How Urgent must it be to go to Confession

[nfinke]

I do have a mortal sin that i need to confess. the only offered confession in my area is on saturdays at 8am. i have been working so much this week that i havent seen my daughter at all, and the only time i will have to spend with her at all this week is tomorrow from 630am-10am. if i cant watch her that whole time i need to forfeit all of it.

I am truly (if not perfectly) repentant for my sin, am I obligated to go to confession as soon as humanly possible, or is it alright if i fully intend to go next week? its not like im trying to skip out either, this is a sin i have been battling with, and going to confession almost weekly for some time. I know one of the conditions for receiving forgiveness for sin through prayer is the intent to go to confession. But does that intent need to be immediate? am i sinning by putting off confession for a week to spend a few hours with my kid?

 

[ThomasMT]

Cant you bring her and someone along to keep an eye on her, in the pew, while you go confess?

 

[Anesti33]

Perhaps you can come to an arrangement with the priest ahead of time. “Father, I need to confess sometimes, but I also need to watch my daughter. Can we sit somewhere that my daughter might be within my sight at all times, rather than inside the confessional?”

My confessional has windows, although they were recently glazed over and no longer transparent. I am sure that the priest can come to a compromise, or make a suggestion, or at the very least, set an appointment that will fit your schedule.

(Those are really poor confession times. I will pray for your bishop to encourage more liberal availability of this healing sacrament.)

 

[twf]

Any chance you could make an appointment with the priest to hear your confession at another time?

 

[nfinke]

I think they used to be more convenient before the whole viral outbreak. I might be wrong though.

 

[nfinke]

None of these replies actually answered my question, but I do appreciate the suggestions. However, i did manage to find a church nearby that had later in the day confession that i knew nothing about. so i should be able to make it work anyway.

 

[InThePew]

I am truly (if not perfectly) repentant for my sin, am I obligated to go to confession as soon as humanly possible, or is it alright if i fully intend to go next week?

If the only time you can spend with your daughter all week is those three and a half hours then that must take priority - for her sake at least as much as yours. Whether there exists a grave reason (the other limb of canon 916) which would allow you to receive communion is another matter. It’s ultimately a matter for your conscience, but from what you’ve said, it sounds like what you’re struggling with is habitual which would lessen you’re culpability.

 

[Lenten_ashes]

With this horrid pandemic I have been hoping that the Church would provide us general absolution…whether at Mass or any other general gathering. The Church has the keys…she has the authority to do so. I know it’s not ideal as the confessional helps us kind of conquer the sin, but it just seems plausible given the circumstances. I have been to confession twice since this started and I can not lie…I was sitting there wondering if the guy prior to me was COVID + and coughing, sititng in the same seat I am now in.

I would call and make an appt. It’s a line that only God knows for sure…how long can we put it off? I think if we are truely repentant then we wont put off sacramental confession. I had to ask my employer for Sat off last week so I could finally go.

 

[TheLittleLady]

If you know you have committed grave sin, and did it on purpose, your soul is the most important thing. Call the Church, make an appointment, take your daughter along to the Church (10 minute confession, if she cannot sit outside the confessional, bring her a phone and earbuds to watch a cartoon).

 

[ThomasMT]

If the only time you can spend with your daughter all week is those three and a half hours then that must take priority

Respectfully, while I can certainly sympathize with such sentiment, I’m not sure that it could be expressed with such confidence. I’m under the impression that our Lord made it clear that He is to come first, even before family.

 

[InThePew]

I’m under the impression that our Lord made it clear that He is to come first, even before family.

The sacraments don’t exist for their own sake they exist for our sake and so, much like Jesus curing people on the sabbath, what needs to be considered here is what is most loving since all sin is a failure to love. The OP is essentially sacrificing their needs for the sake of their daughters which sounds an awful lot like love to me.