Confession and Confirmation

[scc11]

Hi All,
I will be confirmed at the Easter Vigil (YAY!) I am a returning Catholic, as I was away from the church for 11-12 years. Shortly after my first communion my parents stopped going to church and as a result so did I, but a few weeks before Easter last year I decided to return on my own. I started RCIA classes in Aug 2011 to be confirmed and I’m glad the time is finally here however I have a few questions.

1. This coming Saturday my parish has set aside a little time for those of us who are not being baptized at the vigil to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. I have been to confession 3 times since returning. I was wondering if not forgiving someone for something is a sin? If so, I know I need to work on this and I want to talk to the priest about it during my confession but how do I bring it up?
2. How should I prepare for my confirmation? Does anyone have any special prayers? I work till 3PM but I was thinking about just going into the parish a night or two and just praying…
3. Is it appropriate to get my confirmation sponsor a gift?

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[LiveforChrist]

Hi All,
I will be confirmed at the Easter Vigil (YAY!) I am a returning Catholic, as I was away from the church for 11-12 years. Shortly after my first communion my parents stopped going to church and as a result so did I, but a few weeks before Easter last year I decided to return on my own. I started RCIA classes in Aug 2011 to be confirmed and I’m glad the time is finally here however I have a few questions.

1. This coming Saturday my parish has set aside a little time for those of us who are not being baptized at the vigil to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. I have been to confession 3 times since returning. I was wondering if not forgiving someone for something is a sin? If so, I know I need to work on this and I want to talk to the priest about it during my confession but how do I bring it up?
2. How should I prepare for my confirmation? Does anyone have any special prayers? I work till 3PM but I was thinking about just going into the parish a night or two and just praying…
3. Is it appropriate to get my confirmation sponsor a gift?

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated

Hey There!
Yes, not forgiving someone is a sin, in fact Jesus tells us that we should not forgive only once, but 70x7 times. (That is, however many times they might fail us and come to us seeking forgiveness.) If you want to bring this up in confession, just mention that you are having a hard time forgiving someone. The priest may ask you a few more questions about it, and give you some advice. (If he doesn’t, ask for some. )

As for preparing for your confirmation, going to your parish sounds like a wonderful idea. Personally, I wish I would have done more to prepare for my own confirmation, but the most I ended up doing besides my regular prayer was visiting him in the tabernacle right before mass started and just thanking him in advance for the gift that he was going to be giving me.

And as for the gift, yes; I’d say a small gift or a card would be alright.

God Bless you and welcome home! I will keep you in my prayers as the Easter Vigil approaches.

-LiveForChrist

 

[IrishRush]

Regarding the being unforgiving…
We know that if we don’t forgive, we’re not forgiven.
Bring it up in confession, the priest will give advice.
And one last thing…
Welcome home!

 

[Edmundus1581]

Regarding the being unforgiving…
We know that if we don’t forgive, we’re not forgiven.
Bring it up in confession, the priest will give advice.
And one last thing…
Welcome home!

That is a good point, as spiritual direction, but I would be cautious in stating it here, in the context of sacramental reconciliation. We are absolved of all sins in the sacrament, even if we haven’t forgiven someone else. If our lack of forgiveness were so grave as to be a mortal sin then we must confess it, with the intention of amending, but that is sufficient for a valid confession.

With regard to confessing it, I would just treat it the same as any other sin which can be mortal or venial, according to degree. If it is mortal (eg. we hold a deep hatred of the person, and think of acting on it), then we must confess it, with the number of times (“I have frequently and deliberately thought about taking revenge on someone”), otherwise the confession is optional and can be general (“I have not forgiven someone”). In both cases, these words would be adequate. No more detail is necessary, unless the confessor asks - which is unlikely. If we had a question then we might need to give some more detail of the circumstances. (eg. “I had $100 stolen from me. I have been very angry, for which I am truly sorry, but can I still I demand that the person pay it back?”)

 

[otjm]

As to forgiveness - it is an act of the will. Not of the emotions, but of the will. And I suspect there are many saints who have struggled with the issue.

Too often we confuse forgiveness with the emotions, and presume that after whatever happened, we will all be friends. Not so.

Some have a problem in forgiving another over what amounts to a slight. Others have a problem forgiving over something that was a grevious wrong - to pick one out of thin air, serious physical abuse by a parent to a child.

Some people seem to be able to let go of things and move on; tht is, to forgive, and then “put it behind their back” as the OT refers to it. Others seem to hang on to every minor slight, rela or perceived, and never move on. One is gfted; the other carries a tremendous burden.

What did Christ tell Peter - 70 times 7 times. 7 being a perfect number, and 70 being a “avast number of perfection” response. Christ knew our human psychology and how we hang on to things. Again; it is an act of the will, not an act of the emotions.

Good luck and welcome home!