MERGED: Confession before RCIA/Confession before Baptism

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sarahq

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Hi,
I have never been baptised and will be starting RCIA in September 2011. Can I go to confession even though I am not part of the Church yet?

Thanks and God Bless
Sarah
 
No. Baptism is the first sacrament and is the gateway to all others. Baptism washes away original sin and all personal sin.

Welcome!
 
Thank you for the response!

I wish I could confess though, what if I die between now and then? Do you or does anyone know what the dogma is on that? It would also maybe make me feel better… I’m carrying around these sins… is offering up my confession in prayer enough?

Thanks for any responses again
Sarah
 
I wish I could confess though, what if I die between now and then? Do you or does anyone know what the dogma is on that?
From the catechism:

1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.
It would also maybe make me feel better… I’m carrying around these sins… is offering up my confession in prayer enough?
Yes, tell God you are sorry, and resolve to not commit them in the future. Your desire for baptism is the first step in repentance and conversion.
 
Hi, Sarah! Many congratulations on your upcoming Baptism!

If (God forbid!) you were to die before your Baptism, you would receive what is called a Baptism of Desire. Because you intend Baptism, and are working toward it according to the requirements of the Church, God will wash away all your sins in death by nature of your desire for the Sacrament.

God doesn’t expect the impossible of us! The same goes for people who die on the way to Confession, or who are otherwise unable to Confess before death. God knows their heart, and acts accordingly. As my Priest told us when I was going through RCIA, “God works through the Sacraments, but He is not limited to the Sacraments.”

You can (and should) still offer your prayerful confession and ask God for forgiveness. Perhaps make an Act of Contrition:
O my God, I am heartily sorry
for having offended Thee
and I detest my sins
above every other evil
because they displease Thee, my God,
Who, in Thy infinite wisdom,
art so deserving of all my love
and I firmly resolve
with the help of Thy grace
never more to offend Thee
and to amend my life.
Amen.
God bless you, and welcome!!
 
Talk to your priest… He may (or may not) sit down with you for “Spiritual Guidance”… While it’s not Reconciliation, it can be very comforting and good practice 🙂

God bless and WELCOME!!!
 
Congratulations on heeding the call of the Holy Spirit.

Just be sure that you don’t presume you are owed a baptism of desire if something happens to you between now and Easter Vigil next year. Pray and hold on to hope, but never presume. God is good; trust in the justice and mercy of God. It’s all about trust. No matter how dark it may seem, everything will be all right in the end provided we persevere. It’s not always easy, but the rewards are literally out of this world 😃
 
Thank you 1ke, thank you achmafooma! Thank you both for taking the time to respond. This puts my heart at rest and encourages me to pray and pray with all my strength! I look forward to my baptism, far away as it is!

God Bless you both!
 
Talk to your priest… He may (or may not) sit down with you for “Spiritual Guidance”… While it’s not Reconciliation, it can be very comforting and good practice 🙂

God bless and WELCOME!!!
This is a good idea. It might help my uneasiness!

And thank you for the kind welcome! 🙂
 
Thank you for the response!

I wish I could confess though, what if I die between now and then? Do you or does anyone know what the dogma is on that?
Hi! You are so fortunate to be heading toward Baptism! 🙂

If you are very concerned about dying before being Baptized then you should do some research about “Baptism of Desire”. It is real. Don’t be afraid of dying. All things are in the hand of God.

Think of it like this: The Catholic Church is often called “Holy Mother Church”. We can understand a bit about Baptism of Desire by using an analogy of a pregnant woman. You are right now in the womb of the Church. You are being formed for birth into true life. That birth is what Baptism is. You are going to be “born again” when you are Baptised, but for the time being you are not yet born. This does not mean that you are not yet a child of the Catholic Church.

Consider this: If a mother loses her unborn child due to miscarriage, she weeps with sorrow. She weeps for her “child”. What was forming within her was truly hers. It wasn’t a lump of tissue which she has no regard for. It was her baby. This child would have been born into this life if it had not been taken before hand, so the mother regards her miscarriage as the loss of her child and not as the loss of a stranger or some meaningless object. Though she never got to hold her baby in her arms, she regards her child as her own and mourns for its loss as the loss of one of the members of her family.

In the same way you are regarded by the Catholic Church as being her child. You are being formed in her womb to be born into new life. If you were allowed to die before being Baptized, she still regards you as one of her children and not some stranger which almost became a child or as a meaningless object which almost had meaning. If all things continue as they are, your desire to be Baptized will be realized, and if you are allowed to die before hand, your desire of Baptism is regarded as Baptism because Baptism would have been given to you had you been allowed to continue.

Baptism of Desire is another example of the infinite mercy of God and of His love for you.

Don’t worry so much! Your salvation is in His hands, though you must cooperate with His grace.

🙂

Peace to you,
Andrew
 
Congratulations on heeding the call of the Holy Spirit.

Just be sure that you don’t presume you are owed a baptism of desire if something happens to you between now and Easter Vigil next year. Pray and hold on to hope, but never presume. God is good; trust in the justice and mercy of God. It’s all about trust. No matter how dark it may seem, everything will be all right in the end provided we persevere. It’s not always easy, but the rewards are literally out of this world 😃
It does seem dark sometimes. I’m terrified of hell. I find saying a few Hail Marys helps though. Hail Mary, full of Grace!

Thank you for your words of welcome!
God Bless
Sarah
 
Hi! You are so fortunate to be heading toward Baptism! 🙂

If you are very concerned about dying before being Baptized then you should do some research about “Baptism of Desire”. It is real. Don’t be afraid of dying. All things are in the hand of God.

Think of it like this: The Catholic Church is often called “Holy Mother Church”. We can understand a bit about Baptism of Desire by using an analogy of a pregnant woman. You are right now in the womb of the Church. You are being formed for birth into true life. That birth is what Baptism is. You are going to be “born again” when you are Baptised, but for the time being you are not yet born. This does not mean that you are not yet a child of the Catholic Church.

Consider this: If a mother loses her unborn child due to miscarriage, she weeps with sorrow. She weeps for her “child”. What was forming within her was truly hers. It wasn’t a lump of tissue which she has no regard for. It was her baby. This child would have been born into this life if it had not been taken before hand, so the mother regards her miscarriage as the loss of her child and not as the loss of a stranger or some meaningless object. Though she never got to hold her baby in her arms, she regards her child as her own and mourns for its loss as the loss of one of the members of her family.

In the same way you are regarded by the Catholic Church as being her child. You are being formed in her womb to be born into new life. If you were allowed to die before being Baptized, she still regards you as one of her children and not some stranger which almost became a child or as a meaningless object which almost had meaning. If all things continue as they are, your desire to be Baptized will be realized, and if you are allowed to die before hand, your desire of Baptism is regarded as Baptism because Baptism would have been given to you had you been allowed to continue.

Baptism of Desire is another example of the infinite mercy of God and of His love for you.

Don’t worry so much! Your salvation is in His hands, though you must cooperate with His grace.

🙂

Peace to you,
Andrew
Thank you for writing this for the OP! It is profoundly beautiful.
 
Hi! You are so fortunate to be heading toward Baptism! 🙂

If you are very concerned about dying before being Baptized then you should do some research about “Baptism of Desire”. It is real. Don’t be afraid of dying. All things are in the hand of God.

Think of it like this: The Catholic Church is often called “Holy Mother Church”. We can understand a bit about Baptism of Desire by using an analogy of a pregnant woman. You are right now in the womb of the Church. You are being formed for birth into true life. That birth is what Baptism is. You are going to be “born again” when you are Baptised, but for the time being you are not yet born. This does not mean that you are not yet a child of the Catholic Church.

Consider this: If a mother loses her unborn child due to miscarriage, she weeps with sorrow. She weeps for her “child”. What was forming within her was truly hers. It wasn’t a lump of tissue which she has no regard for. It was her baby. This child would have been born into this life if it had not been taken before hand, so the mother regards her miscarriage as the loss of her child and not as the loss of a stranger or some meaningless object. Though she never got to hold her baby in her arms, she regards her child as her own and mourns for its loss as the loss of one of the members of her family.

In the same way you are regarded by the Catholic Church as being her child. You are being formed in her womb to be born into new life. If you were allowed to die before being Baptized, she still regards you as one of her children and not some stranger which almost became a child or as a meaningless object which almost had meaning. If all things continue as they are, your desire to be Baptized will be realized, and if you are allowed to die before hand, your desire of Baptism is regarded as Baptism because Baptism would have been given to you had you been allowed to continue.

Baptism of Desire is another example of the infinite mercy of God and of His love for you.

Don’t worry so much! Your salvation is in His hands, though you must cooperate with His grace.

🙂

Peace to you,
Andrew
Thank you Andrew for that wonderful analogy. I can just imagine being held safe and warm in the womb of the Church.

I have a lot of anxiety about Hell because last year I had a severe psychotic episode during which, I believe, I was deceived and tortured by the devil. I was still in mortal sin during this and would have been taken to Hell by the devil had I died. However, thank God, God intervened and gave me the opportunity to confess one major sin which had deadened my soul. I felt myself washed clean, felt His Grace, and felt re-born. It was inexpressibly wonderful. However, even after having been forgiven, I fell and sinned again. I don’t feel palpably forgiven for those more recent sins – hence my fear that I have not been forgiven.

However I believe the Bible and I trust the Catholic Church as God’s presence in the world. So I am converting from being skeptical about all organized religion to being a devout Catholic. I look forward to being truly born again at my baptism.

Anyway, that’s my story. Your words really made me feel loved. Thank you so much, and God Bless
Sarah
 
Thank you Andrew for that wonderful analogy. I can just imagine being held safe and warm in the womb of the Church.

I have a lot of anxiety about Hell because last year I had a severe psychotic episode during which, I believe, I was deceived and tortured by the devil. I was still in mortal sin during this and would have been taken to Hell by the devil had I died. However, thank God, God intervened and gave me the opportunity to confess one major sin which had deadened my soul. I felt myself washed clean, felt His Grace, and felt re-born. It was inexpressibly wonderful. However, even after having been forgiven, I fell and sinned again. I don’t feel palpably forgiven for those more recent sins – hence my fear that I have not been forgiven.

However I believe the Bible and I trust the Catholic Church as God’s presence in the world. So I am converting from being skeptical about all organized religion to being a devout Catholic. I look forward to being truly born again at my baptism.

Anyway, that’s my story. Your words really made me feel loved. Thank you so much, and God Bless
Sarah
Even though I have never seen your face, you are already our sister, and we eagerly await your birth. When you are born, you will take your place among the children of God. Your prayers for the Church, for the laity in particular, will help us through grace. Don’t be afraid anymore. Trust.

I understand where you are coming from. My past includes some pretty heavy involvement in the occult and other grievous things. In my mind, there is no sin that you can commit which is greater than the horrors of my own sins. I assure you that I have personally and powerfully experienced the forgiveness of God. Those burdens and the ever present sense of impending doom are gone. You will experience the same thing.

One final thought: Through a specific choice and act of His will and in conjunction with a free act of love by your parents, God chose to create you. He created you for Himself and for no other reason do you exist. He is your first beginning. He is your last end. He could never abandon you. He isn’t like us, but we must become as He is. He has given and will continue to give to you all the grace that you need to be conformed to Him. Look at the crucifix for a few minutes and then ask yourself if there is anything that God won’t do to save you from hell.

From all Eternity, before the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, created your soul by a specific and personal choice, He saw everything that you would do and everything that you would fail to do, He knew every sin that you would commit…and He made you anyway.

If He could not save you from hell at every moment in your life, He would not have created your soul.

You are meant to be with Him forever. That is why you’re here.

Trust.

Peace to you,
Pray for me,
Andrew
 
Andrew–

Thank you my brother! You must be a priest, you preach so well! Your words are a balm to my soul. I feel so blessed by your testimony.

God Bless
Sarah
 
Andrew–

Thank you my brother! You must be a priest, you preach so well! Your words are a balm to my soul. I feel so blessed by your testimony.

God Bless
Sarah
Thank you for your kind words. I honestly wish I were a Priest or a Consecrated Religious, but I am not. I’m a regular Catholic. Maybe this is what regular Catholics do for each other.

I’m very glad that you have found grace today. Christians are often channels of grace to each other by what we say and what we do.

I commit you in my heart to Our Lady of Sorrows, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven. Hide like a child beneath her mantle. You are forever safe there.

Peace to you,
Andrew
 
No. Baptism is the first sacrament and is the gateway to all others. Baptism washes away original sin and all personal sin.

Welcome!
So does that mean if you had a valid Baptism in the Baptist church, you may be able to confess before confirmation?
 
So does that mean if you had a valid Baptism in the Baptist church, you may be able to confess before confirmation?
If it were valid then yes, you would be required to give a general confession prior to confirmation. This general confession would consist of all of the mortal sins which you committed from the time of your Baptism.
 
I am deeply troubled after having read through this thread. My husband came into the Church last year at Easter. He had not been Baptized however; our Priest made him take his confession before the Easter Vigil where he was Baptized and Confirmed. At the time I questioned it and was told this is just how it has to be done. Now I am concerned that his confession was not valid and he has been recieving communion for a year without having actually made a valid confession. Any feedback on this would be helpful.
God Bless You all!
 
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