *frequency or duration *rather than specific number. For example, “Father, before my conversion I lived with 2 different men and I was sexually active for 10 years.” Or even just, “Father, I was sexually active for 10 years before my conversion.” If he needs more information, he will ask.
 
Mrs_Sally said:
For some sins (especially sexual sins that may have been daily occurrences for adults coming to the faith) it is best to confess *frequency or duration *rather than specific number. For example, “Father, before my conversion I lived with 2 different men and I was sexually active for 10 years.” Or even just, “Father, I was sexually active for 10 years before my conversion.” If he needs more information, he will ask.
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Such is not the way I would describe our obligation. I would not put it that way.

We are obliged to confess all mortal sins in number and kind. If you know the number or near the number one is to confess it.

Now it may be though that one after ones examine does not know the actual number. Then one proceeds according to what one does know. If one knows say that it was several times a month for the last 10 years…well one says so…if one knows it was around 10 times one says so…if one knows it was every week for most weeks for the last 5 years one says, if one knows it was around 30-40 times…one says that. If one basically only knows it was many many times…one says that …etc. Thus one approximates according to what one knows after the examine. One of course ought not scruple or overly stress over things…but one on the other hand it is one does not start off with approximations.

Yes the Priest will ask for more information if he needs it…but we also need to remember that this is “confession” whereby we confess…voluntarily accuse ourselves of what we did. It is not interrogation.

Again for those with scruples speak with your regular confessor if one starts stressing over these things. For such often start trying to search for exact numbers even where they are not to be found etc etc.
 
It is not interrogation, but priests want people to make a good confession and will guide them if necessary. Which is why it is so important for new adult Catholics or those returning to the faith from a time away to have good direction before their first confession, and I would argue, to have a face to face confession. It is not an interrogation, but understanding how to carefully do an examination of conscience and then know what to say in confession is not something that comes naturally to many people (even livelong Catholics).

To the OP, I recommend that you make an appointment to speak to your priest. He can give you better direction than we can about your specific situation.
 
Mrs_Sally said:
It is not interrogation, but priests want people to make a good confession and will guide them if necessary. Which is why it is so important for new adult Catholics or those returning to the faith from a time away to have good direction
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👍
 
Mrs_Sally said:
To the OP, I recommend that you make an appointment to speak to your priest. He can give you better direction than we can about your specific situation.
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There is nothing to discuss with my priest. In fact, I just met with him yesterday before I remembered.

I forgot some sins. I remembered them, I prayed for forgiveness and now I have to confess them, which I will do this week.

There is nothing unique about my situation.

Sometimes others can be helped by reading advice like the ones given by you good folk.

Thanks again.
 
TrueLight said:
I forgot some sins. I remembered them, I prayed for forgiveness and now I have to confess them, which I will do this week. .
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Just making sure you understand too…that if you were intending with contrition and amendment to confess all your mortal sins…the ones that were forgotten were already absolved indirectly. They have been forgiven. We just have the obligation to confess them still the next confession if we remember. To “submit them directly to the keys”.
 
Bookcat said:
Just making sure you understand too…that if you were intending with contrition and amendment to confess all your mortal sins…the ones that were forgotten were already absolved indirectly. They have been forgiven. We just have the obligation to confess them still the next confession if we remember. To “submit them directly to the keys”.
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See this is what I was getting at initially. If they are absolved can I receive communion?
 
TrueLight said:
See this is what I was getting at initially. If they are absolved can I receive communion?
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Yes!

If you were sorry for etc and intending to confess all your mortal sins…then even the the ones you forgot…were absolved. And do not keep you from Communion.

One is still obliged to confess them now that you remember …but unless you have committed a new mortal sin…or otherwise unable to go to Communion then …you can go to Communion before that! For they were absolved. And one does not have to run to confession right away…one saves them for their next confession (though it is best to go sooner than later so one does not forget…like it is a good habit to go regularly …weekly, or bi-weekly or monthly…)

(Now if someone say was living with their girlfriend and not repentant of that…or if they had knowingly hidden some other mortal sin etc …well that would be a different story)
 
Bookcat said:
Yes!

If you were sorry for etc and intending to confess all your mortal sins…then even the the ones you forgot…were absolved. And do not keep you from Communion.

One is still obliged to confess them now that you remember …but unless you have committed a new mortal sin…or otherwise unable to go to Communion then …you can go to Communion before that! For they were absolved. And one does not have to run to confession right away…one saves them for their next confession (though it is best to go sooner than later so one does not forget…like it is a good habit to go regularly …weekly, or bi-weekly or monthly…)

(Now if someone say was living with their girlfriend and not repentant of that…or if they had knowingly hidden some other mortal sin etc …well that would be a different story)
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Gracias.

I’m all clear now. 👍
 
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