Does confession forgive all sins or just the ones you confessed?

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I was wondering if when you went to confession do all of your sins that you are sorry for up to that point get forgiven or only the ones you confessed in confession?
 
You are required to confess in number and kind all of the mortal sins you are aware of since your last confession.

Any sins that you unintentionally forget to confess are forgiven. If you recall them later, you can mention them at your next confession.

Any sins that you intentionally do not confess invalidate the entire confession.

If it helps, you can write them down so you don’t forget any.

If you are hung up on not feeling truly “sorry” for your sins, don’t be. We all struggle with attachment to sin, or with fully understanding Church teaching. If you are sorry for your sin because you know it violates Church teaching or fear God’s punishment, even if you don’t understand how or why, you will be absolved.

Note that in addition to sorrow, you must also have a firm committment not to sin again. That does not mean you will never fall into sin again, it means that at the time you confess, you resolve to try.

God loves you. He waits for you to come and talk to him. He can’t wait to forgive you.
 
kristie_m said:
Can you back this up, please? This is the first I’ve heard of it.
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It is a mortal sin to intentionally hold back a mortal sin. It is this which invalidates the sacrament. From The CCC-

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."54

When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."55
 
I believe perhaps another way to phrase this is that is if you intentionally do not confess your *mortal *sin, you remain in a state of mortal sin, and you are not open to receive the sanctifying grace offered in the sacrament. To say intentionally not confessing any sin would bring into play venial sins, which can be taken care of through other means such as the penitential rite.
 
Seatuck - big thanks for jumping in with the reference.👍

StCsDavid - I meant any ***mortal ***sins that you intentionally hold back, yes.
 
Seatuck said:
It is a mortal sin to intentionally hold back a mortal sin. It is this which invalidates the sacrament. From The CCC-

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."54

When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."55
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I’m so glad there are people out there that know this stuff better than I do. 😃 So, then, if I have unconfessed mortal sins, making my previous confession invalid, do I need to “reconfess” those sins that I thought had been absolved?
 
kristie_m said:
I’m so glad there are people out there that know this stuff better than I do. 😃 So, then, if I have unconfessed mortal sins, making my previous confession invalid, do I need to “reconfess” those sins that I thought had been absolved?
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No. Just confess the mortal sin and the fact that you intentionally left it out the first go around.
 
StCsDavid said:
No. Just confess the mortal sin and the fact that you intentionally left it out the first go around.
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sorry, I don’t mean to sound legalistic about this, but if my first confession was made invalid by my deliberately leaving out a mortal sin, how can those other sins that I DID confess truly be absolved?
 
cjcapta said:
I was wondering if when you went to confession do all of your sins that you are sorry for up to that point get forgiven or only the ones you confessed in confession?
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you are not obliged to confess all your venial sins but you must confess all mortal sins you remember in time and number. If you forget any they are forgiven, but if you deliberately withhold one not only is it not forgiven, but your entire confession is invalid and sacriligeous, another mortal sin. You must also do you best, with a good examination of conscience, to recall all your sins, and avoid the damaging spiritual habit of overlooking habitual sins. you are also obligated to form right conscience in conformity with God’s commandments and teaching of the Church. YOu cannot claim ignorance if you have made no effort to educate yourself on the moral law.

for a sin to me mortal for you it must be obejctively mortal, that is grave matter, separating the soul from relationship with Christ, you must know that it is a sin, and that it is grave, and you must intentionally choose to do it. If all of those 3 conditions were not present when you committed the sin, it was not mortal, but as soon as you become aware of the gravity of a past action, certainly for your own spiritual health it would be beneficial to confess it.
 
kristie_m said:
sorry, I don’t mean to sound legalistic about this, but if my first confession was made invalid by my deliberately leaving out a mortal sin, how can those other sins that I DID confess truly be absolved?
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Fair question. Just remember that this is not a legal procedure. You’re not the defendant with the priest acting as judge and jury. Assuming you were truly contrite and repentant about the mortal sins confessed, the absolution of those sins would be valid; however, that does nothing to get you out of a state of mortal sin for the one you purposefully, with full knowledge and consent, left out of your confession. Also remember that Christ already paid the price for your sin. Just gaze upon the crucifix to discover what He did on your behalf. In reconciliation, you are choosing to step back into communion with Him and His Church…which are one.

In a sense, it’s like a couple that gets married while in a state of mortal sin. The sacrament is valid, but the grace that comes with it cannot penetrate their hearts until they get back into communion with Christ.
 
TheDoctor said:
If you are sorry for your sin because you know it violates Church teaching or fear God’s punishment.
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Actually we’re not suppose to be sorry for our sins because we fear God’s punishment. This is called “imperfect contrition”… We’re suppose to be sorry because of our great love for God and our knowing that we’ve hurt him. This is called “perfect contrition”… Sorry for this nit picky point:o , I just thought I should point it out.

SD
 
StCsDavid said:
Fair question. Just remember that this is not a legal procedure. You’re not the defendant with the priest acting as judge and jury. Assuming you were truly contrite and repentant about the mortal sins confessed, the absolution of those sins would be valid; however, that does nothing to get you out of a state of mortal sin for the one you purposefully, with full knowledge and consent, left out of your confession. Also remember that Christ already paid the price for your sin. Just gaze upon the crucifix to discover what He did on your behalf. In reconciliation, you are choosing to step back into communion with Him and His Church…which are one.

In a sense, it’s like a couple that gets married while in a state of mortal sin. The sacrament is valid, but the grace that comes with it cannot penetrate their hearts until they get back into communion with Christ.
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Ahhhh…thanks for the clarification. Had me worried there for a second…:o
 
SD_Catholic said:
Actually we’re not suppose to be sorry for our sins because we fear God’s punishment. This is called “imperfect contrition”… We’re suppose to be sorry because of our great love for God and our knowing that we’ve hurt him. This is called “perfect contrition”… Sorry for this nit picky point:o , I just thought I should point it out.

SD
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I may be off here a bit… I think we can still be sorry for fear of punishment… “imperfect contrition”… but we are suppose to be the most sorry because of our love for God… “perfect contrition”… Maybe someone can clarify it better.

SD
 
SD_Catholic said:
I may be off here a bit… I think we can still be sorry for fear of punishment… “imperfect contrition”… but we are suppose to be the most sorry because of our love for God… “perfect contrition”… Maybe someone can clarify it better.

SD
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I heard Fr. Corapi speak on this very subject. What he suggested was that while imperfect contrition was not the best route, it was a start. 🙂 And if the only reason you’re repenting is due to FEAR of God, rather than LOVE of God, well, at least you’re still repenting.
 
kristie_m said:
sorry, I don’t mean to sound legalistic about this, but if my first confession was made invalid by my deliberately leaving out a mortal sin, how can those other sins that I DID confess truly be absolved?
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Kristi:

They aren’t absolved, because if you INTENTIALLY offered an incomplete confession by INTENTIONALLY leaving out MORTAL SINS. If you did this, you blocked the Sacramental Grace and the priest’s Absolution.

Best Advice -

If you INTENTIONALLY LEFT OUT one or more MORTAL SINS (Plese note the parts in CAPS) then you need to go to confession ASAP and offer a new complete confession.

If you INADVERTANTLY FORGOT TO CONFESS a MORTAL SIN, the confession you offered was “complete” and the priest’s Absolution and Sacramental Grace received, even for these sins… But, as the our brothers & sisters have said, you probably should write this (or these) down and confess what you’ve written down (along with the rest of your sins) when you offer your next confession.

Before you offer a new complete confession, I recommend you ask yourself if what you held back were MORTAL SINS, and if you you didn’t just forget them when the time came to list them and their details.

You might need to talk to your priest, or do an “Examination of Conscience” about this before proceding further.

I hope this helps.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael
 
I think the confession has to be done over. I can’t find the reference I’m looking for but I found this over at EWTN in regards to holding back a sin…
One complicating factor for anyone in this situation is that intentionally withholding mortal sin (abortion) or knowledge of one’s excommunication invalidates ALL the absolutions for other sins given since the time of the intentionally overlooked sin. Culpably withholding mortal sin or an excommunication means that even after the priest says the words of absolution because of dishonesty on the penitent’s part, the sin has not been absolved.
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ewtn.com/expert/answers/abortio2.htm
 
From the Baltimore Catechism-

**417. What happens if we knowingly conceal a mortal sin in confession? **
If we knowingly conceal a mortal sin in confession, the sins we confess are not forgiven; moreover, we commit a mortal sin of sacrilege. **418. What must a person do who has knowingly concealed a mortal sin in confession? **
A person who has knowingly concealed a mortal sin in confession must confess that he has made a bad confession, tell the sin he has concealed, mention the sacraments he has received since that time, and confess all the mortal sins he has committed since his last good confession.

From a different version-

Q. 795. Is it a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession?
A. It is a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession, because we thereby tell a lie to the Holy Ghost, and make our Confession worthless.
Q. 796. How is concealing a sin telling a lie to the Holy Ghost?
A. Concealing a sin is telling a lie to the Holy Ghost, because he who conceals the sin declares in confession to God and the priest that he committed no sins but what he has confessed, while the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, saw him committing the sin he now conceals and still sees it in his soul while he denies it.
Q. 797. Why is it foolish to conceal sins in confession?

A. It is foolish to conceal sins in confession:

  1. *]Because we thereby make our spiritual condition worse;
    *]We must tell the sin sometime if we ever hope to be saved;
    *]It will be made known on the day of judgment, before the world, whether we conceal it now or confess it.
    Q. 798. What must he do who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession?
    A. He who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession must not only confess it, but must also repeat all the sins he has committed since his last worthy Confession.
    Q. 799. Must one who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in confession do more than repeat the sins committed since his last worthy confession?
    A. One who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in confession must, besides repeating all the sins he has committed since his last worthy confession, tell also how often he has unworthily received absolution and Holy Communion during the same time.

    Looks like they have to be confessed again.
 
I have the printed copy of the Baltimore Catechism. it appears you found an online source for it. Can you please post the URL to it?
 
Seatuck said:
From the Baltimore Catechism-

**417. What happens if we knowingly conceal a mortal sin in confession? **
If we knowingly conceal a mortal sin in confession, the sins we confess are not forgiven; moreover, we commit a mortal sin of sacrilege. **418. What must a person do who has knowingly concealed a mortal sin in confession? **
A person who has knowingly concealed a mortal sin in confession must confess that he has made a bad confession, tell the sin he has concealed, mention the sacraments he has received since that time, and confess all the mortal sins he has committed since his last good confession.

From a different version-

Q. 795. Is it a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession?
A. It is a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession, because we thereby tell a lie to the Holy Ghost, and make our Confession worthless.
Q. 796. How is concealing a sin telling a lie to the Holy Ghost?
A. Concealing a sin is telling a lie to the Holy Ghost, because he who conceals the sin declares in confession to God and the priest that he committed no sins but what he has confessed, while the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, saw him committing the sin he now conceals and still sees it in his soul while he denies it.
Q. 797. Why is it foolish to conceal sins in confession?

A. It is foolish to conceal sins in confession:

  1. *]Because we thereby make our spiritual condition worse;
    *]We must tell the sin sometime if we ever hope to be saved;
    *]It will be made known on the day of judgment, before the world, whether we conceal it now or confess it.
    Q. 798. What must he do who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession?
    A. He who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession must not only confess it, but must also repeat all the sins he has committed since his last worthy Confession.
    Q. 799. Must one who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in confession do more than repeat the sins committed since his last worthy confession?
    A. One who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in confession must, besides repeating all the sins he has committed since his last worthy confession, tell also how often he has unworthily received absolution and Holy Communion during the same time.

    Looks like they have to be confessed again.
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  1. Thanks for the info. I learn something new every day.
 
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