He’s not supposed to be offering a general absolution in these circumstances. Are you sure he’s actually offering a general absolution? Especially since you mentioned that he offers for everyone to come back after mass ends?
Anyone who needs to confess mortal sins should ALWAYS go the first available Confession.
With all due respect, O forum master, I disagree. Is not the good God our all-merciful God who has power over life and death? Are all the hairs of our heads not numbered and are we not of more value than many sparrows? Please see the first part of this post of mine if you wish. Indefinitely delaying Confession because of laziness or not truly intending to go at all are different stories. But if God sees that in the future we will come to repentance, will He, who has power over life and death, not grant us enough life to come to that point? This, however, only God knows. Yes, we should go as soon as possible, in order to have the life of grace restored in us (assuming we are in mortal sin) and to enable us to receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass ASAP, but, in my opinion, worrying that we might “just die” before having a chance to go to confession seems to be a lack of trust in God’s mercy and providential care for us. Nobody “just dies.” Our death is really the most important moment of our lives. The state of our soul at death determines our eternal future. Will not God fully prepare us for that moment? Just my two cents.
The only thing that forgives sins prior to Confession thus saving a person from Hell should they die before getting to Confession is an act of perfect contrition.
I have often doubted thatI could even think of Perfect Contrition when my toes were beginning to blister.
I said nothing different. But God is in control of all things, including when we live and when we die.
Whether we are saved or condemned is in our hands. God wants everyone to be saved but gave us freewill. It is our choice if we die in a state of grace or not.
Certainly. So, if we have the intention of going to confession, meaning we have repented by the use of our free will and desire reconciliation with God, will God not give us the opportunity for putting that intention into effect by letting us actually go to confession? What kind of God would, instead, let us have an unfortunate “accident,” by letting us get run over by a car on the way to church? There are no accidents. Did Jesus come to save the world or condemn it? What does “infinite mercy” mean anyway? Is God unable to arrange things as He sees best, in general and in our lives specifically?
The intention of going to Confession is not an act of contrition never mind an act of perfect contrition.
You could always call and schedule a confession with your local priest. I did that a couple of weeks ago and he had no problem meeting with me after work in the early evening.
I agree with everything stated here, as it is Church teaching. But I was not saying anything in regard to these things. I was discussing the mercy of God in our lives and God’s power to apply that mercy to all those who are repentant. However, I still don’t you are understanding what I’m saying. We both agree we should go to Confession as soon as possible if we are in a state of mortal sin. The difference is that “as soon as possible” for you, if I understand you correctly, is “as soon as possible” in the most literal sense. So if you commit a mortal sin Thursday night, you should find out where you can go to Confession ASAP Friday morning, even if that means driving 1,000 miles or taking a plane to get there if necessary, depending on where you live, instead of waiting for Saturday. Because we might “just die” on Friday and then we would go to hell. We’re talking about the final destination of our soul, after all, and whether we do this or not could be the difference between being a state of perfect bliss and contentment with God forever or being in fire forever. Better yet, we should wake up our priest at 3:00 in the morning and demand that he hear our Confession immediately, since we might “just die” at 4:00. Since we might “just die” at any moment, I don’t see how you could say that it would be OK to wait until the normal confession time at the local parish on Saturday, but please correct me if I am wrong. I take ASAP to mean, “as soon as reasonably possible.” Trust in God. He is kind and merciful.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand as soon as possible means the first available Confession time, whether that is the same day, next day or next week. The condition to the act of perfect contrition is the sincere intent to get there.
Please forgive me if my comments or tone have come across rather grumpy. My intentions are always meant well but I sometimes get them across in an abrasive manner.
I think that you and dcana were speaking past each other a little bit. Both of you agree, in accordance with Church teaching, that mortal sin can only be forgiven by either sacramental absolution or an act of perfection contrition… the only difference is in the application of this teaching in our daily lives. The way you expressed it, it sounds like you are suggesting that those who have committed a mortal sin should live in utter terror of sudden death, even if they have full intention to get to confession, until they finally receive absolution. Dcana was suggesting, if I understand correctly, that this approach could lead to a distorted view of an angry and unjust God who is “out to get us”, and while affirming that damnation is a very real possibility, we should not despair of God’s mercy (which itself is a sin) and trust in His Providence to get us to confession before we die… no there is no Church teaching that states that God will never let a person in mortal sin die before getting to confession… but in our spiritual lives, aren’t we called to have hope?
