I don’t know how anger, for example, is countable. Often a person will be angry on and off for days or weeks. Is that one instance of anger, lasting 2 weeks, or multiple instances every time you think about it? Maybe that kind of generic emotion can’t reach a mortal level unless you act on it.
This is how I was always taught, as well; that you must indicate approximately how often a sin has occurred (whether it be just once or a regular sinful habit with many occurrences), and the gravity of the sin. I had never learned that an exact number was necessary. I am perplexed at the thought of my past confessions suddenly being rendered invalid because of my ignorance if that is the truthful requirement.
No, they are valid unless you deliberately withheld a mortal sin.
I would say it is not impossible – though one does what is possible of course-- but it is possible to some extent -one may need to approximate in many cases --but it can be done.
We can approximate according to what we do know but such is only when we do not know the number.
If you have been going to confession regularly for 20 years, then you have probably confessed all your mortal sins
The requirement is to say *at least *your sins in kind and number (I seem to lose my temper a couple of times a day or a week, I committed adultery once a week for seven months). {ETA: but you must confess *all *the mortal sins you remember!} You don’t *have *to go into any more detail than that unless it changes the nature of the sin as in the chalice example above. You don’t have to say, I got mad at my boss when he did X, I got mad at my son when he did Y, and I got mad at my husband when he did Z–just I got mad three times.Anger – can be a mortal sin (even interior anger without exterior action) but it can also be venial (often can be). But one can yes count if it was mortal–but depending on what it was etc it could be said accordingly and according to ones knowledge.
Someone going to Confession once a month or so, will have no trouble remembering the actual number of times a serious sin has been committed. Someone returning to the Sacraments after a number of years, can only estimate, and that is all that the priest can reasonably expect. God knows the heart of the penitent; the priest knows the difficulty and earnestness of the sinner. That is sufficient.
They can perhaps only estimate.
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I do not know that, if I were the priest, I would have the same reaction. What I agree with is your last sentence above.
When you go beyond just name and number, you can get to the cause of the sin. What exactly is the temptation that I face? What are the circumstances in my life that contribute to the particular sins that I commit? How can I change my response to what is happening in my life so that I don’t simply repeat the same sins over and over again?**Something else, when you confess your sins by name and number, the priests are always glad to hear you on the other side of the screen. You can hear the warmth and smile in their greeting. They ask for details or counsel as God guides them.
Don’t feel badly for doing it the other way; like I said, lots of us weren’t catechized properly.
What I observe now is the reaction of our Soverein Pontif Benedict. Some of his speeches mention that confession is moving to witnessing of our true love for ourselves and our neighbor. How do we publicly bring peoples, events, possessions to the GLORY of our Father God.
Can this change our vision or should we continue the old style?