Help with New Confiteor

[ftnf83]

Hi there! I tend to be a scrupulous person and thus have been having some really huge problems with the New Mass’s Confiteor.

I think I’m on to something that might truly help me. Are we not saying that we have exceedingly sinned through our own fault, since the last Mass we went to, say if it was a day ago? (I also don’t understand how the Saints in former times could have had to say this prayer at every Mass… even the ones who had reached the state of perfected ‘Transforming Union’. No wonder so many struggled with scruples!)

Are we instead saying that we have sinned like this in a ‘general’ way through out our whole life?

The first scenario tends to put terror into me, when I pray. I do try with everything in me not to sin even venially.

New Advent defines this prayer as a “general confession”. newadvent.org/cathen/04222a.htm

However, I’m confused as to what a general confession means. I’ve heard it can be what I’ve described above (confessing all of your life’s sins) but also a general absolution.

Does anyone have any actual resources on what the Confiteor is supposed to be?

 

[YoungTradCath]

Hi there! I tend to be a scrupulous person and thus have been having some really huge problems with the New Mass’s Confiteor.

I think I’m on to something that might truly help me. Are we not saying that we have exceedingly sinned through our own fault, since the last Mass we went to, say if it was a day ago? (I also don’t understand how the Saints in former times could have had to say this prayer at every Mass… even the ones who had reached the state of perfected ‘Transforming Union’. No wonder so many struggled with scruples!)

**Are we instead saying that we have sinned like this in a ‘general’ way through out our whole life? **

The first scenario tends to put terror into me, when I pray. I do try with everything in me not to sin even venially.

New Advent defines this prayer as a “general confession”. newadvent.org/cathen/04222a.htm

However, I’m confused as to what a general confession means. I’ve heard it can be what I’ve described above (confessing all of your life’s sins) but also a general absolution.

Does anyone have any actual resources on what the Confiteor is supposed to be?

Emphasis mine. It’s just a general confession of the fact that you have, at some point in your life, sinned.

You’re over-analyzing the Confiteor and attributing things to it that are attributable to the other two Penitential Act choices all the same. Listen to the priest’s statement before the Penitential Act, which is the same regardless of which one is done. It goes, “Brethren, let us call to mind our sins…” So regardless of if the Confiteor is being used or if option B or option C is being used, you’re calling to mind your sins. Sins are being confessed regardless of if the Confiteor is used or something else. The priest’s statement is even more telling than that, I think. He says, “Let us call to mind our sins…” Contemplate that. No time constraint is placed on that command. It is therefore not reasonable to think that just because we confess our sins in the Confiteor that it means that we have to have had committed a sin before our last mass for it to be a true statement.

 

[markomalley]

Hi there! I tend to be a scrupulous person and thus have been having some really huge problems with the New Mass’s Confiteor.

I think I’m on to something that might truly help me. Are we not saying that we have exceedingly sinned through our own fault, since the last Mass we went to, say if it was a day ago? (I also don’t understand how the Saints in former times could have had to say this prayer at every Mass… even the ones who had reached the state of perfected ‘Transforming Union’. No wonder so many struggled with scruples!)

Are we instead saying that we have sinned like this in a ‘general’ way through out our whole life?

The first scenario tends to put terror into me, when I pray. I do try with everything in me not to sin even venially.

New Advent defines this prayer as a “general confession”. newadvent.org/cathen/04222a.htm

However, I’m confused as to what a general confession means. I’ve heard it can be what I’ve described above (confessing all of your life’s sins) but also a general absolution.

Does anyone have any actual resources on what the Confiteor is supposed to be?

First of all, the entire Mass is authentically in Latin. The use of the vernacular language (including English) is merely a translation of the authentic text in Latin. As such, it is subject to errors in translation and differences caused by different methodologies (primarily “formal equivalence” versus “dynamic equivalence”)

The real, authentic text of the Confiteor in 2002 was:

Confiteor Deo omnipotens et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere et omissione:
They strike their breast:
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, omnes Angelos et Sanctos, et vos, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.

The real, authentic text of the Confiteor starting Advent, 2011, is:

Confiteor Deo omnipotens et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere et omissione:
They strike their breast:
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, omnes Angelos et Sanctos, et vos, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.

I’m sure you can see the obvious differences between the two.

The 2002 text of the English translation of the above (translated using “dynamic equivalence” is as follows:

I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned
through my own fault
(they strike their breasts)
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The 2011 translation of the above Latin is as follows:

I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
(they strike their breasts)
through my fault,
through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Even if you aren’t fluent in Latin, it should be pretty obvious which one is closer to the original text.

You mentioned concerns with the phrases “greatly sinned” and “through my own fault”

My thoughts on those two:

“Greatly sinned:” I’m not trying to minimize what I’ve done. I’ve offended God. Period.

“mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa:” I am not trying to blame somebody else for my faults. I did it. I am totally to blame for those sins.

The bottom line is that I am throwing myself on the mercy of the court! (God as my judge) Unlike modern jurisprudence, I am not trying to minimize my crimes, I am not trying to cite mitigating circumstances, nor am I trying to shift blame to society or anybody else. I freely accuse myself of these crimes against heaven.

(A lot of people don’t understand one thing about confession: YOU are the prosecuting attorney)

 

[MissRose73]

I actually prefer the newer text of the prayer with the better Latin to English translation. I had no idea about the 3 times strike of the breast until I saw people on the Daily Mass on EWTN do it as that seems to be the preferred penitential rite used by the priests celebrating Mass.

 

[TheMc]

Another point to keep in mind with the “greatly sinned” line:

Even our smallest offences are great offences to God, because he is infinitely good.

Hopefully that helps you a little.

 

[japhy]

Are we not saying that we have exceedingly sinned through our own fault, since the last Mass we went to, say if it was a day ago?

The Confiteor does not specify the time span. Granted, we are asking for the Lord’s forgiveness, and there’s no necessity in asking for forgiveness of a sin we’ve already been forgiven of, but the Confiteor is about acknowledging our generally sinful nature and our need to ask God for forgiveness.

Are we instead saying that we have sinned like this in a ‘general’ way through out our whole life?

That seems reasonable.

Does anyone have any actual resources on what the Confiteor is supposed to be?

Here’s what I’ve written about it from my book (in my signature):

The first part of this prayer is an act of confession of personal sin to God, in the midst of the whole assembly.

Although it is said by all the congregation together, it is a personal prayer. We confess our sins not only to God but to all those present. Talk about accountability! Even though we are not naming our sins to those around us, we are admitting our guilt to them. The Confiteor is inspired by David’s sorrowful plea for mercy in Psalm 51.

We confess that our sins are of thought and word, of omission and commission. Jesus never had an evil thought, never spoke an evil word (not even when He was chastising the Pharisees for their blindness), never did anything wrong, and never failed to do the right thing. It is a tough act to follow, but with the grace of God – which comes to us especially through frequent sacramental Confession and reception of Holy Communion – we can be built up “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13)
The first half of the Confiteor ends with an admission of personal guilt for our sins. As we say these words, we strike our breast three times in a sign of penitence.

The repetition of this admission of guilt adds to its severity. We do not say “The devil made me do it, the devil made me do it, you can bet the devil made me do it,” but accuse only ourselves for our sins. We beat our breast with a closed fist, like the tax collector who prayed from his heart, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) Concerning the gravity of these words and this gesture, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote:We point not at someone else but at ourselves as the guilty party, [which] remains a meaningful gesture of prayer. … When we say mea culpa (through my fault), we turn, so to speak, to ourselves, to our own front door, and thus we are able rightly to ask forgiveness of God, the saints, and the people gathered around us, whom we have wronged. (The Spirit of the Liturgy, p. 207)Rev. Romano Guardini explained that the meaning of this gesture of contrition depends upon it being done properly:To brush one’s clothes with the tips of one’s fingers is not to strike the breast. We should beat upon our breasts with our closed fists. … It is an honest blow, not an elegant gesture. To strike the breast is to beat against the gates of our inner world in order to shatter them. This is its significance. … “Repent, do penance.” It is the voice of God. Striking the breast is the visible sign that we hear that summons. … Let it wake us up, and make us see, and turn to God. (Sacred Signs, p. 30)The Douay Catechism (from 1649), a question-and-answer catechism on the doctrines of the Church, included a chapter expounding the essence and ceremonies of the Mass. It explains that the reason for striking the heart is “to teach the people to return into the heart” because it “signifies that all sin is from the heart, and ought to be discharged from the heart, with hearty sorrow.” (p. 125)

In the second half of the prayer, we invoke the communion of saints as we ask for the prayers of the whole Church:

In Hebrews 11, we are given a tour of God’s Hall of Fame, a list of men and women who, by their faith in God, “received divine approval.” The list includes Abel, Noah, Abram, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, and Rahab. At the end of the list, we read:Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1-2)We learn something very encouraging from this passage: the saints in Heaven are witnesses to our lives on earth, witnesses who cheer us on and pray for us, that we might endure the trials of this life and join the saints in Heaven having won “the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.” (Jas. 1:12) The prayers of the saints and angels in Heaven are of great worth to us: the saints have been perfected and have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:14) and their prayers are powerful (cf. Jas 5:16); the angels rejoice greatly when a sinner repents. (cf. Luke 15:7)

We do not only ask the Church Triumphant (in Heaven) for their prayers; we also ask one another for prayers. The next time you say these words at Mass, take a moment to look at the people around you: you are asking these people, sinners though they are, to pray to God for you, a sinner.

 

[opus101]

Another point to keep in mind with the “greatly sinned” line:

Even our smallest offences are great offences to God, because he is infinitely good.

Hopefully that helps you a little.

Yes. I was going to mention this also. The writings of greatest Saints show us that, even in their smallest offences, they considered themselves to be great offenders. The new translation emphasises the infinite goodness of God.

Also, “The just man sins seven times a day”.

My church has not yet used that penitential rite option.

Anyway, it’s not something new.