Confession

  • Thread starter Thread starter timlblake
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

timlblake

Guest
I have a couple questions. I went Confession a few weeks ago and since then I’ve been back a couple other times. But recently I began wondering if I held something back. I remember being nervous and I didn’t want to confess at least one of my sins but I confessed it anyway. I don’t remember if I held back another one of my sins or not. I don’t want to receive Communion until I know for sure but I can’t remember. The other end of the problem is that I don’t even remember whether or not I had committed that sin that I think I might have forgotten to confess. What should I do?

I also know that, in the past, I’ve forgotten to say the number of times I committed certain sins. Do I have to reconfess them?
 
It’s hard sometimes in confession. I know I get nervous and when I have a big list, I’m certain things get forgotten. But if you’re not doing it intentionally, it’s not a sin. I’ve forgot things before and have and gone back after to say, Oh by the way… father chuckled and we went through confession again. But you can always tell him the next time when you do think about it. Another thing you could do is during your act of contrition when you say, I’m sorry for these sins…(add) and any other sin I may have forgotten. That way you’re covered, It is all dependant on the fact you truly do forget and not holding back.
Hopefully this helps:)
 
Dj87 said:
It’s hard sometimes in confession. I know I get nervous and when I have a big list, I’m certain things get forgotten. But if you’re not doing it intentionally, it’s not a sin. I’ve forgot things before and have and gone back after to say, Oh by the way… father chuckled and we went through confession again. But you can always tell him the next time when you do think about it. Another thing you could do is during your act of contrition when you say, I’m sorry for these sins…(add) and any other sin I may have forgotten. That way you’re covered, It is all dependant on the fact you truly do forget and not holding back.
Hopefully this helps:)
Click to expand...
Exactly what I was going to say in bold! I say that everytime now and it helps a lot when I have not written down my sins. I guess under the pressure of Confession, I sometimes forget things. I know that I have forgotten things, however it’s better to add this one sentance than to sit there and think for 5 nerve-racking minutes.

Also, Canon Law says that we are to confess the sins in kind and number. However, IMO, if you do not do this and the Priest does not ask, you are not sinning further. Again, that is my personal opinion.

Pax!
 
timlblake said:
I have a couple questions. I went Confession a few weeks ago and since then I’ve been back a couple other times. But recently I began wondering if I held something back. I remember being nervous and I didn’t want to confess at least one of my sins but I confessed it anyway. I don’t remember if I held back another one of my sins or not. I don’t want to receive Communion until I know for sure but I can’t remember. The other end of the problem is that I don’t even remember whether or not I had committed that sin that I think I might have forgotten to confess. What should I do?

I also know that, in the past, I’ve forgotten to say the number of times I committed certain sins. Do I have to reconfess them?
Click to expand...
as long as you sincerely made an effort to confess all your sins, then you are fine. that too happens to me, sometimes i have a long list even until i kneel before the priest. but once we begin confession, i become nervous and then i forget and then i only say half of it. it wasn’t my intention to withhold the other sins, but because i was so ashamed of mentioning my sins i became nervous and lost my concentration and temporarily forget some of my sins.
 
if one forgets a MORTAL sin …then one needs to mention it in the next confession or if say you murdered 3 persons but forgot to say 3…mention that you forgot that part in the next confession…

venial sins are not required…
 
Bookcat said:
if one forgets a MORTAL sin …then one needs to mention it in the next confession or if say you murdered 3 persons but forgot to say 3…mention that you forgot that part in the next confession…

venial sins are not required…
Click to expand...
I don’t doubt you, but could you provide some documents for this? I’ve heard this often, but it confuses me a little because once your sins are absolved they are absolved, and therefore why would you need to reconfess them (or mention them in the next confession). Again, I’m not doubting that you are correct, I just would like some documentation for my own sake.
 
bmadamsberry said:
I don’t doubt you, but could you provide some documents for this? I’ve heard this often, but it confuses me a little because once your sins are absolved they are absolved, and therefore why would you need to reconfess them (or mention them in the next confession). Again, I’m not doubting that you are correct, I just would like some documentation for my own sake.
Click to expand...
Sure

sins can be “absolved” …when forgotten…indirectly as it were…but then one still needs to “submit them to the keys” in the next confession (unless you forget hehe)

Canon law…

Can. 988 §1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience.

Every bit of the this canon is important…

here are a few notes:
  1. We are Obliged to confess in number and kind all grave sins (meaning mortal sin…these terms are used interchangably by the Church)
  2. It is both number and kind (murder 3 times)
  3. That were not directly remitted…that means directly confessed and absolved “I murdered 3 persons”)…when a mortal sin is forgotten (not hidden) it is “indirectly absolved” thus it still needs to be confessed “directly” in number and kind in the next confession (even though it was indirectly absolved)
  4. and again there is further emphasis that they need to be confessed in an individual confession…not only absolved in an emergency without confession (like they are dying and have no time…but then recover…or the plane is going down and the priest gives general absolution (legitimately in that case) and then they survive…they still need to confess any mortal sins)…or indirectly…as in forgotten mortal sins…
So if someone unknowingly omits a mortal sin…no problem it was indirectly absolved…but they still have the obligation (within reason…our memories can not serve us…etc) to confess them…(again those with scruples talk with your confessors…for this can be a source of scruples…historically in pastoral practice they can even be an exception to this…due to their scruples…and they often start scrupling about it…so I encourage them not to and to submit to their confessor etc)

Also if something “changes” the nature of the sin…like it was your sister that you killed …then that too would be part of the confession…but not scrupulous details…

(by the way I do have a degree in Theology from Steubenville…and did very well in Sacraments…the Dominican even stopped me in the hall “you did not get even one thing wrong!”…after the exam…I mention this …so you can rest assured :))
 
Bookcat said:
Sure

sins can be “absolved” …when forgotten…indirectly as it were…but then one still needs to “submit them to the keys” in the next confession (unless you forget hehe)

Canon law…

Can. 988 §1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience.

Every bit of the this canon is important…

here are a few notes:
  1. We are Obliged to confess in number and kind all grave sins (meaning mortal sin…these terms are used interchangably by the Church)
  2. It is both number and kind (murder 3 times)
  3. That were not directly remitted…that means directly confessed and absolved “I murdered 3 persons”)…when a mortal sin is forgotten (not hidden) it is “indirectly absolved” thus it still needs to be confessed “directly” in number and kind in the next confession (even though it was indirectly absolved)
  4. and again there is further emphasis that they need to be confessed in an individual confession…not only absolved in an emergency without confession (like they are dying and have no time…but then recover…or the plane is going down and the priest gives general absolution (legitimately in that case) and then they survive…they still need to confess any mortal sins)…or indirectly…as in forgotten mortal sins…
So if someone unknowingly omits a mortal sin…no problem it was indirectly absolved…but they still have the obligation (within reason…our memories can not serve us…etc) to confess them…(again those with scruples talk with your confessors…for this can be a source of scruples…historically in pastoral practice they can even be an exception to this…due to their scruples…and they often start scrupling about it…so I encourage them not to and to submit to their confessor etc)

Also if something “changes” the nature of the sin…like it was your sister that you killed …then that too would be part of the confession…but not scrupulous details…

(by the way I do have a degree in Theology from Steubenville…and did very well in Sacraments…the Dominican even stopped me in the hall “you did not get even one thing wrong!”…after the exam…I mention this …so you can rest assured :))
Click to expand...
Like I said, I don’t doubt that you are incorrect in your citation. I’m certainly going to bring this up at my next theology meeting, and discuss the theology behind this, its implications, and the good and bad.
 
bmadamsberry said:
Like I said, I don’t doubt that you are incorrect in your citation. I’m certainly going to bring this up at my next theology meeting, and discuss the theology behind this, its implications, and the good and bad.
Click to expand...
I provided you with the documentation …🙂 that was from Canon Law 🙂

not my creation …

This is what is required. If one forgets a mortal sin…one still has to confess it :)…even though it was absolved indirectly.

This has been the case well prior to the current Canon Law…and still is the requirement…

but this is ONLY for mortal sins. 🙂
 
Bookcat said:
I provided you with the documentation …🙂 that was from Canon Law 🙂

not my creation …

This is what is required. If one forgets a mortal sin…one still has to confess it :)…even though it was absolved indirectly.

This has been the case well prior to the current Canon Law…and still is the requirement…

but this is ONLY for mortal sins. 🙂
Click to expand...
Oh, we won’t argue if it is what we are supposed to do or not. We the group I meet with, we always do what the Church says. However, it is Canon Law and fallible, so we can argue the benefits and disadvantages. Again, it doesn’t change that it is what the Church says to do and, therefore, we do it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top