If one recollects mortal sins after already having first confession

[codefro]

The current thread on confession floating around made me think of this question, if I have already had my first confession a month or 2 ago, and have confessed a few times already- if I recollected sins I committed as a teenager do I need to confess those? As I said in the other post, when I confessed to the priest during my first confession, he did not seem as interested in specific events as much as the general sins I struggle with. After hearing a few of those he went ahead and absolved me of my sins.

If I do need to confess them, how would I go about bringing that up?

 

[Monica4316]

It seems to be generally accepted that if you remember a sin later on, - it’s already been forgiven (because you forgot it, you didn’t intentionally not say it to the priest) - but you should mention it in your next Confession. Just say anything else you want to confess, and then at the end, add “Father, I also remembered a sin that I forgot to confess last time, it’s…”

Hope that helps
God bless!

 

[blanc10]

I was actually thinking about that today as well!

 

[DexUK]

Was your first confession as a result of Adult reception into the Church?

If so, you can’t be reasonably expected to remember every single thing you ever did, mortal or otherwise, in the whole of your life up until that point.

Your absolution was valid and it ‘took hold’ regardless of whether you remembered everything because you went into Confession without a deliberate desire to hold something back.

If you were baptised at the time you were received as well, then I wouldn’t worry about it - it’s all in the past.

Remember the definition of a mortal sin - all three conditions below must be met:

Its subject must be a grave (or serious) matter.

It must be committed with full knowledge, both of the sin and of the gravity of the offense (no one is considered ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are inborn as part of human knowledge, but these principles can be misunderstood in a particular context).

It must be committed with deliberate and complete consent, enough for it to have been a personal decision to commit the sin.

While not in the Church and not fully aware of its teachings you would have been unlikely to have committed mortal sins in the past (unless they were objective ones, like murder, which you don’t need the Church to tell you is horrendously wrong!).

 

[Bookcat]

We are obliged to confess all “mortal sins” in number and kind (adultery 2x, murder 4x, lust 2x,etc) and if something changed the mortal sin…like it was your brother you murdered. Of course after a good examination we may not …after so many years…remember everything…that is ok…we do what we can…God forgives the forgotten ones too (we need of course to be sorry for all our mortal sins…and amended)…then if we later remember one we forgot…we are to confess it in the next confession after we remember it. (this is different from if we intentionally hide a mortal sin…that is a sacrilege and one is not forgiven but has another sin)

Also we may not know the numbers …we do what we can…and if we do not know…we make an approximation…3-5x, 5-10 a month for the last 20 years, somewhere around 50 times, around 10x, or even if needed “many times”, “many many times” etc Depending on what we know.

As to venial sins they may be confessed or not confessed (though it is recommended to confess them…they can be forgiven in many ways). They need not of course be confessed in number.

If you doubt something was a sin…say it was doubtful. If you doubt it was a mortal sin say due to your lack of knowledge …well one can confess it --but note the doubt.

Remember Jesus loves you and wants to forgive you and give you always “true life” in him. He is the Good Shepherd!

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If you forget a mortal sin …one is to confess it in the next confession.
jimmyakin.org/2006/09/a_reader_writes_1.html

Now…of course it can be the case that the sins of ones youth may not have been mortal …for one needs grave matter, full knowledge and complete consent…