Confession

[belindacy]

I feel compelled/convicted to go to confession to make things right with God. A priest has told me that I am allowed to go to confession and receive Absolution but my sponsor wants me to wait until March. I’m looking for any doctrinal reason for me not to go to confession because I don’t want to have to choose between Confession and my sponsor.

 

[puzzleannie]

are you a baptized Christian who is preparing for full communion with the Catholic Church? if so you may make your general confession of all sins of your past life to a priest whenever you feel ready. You RCIA catechists will probably be presenting a class on the sacrament of penance shortly, probably during Lent, with instruction on how to examine one’s conscience, Catholic moral teaching, and the form for confession. If you feel ready sooner, you are not obligated to wait. You might want to call the priest for an appointmen if you feel you will need more time than that at regular confession times in your parish. Simply let your catechist know that you have confessed (no details please) which you must to sometime before Confirmation and 1st Communion. YOu might very well also want to participate in the penance prep and service provided for your class as well. Your sponsor can suggest and guide, but he has no authority over you in this matter, and you do not even need to discuss it with him.

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

I feel compelled/convicted to go to confession to make things right with God. A priest has told me that I am allowed to go to confession and receive Absolution but my sponsor wants me to wait until March. I’m looking for any doctrinal reason for me not to go to confession because I don’t want to have to choose between Confession and my sponsor.

Whilst if you can go to confession you must have been baptised, to all intents and purposes your reception into the Church is a completion of your baptism. So it is better to make confession a day or so before reception to psychologically set you up for a new life.

I think your sponsor is right, in reality if not dogmatically.

 

[teachccd]

are you a baptized Christian who is preparing for full communion with the Catholic Church? if so you may make your general confession of all sins of your past life to a priest whenever you feel ready. You RCIA catechists will probably be presenting a class on the sacrament of penance shortly, probably during Lent, with instruction on how to examine one’s conscience, Catholic moral teaching, and the form for confession. If you feel ready sooner, you are not obligated to wait. You might want to call the priest for an appointmen if you feel you will need more time than that at regular confession times in your parish. Simply let your catechist know that you have confessed (no details please) which you must to sometime before Confirmation and 1st Communion. YOu might very well also want to participate in the penance prep and service provided for your class as well. Your sponsor can suggest and guide, but he has no authority over you in this matter, and you do not even need to discuss it with him.

100% agree. Talk this over with a priest prior to confession if there are any details to iron out. But your sponsor cannot override what you can do as a baptized Christian and the RCIA coordinator can also guide you in this matter but ultimately see a priest. May God Bless you in your journey home and the peace and love of Christ be with you…teachccd

 

[lak611]

Whilst if you can go to confession you must have been baptised, to all intents and purposes your reception into the Church is a completion of your baptism. So it is better to make confession a day or so before reception to psychologically set you up for a new life.

I think your sponsor is right, in reality if not dogmatically.

The OP is a candidate, not a catechumen, since he mentioned confession. A catechumen who has never been baptized would not need confession.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

In my RCIA we usually require that those already baptized wait until after our classes on Confession, which are usually given in the weeks preceeding Lent.

This ensures that they have a good grasp of the purpose and meaning of Confession - Why only a priest can forgive sin; The meaning of sin and the difference between mortal and venial sin;
The need for Confession and the desirability of frequent Confession; etc.

If you already have this then there is no reason not to go now. You might read the section of the Catechism on Confession to see if you have missed anything.

If the priest has said okay then there should be no problem. He will guide you through any problem spots. Any personal problems are better dealt with with the priest in Confession than with your sponsor or the RCIA team. I will give general guidance to my people but tell them that the priest is there for detailed problems [that is why he gets the big bucks ].

 

[vern_humphrey]

Jesus told us man was not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for man. Similarly, Confession was instituted for our benefit.

Your priest is correct – if you feel the need to go, go. No need to tell anyone else about it – in fact, you are covered with the same seal as the priest. You cannot discuss what you tell him with any other person.

 

[belindacy]

You RCIA catechists will probably be presenting a class on the sacrament of penance shortly, probably during Lent, with instruction on how to examine one’s conscience, Catholic moral teaching, and the form for confession.

We did the Alpha program Sept - Dec christlife.org/sharefaith/Alpha.html and will be doing Catholicism 201 Jan - Feb web.mac.com/jp2mi/iWeb/Catholicism201/Home.html, as well we have been given one booklet a week to read published by the Knights of Columbus. kofc.org/un/eb/en/publications/cis/publications/hart/list.html So far we have been given the first 10 but I have ordered and received the whole set and I’m up to the 17th booklet.

If you feel ready sooner, you are not obligated to wait. … Your sponsor can suggest and guide, but he has no authority over you in this matter, and you do not even need to discuss it with him.

I needed to tell her that I was planning on going because the priest told me to tell her since it was ahead of the regular time in the RCIA program which is one week before Easter. She has the authority to drop me as my sponsor if she feels that I do not value her advice. I wish I could find some doctrinal reason to wait because I would feel comfortable with that. What I have discovered is you can be saved if you have faith and live it even if your beliefs are not totally right but once you know the true church you need to live that faith.

Simply let your catechist know that you have confessed (no details please) which you must to sometime before Confirmation and 1st Communion. You might very well also want to participate in the penance prep and service provided for your class as well.

Part of the arrangement with the priest was that I go to confession the week before Easter as well. Being human I am sure I will sin sometime (several times) before the week before Easter.

 

[lak611]

I needed to tell her that I was planning on going because the priest told me to tell her since it was ahead of the regular time in the RCIA program which is one week before Easter. She has the authority to drop me as my sponsor if she feels that I do not value her advice. Part of the arrangement with the priest was that I go to confession the week before Easter as well. Being human I am sure I will sin sometime (several times) before the week before Easter.

Just go to confession when you feel you are ready. You can make an appointment with the priest and you do not need to mention it to your sponsor. You can go again a week before Easter too. The sponsor does not need to know that you went to confession ahead of time. It’s none of her business.

 

[belindacy]

Whilst if you can go to confession you must have been baptised,

I was baptized in the Baptist Church

to all intents and purposes your reception into the Church is a completion of your baptism. So it is better to make confession a day or so before reception to psychologically set you up for a new life.

I agreed to go to confession the week before confirmation as well.

I think your sponsor is right, in reality if not dogmatically.

What does ‘dogmatically’ mean? I’m looking for a doctrinal reason not to go to confession now if I can find one.

 

[lak611]

I was baptized in the Baptist Church

I agreed to go to confession the week before confirmation as well.

What does ‘dogmatically’ mean? I’m looking for a doctrinal reason not to go to confession now if I can find one.

There is no reason why you cannot go to confession now. Listen to what the priest told you. He is right. The poster you quoted is wrong.

 

[belindacy]

The OP is a candidate, not a catechumen, since he mentioned confession. A catechumen who has never been baptized would not need confession.

What is OP?

Just to make thinks not seem so strange reading this I’m ‘she’ not ‘he’. Sorry I should have mentioned that in my first post.

 

[lak611]

What is OP?

Just to make thinks not seem so strange reading this I’m ‘she’ not ‘he’. Sorry I should have mentioned that in my first post.

OP is the abbreviation for “original poster” or “original post”. Sorry about “he”. If I do not know the sex of a poster, I automatically use “he” rather than “she” when I reply.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

belindacy,

Just in case no one has done it yet: welcome to the forums!

And more importantly. . .welcome home to the Church!
VC

 

[John_Lilburne]

I feel compelled/convicted to go to confession to make things right with God. A priest has told me that I am allowed to go to confession and receive Absolution but my sponsor wants me to wait until March. I’m looking for any doctrinal reason for me not to go to confession because I don’t want to have to choose between Confession and my sponsor.

I think your sponsor is correct. According to the Code of Canon Law, canon 844:
“§1 Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments only to catholic members of Christ’s faithful, … except as provided in §§2, 3 and 4 of this canon …
§4 If there is danger of death or if, in the judgement of the diocesan Bishop or of the Bishops’ Conference, there is some other grave and pressing need, catholic ministers may lawfully administer these same sacraments to other christians not in full communion with the catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who spontaneously ask for them, provided that they demonstrate the catholic faith in respect of these sacraments and are properly disposed.”
(The Code of Canon Law: New revised English Translation, HarperCollins Liturgical, 1997, ISBN 000599375X. Another translation is at vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM ).

Is there a danger of death? Has the diocesan bishop decided there is a grave and pressing need?

The correct time to go to confession is when someone is about to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. From the USA’s Rite of Christian Initation of Adults:
“482. If the profession of faith and reception take place within Mass, the candidate, according to his or her own conscience, should make a confession of sins beforehand, first informing the confessor that he or she is about to be received into full communion. Any confessor who is lawfully approved may hear the candidate’s confession.”
In the RCIA for Australia and England, this paragraph is number 395. For more on this see the RCIA introductions for England and Wale at catholic-ew.org.uk/liturgy/Resources/Rites/RiteRitual.html#RCIA .

 

[belindacy]

And more importantly. . .welcome home to the Church!
VC

Can I still get home if I loose my sponsor? I went 3 months without one, ended up with two in one weekend and in 3 weeks short a day dissappointed the one I picked. I really want to fix this rather than change. A lot of people were praying before this was set up. I’m thinking of writing a paper explaining my thought process that lead to my need to go to confession. I do need to re-read the booklet on Penance because when I did the quiz I only got 84% and I had been getting 95 - 100 on most of the others. I found the section on the Sacrament of Sin, Penance and Reconciliation & the right of religious freedom in the Catechism of the Catholic Church to read over first as well.
I also sent a question to Ask an Apologist.

 

[dessert]

I feel compelled/convicted to go to confession to make things right with God. A priest has told me that I am allowed to go to confession and receive Absolution but my sponsor wants me to wait until March. I’m looking for any doctrinal reason for me not to go to confession because I don’t want to have to choose between Confession and my sponsor.

If your sins are really bothering you put them down on paper first, so you don’t forget.

If you have had an awakening of your conscience and know of a mortal sin now I would go confess.

This happened to me as when I came back I wasn’t aware of my sins for awhile and then it dawned on me how wicked my heart and mind had been leading me so I went frequently.

You may not want to reveal all to your sponsor as I can understand that and as you walk along God will reveal things to help you to Change which is important. The priest can only do the absolution not your sponser so the sponsor wants you to know exactly how to do this, your tests don’t let it bother you. God desn’t expect us to be 100% , just honest and truthful, penetint, humble and knows we will make mistakes.

 

[lak611]

Can I still get home if I loose my sponsor? I went 3 months without one, ended up with two in one weekend and in 3 weeks short a day dissappointed the one I picked. I really want to fix this rather than change. A lot of people were praying before this was set up. I’m thinking of writing a paper explaining my thought process that lead to my need to go to confession. I do need to re-read the booklet on Penance because when I did the quiz I only got 84% and I had been getting 95 - 100 on most of the others. I found the section on the Sacrament of Sin, Penance and Reconciliation & the right of religious freedom in the Catechism of the Catholic Church to read over first as well.
I also sent a question to Ask an Apologist.

Confession is a private sacrament just between you and the priest. Your sponsor has no right to know anything you confessed. You can make an appointment with the priest, but you do not have to say anything to your sponsor. Even if the priest sees you and your sponsor is there, the priest cannot mention that you went to confession due to the seal of the confession that he is bound to.

 

[jmcrae]

As I understand it, when you have been Welcomed into Full Communion by your Bishop (which takes place near the beginning of Lent, for most RCIA candidates) that’s when you can start to make use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Right now, you are not yet considered Catholic, so although you could go and speak to a priest, he has not yet been given authority over you to absolve your sins - that happens when you are received by the Bishop.

Lent is just a few very short weeks away.

 

[belindacy]

As I understand it, when you have been Welcomed into Full Communion by your Bishop (which takes place near the beginning of Lent, for most RCIA candidates) that’s when you can start to make use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Right now, you are not yet considered Catholic, so although you could go and speak to a priest, he has not yet been given authority over you to absolve your sins - that happens when you are received by the Bishop.

Lent is just a few very short weeks away.

When is Lent?