I’m just so unsure as to what to do.
it doesn’t seem like there’s any clear answer as to if my confession was specific enough.
Can I just confess this at my next confession and say I wasn’t specific enough?
This wouldn’t be til advent though… Would I get more mortal sins?
My family watches me like a hawk and would be suspicious if I called someone. I wish I was an adult!
I believe quite strongly that the confession was valid, for reasons which I will soon explain, however I am not sufficiently expert in the relevant theology to say with certainty. Hence my previous advice to call the priest, if possible.
You not being able to make a private phone call in your own home is a concern. Maybe now is the time to say “Mom, I need to make a private phone call”. I will go further, with a guess that your **perceived **lack of privacy may well be contributing to problems with impurity. Please think about making that call.
Now, as to my opinion of the confession.
First of all, it just stands out that you were doing your best. You are probably inexperienced with confession. IF, and it’s a big IF, you omitted important details, then to do so without knowing that they were important does not invalidate your confession. If you discover later that they were important, then you can confess them next time. You only invalidate your confession by **deliberately **omitting an important detail, that you **know **is an important at the time. Eg. if one honestly thinks that confessing “impurity” is all that is required and omits “fornication” then one has not invalidated the confession. The Church only asks us to confess to the best of our ability, and confession does take practice and maturity.
You omitted two details which were relevant - but were they essential? One, that you had read pornographic writing as well as looking at pictures and movies. In your post you said that you “forgot”. If you did really “forget” then there is no issue at all - just confess it next time. If it was more conscious than “forgetting”, then I would think that confessing an approximate number of times that you used pornography, which included the writing, then you are covered anyway. You omitted the least severe, rather than most severe, element. Whether the pornography was homosexual is perhaps the most problematic part of this. I myself have confessed this in the past (a long time ago), and certainly felt great shame. However, all pornography and masturbation involves a multitude of sins (adultery, fornication, self abuse, abuse of others, various fantasies, etc). Perhaps sometimes we **should **confess the details, but whether we are required to, and whether not confessing them invalidates the confession - I doubt it. (I would make an exception for some well known extremes which I won’t mention here). Again, you would only invalidate your confession if you reasonably thought, at the time, that this was essential, and deliberately omitted it.
But, please, consider just firmly asking to make a private phone call. Of course, if you suspect that your phone call will be listened to, then don’t do it - and then think about what other issues that might imply.
If any of my children asked to make a private phone call, I would certainly have accepted that. You may be underestimating your parents.
Was it just the words or was it actually describing the activity to provoke a lustful response? There’s a difference. I would say though that just saying you looked at impure images would cover that sin, because that’s what it was even if it was conveyed using words instead of pixels. Hope that makes sense.
I’m saying this because you know better than any of us what you did or didn’t do, and if it’s weighing down on you, I would just go back and have peace. And there’s no need necessarily to tell your mom why you want to go, just say “Hey mom! Can you take me to confession?”
I’m not sure if that is covered in what I said.