MERGED: How to confess numerous sins?/real confession

[babochka]

Since my confession 1 1/2 yrs ago (after 42 yrs), I occasionally remember an unconfessed sin. I always tell the priest the situation … “I came back to the church after 42 yrs away and made a thorough and sincere confession, but this sin came to mind recently that I did not confess in the first confession when I returned to the Church.” This has happened 3 times and the priest has never told me it was not necessary to confess it. Once I kept trying to convince MYSELF that it was not necessary to confess a remembered sin from long ago, since all my sins were forgiven after my first confession back, and it bothered me every time I went to communion. Once I finally confessed it, I never thought about it again. I guess if the priest hearing your confession is telling you that it is not necessary, that would get a little confusing … I’m glad that didn’t happen in my case.

I would say that I have had the exact opposite experience, from some very good priests, including one Opus Dei priest. I returned to the Confession some 17 years ago, after 12 years away from the Sacrament. My first confession back was very, very difficult and I had trouble getting the words out. The priest did not let me finish the confession. He gave me absolution and assured me of God’s forgiveness. After several years of learning and growing in my faith, I felt the need to “get it out”, to say the words that I had been unable to say before. I believed the priest and believed in his absolution, but all these sources kept telling me that I must say the words. I went to the Opus Dei priest and explained the situation to him, and confessed those sins. He assured me that my absolution had been valid and I had been forgiven. He told me that it was not necessary to come to him with those old sins (even though he graciously did not stop my confession). I asked him about other sins, those that come to mind as my faith deepens, that might qualify as “forgotten sins”. He explained that we can spend our whole lives going over our past and realizing the depth of our sinfulness, now and then, but that God has given us this sacrament as a rebirth. We have plenty of sins in our present life to focus on, without constantly dredging up sins in our mind that have long since been absolved. As to the first issue (not being able to speak the words (mostly because they were blocked by tears), he reminded me of the story of the Prodigal Son. The son has a script in his mind: “Father, I have sinned against you and against God…” that he plans to present. His loving father cuts him off, does not allow him to finish his script, and offers forgiveness. Others have obviously been given different advice, but I trust my spiritual father and I trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness.

I am not scrupulous, by the way, but I can see how a scrupulous person would go crazy, being tormented by past sins that were forgotten and never being able to trust in God’s mercy. As we grow in our faith, we can all dredge up sins from our past as we are given the grace of better knowledge of ourselves and deeper repentance.

 

[Bookcat]

He told me that it was not necessary to come to him with those old sins (even though he graciously did not stop my confession).

I actually discussed the question in the past with an Opus Dei Priest who a had written a book to assist Confessors in hearing confessions – he affirmed (as has many other sources and among them Priests) that what I note above is the case. Forgotten mortal sins that one later remembers are to be confessed in the next confession. *(for fuller discussion see my posts above).

There can be though be “exceptions” that excuse from material integrity in confession – at least at the time of that confession – but normally one* is* to confess forgotten mortal sins that have yet to be confessed. This is not an open matter.