Do you keep a list of sins for confession?

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Carmelite1983

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Do you keep a “list of sins” handy for cenfession?
I do and sometimes I fear I may be getting a bit too scrupulous, but if I don’t, I get forgetful or I’ll be a bit too forgiving of myself.
 
No. I might have one thing, that I am not sure if it is your garden variety venial or a mortal sin. I try to keep that in mind. But then just sit waiting my turn, reflect on things, and go in and just talk to my Priest.

I think lists can lead to scruples. If we have addiction to one type of sin, wouldn’t it be more about the cause then the expression.
But then I am not a Priest and just let my priest guide me.
 
I second this sentiment. I struggled with scruples and my confessor wanted my list destroyed.
 
when I returned to the church in the Year of Mercy, I was very fortunate to be guided in reconcilliation. Any time I brought up the past and its sins, I was told forget about them, they have been forgivenin your first confession back. Focus on moving forward.
 
Only so I could remember them and it makes it easier for me to list them. Sometimes I get scrupulous.
 
The only time I made a list was when I had not been to Confession for 25 years, and it was a lot to get straight from memory.

Now it’s easier to remember, especially since I fall for the same 3 or 4 sins every time. 🙁
 
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Sure but I’m the kind of guy who’ll always forget the milk 😂
 
I write them down. It helps me make sure I don’t forget sins.

However everyone has there own confession style. Some like the conversation style. Others like me like the straight to the point list my offense and get absolution style. Some do a bit of both. As long as you avoid scruples.
 
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I do. I find a list helpful with making a better Confession.

If you are going to Confession just to have mortal sins absolved then I can see how a list is unnecessary. However as a tool for focussing on those sins that we keep repeating (that are not necessarily mortal, but can be) I find a list useful to focus on patterns of sin. I have sometimes written one list and then realised that it is very similar to the list from the one before. This can highlight an area that needs working on.

I find a list useful and I think it has helped my Confession and has encouraged me to receive the sacrament of Confession more frequently.

I do think it is best to shred your list after you have finished with it though.
 
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I make a list at home just before going to Confession. In the Confessional without a list, my memory can just freeze. Good idea to destroy the list - sometimes I do, sometimes I forget to do so. No drama.
 
I did that once, only to promptly lose the list in a library.

I found it eventually, but never wrote stuff down after that.
 
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No, I go every 20 days and usually remember anything I did that was big enough that I want to mention it. Usually it is something like frustration with other people, which is not the type of thing one forgets especially when one is encountering the other people on an almost daily basis.
 
TheAmazingGrace said:
I did that once, only to promptly lose the list in a library.

I found it eventually, but never wrote stuff down after that.
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Written lists of sins by the penitent are not included in the Seal of Confession. Make the list at your own peril, if you lose it and law enforcement or someone else picks it up, there is no problem with using it in the courts against you.
 
Augustinian said:
Make the list at your own peril, if you lose it and law enforcement or someone else picks it up, there is no problem with using it in the courts against you.
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Man, you must think we have some exciting sins going on here.

I really don’t think law enforcement is interested in how many times somebody committed a sin of lust or gossiped about their neighbor or took the Lord’s name in vain.
 
I was told by a priest that we may rip up a list of my sins in the confessional if I kept one. Ultimately, sins between the confessor and the lay person are confidential regardless.

I’ve noticed that Satan drives people around me to harp on my failures not knowing they were confessed and that I was saved from them. Try unloading as much sin as possible and you may notice the same.

Satan has no power over the confessional and that has been made evident to me.
 
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I’ll usually write a list because it keeps my mind on track.
Especially when my life is super-busy and I’m trying not to stand in the confession line thinking about the errands I have to run afterward, and the laundry and gotta remember to put gas in the car, and oh did I remember to call aunt Gladys…
But I’m the type of person who makes lists for everything, so this technique might not be useful or helpful for everybody.

Oh, and for people afraid the list will fall into the wrong hands, it tends to consiste of keywords and trigger words so no danger.
 
I just tear it up in little bits and throw it in the trash at the shrine.
 
My priest told me not to make a list when I pulled out my phone to read it. And you only technically need to go to confession for mortal sins although I like to go about once a month for stuff that I feel bad about and is on my conscience. Penitential part of the mass is enough for forgiveness of venial sins. I enjoy it tbh i know it’s weird but it’s nice to know you are being obedient and relying on God through the community (priest) as we are commanded
 
I write some words on a small piece of paper if there are more than three sins. Sometimes I just write a letter instead of a word. I find it good to see what my sins are and reflect upon them. Sight is yet another sense we use.

The greatest pleasure is setting the piece of paper on fire after I have done my penance. I have a pot holder made of metal on the balcony where I “burn my sins”. The year I was received into the Church I burnt several sheets after coming back from church on Good Friday. With the recycling madness we have where I live, I thought it best to set it on fire.
 
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