Do Catholics confess venial sins to God directly?

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Obviously, it would be next to impossible to confess EVERY sin. Lack of time, forgetfulness, etc.

And mortal sins require a priestly sacrament.

But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins (e.g., Our Father in heaven, please forgive me for not being nice to little Timmy)?

Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
 
EIF5A said:
But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins?
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Yes, we “can/do”.
We do the same with mortal sins also, but sacramental Confession to a priest is required in addition.
Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
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Good question. Will see what I can find.

As a general rule, venial sins are forgiven at Mass and Communion, but I think it presumes one admits having sinned and desires forgiveness.
Personally, anytime I admit having done something wrong/sinful, it always seems to automatically include God. That is, it’s not just a thought expressed to myself, but always seems to involve God also – maybe because I know the whole reason for it being wrong in the first place is because it was something contrary to God’s command and will.
 
EIF5A said:
Obviously, it would be next to impossible to confess EVERY sin. Lack of time, forgetfulness, etc.

And mortal sins require a priestly sacrament.

But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins (e.g., Our Father in heaven, please forgive me for not being nice to little Timmy)?
Click to expand...
Yes, all the time.
Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
Click to expand...
This is why we say the Confiteor and acknowledge our sins at the beginning of every mass.

“I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

To which the priest responds. "May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us into everlasting life. "
 
Each night a mature Catholic ought to do an examination of conscience and pray an Act of Contrition for the sins committed.
Code: 
Act of Contrition

        O my God, I am heartily sorry for
        having offended you, and I detest
        all my sins, because of Your just
        punishments, but most of all **because
        they offend You, my God, who are
        all-good and deserving of all my love. **
        I firmly resolve, with the help of
        Your grace, to sin no more and to
        avoid the near occasion of sin.
This is a perfect act of contrition as it expresses perfect contrition at the part I bolded.

If a person has committed a mortal sin and prays this pray with the firm intention of going to Confession as soon as they are able, then according to their disposition even a mortal sin can be forgiven if the person does not have the chance to go to Confession before death, so it’s a good habit to get into 🙂
 
St_Francis said:
Each night a mature Catholic ought to do an examination of conscience and pray an Act of Contrition for the sins committed.
Code: 
Act of Contrition

        O my God, I am heartily sorry for
        having offended you, and I detest
        all my sins, because of Your just
        punishments, but most of all **because
        they offend You, my God, who are
        all-good and deserving of all my love. **
        And I firmly resolve, with the help of
        Your grace, to sin no more and to
        avoid the near occasion of sin.
This is a perfect act of contrition as it expresses perfect contrition at the part I bolded.

If a person has committed a mortal sin and prays this pray with the firm intention of going to Confession as soon as they are able, then according to their disposition even a mortal sin can be forgiven if the person does not have the chance to go to Confession before death, so it’s a good habit to get into 🙂
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I learned the Act of Contrition a bit differently when I was a child (of course, that was back in the days of the dinosaurs***):

Oh, my God,
I am heartily sorry for having offended thee.
And I detest all my sins,
Because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.
But most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who art all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace,
To confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen

*** One of my grandsons once asked me, in all sincerity, if it was scary living around dinosaurs when I was a kid. 🙂
 
EIF5A said:
Obviously, it would be next to impossible to confess EVERY sin. Lack of time, forgetfulness, etc.

And mortal sins require a priestly sacrament.

But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins (e.g., Our Father in heaven, please forgive me for not being nice to little Timmy)?

Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
Click to expand...
After confessing mortal sins you say, “I am sorry for these sins and all my sins,” which would cover venial sins.
 
Yes. We are to confess all sins (on our conscience) directly to God.

Do not be so concerned which are venial and which are mortal. If it is on your conscience, give it to God in repentance. Repentance is acknowledging our sins to God, being sorry for them, confessing them in sacrament and praying for God’s forgiveness and strength, to sin no more.

If you are truly repentive to God for your sins, you will bring it to confession. Jesus is not holding sin over us, we sometimes hold it instead of giving it to Him.

I am certainly not the best at frequenting Reconciliation. I should more often. Now, I am in Brazil, and need to find an english speaking priest, or learn portuguese fast! Or just keep away from sin!😉

Peace
Michael
 
PaulDupre1 said:
I learned the Act of Contrition a bit differently when I was a child (of course, that was back in the days of the dinosaurs***):

Oh, my God,
I am heartily sorry for having offended thee.
And I detest all my sins,
Because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.
But most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who art all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace,
To confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen
Click to expand...
Yes, there are actually several around; I should have made that clear 🙂
*** One of my grandsons once asked me, in all sincerity, if it was scary living around dinosaurs when I was a kid. 🙂
Click to expand...
:lol:
 
EIF5A said:
Obviously, it would be next to impossible to confess EVERY sin. Lack of time, forgetfulness, etc.

And mortal sins require a priestly sacrament.

But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins (e.g., Our Father in heaven, please forgive me for not being nice to little Timmy)?

Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
Click to expand...
Yes most certainly.

We struggle with such “daily sins” …well* daily.*

One need not (not good to wait) -wait Confession to seek forgiveness (though let us go often!). Though it is very recommended that one goes to confession frequently (see the Catechism and all good that this brings).

Venial sins are forgiven in many ways -acts of perfect or even imperfect contrition, prayer, reading Sacred Scripture, the Mass, Holy Communion, the prayerful use holy water, other sacramentals, little short prayers during the day, acts of love etc

I will add a related section of the Catechism:

From the Catechism:

1436 Eucharist and Penance. Daily conversion and penance find their source and nourishment in the Eucharist, for in it is made present the sacrifice of Christ which has reconciled us with God. Through the Eucharist those who live from the life of Christ are fed and strengthened. “It is a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins.”

1437 Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Our Father - every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of our sins.

vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

Let us pray the Our Father as St. Augustine spoke of being prayed for such daily venial sins …“forgive us our trespasses…”

Indeed in the early Church such was often prayed three times a day. A wonderful practice that my family follows.

CCC The first communities prayed the Lord’s Prayer three times a day, in place of the “Eighteen Benedictions” customary in Jewish piety. scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s2a1.htm
 
rcwitness said:
Yes. We are to confess all sins (on our conscience) directly to God.

Do not be so concerned which are venial and which are mortal. If it is on your conscience, give it to God in repentance. Repentance is acknowledging our sins to God, being sorry for them, confessing them in sacrament and praying for God’s forgiveness and strength, to sin no more.

If you are truly repentive to God for your sins, you will bring it to confession. Jesus is not holding sin over us, we sometimes hold it instead of giving it to Him.

I am certainly not the best at frequenting Reconciliation. I should more often. Now, I am in Brazil, and need to find an english speaking priest, or learn portuguese fast! Or just keep away from sin!😉

Peace
Michael
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👍👍👍👍
 
EIF5A said:
Obviously, it would be next to impossible to confess EVERY sin. Lack of time, forgetfulness, etc.

And mortal sins require a priestly sacrament.

But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins (e.g., Our Father in heaven, please forgive me for not being nice to little Timmy)?

Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
Click to expand...
Yes most certainly.
(if one falls into mortal sin one also does not wait for the Sacrament but already starts to repent and turn towards the Lord again - seeking the grace of perfect contrition (out of love of God -see the CCC - which can mean forgiveness can begin by the grace of God prior to the Sacrament --though one still needs goto Confession and wait for Holy Communion. Also one may not have this grace of perfect contrition …but one seeks it anyhow and begins by actual grace to make the return to the Father who looks for one…one cries out to the Good Shepherd…seeking his sheep)

(and one can add that confessing sins in the Sacrament of Confession - is a kind of confessing directly to God - in his Sacrament where we encounter him and his mercy and love and true life).
Returning to venial sins by themselves – Yes most certainly…

We struggle with such “daily sins” …well ~ * daily.* Those venial sins that happen daily.

One need not (not good to wait) -wait Confession to seek forgiveness (though let us go often!). Though it is very recommended that one goes to confession frequently (see the Catechism and all good that this brings).

It is important to repent quickly.

Venial sins are forgiven in many ways -acts of perfect or even imperfect contrition, prayer, reading Sacred Scripture, the Mass, Holy Communion, the prayerful use holy water, other sacramentals, little short prayers during the day, acts of love etc

I will add a related section of the Catechism:

From the Catechism:

1436 Eucharist and Penance. Daily conversion and penance find their source and nourishment in the Eucharist, for in it is made present the sacrifice of Christ which has reconciled us with God. Through the Eucharist those who live from the life of Christ are fed and strengthened. “It is a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins.”

1437 Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Our Father - every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of our sins.

vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

Let us pray the Our Father as St. Augustine spoke of being prayed for such daily venial sins …“forgive us our trespasses…”

Indeed in the early Church such was often prayed three times a day. A wonderful practice that my family follows.

CCC The first communities prayed the Lord’s Prayer three times a day, in place of the “Eighteen Benedictions” customary in Jewish piety. scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s2a1.htm
 
EIF5A said:
Obviously, it would be next to impossible to confess EVERY sin. Lack of time, forgetfulness, etc.

And mortal sins require a priestly sacrament.

But can/do Catholics pray to God privately about daily venial sins (e.g., Our Father in heaven, please forgive me for not being nice to little Timmy)?
Click to expand...
Yes as you describe

For all venial sins we ask God for forgiveness & they are forgiven
**As for mortal sin **
  • **1 Jn 5:16 **There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that.
God promises us forgiveness for those sins through sacramental confession that He established John20:23
E:
Does attending Mass and Communion remove venial sins without verbally/internally praying to God?
Click to expand...
Yes for the reasons others have mentioned
 
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