Is My Priest Exceeding his Authority in Confession?

[Bookcat]

I’m scrupulous and I have OCD, what am I suppose to think now? The forgiveness of my sins are just"undone" if I remember them and don’t know if I am sorry? If choose not to examine my conscience after I have already made two general confessions are my sins not forgiven? I know I can try to remember a bunch of sins I forgot, but what if I choose not to? what now? I have been told that God forgives all sins even if they are forgotten, and that is the reason why I don’t worry about the ones that I forgot, because I have told the whole time Ive been coming back to the church that my sins are forgiven even if i forgot them, so what now? do i have to worry about it? or just relax because God has forgiven me?

A person with scrupulosity ought to have a “regular confessor” who knows them and their scruples (and if they have OCD they should know that too). Such is the age old practice in the Church.

Your regular confessor can guide you. A person with such struggles may be in a “different boat” than others due to their particular difficulties. The confessor can guide them.

Often one who was scrupulous about their past sins could be directed by their confessor not to confess such if they remember it unless both the following is true: 1. They are certain it was mortal and 2. They were certain it was not confessed as it ought to be.

And it may be the case that a particular person with scrupulosity might be directed by their confessor not to go back and look …for such in their case open big doors for scruples…but rather if something is remembered to say apply the above.

Ones confessor can know and assist the particular person.

Now a person who does not have scruples about past sins - and say remembers - hey there was that act of adultery 2x back before I entered the Church that I forgot to confess – then well they certainly should confess such. And that which is doubtfully mortal for them they are recommended to confess - noting there is doubt.

Whereas those with scrupulosity are often directed to not confess “doubtful sins”…

 

[Bookcat]

those I may be too ashamed to confess, and those I may have confessed badly in the past.

Such would yes be problematic – for if I commit a mortal sin and hide it out of shame…such is a in invalid confession and even another mortal sin (all things being equal). One is obliged to confess all mortal sins in number and kind and not make “bad confessions” (such bad confessions need to be taken care of in confession…).

 

[Bookcat]

I’m scrupulous and I have OCD, what am I suppose to think now? The forgiveness of my sins are just"undone" if I remember them and don’t know if I am sorry? If choose not to examine my conscience after I have already made two general confessions are my sins not forgiven? I know I can try to remember a bunch of sins I forgot, but what if I choose not to? what now? I have been told that God forgives all sins even if they are forgotten, and that is the reason why I don’t worry about the ones that I forgot, because I have told the whole time Ive been coming back to the church that my sins are forgiven even if i forgot them, so what now? do i have to worry about it? or just relax because God has forgiven me?

A person with scrupulosity ought to have a “regular confessor” who knows them and their scruples (and if they have OCD they should know that too). Such is the age old practice in the Church.

Your regular confessor can guide you. A person with such struggles may be in a “different boat” than others due to their particular difficulties. The confessor can guide them.

Often one who was scrupulous about their past sins could be directed by their confessor not to confess such if they remember it unless both the following is true: 1. They are certain it was mortal and 2. They were certain it was not confessed as it ought to be.

And it may be the case that a particular person with scrupulosity might be directed by their confessor not to go back and look …for such in their case open big doors for scruples…but rather if something is remembered to say apply the above.

Ones confessor can know and assist the particular person.

Now a person who does not have scruples about past sins - and say remembers - hey there was that act of adultery 2x back before I entered the Church that I forgot to confess – then well they certainly should confess such. And that which is doubtfully mortal for them they are recommended to confess - noting there is doubt.

Whereas those with scrupulosity are often directed to not confess “doubtful sins”…

 

[porthos11]

I’m scrupulous and I have OCD, what am I suppose to think now? The forgiveness of my sins are just"undone" if I remember them and don’t know if I am sorry? If choose not to examine my conscience after I have already made two general confessions are my sins not forgiven? I know I can try to remember a bunch of sins I forgot, but what if I choose not to? what now? I have been told that God forgives all sins even if they are forgotten, and that is the reason why I don’t worry about the ones that I forgot, because I have told the whole time Ive been coming back to the church that my sins are forgiven even if i forgot them, so what now? do i have to worry about it? or just relax because God has forgiven me?

No, forgiveness is never undone. If you honestly forgot a sin, it is forgiven. If you remember it some time later, it remains forgiven, as sins do not revive. What is required however, is to confess it if you remember it. Intentionally failing to do so would constitute a new sin (i.e. withholding a mortal sin in Confession), but it does not revive the guilt of the old sin.

However that said, if you are scrupulous, you should really be talking to your confessor and obeying him unconditionally. If he says, for example, that you are not to confess forgotten sins, then you are not to confess. If he says you are not to examine your conscience for more than three minutes, you are to obey. Otherwise, you will never be healed of your scrupulosity.

 

[rwinner]

I’ll add this: to deliberately conceal a mortal sin out of shame or embarrassment or whatever is to nullify the Sacrament and add the sin of sacrilege to your list of sins. He cannot absolve a hidden mortal sin. That isn’t a matter of authority.

Glenda

i guess then he was referring to shameful venial sin.

 

[rwinner]

I’m scrupulous and I have OCD, what am I suppose to think now? The forgiveness of my sins are just"undone" if I remember them and don’t know if I am sorry? If choose not to examine my conscience after I have already made two general confessions are my sins not forgiven? I know I can try to remember a bunch of sins I forgot, but what if I choose not to? what now? I have been told that God forgives all sins even if they are forgotten, and that is the reason why I don’t worry about the ones that I forgot, because I have told the whole time Ive been coming back to the church that my sins are forgiven even if i forgot them, so what now? do i have to worry about it? or just relax because God has forgiven me?

I think it is this my priest very rightfully hoped to overcome by giving ‘blanket forgiveness:’ so we don’t tear our hair out and lose sight of God’s overarching love and replace it with a mind consuming itself in worry and travail – not what our Lord wants.

 

[Elizium23]

This seems to be poor catechesis for penitents. If I were a priest I would not lead people into sin by suggesting that some sins are too shameful to confess and that’s OK. This is false, there is no sin that is too shameful before Christ and His Passion. The absolution formula says “I absolve you of all your sins” and that is enough; he is essentially changing the words of the Rite.

 

[rwinner]

The way he (the priest in question) put it when I asked was: he had grown up at a time when priests demanded a strict accounting before they would grant absolution, and this caused great distress and even drove some away from the church. It reminded me of the famous novel, portrait of the artist as a young man, by James Joyce. As some may recall, the book recounted Joyce’s flinching under the severe schoolmasters and priests of his strict Irish Catholic upbringing. But anyway, FWIW that was the explanation this older Irish priest gave.

 

[Gorgias]

The absolution formula says “I absolve you of all your sins” and that is enough; he is essentially changing the words of the Rite.

Umm… no it doesn’t!

It starts off “God, the Father of mercies…” and ends “and I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

 

[Mrs_Sally]

I’m scrupulous and I have OCD

You should find a regular confessor and follow his direction about when and how to confess. Do not get your advice from threads like this. Please speak to your IRL priest. However, I will say that you do not need to rack your brain before every confession to remember sins from years ago - especially if you have made a general confession. Be at peace.

 

[Elizium23]

Umm… no it doesn’t!

It starts off “God, the Father of mercies…” and ends “and I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Oh, okay. I stand corrected.