First Confession in many years

[snd5014]

I am a young Roman Catholic who has not attended Confession in about 5 years. I was planning on going to confession soon, but I can not remember all of my sins for over these years. If I forget to mention a mortal sin aloud during the confession is it still forgiven?

 

[NPC]

I am a young Roman Catholic who has not attended Confession in about 5 years. I was planning on going to confession soon, but I can not remember all of my sins for over these years. If I forget to mention a mortal sin aloud during the confession is it still forgiven?

Firstly, it is great that you are deciding to return to this great sacrament - about this time last year I re-discovered Confession, deciding to take the sacrament more seriously than I had done in the past. I now confess regularly & the joy I get each time is immense! I hope you will have the same experience!

If a sin is genuinely forgotten - or not deliberately concealed or disguised through shame- then it is forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession. After listing your sins you will say something along the lines of “for these and all other sins which have escaped my memory, I am truly sorry…”. However, it is recommended that if you should later remember a sin which you had forgotten, you ought to confess it at your next confession - as an open acknowledgement of the sin, even though it has been forgiven.

Just make sure you spend you spend a significant period of time in an examination of conscience - there are several good aids for the examination on the internet if you haven’t got one already. Generally these just expand on the Ten Commandments and the Precepts of the Church.

 

[Bookcat]

onderful!

Examine yourself well…but do not stress.

This is what the Church teaches…if you honestly* forget *a mortal sin…it is still absolved…

if you remember it later you are obliged to confess it in the next confession (not just recommended…we must do this…)

if you never remember it …no worries it was absolved…

and you only HAVE to confess any mortal sins. It is good to confess venial sins but not required…and you can add some after any mortal ones and indent the rest in the ending statement “and all the sins off my life”. Doubtful sins also do not have to be confessed…if they are one mentions the they are doubtful. A person can be recommended to confess “doubtful mortal sins” but those with scruples are recommended not to…

(but we can not of course hide any committed mortal sin…for that would be invalid confession and another mortal sin…)

Keep Following Christ he is really our* life*!

Since you mention you are a young Catholic…this is particularly for you:

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/youth/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20070127_youth_en.html

and

vatican.va/gmg/documents/gmg_2010_en.html