how specific do you have to be in confession?

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thememphisman

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just wondering how specific do you have to be in confession when it comes to how long since your last confession. in my case, its really only been two days, but its been longer in between when i committed the sins…so i was going to say about a week ago. i ask because i know if i say 2 days, the priest will judge me saying something about how confession should be a turning point in our lives and i cant have that many turning points…and i know that thats true…its just my slip up was kind of a fluke and i was/still am really determined to avoid these sins

anyway
thanks for the help
 
thememphisman said:
because i know if i say 2 days, the priest will judge me
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No the priest will not judge you but yes he will base his spiritual counsel on what you say. Only Christ judges you, and not until after you die. Confession is a waste of time if you are not honest.
 
puzzleannie said:
No the priest will not judge you but yes he will base his spiritual counsel on what you say. Only Christ judges you, and not until after you die. Confession is a waste of time if you are not honest.
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Amen. The priest doesn’t need to know names, but as puzzleannie said, honesty. Why do people think that the priest is gonna jump up and smack 'em down? This is confession, you haven’t been summoned. It seems we all, at some time, think that we have to be perfect to approach God. This a lie of the devil. It is to keep us away from the Eucharist. Nobody is perfect. Confession should be liberating and provide grace, which is turn is a powerful tool in avoiding sin.
 
So, you went to confession 2 days ago, but neglected to mention a sin you committed a week ago? If it’s a mortal sin, and you intentionally left it out, you made a bad confession 2 days ago, which is itself a mortal sin. You need to say that your last good confession was a week ago, but you made a bad confession and also confess the sin you withheld.
If the sin you neglected to mention was not mortal, just say your last confession was two days ago but that you neglected to mention ____ if you want to confess it. If it was venial, though, you don’t really have to confess it at all. If it is venial but you are really working hard on eliminating that sin and need to confess it, go ahead, but in all cases you should NEVER lie in confession, whether it’s about the length of time, your sins, circumstances, whatever. If you aren’t ready to be honest in confession, then you aren’t ready for confession…
 
BEST WAY? as specific as you did your sin. Don’t hold back. Remember, that in confession we are restored in purity. In purity, we are liberated from the devil’s temptation.
 
thememphisman said:
i ask because i know if i say 2 days, the priest will judge me saying something about how confession should be a turning point in our lives and i cant have that many turning points…
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A person struggling to be devout has turning points every single day. Its often referred to as the “daily conversion.” Its the days I don’t notice myself having a turning point that I am concerned about. If your priest for some reason dislikes frequent confessions, find another. The priests I know would be glad to hear that people are coming frequently.

So, I would be honest about forgetting the sin you wish to confess. Plus, if you or he is concerned about a long line and getting through the confessions in the allotted time, at least your confession will be very quick.

Let me ask, why are you so nervous about confession anyway? When I first went to confession after converting, I was quite nervous, but now I find it a truly liberating experience. Have you had a bad experience in confession? Or is something else going on?
 
thememphisman said:
just wondering how specific do you have to be in confession when it comes to how long since your last confession. in my case, its really only been two days, but its been longer in between when i committed the sins…so i was going to say about a week ago. i ask because i know if i say 2 days, the priest will judge me saying something about how confession should be a turning point in our lives and i cant have that many turning points…and i know that thats true…its just my slip up was kind of a fluke and i was/still am really determined to avoid these sins

anyway
thanks for the help
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The question is how specific should you be with respect to the time since you last confession. If it’s been two days, just say two days.

Two days is the correct answer!
I don’t even understand the part about the length of time between sins.
And try not to be so scrupulous.
 
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