"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned"?

[PJM]

=Angel7;6114243]Is it 100% required to say “Bless me, Father, For I Have Sinned.”

Or can we confess our sins right away?

“Bless me Father for I have sinned in the norm” and should [must be] be used as it acknowledges sorrow for sin, which is a requirement for Absolutation and forgiveness.

Love and prayers,

 

[nannyma]

I said “Bless me father, for I have sinned… it has been (insert amount of time) since my last confession.”

Is that last part necissary to say? It is required that the priest knows how long ago my last confession was?

Once I said all of that and the preist said, “Okaaaaay…” Yeah, so I didn’t know haha. =P

Ghastly encounter, I am sorry for your experience. Are you sure this man was an ordained priest you were speaking with? What a mockery of a beautiful sacrament instituted by Christ to give grace !!
God Bless, please try another priest.

 

[marleelynn]

i don’t say the “bless me Father for i have sinned” part as i have only the one confessor so he knows how long it has been

I don’t say “bless me Father” either. I have one confessor who I go to once a month … he usually asks how long it has been since my last confession even though I always go to my confessor. maybe he asks in case I go in between our meetings.

 

[Elizabeth502]

Boy do I agree with post 39.

 

[Angel7]

“Bless me Father for I have sinned in the norm” and should [must be] be used as it acknowledges sorrow for sin, which is a requirement for Absolutation and forgiveness.

Love and prayers,

When I went into Confession, I did not say “Bless me, Father, For I have sinned.”

I just went into the confession, and I did it so My sins could be washed away, and forgiven. If you don’t say these specfic words, does that mean you are not sorry for your sins?

 

[jmcrae]

When I went into Confession, I did not say “Bless me, Father, For I have sinned.”

I just went into the confession, and I did it so My sins could be washed away, and forgiven. If you don’t say these specfic words, does that mean you are not sorry for your sins?

I don’t think that’s correct. We express sorrow for sins in many different ways, all of which can be understood by the priest. If he gave you the Absolution, then he understood that you were sorry for your sins (since he could not have given you the Absolution, without being reasonably certain that you were sorry for your sins).

While it’s good to have a predictable form and a ritual to follow, I don’t think it’s necessary to get legalistic about it. If the priest was okay with it, then it’s fine.

 

[PJM]

=Angel7;6123344]When I went into Confession, I did not say “Bless me, Father, For I have sinned.”

I just went into the confession, and I did it so My sins could be washed away, and forgiven. If you don’t say these specfic words, does that mean you are not sorry for your sins?

It means that the priest unless he knows well your spiritual dispositions, is simply GUESSING [NOT DOING HIS JOB] that you are sorry. He does however still retain the power to grant absolutation:thumbsup:

A key condition for absolutation is and remains SORROW FOR OUR SINS. “Bless me Father for I HAVE SINNED” provides that necessary element to Confession. Therefore it is to be used.

Love and prayers,

 

[FrDavid96]

It means that the priest unless he knows well your spiritual dispositions, is simply GUESSING [NOT DOING HIS JOB] that you are sorry. He does however still retain the power to grant absolutation:thumbsup:

A key condition for absolutation is and remains SORROW FOR OUR SINS. “Bless me Father for I HAVE SINNED” provides that necessary element to Confession. Therefore it is to be used.

Love and prayers,

It doesn’t have to be those exact words, though. Any appropriate words to express sorrow would be fine. One example is that a person could say the Confiteor. The Church leaves this very open to individuals and circumstances. Unlike the other Sacraments, the ritual for Confession is (and always has been) very adaptable, so long as the essential elements don’t change (like the actual formula of absolution).

Even in the Extraordinary Form, the ritual itself provides for different words.
sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/26-the-sacrament-of-penance-general-rules.html

 

[EasterJoy]

A key condition for absolutation is and remains SORROW FOR OUR SINS. “Bless me Father for I HAVE SINNED” provides that necessary element to Confession. Therefore it is to be used.

That element is covered by making an Act of Contrition before absolution. One does not have to open confession with “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned…” to satisfy that requirement.

 

[Monica37]

Thanks for bringing up the Act of Contrition. Was about to start a new thread (maybe should anyway?). I have been to several different priests and there was never any mention of the Act of Contrition. They seemed to want to sum things up and move on. Mind you, my confessions are very quick as I am usually extremely nervous and just want to get it all out quickly. Usually I have to ask if I should say the Act of Contrition. Last time the priest didn’t understand what I was asking (I’m in Germany) and started talking about my penance. He was already on his feet going to open the door for me to leave. So if you are not directed to say the Act of Contrition what do you do? This last time I just went out into the church and said it there silently. What is proper?

 

[jmcrae]

Thanks for bringing up the Act of Contrition. Was about to start a new thread (maybe should anyway?). I have been to several different priests and there was never any mention of the Act of Contrition. They seemed to want to sum things up and move on. Mind you, my confessions are very quick as I am usually extremely nervous and just want to get it all out quickly. Usually I have to ask if I should say the Act of Contrition. Last time the priest didn’t understand what I was asking (I’m in Germany) and started talking about my penance. He was already on his feet going to open the door for me to leave. So if you are not directed to say the Act of Contrition what do you do? This last time I just went out into the church and said it there silently. What is proper?

You did the right thing. I usually say it as part of my preparation prayers, as well, just in case the priest doesn’t ask for it. (Around here, some do, and some don’t.)