Confession invalid?!

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seanom

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So I went to confession this evening, I deliberately concealed something I thought I should confess and i felt ungenuine in saying the act of contrition, after the act of contrition, befoer the absolution I confessed what had been bothering me, and I thought there might have been something else to confess that I couldn’t 100% remember. I asked the priest did I need to say the act of contrition again and he said “there’s no need”, I said something quietly like “I’m sorry Jesus”, I don’t think it was very heartfelt, the priest gave me absolution and I left. Was it invalid, my confession??
 
Your priest was correct. The AoC is simply to give the priest assurance you are contrite. He can then proceed with the absolution.

As far as the forgotten sin, God only expects you to confess what you are sure is matter for confession (ie, mortal sin). If you have reasonable certainty that you sinned seriously, you should confess it. If you are not sure exactly what the sin was, you can simply confess “a serious sin that I cannot recall right now.” Then if you remember it later, you can bring it to your next confession. A good practice would be to conclude your confession with, “For these and for all the sins I may have forgotten, I am truly sorry.”

Jesus sees that you are trying. He sees that you did not want to leave the confessional having purposely withheld sins. Rejoice that His grace is strengthening you through this great sacrament. Do not let it become so legalistic that you miss the point: repentance and your need for Grace. He wants you to be happy when you leave Confession. Focus mostly on repentance. Do a good Examination of Conscience, confess without reserve, and once the priest is absolving you, relax and rest in His mercy.
 
seanom said:
So I went to confession this evening, I deliberately concealed something I thought I should confess and i felt ungenuine in saying the act of contrition, after the act of contrition, befoer the absolution I confessed what had been bothering me, and I thought there might have been something else to confess that I couldn’t 100% remember. I asked the priest did I need to say the act of contrition again and he said “there’s no need”, I said something quietly like “I’m sorry Jesus”, I don’t think it was very heartfelt, the priest gave me absolution and I left. Was it invalid, my confession??
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chillax and go with it. totally valid.
 
seanom said:
So I went to confession this evening, I deliberately concealed something I thought I should confess and i felt ungenuine in saying the act of contrition, after the act of contrition, befoer the absolution I confessed what had been bothering me, and I thought there might have been something else to confess that I couldn’t 100% remember. I asked the priest did I need to say the act of contrition again and he said “there’s no need”, I said something quietly like “I’m sorry Jesus”, I don’t think it was very heartfelt, the priest gave me absolution and I left. Was it invalid, my confession??
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As long as you were telling the truth that you genuinely didn’t remember the other thing you had intended to confess, your confession was valid because you confessed all known mortal sins before receiving absolution. If you remember the other sin, you will be obliged to confess it at your next confession but not to repeat your last confession.
 
aemcpa said:
As long as you were telling the truth that you genuinely didn’t remember the other thing you had intended to confess, your confession was valid because you confessed all known mortal sins before receiving absolution. If you remember the other sin, you will be obliged to confess it at your next confession but not to repeat your last confession.
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You only need to mention it if you believe it to be a mortal sin. Forgotten-and-later-remembered venial sins need not be mentioned.
 
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