Dishonest in undergrad, don't think I can be a priest

[Ole_Blue]

In undergrad, there were online classes that I took that I felt had meaningless information and weren’t important, but still went to completing my degree (this was probably due to my damaging pride). I was lazy and spent my time learning other things instead of learning for these classes. I would just fly through the quizzes and online exams with my classmates, by finding answers online, or having the book open and looking through the book. When it came to actual in-class exams, I never thought about cheating because I knew it would be wrong. For the longest time I thought what I was doing was a sin of laziness, but did not realize the gravity of my sin (breaking the 7th and 8th commandment). I feel the need to go to confession and repair my soul. Further, I know I need to talk to my spiritual director about this, as I am in the application process for seminary and feel unworthy because of my dishonest past.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Please talk to your spiritual director and tell them exactly what you said here. Your director may have something to say regarding you “not realizing the gravity of your sin” at the time, as that goes to the matter of your intent.

 

[Cruciferi]

I would just fly through the quizzes and online exams with my classmates, by finding answers online, or having the book open and looking through the book.

And you really think that your Professors didn’t know or suspect this? I did this for multiple classes. Believe me, the instructor could’ve sat you all down in the classroom and watched you like a hawk.

When it came to actual in-class exams,

These were the Real Deal.

I feel the need to go to confession and repair my soul.

I’m still not seeing anything sinful. Like I said, the instructor knows that their students will research online or look through their textbooks. If they don’t like that, you’ll all be taking the exam in the same room. Furthermore, they usually have multiple tests with different questions. That’s done just in case you peek at someone else’s test.

 

[Bluebright]

Well the fact that you feel the need to go to confession, sounds like you should go. Are you saying you cheated in your classes/exams? if so yes that’s wrong so go and confess it. If you are unsure of your intentions at the time, tell the priest that. Like someone above said speak to your spiritual adviser assuming you have one. If you feel like you wasted your teacher/lecturer’s time with your inattention to the work or your parents money or that sort of thing, then I am not sure this is a sin, but perhaps a fault you are being called to work on now as you consider entering the seminary. Perhaps it is all just to let you know not to mess about as you once did last time you studied? Remember when you go to confession, you can say to the priest I am not sure if x, y z is a sin but I did/didnt do x, yz and then accept his advice. Remember also that the devil and the world are likely to be putting obstacles in your way, as is your own will. So do go to confession and speak to your adviser, God bless you

 

[TheLittleLady]

Like I said, the instructor knows that their students will research online or look through their textbooks.

To go a bit further, this is why degrees that are earned completely “on line” are not worth the money you spend on them. Hiring managers/head hunters know that there is a high probability the person looked up every answer on every exam and simply bought the degree.

 

[Ole_Blue]

The online classes felt worthless, and have had no effect on my job performance or the knowledge needed for my occupation. That being said, I feel wrong and guilty of my past and want to be completely in union with Our Lord, as I feel He is calling me to the priesthood. I just do not feel worthy because of my dishonesty in the past.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Feelings are not always the best indicator for sin. I recently confessed something I “felt badly” about and the confessor told me it wasn’t a sin as I had lacked intent to sin and my “feeling badly” about it did not make it a sin. Please discuss this with your confessor in confession so he can tell you from an objective standpoint whether you sinned or not and if necessary absolve you.

 

[Cruciferi]

To go a bit further, this is why degrees that are earned completely “on line” are not worth the money you spend on them

I went to a well known Research University and my degree wasn’t exclusively online. Many if not all colleges offer certain classes online. Furthermore, nowadays many tests and exams are done on a computer. My University utilized Blackboard Learn and the computer coursework was referred to as Learning Modules.

Hiring managers/head hunters know that there is a high probability the person looked up every answer on every exam and simply bought the degree.

Once again, accredited Public Universities use these programs. It’s not abnormal and I doubt most people will care.

 

[Cruciferi]

The online classes felt worthless, and have had no effect on my job performance or the knowledge needed for my occupation.

Those are called Filler and yes they’re nearly worthless. Everyone has to take them :man_shrugging:t2:

That being said, I feel wrong and guilty of my past and want to be completely in union with Our Lord, as I feel He is calling me to the priesthood. I just do not feel worthy because of my dishonesty in the past.

Feelings aren’t reliable for determining sins. You should speak with your Spiritual Director. However, a College Professor could more easily tell you if it was a breach of Academic Integrity.

 

[Joe_5859]

I wholeheartedly agree with TisBear that you should bring up your concerns with your spiritual director and/or vocations director.

I just do not feel worthy because of my dishonesty in the past.

I also want to point out that no one is “worthy” of being a priest. We are all sinners. God doesn’t choose only perfect men with stainless pasts to be priests. If that were the case, there would be no priests.

Be at peace!

 

[phil19034]

To go a bit further, this is why degrees that are earned completely “on line” are not worth the money you spend on them. Hiring managers/headhunters know that there is a high probability the person looked up every answer on every exam and simply bought the degree.

This is not true if it’s from an accredited, well known university. If you get an online degree from an Ivy League school or a place like Notre Dame, the hiring manager is never going to know that for sure unless you tell them.

 

[JamalChristophr]

That’s most definitely not a block for you to be discerning the priesthood. Priests are sinners who know they are sinners and want to be saints.

Go forward with discernment. No man is “worthy” to be a priest.

If you’re doubting, look at people like Thomas Merton, he led a rather hedonistic lifestyle and even fathered a child out of wedlock and many sort of things.

 

[Mary888]

You don’t think you can but do you want to? Do you aim to?
When my maternal grandfather died at the funeral the priest offered my family a ride to the cemetery. On the way he was talking a lot most likely to divert us from our sorrow. So one thing led to another and he was telling how he was a literature teacher but the money was so scarce he decided to become a priest. My mom still thinks “how could he say such a thing?” I still think “what a honest man! It’s great he became a priest.”
Prophet David sinned, but he was so upfront to confess his sins in front of strangers. That is because his love for God was real, he was a honest man.
Honesty is something deeper than not being diligent enough with exams. I hope you take the time to reconsider your self-judgement because here you are pooring your soul out to strangers to be judged. Think about it. What is honesty after all?

 

[edward_george1]

You’ve posted two threads about some sin or transgression of yours that you think will bar you from seminary. I promise you, many men have been admitted to seminary and ordained to the priesthood who have done far worse things than you have (and repented of them, of course; I’m not talking here about the people who had no business being admitted in the first place, much less ordained). Besides that, there are actual impediments to ordination that you will be asked about that can actually be a cause to bar you from seminary. Neither thing you’ve brought up in your threads is a canonical impediment.

If you sin, go to confession, and move on. Don’t play those mind games about worthiness and whatnot. The devil has a superior intellect to yours, he will always win mind games. Confess your sins, continue the application process, see where it all takes you. Childlike trust in the will of God is the only thing that gets us through, not mind games.

-Fr ACEGC

 

[Seagull]

Confession sounds great - to what you said.
My two cents - it sounds like you took the easy way out.
You can’t simply side step or avoid things - with God.
Meet them head on - suffer, if needs be - grow - learn - apply.
One of the seven deadly sins is sloth. DON’T be that.

 

[jvickers]

I would just fly through the quizzes and online exams with my classmates, by finding answers online, or having the book open and looking through the book.

I teach master’s students exclusively online. When I give an online quiz, it is with the expectation that they will research the answer if they do not know it. I do not consider it cheating. There are plenty of mechanisms schools can use to ensure you do not cheat in online quizzes. If they are not using them, then they probably subscribe to the same philosophy I do in terms of online quizzes.

 

[Kima]

Since you didn´t know the gravity of the sin, chances are it wasn´t a mortal sin.
I would still advise you to go to Confession since that is the right place to get rid of that guilt you are carrying on.

Remember that all of us do have our different struggles due to sin, so nobody is worthy. Nobody is perfect, what matters is that you try to strive to become better, and to follow God. It seems like you now try to do so, and that is good. None of us are worthy to stand in front of the glory of God, but by His grace and His mercy we may all be good enough.

Never forget that God loves you, and if He is calling you, that remains to be unbroken. Once every while every single one of us needs to ask for His forgiveness.

 

[Glennon_P]

I’ll second that. I teach online classes and my tests/quizzes are all designed to be “open book”. It would be crazy to think that students would take them any other way. If your instructor really wanted to make sure you were not doing the tests “open book”, they would require that your test be proctored.