Is it bad to feel like you need to keep your sins secret?

[fakename]

Because you are embarrassed by them since after all,people are entitled to the truth?

 

[Maureen1125]

A secret from whom? I mean I know that I don’t sit around a dinner or the bar with my friends playing guess my sins.

Jesus already knows your sins and is hurt and saddened by them. The Priest is acting as Jesus so you really have nothing to fear by sharing your sins with him. If you are nervous about it, go to a neighboring parish where you won’t have to see Father on a regular basis.

 

[fakename]

When talking to a priest then, do you have to say everything about a sin -even the parts that might be important but are still murkily remembered? Or can you discount the murkiness and give a more or less unequivocal recounting?

 

[Brendan_McCabe]

The feeling is neither good or bad but rather is a normal feeling due to the shame you feel about your sins. That shame is a good thing, how you choose to react to that feeling is what counts.

You can either go to a priest confess your sins and receive absolution and penance which is a good thing, or you can try and hide the sin and end up carrying it around with you for the rest of your life which is bad thing to do.

 

[Brendan_McCabe]

When talking to a priest then, do you have to say everything about a sin -even the parts that might be important but are still murkily remembered? Or can you discount the murkiness and give a more or less unequivocal recounting?

You confess the type of sin and the number of times it was committed and then anything that you think may effect its gravity.

 

[Trishie]

You don’t make it clear to whom you refer…yes, God is entitled to the truth, and your Confessor, but other people are not ‘entitled’ to your private truth…it’s between you and God. “People are entitled to the truth” is a media catchphrase for “free speech” and “freedom of information”, not a gospel directive.
God bless you.

 

[fakename]

You confess the type of sin and the number of times it was committed and then anything that you think may effect its gravity.

But when you remember things that affect the gravity in a confused way, should you try to say it unequivocally -as if you truly remembered that thing -or should you not say it. Or should you just say the thing confusedly, as it is?

 

[Brendan_McCabe]

But when you remember things that affect the gravity in a confused way, should you try to say it unequivocally -as if you truly remembered that thing -or should you not say it. Or should you just say the thing confusedly, as it is?

You should tell the priest you are confused and unsure and then tell him if you think it effects the gravity, be honest and open and let the priest be your guide, you are probably not the first penitent he has heard the confession of with these kinds of sins and this kind of confusion.

 

[phoenix101]

Once the sin is committed, you can’t take it back. All you can do is to admit it to yourself and to the one to whom you committed it. God already knew what you did. Ask for His forgiveness and you will be forgiven.
Personally, I don’t prefer confessing sins to a priest. People misunderstood that confessing and praying is enough to correct a sin. Correcting a sin is better than confessing it.
For example, you cheated on the exam. You know that it’s a sin. Probably, people will go to a priest to say that they committed a sin. after that, what’s their next action? NOTHING.
Nothing can correct a sin but proper action. For me, you have to be responsible in your every act. If you have done something wrong, take the consequences.

 

[puzzleannie]

Because you are embarrassed by them since after all,people are entitled to the truth?

nobody is entitled to know anything about your sins except the priest in confession who is of course representing Christ himself. Yes it is wrong to withhold sins in confession because if imaginary embarrassment. No you owe absolutely NO information to anyone else about your sins. Why would you think they are entitled to such knowledge? Yes you have a duty to apologize to someone you have hurt and to do what you can to rectify the situation, or to make restitution for a crime, as well as to confess the sin, but that does not mean broadcasting general knowledge about your sins. When confessing your sins just say the noun and verb and how many times. No need for a bunch of murky details or a backstory. Don’t make up vague words to describe an action that has an ordinary English name. Just say it.

 

[Brendan_McCabe]

The action after confessing is never nothing, in confession you get both absolution and penance that must be performed. You should research what takes place in the Sacrament of Penance a bit more before you are so quick to write if off.

 

[chrisb]

Because you are embarrassed by them since after all,people are entitled to the truth?

Shame is part of a healthy recognition of the ugliness of sin… but it can also be a sign of our pridefulness thinking that we are above such sin. Knowing who we really are and having a healthy shame of such sin should also be accompanied by the humility to admit our sinfulness and our desire to amend our ways.

My 2 cents.

 

[wayward]

How about this for an example - I have been struggling with some stuff lately, and as a result, this weekend I decided I would not go to communion until after I had been to confession.

My godmother noticed that I did not go to communion, and immediately demanded to know why I did not go. When she specifically mentioned something she thought it might be (and she was right), I evaded her question and told her that I often go to Mass three times on the weekend, and can only receive twice.

IMO, your sins are no one else’s business save God’s, your confessor’s, your spiritual director (if different from your confessor) and yourself. Maybe a vocation directress if your sin is something that could directly impede your entry into a religious community.

It’s also no one else’s business why or why not - or if - you go to communion. Again, between you, your spiritual director and/or confessor, and God.

wayward