First Confession Very Soon!

[fhkjds]

I am in RCIA. Planning to make my first confession very soon. Please respond!

I understand I should confess all mortal sins. But the thing is, I only very recently learned what a mortal sin was. So for a great long period in my life I don’t think I could have committed a sin with “full knowledge” because I was a spiritual fool for most of my life and the thought of a thing like sin really didn’t cross my mind much.

Are there any sins that I am obligated to confess then? I understand that a mortal sin cuts us off from God’s love. But as I have been going through my RCIA I have felt that I have grown a great deal in my faith, and while I am way more aware of my sin now, I don’t feel “cut off” from God. I feel very close to God since deciding to join the church.

What am I obligated to confess? Will my first confession take a long time because I want to say a lot? I know this sounds dumb but I’m self-conscious about holding up the line outside the confessional.

Please respond with any insight about how to make a good first confession or answers to my questions. I’ve thought of many many sins I would like to confess but I’m not sure which ones I have to. Also, I am really embarrassed about some of the stuff I’ve done. Ugh!

Please pray for me, and respond to my concerns!

 

[ThirdGen]

Thank you so much for asking this question, because I feel exactly the same way! I’m also in RCIA and am wondering about what I really need to confess to when the time comes, or how specific I have to be etc. Hopefully we can get a few answers on here!

 

[coolduude]

I have an answer, though I’m sure it’s not right. So I’m bumping you guys up so you get noticed

Here’s my 2 cents:

Confess the moral sins but tell the priest that you just learned about mortal sins so you never really had full knowledge. He’ll help you then. Also, tell him it’s your First Confession. He’ll guide you through it step by step. And don’t feel self consciousness. I highly doubt there will only be 1 single priest hearing Confessions. There’s usually two, if not more. You won’t hold the line up. And if you do, the priest will probably stay to hear everyone’s Confession. You have nothing to worry about!

Lastly, don’t feel embarrassed or what not. If the priest is old. he’s heard it all in the Confessional. It’s just another day for him, and they usually forget anyway. Maybe using the screen will help with anxiety?

Good luck! I’ll pray for both of you!

 

[HCC]

Dear fskjds,

Welcome home! Why not use this opportunity to confess all of the serious sins that you have come to recognize as serious, showing that you are truly repentant of that way of life now and that you are making a firm amendment not to commit those sins in the future-always with God’s grace.

Confess things you see being a pattern in your life, those things you really need to root out. Often times when we overcome one big sin, a lot of the minor sins and faults fall away too.

Think of this confession not only as a routine gesture, a step you have to climb to get to the next level in your conversion process, but truly think of it as going to the greatest physician in the world, one who can truly cure the cancer in your spiritual life. Only your Creator can completely heal your soul. Look upon this confession as an opportunity of healing, grace and strength to aid you in your spiritual journey going forward.

 

[baltobetsy]

Confession is simply a wonderful sacrament!

You are “obligated” to confess all mortal sins of which you are aware since your Baptism. The problem you have is that you are not certain which of your sins are actually mortal, since you were lacking in understanding about sin at the time you committed the acts.

Here’s the thing. Like all the sacraments, confession is ultimately about Love - God’s love for you and your love for God. Nothing should come between the two of you. If you have done things that you now understand were seriously sinful, but may not be technically mortal sins because of your lack of understanding, don’t you, out of love, want to express your sorrow and be forgiven anyway?

Here’s what to do: Confess all the sins of which you are certain. Then tell the priest about the other things that may or may not have been actual mortal sins and ask him to help you discern about them. This applies to your first confession and every confession thereafter. It will help you to form your conscience according to the truth, and you will soon be able to discern for yourself what is truly sinful.

How specific should you be? You need to say what you did and how many times you did it, along with any information that may change the nature of the sin. For example, if you stole a gold cup, that’s theft. If you stole a gold chalice from a church, that’s both theft and sacrilege. Killing your family members is worse than killing strangers, so you would need to include that detail. Having an affair with a consecrated person (priest, brother or nun) is not only the sin of adultery (married people) or fornication (single people), but also sacrilege. Not enough detail: I broke the seventh commandment many times. Too much detail: *I put on my black hoodie and tied a bandanna over my mouth, took my pistol into the bank and threatened the teller until she gave me $124,689.49, then I shot and killed the manager on the way out and jumped in my truck, which I left running in the handicapped parking space out front. * Just enough detail: I robbed a bank of almost $125,000 and shot and killed the manager.

One advantage of telling everything including the doubtful sins (identified as such), is that you will not be subject to a nagging fear that you perhaps left out something important.

All this will probably take a good bit of time, and it is a good idea for new Catholics to do their first confession by appointment with the priest. You will have the time you need to confess your sins and ask your questions without making people wait in line behind you.

Welcome home!

Betsy

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

What am I obligated to confess? Will my first confession take a long time because I want to say a lot? I know this sounds dumb but I’m self-conscious about holding up the line outside the confessional.

I want to add a comment about this part. We strongly recommend that our candidates make an appointment for their first confession so that this won’t be an issue.

When you make an appointment it lets the priest know that you’re new to this sacrament so he can take his time and help you out and it removes the problem of feeling like you need to hurry because someone else is waiting.

I hope that your first encounter with Christ in this sacrament is a blessed one.

 

[Aramis]

I am in RCIA. Planning to make my first confession very soon. Please respond!

I understand I should confess all mortal sins. But the thing is, I only very recently learned what a mortal sin was. So for a great long period in my life I don’t think I could have committed a sin with “full knowledge” because I was a spiritual fool for most of my life and the thought of a thing like sin really didn’t cross my mind much.

Are there any sins that I am obligated to confess then? I understand that a mortal sin cuts us off from God’s love. But as I have been going through my RCIA I have felt that I have grown a great deal in my faith, and while I am way more aware of my sin now, I don’t feel “cut off” from God. I feel very close to God since deciding to join the church.

What am I obligated to confess? Will my first confession take a long time because I want to say a lot? I know this sounds dumb but I’m self-conscious about holding up the line outside the confessional.

Please respond with any insight about how to make a good first confession or answers to my questions. I’ve thought of many many sins I would like to confess but I’m not sure which ones I have to. Also, I am really embarrassed about some of the stuff I’ve done. Ugh!

Please pray for me, and respond to my concerns!

The actual obligation is to confess grave sins, rather than mortal sins.

From official english translation of the Code of Canon Law:
Can. 988 §1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience.

It’s a subtle distinction, but you seem to understand it now. So yes, all those things that were grave matter should be confessed, even if you lacked the faculties to understand that they were grave when done (therefore rendering them non-mortal).