Confession

[Tighty_Whitey]

My conscience has developed a lot over the past 4 years and it has caused me to reflect on events that occured in my life years ago.

If I become aware of a sin that I committed years ago, should I confess it even though I’ve been to confession in the interim and made what I believed to be a full confession at that time?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

My conscience has developed a lot over the past 4 years and it has caused me to reflect on events that occured in my life years ago.

If I become aware of a sin that I committed years ago, should I confess it even though I’ve been to confession in the interim and made what I believed to be a full confession at that time?

If you weren’t aware at the time that what you did was sinful, then you didn’t sin by not confessing then.

My personal opinion? I would talk to your priest saying, “Father, before I became aware that X was sinful, I did it about X years ago and not knowing it was sinful, did not confess it, but now that I’m aware, I would like to express contrition for my sin and for not being more aware back then.”

Father doesn’t have to absolve you (since you didn’t know you were doing wrong), but he can note your contrition AND he can probably give you some helpful advice as your confessor. It’s good for our priests to know some of the ways in which we have sinned so that he can help us to guard against backsliding or against similar sins. Again, just personal opinion here.

 

[mab23]

If you weren’t aware at the time that what you did was sinful, then you didn’t sin by not confessing then.

My personal opinion? I would talk to your priest saying, “Father, before I became aware that X was sinful, I did it about X years ago and not knowing it was sinful, did not confess it, but now that I’m aware, I would like to express contrition for my sin and for not being more aware back then.”

Father doesn’t have to absolve you (since you didn’t know you were doing wrong), but he can note your contrition AND he can probably give you some helpful advice as your confessor. It’s good for our priests to know some of the ways in which we have sinned so that he can help us to guard against backsliding or against similar sins. Again, just personal opinion here.

I think op is remembering not realizing something he used to do was a sin

I may be wrong but Ive been to confession a few times, then I remembered a specific thing I did that was bad, and clearly a sin, but I did it years ago, and ive been to confession since but not for that sin… and I completely forgot to recently -

and in that case I also wonder like the OP what the protocol is

 

[cessnawag]

When in dought - confess it and be done with it.

 

[nickybr38]

At confession ALL OF YOUR SINS are forgiven, even the ones you forget. However, it might be helpful to mention this sin in confession as it could be the Holy Spirit’s way of guiding you to full cleansing.

That said, at every confession I end with: I am sorry for these sins and all that I do not remember.

And before every confession I take a few days and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in examining my heart and conscience.

 

[acadian]

As cessnawag said, “confess it and be done with it.”

I had a similar situation years ago. I had come back to church some years before, and gradually had started to attend daily Mass and more frequent confession. One summer, things that had happened years earlier, decades earlier, came to mind. Things that had been sinful, but at the time I’d never felt a need to confess, were now nagging at me.

After being assured by my confessor that there was no statute of limitations, I confessed those things and went in peace. God is good.

 

[Bookcat]

At confession ALL OF YOUR SINS are forgiven, even the ones you forget. However, it might be helpful to mention this sin in confession as it could be the Holy Spirit’s way of guiding you to full cleansing.
.

Yes if one was sorry etc and intended to confess all ones mortal sins --they are absolved indirectly.

One is obliged to though to confess them in the next confession if they are remembered.

That is regarding mortal sins.

(though some out there who are scrupulous in a particular way may be in a different boat perhaps…some can over do it …their confessor can guide them).

 

[nickybr38]

Yes if one was sorry etc and intended to confess all ones mortal sins --they are absolved indirectly.

One is obliged to though to confess them in the next confession if they are remembered.

That is regarding mortal sins.

(though some out there who are scrupulous in a particular way may be in a different boat perhaps…some can over do it …their confessor can guide them).

Never hurts to bring up a mortal sin you had forgotten but I have a difficult time believing someone could forget they’d committed a mortal sin!

After all, part of the process is full knowledge and committing an act of deliberate defiance usually leaves a mark that is not easy to forget.

 

[Bookcat]

Never hurts to bring up a mortal sin you had forgotten but I have a difficult time believing someone could forget they’d committed a mortal sin!

After all, part of the process is full knowledge and committing an act of deliberate defiance usually leaves a mark that is not easy to forget.

Yes hopefully one will not forget a mortal sin (though it does not I will note need to be 'deliberate definance" …a number I image are sins of weakness --though still mortal)

One is obliged to confess the forgotten mortal sin in the next confession but they do not need to go sooner on that account (forgetting a mortal sin --while being contrite and amended for all mortal sin and intending to confess all…they are indirectly absolved …it is just that they need to still “submit them to the keys” in confession)

Jimmy Akin of Catholic Answers explains: jimmyakin.com/2006/09/a_reader_writes_1.html