Counting mortal sins

[Someboy113]

Hi, I’ve been going to confession my whole life, and never knew you had to specify the amount of times you commited a mortal sin, therefore I haven’t been doing that. We’re my confessions still valid? Also, I recently started saying like “I did this many times” because I don’t know the actual amount of times I commited the sin. Is that fine?

 

[Kei]

I do not know the first but the second is that yes, this is fine if you do not know the number.

 

[porthos11]

Hi, I’ve been going to confession my whole life, and never knew you had to specify the amount of times you commited a mortal sin, therefore I haven’t been doing that. We’re my confessions still valid? Also, I recently started saying like “I did this many times” because I don’t know the actual amount of times I commited the sin. Is that fine?

Because you did not know at the time, your confessions were valid and the sins forgiven. If you did not specify the number of times, if Father judged them to be mortal sins, he should have asked. So it’s possible Father assumed you did so only once or he judged them to be reduced in culpability.

What you probably should do at your next confession (you do not need to rush back), is simply tell Father what you told us here; that you confessed this-and-that but that you didn’t know you have to mention the number of times you committed those mortal sins. Then ask him. Ask him for help. If you don’t remember an exact count anymore, tell him. It’s just as good, for long, historical patterns of sin, to mention an estimate across a period of time (e.g. “on the average, about twice per week for the past twenty years”). A precise number is not required if it’s no longer possible. All that’s asked of us is to do the best we can.

So again, tell Father Confessor your concerns and he WILL help you make a good confession.

And because reviewing historic confessions is usually a gateway to scrupulosity I will tell you now. Listen to Father and follow his advice. Whatever he tells you, believe him.

 

[Spyridon]

We’re my confessions still valid? Also, I recently started saying like “I did this many times” because I don’t know the actual amount of times I commited the sin. Is that fine?

Yes your confessions were valid.

Yes it is fine to give general estimates like “many times.”