General confessions and confessing Sufficiently

  • Thread starter Thread starter gchinchilla22
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gchinchilla22

Guest
Hello. I did a general confession back in April. I’m 22 but did a lot of horrible stuff when I was a kid and teen. I made a list of 19 pages that was very thorough. While in confession the priest stopped me and told me to only skim my notes and say the stuff that was really bad. I did but felt uneasy. At the end he told me all my sins were forgiven and to never mention them again. I left feeling very good. I’ve gone to confession once since and am about to go again. At my last confession I said a couple forgotten sins. Now I’ve gone through an examination of conscious and have written even more forgotten sins. Buuuuut because the priest didn’t let me say everything I’d written is my general confession even valid? Is that omission? I feel sick like it’s not valid now. I also feel like there were two sins that I didn’t confess sufficiently. I feel like he didn’t understand the gravity of it. I didn’t mean to down play it but now I’m not sure. I feel like I’ll never be free if these things I’ve done. I also don’t know some of what I’ve confessed or not . Because I remember writing everything down and am pretty sure I said everything that was really bad but I doubt now. I had no reason to doubt the orders of the priest until he recently told me that forgotten mortal sins dong need to be confessed. I’ve felt decent the past couple month finally free but now I’m always on the verge of tears and can’t stop crying. I don’t know what to do. Plus please don’t tell me I’m scrupulous. I’m asking for advice not to be told by everyone that i need mental help thanks
 
Also to clarify, I scheduled an appointment for my general confession, it wasn’t done when others were waiting in line
 
@gchinchilla22, you asked this same question just two days ago. Please get in touch with your Priest and ask him - and then listen to what he says.

Also, please talk to your doctor about getting some help with your OCD, if you haven’t done so already. You deserve relief from this anxiety.
 
You don’t want us to tell you you are scrupulous, but unfortunately everything you wrote here tells us you are scrupulous. This is a serious thing. Do not post here: consult with a priest personally. And then take his advice and do NOT question it. If a priest says your sins are forgiven in confession, it is wrong not to trust that they are. The priest is sitting in for Jesus Himself.
 
I know I posted 2 days ago. But I didn’t mention my general confession
 
gchinchilla22 said:
I know I posted 2 days ago. But I didn’t mention my general confession
Click to expand...
You brought up the same worries in this post, about remembering sins and what to do. Please talk to your Priest, because we cannot help you like he will be able to.
 
General Confessions should be made almost never by most people, and certainly never by someone who is scrupulous and suffering from OCD, as it will only exacerbate the condition, as you have seen.

You should seek help from a mental health professional for your OCD. It’s better if you don’t post these kinds of questions online, as that won’t help.

Others would be well advised to stop responding as well so as not to make matters worse.

You are in my prayers.

-Fr ACEGC
 
A general confession had to be made as my past confession were all invalid because I was not well formed in my faith. I had no idea how to do a proper confession and almost always forgot everything I was planning to say. So yes it was necessary to me.
 
If you weren’t well formed, then no, your previous confessions were not necessarily invalid, because you wouldn’t have been culpable for not doing it right.

One of the ways scrupulosity driven by OCD manifests itself is the obsession with “getting it right” and the fear that your confessions were not valid.

General confessions should only be done very rarely, and never by the scrupulous without guidance from a priest and a counselor.

I’m sorry if you don’t like what I said, but I hear confessions myself, and I offer guidance for people who struggle with the same issue. If you ask a dozen mental health professionals, they’ll all agree with me.

-Father ACEGC
 
Father, do you mind me asking… You said general confessions should be made almost never by most people. Can I ask why?
Last month I made a general confession, my first in 27 years. I feel it went well and don’t think I have any of the issues the OP describes.
I don’t think after 27 years my confession could have been anything other than general. Or am I wrong?
Sorry for side-tracking this post. But I’m just curious. Thanks.
 
That’s one of the situations in which it is advisable, someone returning to the sacrament after a long absence. Obviously you can’t help but make a general confession then. You’d be hard pressed to give kind and number for a great many of your sins from a couple decades, no?

The other two instances they could be recommended is:

Before a change in state in life, so before ordination, religious vows, or marriage.

If someone is absolutely certain they have invalidated previous confessions by wilfully withholding mortal sin. The reason I caution so strongly against doing them is this second scenario, since the scrupulous are prone to thinking that every confession is invalid and they get into a vicious circle of making general confessions obsessively.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top