Confession question: How much detail is necessary?

[Thoughtfulone]

I have a nagging concern about a confession I made over a year ago.

Have you ever heard of those Nigerian 419 scams? Well, basically, you get an email from a guy who says he has a bunch of money in a bank or something and if you help hi get it out you get half. Well, over several months they use your greed to basically turn the tables on you and bilk you out of a ton of money. There is also a website where people turn the tables on these scammers, making them do outrageous things with the promise of money, so I decided to do just that.

I know how this sounds, but it was all intended to be a big joke on this scammer and nothing serious.

These guys are actually pretty much all Christians, btw, but they will do anything for money. I decided to see if this guy would perform a mock satanic ceremony using red kool-aid as blood and a dead fish and bread in some bizarre but really rather silly and meaningless ritual, telling him that if started up a satanic church, I would send him the money he needed.

Well, he did all this with the help of 1 or 2 of his friends, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even if I wasn’t taking it seriously, it was nothing to mess around with and I was causing this man to commit a sin. After a while, I began to feel that this was inappropriate and wrong, but I kept going for the sake of the joke.

Anyway, this really started bugging me and years later when I went to confession for the first time in about 5 years, I confessed to the priest that “I caused another person to commit blasphemy”, or “I caused someone to commit a pretty serious blasphemy”, I can’t remember which.

I have always been told that if the priest wanted more detail, he would ask, and he didn’t.

Do you think this sin is forgiven? Did I give enough information?

 

[Pakesh]

Don’t worry! The sin is forgiven. If the priest wanted more details, he would have asked. I assume you didn’t intentionally hold anything back in your confession. Once you receive absolution, then your sins are forgiven-even the ones that weren’t confessed because you forgot them. If you continue to struggle with this on your conscience, bring up to a priest that you would be comfortable talking to.
God Bless,
Pakesh

 

[rskempf]

In my opinion, it is simply polite to speak clearly. You do not need detail. The priest is experienced with all kinds of problems and has heard it all.

If you want to help out the person that is sitting there hours at a time to absolve sins, do this. **Keep it short! **

He may be so delighted with not having to hear the stuttering, broken speech, very low whispers, and a litany of offenses from others, that he will give some spiritual direction.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Don’t worry! The sin is forgiven. If the priest wanted more details, he would have asked. I assume you didn’t intentionally hold anything back in your confession. Once you receive absolution, then your sins are forgiven-even the ones that weren’t confessed because you forgot them. If you continue to struggle with this on your conscience, bring up to a priest that you would be comfortable talking to.
God Bless,
Pakesh

Thanks! No, I didn’t intentionally hold anything back. Of course, I didn’t want to get into all the embarrassing details, but I DID do my best to confess the nature of the sin and of course I hoped the priest would not ask me to elaborate, which he didn’t, otherwise, I would have of course provided the details. I can be a little scrupulous, so I tend to go over past confessions and worry about them sometimes. Thanks for the response!

 

[Patrick_Joshua]

I can be a little scrupulous, so I tend to go over past confessions and worry about them sometimes

Same here, the first time I went to confesison after 15 years(I’ve been to many confessions since), I confessed all I could remember, and then started remembering stuff after.

I still doit now, just got to keep reminding myself that absolution is valid even for the sins you cannot remember, and no point bringing them back up because it as already been forgiven.

God Bless.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

In my opinion, it is simply polite to speak clearly. You do not need detail. The priest is experienced with all kinds of problems and has heard it all.

If you want to help out the person that is sitting there hours at a time to absolve sins, do this. **Keep it short! **

He may be so delighted with not having to hear the stuttering, broken speech, very low whispers, and a litany of offenses from others, that he will give some spiritual direction.

Interesting! I guess I tend to feel like if I don’t give all the really uncomfortable details, then I am not “being punished” enough, which I know is certainly not the point of confession at all, but I always have this nagging feeling that I should elaborate more, that I am trying to circumvent the process by just giving the bare bones of the sin and no details. After all, the details are always the embarrassing part, so I of course would rather not go into them

 

[Bookcat]

If one forgets a mortal sin…or say remembers that it was 3 murders not 1…then yes one is obliged to confess this at the next confession…

Often those with scruples may be given particular instructions by their confessors…for they may be in a different boat on this…they can scruple about past confessions…

But that being said. I think you have reason to mention more in your next confession.

You would need “number and kind for any mortal sins…and the details would change the nature of the sin…”

You say you were not intending to hid anything etc…and that you tried to confess it as you thought it should be confessed…this is all good…(do not scruple …)

But I would suggest in your next confession just mention more of the details. Tell him you confessed this from over a year ago… but you what to add this…

The reason I say this is that this is a rather “odd” or unusual sin…and a bit more detail would be good…like what happened basically and that you had him start a satanic church…and about the “mock satanic rite” that you had them do…and how many people (one or two of his friends or anyone on your side of things) were involved…and number of times…etc…

Blasphemy does not seem to quite go far enough…for it was involving starting a satanic church etc…such would need be said in some way it would seem to me…

(but again if you thought that was fine then…you did what you thought to do)

but of course to not scruple over it…normally one does not need a bunch of details and things can be quite short…but sometimes…more is needed (reasonably) for the priest to have an idea…especially when things are unusual like this…

(I spend a good amount of my time here trying to assist posters regarding scruples…so I certainly do not want such to develop for you…or others…but in this case I really think you should speak with the confessor about this one…)

(I urge you though not to get scrupulous over confessions though…)

 

[Edmundus1581]

Another suggestion: At the start of your confesssion say “I previously confessed a mortal sin. I believe that I confessed it in good faith, at the time, but now I believe that I omitted some important details”. Then let your confessor guide you.

If you do that, then it will also help your priest understand why you are re-telling this story, if he does ask you to.

Anything to make it easier for the priest, and save him from having to hear unnecessary stories

 

[Bookcat]

Another suggestion: At the start of your confesssion say “I previously confessed a mortal sin. I believe that I confessed it in good faith, at the time, but now I believe that I omitted some important details”. Then let your confessor guide you.

If you do that, then it will also help your priest understand why you are re-telling this story, if he does ask you to.

Anything to make it easier for the priest, and save him from having to hear unnecessary stories

Make sure to get out the number and kind of what took place…he does not prob need a long story…but I think more is needed…and the Priest may not realize the “unique” nature …(as noted above) (for it would be more than just getting someone to blasphemy…and more were involved etc)

 

[jay29]

The kind of sin and the number of times. If the confession line is long, keep it short.