Confession Question

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There are times when I want to go to confession, but after doing a careful examination, some weeks I just dont have anything really to confess, but I still want to go. So, if I cant think of any sin to confess, can I still go to confession and if so, what do I then say in the confessional? I just really love being able to go to confession and feel so much better when I leave. Thanks for your thoughts…
 
Go to Fr. Larry’s website and listen or read his list of sins and think about what he says…you might be surprised at the number of sins you will have to confess. If not, you are indeed one of His Saints and I would encourage you to continue with what Jesus said to the woman at the well…“go and sin no more”.

Blessings,
mlz
 
You can go and confess venial sins (I’d have to be living in a bubble to be totally free of those,) and accuse yourself of faults (I’d still have plenty of faults in a bubble!)

Just don’t go doing something rash so you’ll have something you’ll feel better about confessing!

You can try Fr. Larry’s website, or you can get an old 1962 missal, and look up the examination of conscience that are usually in there. Mull over the laundry list, and as you go through each item, reduce it down a little further. For example, I didn’t kill anyone this week. What about speeding because I was late for work, and flipping someone off who insisted on poking along on the interstate? That counts. How about hogging the remote control because I wanted to watch something, never mind what anyone else wanted? That counts, too–not specifically hogging the remote, but acting selfishly.

A few mundane examples. I’m sure you’ll think of something. We all step on other people’s toes in one way or another.
 
If you have no mortal sins to confess, you may still confess venial sins. Keep it short and to the point out of charity for anyone else waiting in line. Confession is for confession, not for spiritual direction or extended discussions about your interior life.
 
You had to have done something wrong. Unless you always wear a hat to keep your halo from blinding people. 😉

Confession is a Sacrament. And Sacraments confer Grace. If you feel like going, go and receive your Graces. Plus, the more often you go, the more routine it becomes, and when you do have something big to confess, it won’t be so hard to go.

When you start going so often the priest tells you that you suffer from scrupulosity and he doesn’t want to see you again for three weeks, follow his instructions. And that also means don’t go to a different priest in that interval, either!

:twocents:
 
Thomas31 said:
There are times when I want to go to confession, but after doing a careful examination, some weeks I just dont have anything really to confess, but I still want to go. So, if I cant think of any sin to confess, can I still go to confession and if so, what do I then say in the confessional? I just really love being able to go to confession and feel so much better when I leave. Thanks for your thoughts…
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I’ll speak for myself and say that I can always find areas where I have lack of charity in my thoughts, and the same for lack of patience. I am learning of omissions as well. The Sacrament helps much!

We are not perfect until we can say with St. Paul “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

We are on a spiritual journey!
 
Thomas31 said:
There are times when I want to go to confession, but after doing a careful examination, some weeks I just dont have anything really to confess, but I still want to go. So, if I cant think of any sin to confess, can I still go to confession and if so, what do I then say in the confessional? I just really love being able to go to confession and feel so much better when I leave. Thanks for your thoughts…
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If I am not mistaken you can go to confession and simply say “I am sorry for all the sins of my past life.” (without naming them since we do not reconfess sins that have already been absolved and assuming you have no venial sins to confess).
 
Splagchnizomai said:
If you have no mortal sins to confess, you may still confess venial sins. Keep it short and to the point out of charity for anyone else waiting in line. Confession is for confession, not for spiritual direction or extended discussions about your interior life.
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Our priest never does mind spiritual advice/interior life discussion. I often take questions into the confessional. Of course, I’m usually the only one there, and Father has two parishes. So I claim his time then.

Thomas31: Why not build a confessional at home? Got a closet you’re not using? 😉
 
Certainly, interior sins of thought and sins of omission (cutting prayer time short to watch tv, failing to pray with attention due to negligence, not getting a good night’s rest on purpose, not eating well) can be found after careful examination.

We should also ask for help from the Holy Spirit to examine our consciences. I suggest that the Holy Spirit is the one who is calling you deeper in relationship with the Father by motivating you to examine yourself more closely (without scruples of course).
 
Leegal said:
If I am not mistaken you can go to confession and simply say “I am sorry for all the sins of my past life.” (without naming them since we do not reconfess sins that have already been absolved and assuming you have no venial sins to confess).
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I don’t know where people come up with the idea that we don’t re-confess sins we’ve already received absolution for. 🤷

What you mentioned will not suffice for absolution. The priest needs an actual sin to be confessed in order to have valid matter for absolution. This means if all you have are imperfections, you must re-confess one of your prior sins. This means that you would have to say something such as “sins of my past life, especially those against charity”.
 
=Thomas31;8950183]There are times when I want to go to confession, but after doing a careful examination, some weeks I just dont have anything really to confess, but I still want to go. So, if I cant think of any sin to confess, can I still go to confession and if so, what do I then say in the confessional? I just really love being able to go to confession and feel so much better when I leave. Thanks for your thoughts…
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GOOD FOR YOU:thumbsup:

But because we MERIT Grace with all of the sacraments; It is still a GOOD and common practice to go to Confession as a deterent, every two weeks.

One can confess sins NOTED to be prior sins; and one can seek spiritual enrichment.👍

God Bless you,
Pat
 
BTW: Are you sure you can’t come up with anything to confess? I went to Confession last night, and so far all I’ve done since then is go out for supper and go to Mass. I’m doing a daily examination of conscience and I already have plenty confess within less than 24 hours.

Here, give this a whirl and see if you still have nothing to confess.
freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1544145/posts
 
One of course would be obliged to confess all ones mortal sins in number and kind (etc)

But for a valid devotional confession (where one does not have mortal sin):

One needs at least one venial sin that one has in fact committed (either confessed already or not…one can of course confess an already confessed mortal sin) that one is contrite etc for.
 
For those who are saying that you can confess sins from which you have been absolved before: what would be the point of that? Were you not forgiven when you confessed those sins the first time? How many absolutions does it take?
 
PadreBenedict said:
For those who are saying that you can confess sins from which you have been absolved before: what would be the point of that? Were you not forgiven when you confessed those sins the first time? How many absolutions does it take?
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It was not a question so much of forgiveness (since we are speaking of sins already confessed and absolved)…but of valid matter for a confession …as well the “temporal” effects of the sin which can remain after absolution.

Such can be removed/healed in various ways …but it is also true that renewing ones contrition (with greater love etc) for them in confession and receiving absolution is one way that such can be remedied. Indeed especially in the case of mortal sins --a person who just returned to grace from a life of mortal sin may not see the sin as clearly in its evil…and later after living as a Christian for a while have greater contrition and desire to mention some old mortal sin. Such need not be with the number and kind etc for it was already confessed --they can simply say something like “and I accuse myself of all my past sins against chastity especially adultery”

(hence too the devotional practice of “General confession” on say a special retreat or at the time of change of state in life etc)

(Note Bene: those who are scrupulous need to listen to their confessor and not scruple…they can often be advised not to normally bring back already confessed sins to confession…though I imagine that if they have no new sins to confess that they can think of --it would not cause too much trouble for them to confess an old “venial” sin…but their confessor can guide them).

But again here was in particular the question of what is needed for a valid confession. Ordinarily the temporal effects are taken care of via penance, indulgences, a lived Christian life (or if need be purified after death of course…though we ought not wait!).

But certainly it is a good practice at the end of ones confession to say “and all the sins o my life (since baptism…which for many is as an infant)–especially those against chastity” (or whatever one wants to mention…of a certain kind of sin one is particularly sorry for).

(this book can be of interest to readers: scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=161)
 
quote from book titled Frequent Confession by Benedict Bauer:

"Now, once a sin has been committed it remains a fact always that sin has been committed , even after it has been fully pardoned. And it is possible for a person again and again to turn away interiorly from such a sin, to condemn it, to be sorry for it, to resolve to avoid it for the future and to amend his life, to do acts of penance for it.

There is no reason why such interior dispositions as they are present, should not be elevated by the power of Christ in the sacrament of Penance and made fruitful of grace.

For also in this case, where sins that have been already confessed and forgiven are confessed again, the sacrament produces its essential effects: it increases sanctifying grace, which from its very nature as the fruit of the sacrament of Penance, blots out sin if such happens to be on the soul.

The grace produced by the sacrament of Penance cannot be conceived without reference to sin: to the sin it would take away were the soul in a state of sin. Therefore, the words of the priest, “I absolve thee,” have their full meaning even when they do nothing but increase grace and do not actually take away sin for the simple reason that there is no sin there to take away.
Hence the Church teaches that sins that have already been confessed are “sufficient matter” for confession (Code of Canon Law 1917,canon 902)

And Pope Benedict XI in 1304 declared that it is “salutary” to confess sins that have been confessed previously."
 
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