Confession after baptism

[lena28]

I was baptised last week at the Easter Vigil, which was a wonderful day. I went about the week with the Love of God in my heart, but somehow I managed to tell a lie. It wasn’t truly grave matter, although it was to cover up for a lie I had told before my baptism. I felt so guilty that I didn’t receive Holy Communion at Mass this morning.
I feel like I have failed at the first hurdle of leading a Christian life and desperately want to tell the truth, even though it will mean that some people will not trust me any more. I feel so sad that I have offended God less than a week after he gave me such grace.

What I would like to know is: how long did other people wait after baptism before going to confession? Was it as soon as a mortal sin had been committed or did you have to wait until an appointment for First Confession was given to you?

I want to get rid of this sin and start life over again, I feel so ashamed and I don’t know what else I can do. I am not sure if my lie was a mortal sin because of the complications surrounding it, so I just want to confess it!

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[puzzleannie]

welcome home
the most important part of your preparation is to come, Mystagogy, the reflection on “hey what just happened to me?” during this time you will prepare for your first confession so you know how to regain that peace and right relationship with God you received at baptism, when and if you do fall into mortal (serious, grave) sin. For those lesser or venial sins, make a good act of contrition, in your own words or from your prayerbook to tell God you are sorry. No you do not have to wait until there is a day set aside for your group for confession. If you need it sooner simply go at the regular time in your parish, tell father it is your first confession since your baptism and Easter, and what is on your mind, he will guide you.

 

[dje039]

I was also baptized and received into the church during the Easter Vigil this year. I went to my first Confession a week later (yesterday), not for any mortal sins, eventhough I did have a few venial sins that I wanted to confess, but really to start getting into a habit of going to confession regularly and also getting through with the nervousness of the first one.

 

[Bookcat]

(before you go telling people about your lie…talk with your confessor…for it sounds like you will harm your relationships …and the trust there…and thus make things worse)

Know that without a special grace…we will not be with out some venial sins…(though seek to avoid them especially the fully deliberate ones)…we have been given the prayer by Jesus which indeed we pray daily “forgive us our trespasses…” for our “daily sins”…

Remember you are now in Christ…you are holy! you are a saint! The fact that you may struggle with venial sins…does not remove this reality (but it can make it less vibrant etc…)

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us:

"At the beginning of Christianity, the members of the Church were also called “saints”. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St Paul addresses “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor 1: 2). Indeed, Christians are already saints because Baptism unites them to Jesus and to his Paschal Mystery, but at the same time they must become so by conforming themselves every more closely to him. Sometimes, people think that holiness is a privileged condition reserved for the few elect. Actually, becoming holy is every Christian’s task, indeed, we could say, every person’s! The Apostle writes that God has always blessed us and has chosen us in Christ “that we should be holy and blameless before him… in love” (Eph 1: 3-5). All human beings are therefore called to holiness, which ultimately consists in living as children of God, in that “likeness” with him in accordance with which they were created. All human beings are children of God and all must become what they are by means of the demanding process of freedom. God invites everyone to belong to his holy people. The “Way” is Christ, the Son, the Holy One of God: “no one comes to the Father but by me [Jesus]” (cf. Jn 14: 6). " vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20071101_all-saints_en.html

Remember venial sins can be forgiven in many ways…including at Holy Communion…do not wait til confession…for any venial sins…

It is good though to confess at least some of them…

and it is good to get into a habit of regular confession of them…like every other week…or every week…or once a month …

Catechism…

1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.59 Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit.

Also here is a great meditation to read on Baptism:

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20060108_battesimo_en.html

(and read the various homilies over the last 5 years of Pope Benedict XVI on the Easter Vigil each year…)

Let us all continue to Live the reality of baptism…our being in Christ…with joy!

Alleluia!

 

[lena28]

Thank you for the advice everyone, I am feeling a lot calmer.

Is it ok to take a list of sins into the confessional? I think this will make me less anxious about forgetting things so I can concentrate on the sacrament more.