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Reena
Guest
I’m a new Catholic. My question is if I go to confession but later remember a mortal sin I forgot to confess, can I receive Communion before bringing it up in my next confession, or should I wait until I bring it up?
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Deacon_Ed
Guest
Reena,
If you actually forgot (as opposed to hiding) a sin that sin is forgiven as well. You may still go to communion and there is no requirement to bring it up at the next confession. If, however, it is a mortal sin, it might we well to mention it to the priest as something that was forgotten in the last confession. It simply gives him more insight into your spiritual journey.
Deacon Ed
If you actually forgot (as opposed to hiding) a sin that sin is forgiven as well. You may still go to communion and there is no requirement to bring it up at the next confession. If, however, it is a mortal sin, it might we well to mention it to the priest as something that was forgotten in the last confession. It simply gives him more insight into your spiritual journey.
Deacon Ed
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TOME
Guest
Reena, If it is a mortal sin, or if you sincerely believe it is a Mortal Sin, please wait to receive the Eucharist and seek a priest, as soon as possible, and confess your sin.
Others may, although I doubt very much it would happen in this Forum, give the advise that since you are sincerely sorry it’s alright to go to Communion.
First, that advise or any similar advise is just plain wrong. I’m not going to quote a chapter & verse from the Catechism. However, remember, a mortal sin is so serious that in the sin a person has cut himself from the Love of God and the Community of the Church. The Eucharist is the ultimate symbol of Unity, therefore, to receive it unworthly (using St Paul) is putting himself in a deeper situation - bringing judgment upon himself - and is commiting a sacrilege.
All this in effect, defeats the purpose of receiving Communion in the first place, so again, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation first then when your relationship with God and Church has been renewed, receive the Eucharist.
Others may, although I doubt very much it would happen in this Forum, give the advise that since you are sincerely sorry it’s alright to go to Communion.
First, that advise or any similar advise is just plain wrong. I’m not going to quote a chapter & verse from the Catechism. However, remember, a mortal sin is so serious that in the sin a person has cut himself from the Love of God and the Community of the Church. The Eucharist is the ultimate symbol of Unity, therefore, to receive it unworthly (using St Paul) is putting himself in a deeper situation - bringing judgment upon himself - and is commiting a sacrilege.
All this in effect, defeats the purpose of receiving Communion in the first place, so again, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation first then when your relationship with God and Church has been renewed, receive the Eucharist.
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Reena
Guest
forum.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=69901
Apologist answered, so for all who are interested here is the link.
Apologist answered, so for all who are interested here is the link.
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TOME
Guest
My post, seems to be in contrast we the other post, but it is not.
I think you may have hit a “Hot Button” causing the response I did (the hot button being, what constitutes a Mortal Sin?).
The other responses were based on sincere sorrow and actual forgetfulness and in that theirs is correct and well articulated in a pastoral and catechical sense.
However, for some reason I sensed something else which lead me to say what I said and perhaps I should explain myself.
First, we are talking about Mortal Sin. For me, a sin that grave or serious, a sin whose very nature is mortal, a sin that you knowingly and willingly committed despite your knowledge by doing the act you are cutting youself off completely from God’s Love and the Church, that just seems, to me, hard to forget.
(Oh no, I forgot to tell father yesterday about making that guy kneel down and shooting him in the back of the head! - again I just don’t see how one forgets committing a Motal Sin).
That is why I urged to seek confession first, and would give that opinion/advise again if asked.
I think you may have hit a “Hot Button” causing the response I did (the hot button being, what constitutes a Mortal Sin?).
The other responses were based on sincere sorrow and actual forgetfulness and in that theirs is correct and well articulated in a pastoral and catechical sense.
However, for some reason I sensed something else which lead me to say what I said and perhaps I should explain myself.
First, we are talking about Mortal Sin. For me, a sin that grave or serious, a sin whose very nature is mortal, a sin that you knowingly and willingly committed despite your knowledge by doing the act you are cutting youself off completely from God’s Love and the Church, that just seems, to me, hard to forget.
(Oh no, I forgot to tell father yesterday about making that guy kneel down and shooting him in the back of the head! - again I just don’t see how one forgets committing a Motal Sin).
That is why I urged to seek confession first, and would give that opinion/advise again if asked.
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Topher
Guest
TOME, you are actually playing wither heresy (how do you spell that?) here. The church has always taught that if you truely forgot to confess a mortal sin in confession, then you are still in a state of grace and can still recieve Holy Communion. You find it hard to believe that one can forget a mortal sin in confession but it does happen to me on occassion. For me, confession is a very stressful experience because I struggle with scrupulosity. Because I become very nervous in confession, I often stumble over words, forget what I am saying and , yes , even forget some of my mortal, or what I think are mortal, sins. My confessor, who by the way is extremely orthodox, has told me that I may reviece communion after honestly forgetting to confess mortal sins because my intentions in the confessional were still right. In fact, because I struggle with scrupulosity, he has put me under obedience to go to communion, even if I forget to confess a mortal sin. The attitude that you are espousing is not that of Christ or the Church. We are sick and need the aid of the Divine physician in Holy Communion as often as possible. If, on the other hand, one willfully neglects to confess a mortal sin, then that person may not go to communion, under pain of further mortal sin. This is completely different from forgetting. I would advise to person who asked if he or she could go to communion, to go to communion unless he or she is conscious of any mortal sin since their last good confession. And a good confession includes even those in which a person honestly forgets to confess a mortal sin.
One final point. Tome, you use the example of murder as a mortal sin. However, there are many more common mortal sins such as masturbation, which is very common among men, serious lying that causes some one some kind of harm or is a grievous attack on justice, serious disrespect for parents, or mortal sins that one committed along time ago and does not remember.
We should never try to be holier than the Church.
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TOME
Guest
Topher, first, I’m not coming close to heresy because I wrote that I understood if a person truely forgot to confess a Mortal Sin and was sincerely contrite for that sin, then yes he could receive Communion. I even complimented others who brought this truth out in a very clear and pastoral way.
Your post, however, brings to mind two questions. The first question is implied in my earlier post, namely, what are the objective conditions that constitutes a Mortal Sin? (Also, objectively, what is the difference between a Mortal Sin and a venial sin?)
My second question is how can one really forget a Mortal Sin, if such a sin must be of such grave matter so as to cut us off from the Love of God and be done with full knowledge and consent? Although, it must be possible, I think that unless there is some sort of psychosis, to forget an act that has met all the objective requirements of a Mortal Sin is highly improbrable.
However, I do want to say that your post does bring out an important concept of what should be a part everyone’s spirituality. That is the need to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconcilation on a regular basis and ideally with a regular confessor.
Your post, however, brings to mind two questions. The first question is implied in my earlier post, namely, what are the objective conditions that constitutes a Mortal Sin? (Also, objectively, what is the difference between a Mortal Sin and a venial sin?)
My second question is how can one really forget a Mortal Sin, if such a sin must be of such grave matter so as to cut us off from the Love of God and be done with full knowledge and consent? Although, it must be possible, I think that unless there is some sort of psychosis, to forget an act that has met all the objective requirements of a Mortal Sin is highly improbrable.
However, I do want to say that your post does bring out an important concept of what should be a part everyone’s spirituality. That is the need to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconcilation on a regular basis and ideally with a regular confessor.
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Topher
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Topher
Guest
Sorry if I misunderstood you Tome. However, your questioning of how a person can truely forget a mortal sin seems a little unfair. I mean, I know exactly what objectively constitues a mortal sin, but I do occasionaly forget to confess them. You know, sometimes the priest gets talking to you about this or that spiritual condition in your life and you lose your train of thought. Or you get nervous and forget, or this has been some one’s first confession in a year, and so they don’t remember every mortal sin, etc. My major problem with your post is that you suggested that the woman not go to communion when she is objectively in the state of grace. It reminds me of the montanists (how do you spell that) of the third century who denied communion to those who had sinned serioiusly but had already confessed. I know the situation is not exactly the same but your denying of the grace of God in communion to some one already in the state of grace is the same. Any orthodox and good confessor would advise this woman to go to confession.
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TOME
Guest
Topher, Being an admirer of Joe Montana’s football skills is about the closes thing I come to being a Montantist.
I wasn’t trying to talk specifically about cases such as yourself when I made my first post, and I appreciate the possibility of forgetting something as important as forgetting a sin of that magnatude.
Also, stated in my first (maybe the second) post, but perhaps not as clearly as I thought I had, I was responding from a certain “Gut Reaction” which speaking about objective I was anything but objective (perhaps it was a movement of the Holy Spirit but most likely I was expressing some prejudice).
Anyway, I thank you for your insight which has helped me broaden my outlook on the topic.
I wasn’t trying to talk specifically about cases such as yourself when I made my first post, and I appreciate the possibility of forgetting something as important as forgetting a sin of that magnatude.
Also, stated in my first (maybe the second) post, but perhaps not as clearly as I thought I had, I was responding from a certain “Gut Reaction” which speaking about objective I was anything but objective (perhaps it was a movement of the Holy Spirit but most likely I was expressing some prejudice).
Anyway, I thank you for your insight which has helped me broaden my outlook on the topic.
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Topher
Guest
Thanks for the discussion. Sorry if offended you in anyway. God Bless
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