Confession and forgotten sins

[Jim_Murr]

I went to confession about 4 weeks ago, (while in the hospital). At that time I confessed all the sins I could remember at that time. After confession I felt a deep relief and at the same time a great sorrow. Then about 3 or 4 day’s later I remembered some sins I committed some 30 years ago in a drunken stupor. I remember reading in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, on page 365, “When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy of pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the meditation of the priest, “for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.” My question is, “Have I been forgiven for those sins I had forgotten and committed some 30 years ago? If so, “Why do I still have a hard time forgetting about them?” and finally “Do I have to go to confession and confess those sins? ” Please help this confused soul. Thank you.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Have you confessed them before? Then no, you don’t have to confess them again. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.” Did you simply forget them? If so, you’ve already been absolved, but you should confess them in your next confession. I hope you’re feeling better.

 

[awalt]

If you still feel bad about them, I can tell you what a Priest once told me - “Sometimes Jesus will have forgiven us for a sin, but we have not yet forgiven ourselves. Take solace in the forgiveness of Christ, and you will then also forgive.”

 

[Jim_Murr]

Jim Murr:

I went to confession about 4 weeks ago, (while in the hospital). At that time I confessed all the sins I could remember at that time. After confession I felt a deep relief and at the same time a great sorrow. Then about 3 or 4 day’s later I remembered some sins I committed some 30 years ago in a drunken stupor. I remember reading in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, on page 365, “When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy of pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the meditation of the priest, “for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.” My question is, “Have I been forgiven for those sins I had forgotten and committed some 30 years ago? If so, “Why do I still have a hard time forgetting about them?” and finally “Do I have to go to confession and confess those sins? ” Please help this confused soul. Thank you.

 

[Jim_Murr]

to awalt: thankyou for your response it has helped me once again thank you

 

[Windmill]

The Church is very clear on this, and in your first post you have partially answered this.

You did not knowingly withhold these sins. God can’t hold you responsible for things that you were not aware of. However, your sins still need to be brought to the sacrament, so simply confess them at your next confession.

This happens to me often. Don’t sweat it.

 

[Sir_Knight]

If you confess all the mortal sins that you remember during confession, all of your sins are thus forgiven even those not confessed if honestly forgot.

However, even though they have already been forgiven, the church encourages us to confess them the next time we rememebr them during confession.