Doing things you think are sins even though they aren’t

[michael-kaw]

I have 2 questions

Number 1: if you do something which you think is a sin and then find out it’s not, do you then need to confess you did something you thought was a sin even though it wasn’t.

Secondly if the answer to that is yes and you want to confess you did something you thought was a sin but you forgot what that thing you did was should you still confess it??

And if you realise you didn’t ages ago should you reconfess everything because the previous ones where invalid??

 

[CRV]

wow. Don’t know if you are scrupulous or not, but if you are, have you spoken to your own parish priest about matters that trouble your conscience? If you haven’t, then I highly recommend you do so. He is the best person to answer all your questions, get to know you and you him, build a relationship of trust with, and as a result he’ll be perfectly placed to advise you.

1. if something you believed was sinful, and you deliberately chose to do it, believing it was a a sin - then yes, because it shows a person is prepared to sin in that way. Once you learn it isn’t a sin, then it shouldn’t be an issue for you.

And as only mortal sins are necessary for confession, if it was a venial matter, be sorry for the past times it was done when you honestly believed it was sinful, let it go and move on. Holy Communion, if one is sorry for venial sins, forgives them - is one way, apart from Confession.

2).

you want to confess you did something you thought was a sin but you forgot what that thing you did was

If you’ve forgotten what it actually was, how can it be confessed? You have to be able to name the sin, or what you actually did for it to be forgiven (assuming it was grave matter, committed with full knowledge and full consent therefore a mortal sin).

A mortal sin is not easily forgotten, unless due to a head injury or medical condition type of thing. If you are certain it was a mortal sin you committed, and are certain you have never confessed it, then if it is really bothering your conscience, my advice would be to mention this at your next confession by saying something along the lines of " Father in the past I committed a sin which at the time of acting, I believed was sinful (but know now it isn’t), but also can’t remember what it was and I don’t think I’ve ever confessed it, but wish to include it now."

All sins are placed before the Tribunal of Mercy when we go to confession, and all are forgiven. So any mortal sins that were intended to be confessed but through human frailty accidentally forgotten are forgiven and just need to be mentioned at the next confession.

If a mortal sin is deliberately withheld during confession, then nothing is forgiven and another mortal sin of a bad confession committed.

 

[michael-kaw]

Thank you so much for the reply but in the past I have confessed something along the lines of “I did something which I thought was sinful but it wasnt” , is that not enough detail?

Also does that mean I have to reconfess the ones I remember saying what I did that I thought was sinful?

Or is it okay unless the Priest asks for more detail

 

[PaladinSword]

if you knew it wasn’t there is no need to confess. if you have doubts it’s okay to confess. it’s not the priests duty to ask you for the detail. that is ones who is confessing responsibility. it is good to get a regular confessor or spiritual director if you have scrupulously. dont hip hop around find one that works and keep going. you only need one communion and one confession a year to stay catholic

 

[CRV]

I did something which I thought was sinful but it wasnt”

For me personally, I would have said “I did something which I thought was a mortal sin at the time of acting, but now know it wasn’t, but also I can’t now remember what it was and I don’t think I’ve ever confessed it” - that’s if at the time of acting it was a mortal sin. I think you need to ask your priest about this in confession.
Otherwise, if it was a venial matter, then yes, confessing that way would be ok - because venial sins are not obligatory matter for confession - only mortal sins are.

I have to reconfess the ones I remember saying what I did that I thought was sinful?

Again, only if they were grave matter. And the time you are thinking of now, you are absolutely certain is grave matter, committed at that time with full knowledge that it was, and with full consent.

You would have to re-confess the deliberately unconfessed MORTAL sin, state you deliberately withheld it, and then re-confess all mortal sins committed since the confession when you deliberately left it out.

In your OP you said “And if you realise you didn’t ages ago…” You could say you committed it when you were 15/20yrs old in addition to my above suggestion.

Whilst you haven’t shared other details which may be relevant to this discussion - if you’ve been a practicing Catholic and regularly go to confession, and at each confession have always done your best, then I am not sure how one can omit anything really serious without remembering that they did omit it, and what sin it was.

I’ll just add by way of example - some sin you committed when say 10yrs old, but now after studying you realize it is grave matter, doesn’t make the sin committed when 10 a grave sin ie mortal sin - back then just because you now know it is. So no knowledge about the gravity of particular sin you come by now changes the gravity of the sin committed prior to you coming by this knowledge. Simply because for a sin to be mortal, one has to have full knowledge - and if you are only learning now that it is grave, then this knowledge you have now, doesn’t change the gravity of a past sin.

 

[michael-kaw]

Thanks for the help brother

So it doesn’t mean I was holding back a sin when I didn’t confess the “thinking my action was a mortal sin even though it wasn’t” as I forgot what the action was?

Thanks again

 

[edward_george1]

Michael, you have said you struggle with scrupulosity. You have been told repeatedly not to ask these questions online. Please seek the help of your priest. Posting here will not help you.

 

[Ammi]

Confess (TO JESUS) in the Sacrament, testifying in heart that you hope and desire for Him to be your Lord and Reconciliation with God.

Ask Him to give you understanding in matters that you are troubled! Please! He can bring peace. It’s not good to over analyze without a specific reason. Ask Him to GUIDE you examination of conscience.

For example: If you are concerned about a specific sin, such as committing adultery in your marriage, then you discover your marriage was invalid.

Then you would have reason to analyze your question. But try not to analyze what sins you think you committed but arent sure if you only thought it was a sin, them discovered its not… so on, and so on…

Just ask Jesus to guide your examination of conscience. If there is something that is a mortal sin, and you seek with an open heart, He will let you know!