First confession - need help

  • Thread starter Thread starter sj1611
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sj1611

Guest
Sorry, another first confession question…

I am in RCIA, converting from Anglicanism. I was baptised as an adult, but that was 16 years ago. Even since my baptism I still struggled to (a) find the right path and (b) align myself to it. Since finding the Catholic faith, I have come to realise that in many respects the way I was living was corrupted.

The major sins are easier to catalogue. There are some, to be sure, but by God’s grace not that many that I can’t take an inventory of them.

However, in so many smaller ways my life was just improperly ordered, and this inevitably led to what I now realise were thousands of sins. My whole life was so fundamentally and systematically disordered that it feels that I was swimming in sin. As I read the Gospels, I find that I have engaged in almost all of the things that Jesus warned against: hypocrisy, slander, pride, boastfulness, encouraging others in the same way, etc.

I am looking forward to my first confession to be relieved of the guilt of my “past” life, but I really have no idea how I can address these given the advice to be specific and precise with confessing particular sins.

I would be grateful for any advice…
 
Oh yes, join the club! I’m a life-long Catholic and have committed all those sins many times over. If your priest doesn’t know this is your first confession, tell him up front and then after major sins just state what you’ve told us here–that you now see you’ve committed a lot of these sins in the past and are now sorry for them. He will get it and will no doubt help you with questions if he needs clarification. It may seem tough to do this first confession–it is tough!–but you will feel SO good, completely clean, afterward! Then make it a point to go to confession frequently so you only have a week’s worth, or a month’s worth, of sin to confess. Congratulations, and report back!
 
One step at a t time. Relax, take a deep breath, and understand that conversion is a life-long process. Rome was not built in a day, and your “metanoia” will not occur in a day, or a week, or a month… you get the point. It is not that I suggest laxity in trying; but rather that I suggest you understand this is a goal we constantly seek, and do not achieve perfectly, but constantly strive for.

And if you are not familiar with metanoia, it translates as a “change of heart”, but I prefer another meaning - a “turning around”. The concept of sin in the Old Testament is often translated as “missing the mark”, which also speaks to what we consider sin, but perhaps without enough of the semse of our willfulness. In any event, welcome to the Church, and Gd bless you on your journey - one that takes a lifetime to achieve.
 
Say your sins, and go in peace, after 1 million times of going I’m still nervous, but I feel so clean and pure and ready to start a new week and avoid sin, YOU WILL TOO!!!
 
If you’re not afraid to meet face to face, I would reccomend setting an appointment and have the priest walk you through it.

If you mean to confess a lifetime of sin, it will be helpful for you and for others wanting to confess at a scheduled time.

Try the best you can. Ask God to reveal to you all the sins you should confess. And, if you forget anything, just mention it next time, but know that it is forgiven. But don’t purposefully withhold anything, though.
 
First and foremost, pray to God to assist you in preparing for your first confession.
Look the the 10 Commandments when considering your sins.
Make a list to aid you in the confession.
Talk to the priest. Explain that this is your first confession.
Take your time.
You will do a good job.
Ask for forgiveness. Vow to try to amend your life.
The priest will absolve you of your sins.
God bless you. 🙏🙏🙏
 
Look for an examination of conscience guide online. There are many out there. Our church prints a really good one in the bulletin a couple of times a year. If I find it, I will post it. Until then, here is one.

https://www.ewtn.com/library/prayer/examconscience.htm

Also, you may want to jot down a list, not in detail, but in such a way that will prompt you to remember what you want to say. You can take the list with you.
 
Just get in there and say it. Say it as plainly and as clearly as you can. God will know your heart.

Don’t worry about saying it as if you’re appearing before Congress and anything you say will be used against you.
 
Follow the advice of your priest, RCIA leader, and your sponsor.

I always teach my RCIA candidates how to make their first confession, and we do a role-play to set them at ease.

They have this all mapped out for you, just ask, or better yet be patient and it will be revealed as you approach Easter.

Welcome to the Barque of Peter,
Deacon Christopher
 
Your first confession should be covered in your RCIA by the director of the Priest. Most likely they will give a a pamphlet guide regarding confession. I wrote my sins down so I wouldn’t forget anything - and then ripped it up and threw it away after.
 
I agree with the advice to follow the guidance of your RCIA leader and any sort of role-play or script they set up for you to follow.

If for some reason, you do not get guidance from them, then when you go to confession, first list all the major (as in possibly grave matter) sins. It sounds like you have a good handle on these, and they are required to be stated in confession if you remember them.

Second, remember that venial sins (in other words, anything that isn’t a major, possibly grave matter, sin) may voluntarily be mentioned, but you are not required to list all your venial sins. Therefore you do not need to go through “thousands of sins” in the confessional.

Once you’ve gone down the list of major sins, you could even say something to the priest like you wrote:
sj1611 said:
As I read the Gospels, I find that I have engaged in almost all of the things that Jesus warned against: hypocrisy, slander, pride, boastfulness, encouraging others in the same way, etc.
Click to expand...
And if there’s one of these you’re particularly guilty of - like if you brag a lot, like every week - you can say, “I brag just about every week to my workmates about something.” It’s not necessary to compile the exact list of the 1257 times you bragged.

Once you have gotten through the first confession, then the key is to go regularly enough that you don’t pile up huge masses of sins and can just reel off a fairly short list each time you go.

I hope this helps. Good luck and God bless.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top