I feel like I made a bad confession

[AB_Juney]

WEll, it wasn’t confession so much as asking a priest about a sin in confession. I had a problem that had been plagueing me for some time. I’d asked several other Catholics about it, but each time, I later felt like I hadn’t asked well enough. So, though scared, I finally decided to ask my priest about it today.

I was sitting in the sanctuary, practicing what I would say. I remember clearly thinking at least one, No, I need to be as clear as possible.

Now, I’m wordy, and go ooon and on when I talk, so I try to just focus on the bare essentials of the problem. I got in there, and began to ask him my question.

But now, i worry. I don’t remember exactly what I said, and I fear I may have left out impotant parts due to nerves, or that the story I planned to tell in the first place was inadequate.

I had someone tell me once that the confessor is in the place of Christ, and God will help fill in the gaps. Is that true?

 

[Trishie]

Trust God.
You did your best and God sees the intention.
A wise practice is to always ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in what you share in Confession, and to trust that He will.
Then you need have no scruples afterwards.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

WEll, it wasn’t confession so much as asking a priest about a sin in confession. I had a problem that had been plagueing me for some time. I’d asked several other Catholics about it, but each time, I later felt like I hadn’t asked well enough. So, though scared, I finally decided to ask my priest about it today.

I was sitting in the sanctuary, practicing what I would say. I remember clearly thinking at least one, No, I need to be as clear as possible.

Now, I’m wordy, and go ooon and on when I talk, so I try to just focus on the bare essentials of the problem. I got in there, and began to ask him my question.

But now, i worry. I don’t remember exactly what I said, and I fear I may have left out impotant parts due to nerves, or that the story I planned to tell in the first place was inadequate.

I had someone tell me once that the confessor is in the place of Christ, and God will help fill in the gaps. Is that true?

You can’t make a bad confession unless you intentionally conceal a serious sin, or received the sacrament without sincere sorrow for sins because you fear the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. Of course perfect contrition is the ideal but I’m afraid most of us have to settle for imperfect contrition.

Why not try to find a priest or confessor you can talk with about your problem outside the confessional. It does sound like you need some spiritual direction. Remember that is one of the duties or our priests - to help solve spiritual problems or problems of conscience. Clearly you have not been able to solve the problem yourself, so get the help you need. And don’t worry, your priest has heard it before - often.:tiphat:

 

[animalis]

God will help fill in the gaps. Is that true?

Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “I encourage all the faithful to renew their personal and communal encounter with Christ, the word of life made visible, and to become his heralds, so that the gift of divine life – communion – can spread ever more fully throughout the world. Indeed, sharing in the life of God, a Trinity of love, is complete joy (cf. 1 Jn 1:4).” Joy is a satisfaction.

The Pope said in a homily, “…with humble trust, the Church makes the faith of Peter and the other Apostles her own and proclaims with them, and we proclaim: ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’ (Jn 6: 68).” (June 7, 2007) To whom shall you go, AB Juney? With the apostles, with the priests, communion of persons, we do not have to be taped together secure. Of course God fills the gaps, and we are one body.

Keep in mind what the Pope said to the Roman Curia, "We saw once more the grandeur of something which we take too much for granted in our daily lives: the fact that God speaks, that God answers our questions; the fact that, with human words, he speaks to us personally. We can listen to him; hear him, come to know him and understand him. We can also realize that he can enter our life and shape it, and that we can emerge from our own lives to enter into the immensity of his mercy.

Thus, we realized once again that, in his Word, God is speaking to each one of us, that he speaks to the heart of everyone: if our hearts are alert, and our inner ears are open, we can learn to listen to the word he personally addresses to each of us." (Address, Dec 22, 2008) So why not study His Word and His Catechism some more, and get the answers you need with your little trust, little one in God’s sight.