Confession today - weird things

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thunderballs75

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Okay, I went to confession today. First of all, the priest told me not to say the number of times I committed the sin, because this leads to being scrupulous. But I always thought you were supposed to at least give an estimate of the amount of times you did something? After that, I was not asked to do the Act of Contrition. Then after that, the priest did not even say “I absolve you of your sins” or anything at all similar to the normal absolution. It was more like “May God forgive you your sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

Was my confession invalid because of this? Was this illicit? Will I have to tell another priest all of my sins again?

Also, during confession we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament w/ Benediction. Normally the priest says the prayers, puts the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance, we sing the O Salutaris Hostia, all like normal. Then he hears confessions while the people adore the Holy Eucharist, and after that is done finishes the Benediction. However, this time, one of the people in the group went up there, took the Blessed Sacrament out of the monstrance and put it back in the tabernacle, and then they put the thurible, vestments, monstrance, candles, etc. all away. Is this allowed and normal? She is a religious sister, so does that mean it is okay?

Thank you. God bless.
 
Judging by what you wrote , I am afraid that your Absolution was invalid,
Seek a new confessor immediatly.
 
I don’t think this was invalid- and I think more harm than good comes from questioning the validity of sacraments offered by our priests. This confessor doesn’t sound like a good fit for you, though, in any case!
 
gloria97000 said:
I don’t think this was invalid- and I think more harm than good comes from questioning the validity of sacraments offered by our priests. This confessor doesn’t sound like a good fit for you, though, in any case!
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But without the Words of Absolution, no Absolution was given!
 
Wilhelm_Stoever said:
But without the Words of Absolution, no Absolution was given!
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What if they were whispered so they weren’t heard? Does that make it invalid? I get very uncomfortable when people start declaring sacraments invalid. I would believe that you would have to trust in God’s grace since you made an earnest confession. Why would a whispered or intoned absolution make it any less valid than one said loudly? That almost makes it sound like a magic incantation more than a priest acting in persona Christi to allow our human selves to acknowledge our sins in a physical way (out loud) and know for a fact that with contrition lies perfect forgiveness from our Lord.
 
It would have been much simpler if the words of absolution were said clearly. 🤷

Should I receive Communion tomorrow or not?
 
But as the OP told us, instead of silence at the time for absolution ( Which could indicate that he was saying the words quietly), he used a made-up absolution formula.
 
Wilhelm_Stoever said:
But as the OP told us, instead of silence at the time for absolution ( Which could indicate that he was saying the words quietly), he used a made-up absolution formula.
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Yes. Also, I don’t remember the priest giving me any penance to do. Maybe he meant not to absolve me, because as I said in my original post, he told me not to tell the number of times I did the sin, but just say the sin in general. And what do you guys think of the other stuff I was talking about?
 
You are only required to state the number of sins when confessing sins that are mortal. Many who are scrupulous mistake venial for mortal. If the priest told you not to confess the number, I have to presume that the sins were not mortal.

I also agree with Gloria and Happy Revert that questioning the validity of sacraments can do more harm than good. For a good part of my youth, the absolution was given in Latin while the penitent simultaneously recited the act of contrition. It was impossible to listen to see if the priest was ‘doing it right,’ and maybe that was a good thing.
 
Perhaps I should qualify my response a little-

For some time I went to a large parish. It appeared to be regular practice that, when the Mass was about to begin, the Pastor would invite anyone left in line into the confessional for a general absolution. I assume it was regular practice as it happened to me the only time I was left in line, and another young parishioner mentioned that this was how she “went to Confession;” i.e. coming late, waiting to be left outside the confessional when Mass was about to begin, and receiving general absolution. This was her planned means of “confession.” Words of absolution were expressed, but clearly should not have been. We left this church in search of another, in part because the Sacraments did not seem to be respected as they should have been. No mention was made of any need to further confess our sins. In this case, the words of absolution were present but not sufficient, and the penitents were sent away with a false sense of forgiveness and a false notion that absolution had been imparted.

This is very different from the case where I have formally expressed a desire to confess (in words or by entering a confessional), I have confessed my sins to a priest who I know respects the Eucharist and speaks of the importance of Confession, and I have heard words clearly intended to express that I have been returned to unity with the Church. I would not doubt the validity of this sacrament for a second. I understand the difference between forgiveness and absolution, but I think the way my priest, in persona Christi, speaks to my heart is of more importance than his grammar.
 
As far as I know, at least something confirming the priest’s absolution is necessary. Maybe I am wrong. And the whole general absolution thing was really illicit, since this is only to be done in extremely rare circumstances, only two that I’ve heard of.
 
The lay faithful have a right to a valid sacrament without even the fear that the sacrament may be invalid. Perhaps you may want to approach said priest and charitably comment that since you’ve never heard that form of absolution before it makes you nervous…? The priest should really be using the words of absolution - words set in stone, not to be changed…

As for the act of contrition, my understanding is that it is not necessary within the context of the “physical sacrament” itself - i.e. a disposition of contrition is required on the part of the penitent for the sacrament to be valid; this disposition is most often expressed in the act of contrition. However, a sacramental confession does not require the act of contrition to be made while “you’re in the box” so to speak… At least nowhere in the Code of Canon Law does it mandate an act of contrition - perhaps someone with more knowledge on this matter can chime in…

And as for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a lay faithful is permitted to expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament. The only restriction is that they cannot give Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament - that is reserved to an ordained minister. So what you saw was permissible.
 
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