Notes in Confession

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Well, I had my first confession at age 54, after a long and sinful life, and I had 2 pages of college-lined, legal pad notes…

Father didn’t object, but he did tell me to make sure to burn them afterward!

Ruthie

P.S. I felt 20 years younger and 40 lbs lighter after being absolved!
 
:rotfl: Ruthie, TOO FUNNY!

Was it the regular thin-lined legal sheets or the
extra-thin lined ones? Front and back? In the margins, too?

And people think us middle-aged typed don’t have any fun…

(Kidding!..)
 
I don’t see a problem with righting down what I need to confess and taking it into the confessional with me. I have never had the priest say a word about it. In in my very early 40’s and if I don’t I I forgett things . My last confession I just told Father ( I forgot my list) that there were more but I could not remember them. I’m not sure but I think he held back a small Laugh.

I get so nervous during confession I feel so good after wards.
 
That glow in the dark thing sounds neat.

Whenever I go to confession I do my best to remember what I am going to confess, I have one time written them on a piece of paper and memorized them but torn up the piece of paper before I go to confession.
 
Well, if you chose the anonymous side of the confessional, and didn’t rattle the paper or used a piece of construction paper or something similar that doesn’t make as much noise, you might avoid the question entirely.

I’m going to have to agree with notes if you find it necessary, especially if it has been a long time. Though an exception for some scrupulous people might be necessary…especially if they spend an excessive amount of time dwelling on sins or perceived sins writing them down. That in and of itself could become all consuming to someone with a serious case of the scruples.
 
Did you all miss THIS one?
GeorgiaPeach said:
My youngest son just writes them on his hand. :hmmm:
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***I have had a good chuckle reading all this…and plead guilty to feeling and doing ALL the above (except writing on my hand). ***
***At 56…my hubby would probably have me seen for a ‘psych eval’ if I did that one! :whacky: ***

***It sure feels good to know I am not alone, but I must say the ‘glow in the dark ink’ wins the prize!! 👍 ***

***You’ve got company FickleFreckled…just don’t FORGET the list at home! :rolleyes: ***
 
:rotfl: I’m SO relieved…

These suggstions have been cracking me up.

How about this: pre-record your sins on a mini-recorder and just press play!

It also has the added benefit of time-saving if you always commit pretty much the same sins over and over…
 
FickleFreckled said:
How about this: pre-record your sins on a mini-recorder and just press play!

It also has the added benefit of time-saving if you always commit pretty much the same sins over and over…
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That one probably IS frowned upon, but it really cracked me up.
 
It reminds me of a confession I had once; I really needed to go badly (to confession, smarties…) and I made a point of going to a noon weekday Mass that had confessions beforehand everyday. I’d been really stressing about what I needed to confess. I get into the confessional, confessed, and waited…and waited…and finally the priest, who was very elderly, gave me absolution and my penance. I thanked him, and waited…then tested it again…and the priest was hard of hearing! I felt like God had been especially sweet and merciful to me that day…
 
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FickleFreckled:
Why do some priests (not all) have a problem with people taking notes into confession? It doesn’t necessarily indicate scrupulosity. You get to a certain age and you can’t remember why you just opened the refrigerator, much less what you did 3 weeks ago. I had a priest just recently tell me not to use notes written beforehand, and it’s not the first time. It seems to me notes can be an effective part of examination of conscience.
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Completely agree that using notes in confession as an aid to memory is sensible for most people. We do it in other situations - including other important ones like going to the doctor.

A a priest could validly complain if making sure that all the sins on the list were confesssed became the aim rather the sacrament as a whole. But that is another issue and can occur with people who do not use notes.

Keeping the lists (in a private place) could also be useful to see the pattern of the sins confessed over a period of time.
 
Is there such a thing as an online confessional? I need to talk with someone who is experienced… maybe I could just go to a local catholic church…?
 
Well, I had a list of about a half dozn sins to confess with me…on a very small paper. Well, the priest was sitting in the sanctuary sideways so I knelt and started to confess. He saw my list and laughed so hard, that everyone in the church could certainly hear!😊 And then I thought, maybe people would think that I said a joke or something…😊 He laughed at my list. I based my list on an examination of conscience by a Saint (that I can’t remember the name). I think St Ignatius, but not sure. I was mortified. And this was before the Easter Triduum.

The week after Easter, is the feast of Divine Mercy, and the priest put up an examination of conscience for us on the screen before going to confession. And guess what examination of conscience this was? You got it! The very same one that I used before Easter…! I felt that I was held in the palm of God’s hand and that he showed me that He knew about the incidence and was just confirming me in my search for holiness.

Thank you Jesus!🙂
 
Shoshana said:
He saw my list and laughed so hard, that everyone in the church could certainly hear!😊
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His laughter may have been entirely coincidental and unintended–we never know what will unexpectedly set us off into laughter–but I’m surprised he didn’t apologize for his outburst.
He has to realize how unnerving that would be! 🤷
 
Shoshana,
Maybe the priest was laughing because you’d brought in the same list he was going to use - maybe it was his confirmation of being 'held in the palm of God’s hand…" That can sure make us laugh…in a good way.
 
FickleFreckled said:
Shoshana,
Maybe the priest was laughing because you’d brought in the same list he was going to use - maybe it was his confirmation of being 'held in the palm of God’s hand…" That can sure make us laugh…in a good way.
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Exactly!
 
EasterJoy said:
Exactly!
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Well, not exactly! He called me scrupulous and I did not trust in God’s mercy…etc…etc…etc. I have been in direction for over 20 years, and so I know all things are ordained by God. It was good for the humility!🙂
 
Yikes. That’s pretty awful. Hope you’ve learned enough humility…:bigyikes:
 
Shoshana said:
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Well, not exactly! He called me scrupulous and I did not trust in God’s mercy…etc…etc…etc. I have been in direction for over 20 years, and so I know all things are ordained by God. It was good for the humility!🙂
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You had charitably left that portion of the story out.

My “exactly” referred to FickleFreckled conjecture that there might be a understandable reason–that the priest himself used the same kind of list–for such an unusual outburst.
 
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