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Greenfields
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I like that :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
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Hope1960
Guest
I confess behind a screen and usually bring a list with me. I just read the list and rarely, if ever, mentioned the number of times I’ve committed my sins.
I’ve been to Confession in several parishes and the Fathers have never asked me to give him the number of times I’ve committed each sin.
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Sbee0
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Hi CatholicTina- I’ve had confessions where it would be both a quick “list” and also deeper conversations especially when I’m receiving guidance.
You still have to state the kind and number of times you committed each sin (if mortal) as best you can remember it. Not necessarily in a formulaic way in confession but the point being that if you knowingly omit a sin or key details of such a sin to deceive the confessor into giving you absolution then you are not truly penitent and your confession is not valid. A dangerous prospect especially when it comes to mortal sin.
Confessing “I lied” is valid for say a “white lie” but if your lie was perjury and you didn’t mention that detail then your confession is not valid. Or if you say you committed adultery but deliberately do not mention that it is a regular occurrence then that’s not a valid confession either. Or if you say you shoplifted but don’t mention it was more than once- same.
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semper_catholicus
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Just a friendly reminder: you need to confess your mortal sins in kind and number.
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Hope1960
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No priest, including during confession this evening, has EVER asked me the number of times I’ve committed a sin (that I can remember), so either they’re ALL wrong, or none of the sins I’ve confessed have been mortal sins.
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Kaliaa
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YOU are responsible for telling the priest which if any sins were mortal and how many times you committed each of them. YOU are the one who knows if your sins met the requirements for a mortal sin. If you are not sure, then ask but expecting the priest to figure it out is not how this works.
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Nat11
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For some reason my priest doesn’t ask for how many times I did it, I rather just say the sin quickly and he just nods his head
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semper_catholicus
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They haven’t asked how many times, because it’s not their responsibility to ask how many times. That’s your responsibility. It’s necessary for the validity of your confession.
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Hope1960
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Well, I don’t really care. My confessions are valid and I’ve been
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RoseScented
Guest
As someone who has worked in computer forensics I just want to give you a PSA that just because you erase them after you’re done doesn’t mean some or all of the file that you wrote isn’t recoverable at a later time. The really nice forensic tools let you point to the phone, push a button to run some commands and scripts, and then it just pops everything out nice and sorted for you and ready for case files. (Oversimplification of the process.) Not that you should be in a situation to have your phone forensically examined or have someone try to recover lost files on your phone for some reason, but just in case you thought that list goes away I felt I should say that it doesn’t immediately.
As for how I go to Reconciliation: I spend the week before I go examining my conscience, I get there early to pray and get my thoughts organized, I go into the room and kneel behind the screen, I confess my sins in kind and number starting from my worst/the one I most don’t want to admit to the venial, the Sacrament continues, and then I go do my penance. It normally doesn’t take me more than 5 minutes except for when the priest wants to discuss a topic with me more.
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Fauken
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That’s assuming though that I save what I write, though right? Which I don’t.
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RoseScented
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Most computer systems today, even phones, save as you’re writing things. Depending on your word processor it’ll save off your past stuff to allow you to undo/redo a certain number of times and even all of that typo history is available, though that’s changing because I’ve been able to have limited undo/redo abilities in web browsers and textboxes for a while now. I’ve got a ton of stuff saved on my phone and I’ve never hit a save button on it because my phone decides to save it off in the off chance my phone dies in the middle of me writing something. For a while customers were clamoring for just that feature and it’s an expected standard now to have some way for customers to attempt to recover things they’ve lost. Getting what it’s saved off isn’t always the easiest thing if the implementation is bad, but give me a simple file carver and I can work my way to the files by hand; it’s just a much slower task. Just because you didn’t think you saved it doesn’t mean it doesn’t still exist on the phone. If everything that people thought was deleted/not saved was actually deleted/not saved it would make my forensics work much more boring.
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njlisa
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Here’s what I would do ideally:
I spend time reflecting on my sins. Then I make a mental note on how I will tell the priest about my sins. Unless I’ve made an appointment to talk to Father, I need to be brief and accurate. Once in the confessional, I state my sins without making any excuses for myself. If Father wants more details, I give them. Then the priest gives me advice on how I can be a better Christian. He gives me my penance. I say the Act of Contrition. And he absolves me. I try to do my penance without rushing.
God bless you and I hope this helps.
I spend time reflecting on my sins. Then I make a mental note on how I will tell the priest about my sins. Unless I’ve made an appointment to talk to Father, I need to be brief and accurate. Once in the confessional, I state my sins without making any excuses for myself. If Father wants more details, I give them. Then the priest gives me advice on how I can be a better Christian. He gives me my penance. I say the Act of Contrition. And he absolves me. I try to do my penance without rushing.
God bless you and I hope this helps.
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semper_catholicus
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Well, out of charity, I now tell you that, according to the infallible teachings of the Council of Trent, in order for your confession to be valid, you must confess your mortal sins in kind and number.
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Sbee0
Guest
If they are mortal then you do have to say kind and number. Omitting mentioning a mortal sin deliberately in confession invalidates your confession. It doesn’t have to be a strict formula where you must use the exact words “I did X and I did it Y times” but it should be clear to the confessor that you did X and it was Y times.semper_catholicus:
No priest, including during confession this evening, has EVER asked me the number of times I’ve committed a sin (that I can remember), so either they’re ALL wrong, or none of the sins I’ve confessed have been mortal sins.
With me it’s usually 1 as I try to get to confession ASAP if I feel I committed mortal sin.
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Sbee0
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Yes. If you committed adultery twice since your last confession then it’s not sufficient to simply confess that you committed adultery. It has to be clear to your confessor that you did it twice. Deliberately withholding that information is deceiving your confessor and invalidates your confession.
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adamhovey1988
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You’re technically right, but much of the time, I don’t remember the number, and if you tell the priest that, he may ask you to estimate, and normally I just say “I don’t know”, which is true. The last few times I’ve been to confession it was usually only a one time thing, anyway.
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semper_catholicus
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It’s good that it’s only been “one time” things! If you don’t remember, you have to give a rough estimate.
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Rayne2Step
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I never go without first examination of conscience, to become aware thru contemplation, and always in the adoration chapel if possible. “As best as we can recollect” are we to state the number of times we committed a particular sin. If you dont know the number, simply tell the priest. It is more important to approach the sacrament with a contrite heart and with resolve to avoid committing the same sin in the future. Peace be with you
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Convert3
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How is it possible to remember a list of sins or the number of times? I entered the Catholic Church two years ago this coming March. My first confession was shortly before that. I had been divorced many years and remarried before the annulment of my first marriage and convalidation of my marriage to my wife. How could I be expected to remember the number of times we had sex before convalidation, or before marriage? Neither of us counted! If you gossip? How can you remember the number of times you may have done it? The sins that were worldly before coming back to God, are too common to keep track of unless they are criminal sins that might stick to your memory.
I generally have put sin behind me and am very aware of my actions and thoughts to avoid sin. I go to confession about three times a year and am continuing to grow in my faith and get involved in church ministries. But what some people here are saying is that every mortal sin must be confessed. How can that be? Why do people go to confession so often? Are they continually repeating mortal sins? This thread has this new by confused and concerned.
I generally have put sin behind me and am very aware of my actions and thoughts to avoid sin. I go to confession about three times a year and am continuing to grow in my faith and get involved in church ministries. But what some people here are saying is that every mortal sin must be confessed. How can that be? Why do people go to confession so often? Are they continually repeating mortal sins? This thread has this new by confused and concerned.
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