Confusion about Confession...Am I still not allowed to receive the Eucharist?

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I was told by a priest in Confession that I didn’t have to confess sins that I forgot to confess if I remembered them later. I trusted the priest, because he seems to be orthodox on everything else. However, I just read in another thread that the priest was wrong, and I am required by Canon Law to confess any forgotten mortal sins. This comes as a huge blow for me, because I suffer badly from OCD, and I constantly worry about whether I’ve committed mortal sins.

I went to Confession yesterday, and because I was so worried about a particular sin, I completely forgot about some other sins which could potentially be mortal sins. If what I read in the other thread is true, then I may still not be in a state of grace. I’m worried about going up to receive Communion in this state. If what I read is true, and it effects whether I can receive the Eucharist, then I may never be able to receive the Eucharist again, because I seem to constantly be remembering sins which I forgot, and I’m not sure whether they’re mortal. In addition, there’s now a new sin I may have committed, which is not confessing a forgotten mortal sin. The vicious circle of torment continues…
 
Forgotten mortal sins are forgiven indirectly when you are absolved of the ones you did remember and confess. They must be forgiven directly at some point, preferably at your next confession, but in the meantime you may continue to receive Holy Communion unless you commit other mortal sins. If it should happen that you never remember them again, they are still forgiven.

Confession is a gift of mercy to us, not something to trip us up. Try to relax. And obey your confessor. With your OCD/scrupulosity, the rules are different for you anyway. You can never go wrong obeying your confessor. If he makes an error, it’s between him and God.
 
Dear Josh, did you forget that you’re not supposed to come back here to second guess a priest due to your OCD and scrupulosity? Trust the priest! 👍
 
baltobetsy said:
Forgotten mortal sins are forgiven indirectly when you are absolved of the ones you did remember and confess. They must be forgiven directly at some point, preferably at your next confession, but in the meantime you may continue to receive Holy Communion unless you commit other mortal sins. If it should happen that you never remember them again, they are still forgiven.

Confession is a gift of mercy to us, not something to trip us up. Try to relax. And obey your confessor. With your OCD/scrupulosity, the rules are different for you anyway. You can never go wrong obeying your confessor. If he makes an error, it’s between him and God.
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Not to second guess you, but for the sake of my peace, could you please quote the source that says that the rules are different for someone like me? Thanks.
 
TBolt1000T said:
I was told by a priest in Confession that I didn’t have to confess sins that I forgot to confess if I remembered them later. I trusted the priest, because he seems to be orthodox on everything else. However, I just read in another thread that the priest was wrong, and I am required by Canon Law to confess any forgotten mortal sins. This comes as a huge blow for me, because I suffer badly from OCD, and I constantly worry about whether I’ve committed mortal sins.

I went to Confession yesterday, and because I was so worried about a particular sin, I completely forgot about some other sins which could potentially be mortal sins. If what I read in the other thread is true, then I may still not be in a state of grace. I’m worried about going up to receive Communion in this state. If what I read is true, and it effects whether I can receive the Eucharist, then I may never be able to receive the Eucharist again, because I seem to constantly be remembering sins which I forgot, and I’m not sure whether they’re mortal. In addition, there’s now a new sin I may have committed, which is not confessing a forgotten mortal sin. The vicious circle of torment continues…
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Hi Josh, Mortal sin is serious, but the Church has said that if one or more mortal sins escape your memory, you are absolved for them at confession via the fact that you have a contrite heart and also by your own words. Always remember to say for example “for these sins I’ve confessed, and also those that escape my memory at this time, I ask absolution and pardon”. You can use your own version of those words if you like, but the important thing is that you mentioned the ones you may have forgotten.

If you remember a mortal sin after confession, simply confess it next time you go to confession. You have not sinned because you forgot to confess a particular mortal sin and then received Holy Communion. If the sin you now recall weighs heavy on your mind and soul, you can simply make a Spiritual Communion at Mass until you can get to confession. God will understand and you will surely receive His Grace for the contrition you hold in your heart.

And know that you are not the only one who recalls a Mortal Sin after confession. I’m sure it happens to more of us than we might think.
 
TBolt1000T said:
I was told by a priest in Confession that I didn’t have to confess sins that I forgot to confess if I remembered them later. I trusted the priest, because he seems to be orthodox on everything else. However, I just read in another thread that the priest was wrong, and I am required by Canon Law to confess any forgotten mortal sins. This comes as a huge blow for me, because I suffer badly from OCD, and I constantly worry about whether I’ve committed mortal sins.

I went to Confession yesterday, and because I was so worried about a particular sin, I completely forgot about some other sins which could potentially be mortal sins. If what I read in the other thread is true, then I may still not be in a state of grace. I’m worried about going up to receive Communion in this state. If what I read is true, and it effects whether I can receive the Eucharist, then I may never be able to receive the Eucharist again, because I seem to constantly be remembering sins which I forgot, and I’m not sure whether they’re mortal. In addition, there’s now a new sin I may have committed, which is not confessing a forgotten mortal sin. The vicious circle of torment continues…
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My understanding is this:

when you make an honest Confession and say all that you can remember, ALL your sins are forgiven, including the ones you forgot. So you ARE in a state of grace.

If you remember these sins later, you should still confess them at your next Confession, - but that just to acknowledge them… they HAVE already been forgiven.

Talk to your confessor about this.
God bless
 
baltobetsy said:
Forgotten mortal sins are forgiven indirectly when you are absolved of the ones you did remember and confess. They must be forgiven directly at some point, preferably at your next confession, but in the meantime you may continue to receive Holy Communion unless you commit other mortal sins. If it should happen that you never remember them again, they are still forgiven.

Confession is a gift of mercy to us, not something to trip us up. Try to relax. And obey your confessor. With your OCD/scrupulosity, the rules are different for you anyway. You can never go wrong obeying your confessor. If he makes an error, it’s between him and God.
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👍
 
Josh –

Remember, you cannot commit a mortal sin accidentally. No sin is mortal unless it is committed on purpose.
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”
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. . . .
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1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church ¶¶ 1857, 1859.

Among other things, this means that forgetting to confess a mortal sin by definition cannot be a mortal sin.
 
Before going to confession make a list of the sins you are to confess.Take the list into the confessional so you won’t overlook any.
 
TBolt1000T said:
I was told by a priest in Confession that I didn’t have to confess sins that I forgot to confess if I remembered them later. I trusted the priest, because he seems to be orthodox on everything else. However, I just read in another thread that the priest was wrong, and I am required by Canon Law to confess any forgotten mortal sins. Ts…
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there is your answer
you get advice on matter for confession from the priest in confession, not from anonymous third parties on internet forums.

it is spiritually dangerous to monday morning quarterback your confessions on line like this. If you have a question about confession, go back to that trusted priest.
 
TBolt1000T said:
Not to second guess you, but for the sake of my peace, could you please quote the source that says that the rules are different for someone like me? Thanks.
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This might explain what baltobetsy refers to; Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous Note that the first one states, “You shall not repeat a sin in confession when it has been confessed in a previous confession, even when there is a doubt that it was confessed or a doubt that it was confessed in a sufficiently adequate and complete way.” Priests can dispense you from the normal rules, when circumstances are such that the penitent would suffer otherwise. For Example; Father Peter Stravinskas of Catholic Answers magazine once had a question from a woman who suffered from severe depression. She was concerned because her confessor informed her that in the future for confession, she was to only state that she was sorry for any sins she may have committed and all past sins of her life, and nothing else. She questioned the advice, and asked Father Stravinskas what she should do. He replied that she should obey her confessor and do as he instructed. As baltobetsy wrote, “You can never go wrong obeying your confessor.” God is pleased when we are obedient to the priest who hears our confession.
 
Thanks, Clay Pots, that’s just the kind of thing I had in mind.
 
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