New Catholic, First Confession?

[MegShmeg]

Hello everyone,

I will be baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church this Holy Saturday evening. I could probably ask this at RCIA, but it just occurred to me.

I am aware that after I am baptized, which I have never been, all my sins have been forgiven. However, I’ve also heard of many newly baptized/confirmed Catholics giving confessions for all their past sins anyway, seeing as it is a very humiliating and redeeming thing.

What do you all think? I had planned to do this, 'cause I sure do have a lot to confess. But I won’t be able to confess until after I am baptized and confirmed into the Church, as it is a Sacrament, and so technically my sins will have been forgiven. Would a priest then find it a silly waste of time if I make an appointment with him for a face-to-face confession on sins that were already forgiven? I’m sure not, but I think for my first confession, I would love for it to be face-to-face. Not sure.

 

[rwoehmke]

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, Penance, or Confession not only is a means of having ones sins forgiven, it also like all the other Sacraments increases ones Sanctifying Grace, that sharing in the intimate love life of the Trinity. It has always been the practice that if one had no new sins to confess, that one could confess one or more past already forgiven sins and receive the Graces to be gained from the Sacrament. In that first confession you could tell the priest that this is your first confession after your recent baptism and that there is one or more sins from the past that you are particularly sorry for and would like to confess in order to receive the Sacrament. That does not mean that those sins were not forgiven in the Sacrament of Baptism. It is not at all unusual in the Act of Contrition to say that one is sorry for these sins(the ones just confessed) and also for the sins of ones past life(already forgiven) especially those of say dishonesty, lust, or whatever. In short one does not have to have a serious unforgiven sin to confess in order to receive the Sacrament.

 

[buzzcut]

You are correct.

In my RCIA class, those already baptized, but being received from other churches, went to confession.

Those being baptized did not go to confession first.

 

[mercygate]

MegShmeg:

Hello everyone,

I will be baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church this Holy Saturday evening. I could probably ask this at RCIA, but it just occurred to me.

I am aware that after I am baptized, which I have never been, all my sins have been forgiven. However, I’ve also heard of many newly baptized/confirmed Catholics giving confessions for all their past sins anyway, seeing as it is a very humiliating and redeeming thing.

What do you all think? I had planned to do this, 'cause I sure do have a lot to confess. But I won’t be able to confess until after I am baptized and confirmed into the Church, as it is a Sacrament, and so technically my sins will have been forgiven. Would a priest then find it a silly waste of time if I make an appointment with him for a face-to-face confession on sins that were already forgiven? I’m sure not, but I think for my first confession, I would love for it to be face-to-face. Not sure.

The desire for confession is a very great grace. And although baptism clears away ALL the debris, there is the human piece that desires to offer Christ everything in our hearts. Paul tells us that “even the barbarians” have no excuse for violating the laws of God because they are written on the face of creation, plain for all to see. In other words, even a person who does not have the gift of revelation is responsible for knowing right from wrong.

I would suggest that you mention your feelings at RCIA and see what kind of answer you get. In my parish, you would probably be told to trust in the sacrament of Baptism. On the other hand, they might recognize the pastoral advantage of allowing someone to make a life confession as a devotional exercise after you are baptized.

I believe this was the practice with newly baptized adults before the Second Vatican Council.

Let us know how it goes.