Is it Ok to repeat confessed sins?

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if i go to confession because i want to obtain a plenary/partial indulgence for the dead, is it OK if i just repeat the sins dat ive said in a previous confession, if there are no sins to confess-yet?
 
Lucky you if you don’t even have any venial sins to confess! Remember you can confess just venial sins. If you don’t even have any of them you can make what’s called a ‘devotional confession’ and repeat past sins.

And you don’t specifically need sacramental confession to gain a partial indulgence - simply need to be in a state of grace.

Bear in mind too that you can confess up to two weeks before - or after - doing the indulgenced act. So if you’ve been in the last two weeks or intend to go in the next two you’re fine, though your indulgences will only become active when you next go.
 
It’s true that your confession does not have to be on the same day that you complete the indulgenced act.

From The Gift of the Indulgence:
  1. To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed.
  2. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:
    — have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
    — have sacramentally confessed their sins;
    — receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);
    — pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.
  3. It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope’s intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act. Prayer for the Pope’s intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an “Our Father” and a “Hail Mary” are suggested. One sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions are required for each plenary indulgence.
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In confession you may also confess any sins already confessed for which you are again sorry.
 
You can also confess faults. Things that aren’t sinful that you don’t do as well as you should 😉

The Saints didn’t stop going to confession after they stopped sinning 😉
 
LJN21 said:
You can also confess faults. Things that aren’t sinful that you don’t do as well as you should 😉

The Saints didn’t stop going to confession after they stopped sinning 😉
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But in order for the Sacrament to be valid, you must confess (or re-confess) at least one actual sin. Otherwise there’s nothing to absolve. So confess all your faults, then renew your sorrow for a past sin.

Betsy
 
the Saints stopped sinning, what if it so happened that so far they didn’t have any faults? what is one supposed to confess?
 
fin said:
the Saints stopped sinning, what if it so happened that so far they didn’t have any faults? what is one supposed to confess?
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To be in a state of grace, to get into heaven, to become a saint, one needs to be free of mortal sin. The saints almost certainly committed the occasional venial sin - every last one of 'em!

And if you’re seriously saying that you or anyone can go forty days between confessions (since you’d only need to confess 20 days before or after you do an indulgenced act) without having a single venial sin on your soul you’re kidding yourself.
 
Well, Pope JP went to confession weekly, I think Mother Teresa also. Sometimes, I really wonder how these people committed sins. 😉
 
vince2paul said:
Well, Pope JP went to confession weekly, I think Mother Teresa also. Sometimes, I really wonder how these people committed sins. 😉
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Well, obviously they did. We all do, ya know. Just not real public ones.

You think being head of 1 billion Catholics or a huge worldwide order of nuns wouldn’t give you plenty of temptations to anger, for one thing? I’d be snapping my head off at all sorts of people if I had either of their jobs! Or pride, maybe?
 
fin said:
the Saints stopped sinning, what if it so happened that so far they didn’t have any faults? what is one supposed to confess?
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nobody stops sinning until they die, and the saints are the first to admit it, which is why they confessed frequently while on earth. rest assured that none of us here has stopped sinning (if you don’t believe me, follow the clubhouse threads).
 
LilyM said:
To be in a state of grace, to get into heaven, to become a saint, one needs to be free of mortal sin. The saints almost certainly committed the occasional venial sin - every last one of 'em!

And if you’re seriously saying that you or anyone can go forty days between confessions (since you’d only need to confess 20 days before or after you do an indulgenced act) without having a single venial sin on your soul you’re kidding yourself.
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That’s actually the first I’ve heard you have to confess at least one actual sin. I don’t see why you couldn’t be forgiven for fault. Just because they aren’t sinful doesn’t mean they can’t be forgiven. That’s like my telling my husband I’m sorry I forgot to put up his socks and he says that’s okay honey.

Not exactly, to go straight to even you have to be in a state of grace and have no temporal punishment left do to sin. Any sin no matter how small leaves you with some temporal punishment. So they would have had to stop sinning.

I didn’t say me or anyone else I said Saints, most of whom went to still went to confession very often.
 
LJN21 said:
That’s actually the first I’ve heard you have to confess at least one actual sin.
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For a sacrament to occur, there must be matter and form. In the Sacrament of Penance, the matter is the sins of the penitent and the contrition for the sins. The form is the words of absolution given by the priest. If there are no sins confessed, the matter is missing, and no sacrament occurs.

It is at least theoretically possible for those very advanced in the spiritual life to go for a long period without committing a sin. These people still may receive the Sacrament of Penance by renewing their sorrow for past sins. They are further strengthened in virtue and the ability to avoid sin in the future.

Betsy
 
LilyM said:
…you can make what’s called a ‘devotional confession’ and repeat past sins.
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Is that just for receiving an indulgence? I’ve never heard of a ‘devotional confession.’ Could you enlighten me about that? Do you tell the priest that you’re making a devotional confessiom?
vince2paul said:
Well, Pope JP went to confession weekly, I think Mother Teresa also. Sometimes, I really wonder how these people committed sins. 😉
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Reminds me of a quote from Bishop Fulton Sheen that, “Hearing nuns’ confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” 🙂
GCZ said:
I always find some from the category of “sins of omission”.
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My 4th grade teacher (a Filippini sister) said that it’s not only the sins we commit that we should confess, but how we have missed our obligations – especially internal thoughts. For example, you can confess an internal reaction of irritation to a request, even though you didn’t display it.
 
Miserissima said:
Reminds me of a quote from Bishop Fulton Sheen that, “Hearing nuns’ confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” 🙂
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It took me some time to realise the meaning behind it, because I didn’t know who said it. Now I know it’s Bishop Fulton Sheen, I think I know the meaning or any kind soul wanna explain it to me? 😃
 
GCZ said:
I always find some from the category of “sins of omission”.
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I was about to say the same thing. If you’re anything like me, you fall into one of those at least every five to ten minutes!!! (i.e. not doing my job because i was looking at the CAF)

God Bless
 
vince2paul said:
It took me some time to realise the meaning behind it, because I didn’t know who said it. Now I know it’s Bishop Fulton Sheen, I think I know the meaning or any kind soul wanna explain it to me? 😃
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If you characterize the weight of sin by its severity, think of mortal sins as being very heavy and venial sins as being very light.

I understood it to mean that the nun’s sins were as light as popcorn; the sisters hardly had any grave – or heavy – sins to confess.
😃
 
Devotional confession might go like this:

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last confession. I am not aware of having committed any sins since then, but I am sorry for all the sins of my past life, especially murdering my mother.

Betsy
 
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