Need help! Received 1st Holy Communion and Confirmation..BUT

[catholicbbwny]

I’ve received my 1st Holy Communion and Confirmation…but…I’m afraid I’ve made a serious mistake… prior to both ceremonies, I was too afraid to go to confession so I backed out. I’ve got the courage to finally go 4 years ago (at age 35) and have been to confession ever since but didn’t confess to those “mistakes”.

What does this mean for me? Are my sacraments not valid? What do I do?

 

[diggerdomer]

I’ve received my 1st Holy Communion and Confirmation…but…I’m afraid I’ve made a serious mistake… prior to both ceremonies, I was too afraid to go to confession so I backed out. I’ve got the courage to finally go 4 years ago (at age 35) and have been to confession ever since but didn’t confess to those “mistakes”.

What does this mean for me? Are my sacraments not valid? What do I do?

Sacraments are valid.

If you need to go to Confession, go.

Keep celebrating Eucharist.

 

[thunderballs75]

If you forget stuff it is okay. They are still forgiven. It might be a good idea to say them next time though.

 

[LilyM]

As stated, your confessing or not has no bearing on the validity of the other two sacraments, although if you received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin that will need to be confessed (assuming you knew at the time that it was wrong to do so).

 

[catholicbbwny]

As stated, your confessing or not has no bearing on the validity of the other two sacraments, although if you received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin that will need to be confessed (assuming you knew at the time that it was wrong to do so).

Before my 1st Holy Communion, I didn’t even know why I was going into the confessional, I went in and saw no one, so I turned around and left, not knowing that the Priest was behind a screen! (I was in a world of my own back then, vision problems, bad student…etc…)

On the other hand, before my Confirmation, I knew beforehand I wasn’t going to go to confession, as I was terrified to go in.

 

[CherishNY]

Before my 1st Holy Communion, I didn’t even know why I was going into the confessional, I went in and saw no one, so I turned around and left, not knowing that the Priest was behind a screen! (I was in a world of my own back then, vision problems, bad student…etc…)

On the other hand, before my Confirmation, I knew beforehand I wasn’t going to go to confession, as I was terrified to go in.

Just want to bump this question up to the top because I hadn’t received an answer to the above quote…

LilyM had stated that if I knew before my first holy communion that it was wrong to skip confession, then it would be invalid…as in the quote stated above, would this then be true?

btw…my old username was catholicbbwny…but was made to change it.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

It isn’t absolutely necessary to go to confession before either first communion or confirmation unless you are conscious of being in mortal sin (although it would have been a good idea to do so.)

If you are in mortal sin, the Eucharist is valid but it is a sin to receive communion.

Even if you were in mortal sin, the sacrament of Confirmation was valid but you wouldn’t receive the grace of it until you went to confession.

If I understand what you said, you made your first confession at age 35. If you were were aware you were in mortal sin at the time you received communion or confirmation, you should have confessed that. However, if you forgot to tell it when you went to confession the first time, it was forgiven anyway. But you should tell the priest the next time you go to confession that this was something you forgot to confess last time.

You don’t have to worry about first communion or confirmation not being valid. They were.

You asked: LilyM had stated that if I knew before my first holy communion that it was wrong to skip confession, then it would be invalid…as in the quote stated above, would this then be true?

You misunderstood what she said. She didn’t say it would be invalid.

You are OK, just keep going to confession even if you are scared.

 

[puzzleannie]

I’ve received my 1st Holy Communion and Confirmation…but…I’m afraid I’ve made a serious mistake… prior to both ceremonies, I was too afraid to go to confession so I backed out. I’ve got the courage to finally go 4 years ago (at age 35) and have been to confession ever since but didn’t confess to those “mistakes”.

What does this mean for me? Are my sacraments not valid? What do I do?

yes the sacraments are valid. Had you been in a condition of mortal sin at the time you received either sacrament, the graces would not have been available to you until your first full confession where you confessed all mortal sins of your past life and received absolution. Presumably you have now done so and are now restored to a state of sanctifying grace so the full action and graces of the sacrament, gifts of the Holy Spirit etc. are now yours. By all means, since it is causing you concern, mention this at your next confession so you may enjoy peace of mind on this issue.

 

[CherishNY]

Thanks for all of your responses. I will talk with my Parish Priest about what I did…or didn’t do, for that matter.