Did I Invalidate My Confession?

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RuthByzCat3

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Hey guys,
This is the third time I’ve tried to post this question, so please forgive me if I leave something out, as my quality is almost certainly deteriorating.

First off, I’m 16 and my family consists of me, my mom, and my sister.

Last week I went to my school’s chaplain for Confession. While he was advising me after I had confessed, but before absolution, a thought entered my head: since I would be on vacation the next Sunday and therefore miss Liturgy, should I mention this? I would probably miss because my mom usually doesn’t take us to church when on vacation. At the time of my Confession, I intended to request that she take us to church, and, failing that, to request a dispensation from my pastor. Therefore, I did NOT mention this to the priest. As it turned out, I got a dispensation.

My first question is: Did my not mentioning this invalidate my Confession? I wasn’t sure, because 1) it hadn’t happened yet, 2) I did NOT intend to miss Liturgy / fail to request a dispensation, and 3) I wasn’t sure, being 16 (no driver’s license) and in an unfamiliar city, how responsible I would be for getting myself to church.

My second question is: If I did invalidate my Confession, what do I have to confess?

Thanks!
 
You’ve answered your own question. You are a minor and had little to no control over your mother’s decision to take you to Mass while on vacation. You did not need to mention this in the confessional, nor would you be cupable considering your above-mentioned situation.

Try not to be scrupulous. Have faith in the Lord. He is not out to trick us out of salvation. He is not the God of technicalities. He is the God of Love and Mercy. Contrition, openness, and trust are what are needed in the confessional.
 
No, I do not think that you have done anything that was wrong. While I myself would hate to miss attending Mass, if there was nothing that I could do about it and had already obtained a dispensation, then I would not worry about it.
 
Okay, so it doesn’t matter that in the confessional, I had not yet gotten the dispensation?
 
RuthByzCat3 said:
Okay, so it doesn’t matter that in the confessional, I had not yet gotten the dispensation?
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I would say no, since, for one thing, you were not certain that you would be missing Sunday Mass. In addition, I am not sure if you can under any circumstances confess to a sin in advance of committing it.
 
You can only confess something that you have done, not something that you are going to do.

For example …

I missed Mass last week. Yes, you should confess this (unless you missed for a vaild reason – being sick, caring for children, etc).

I will miss Mass next week. No, do not confess this, for you can’t be guilty of something you have not done. Plus, how can you be absolutely certain that you will actually miss Mass? While God knows the future, it remains uncertain for us.
 
I don’t think you can confess a sin before it actually happens. What if you had gotten to your destination and found that there was a church just 1 block away? Would you have then skipped mass since you had already confessed that you would not be going?

Also, as others have pointed out, as a minor - although I will assume you have been confirmed and therefore and “adult” in the eyes of the church - you Mother is still the one primarily responsible for getting you to and from mass.
 
RuthByzCat3 said:
HeyMy first question is: Did my not mentioning this invalidate my Confession? I wasn’t sure, because 1) it hadn’t happened yet, 2) I did NOT intend to miss Liturgy / fail to request a dispensation, and 3) I wasn’t sure, being 16 (no driver’s license) and in an unfamiliar city, how responsible I would be for getting myself to church.

My second question is: If I did invalidate my Confession, what do I have to confess?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
do I understand the question?
during your last confession you failed to ask the priest about something that has not even happened yet?
no of course that did not invalidate your confession
has someone suggested otherwise?
 
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