Obedience/confession issue

[seanom]

Hey there, so here’s the thing. A priest who I know and who has heard my confession before told me basically not to go to confession more than once a week unless I was sure sure I had committed a mortal sin. Now it hasn’t been a week since my last confession but I have alot of things on my conscience and I’ll hopefully have the opportunity tomorrow to confess and I really want to. I have somethings on my conscience and I don’t know 100% if they are mortal or not. This priest is not my formal spiritual director per se so I don’t know if I should obey him or not. What should I do and I pray the Holy Spirit will speak through u!

 

[Immacolata]

Hey there, so here’s the thing. A priest who I know and who has heard my confession before told me basically not to go to confession more than once a week unless I was sure sure I had committed a mortal sin. Now it hasn’t been a week since my last confession but I have alot of things on my conscience and I’ll hopefully have the opportunity tomorrow to confess and I really want to. I have somethings on my conscience and I don’t know 100% if they are mortal or not. This priest is not my formal spiritual director per se so I don’t know if I should obey him or not. What should I do and I pray the Holy Spirit will speak through u!

If you feel you need to go to confession, I would say that the best option would be to go to confession, for peace of mind at the very least.

If this answer wasn’t particularly what you were looking for, I apologize and hope you are able to receive your answer. God bless, and may you be able to feel at peace soon.

 

[fred_conty]

Seanom,
in the last confession the confessor told me basically not to go to confession more than once a week unless I was sure sure I had committed a mortal sin.

You are not sure, therefore don’t go.

 

[seanom]

I thank you guys for the replies but the thing is this priest was not my confessor/spiritual director just a priest I sometimes go to asking for advice and confession outside of the allotted times

 

[Cristiano]

I thank you guys for the replies but the thing is this priest was not my confessor/spiritual director just a priest I sometimes go to asking for advice and confession outside of the allotted times

The priest WAS your confessor, even if he is not your spiritual director. You are to obey him until your next confession in one week, at that point you will ask the priest that is hearing your confession if you are still bound by it.

 

[Edmundus1581]

The priest WAS your confessor, even if he is not your spiritual director. You are to obey him until your next confession in one week, at that point you will ask the priest that is hearing your confession if you are still bound by it.

We are not required to obey **advice **given in the confessional.

OP, I would strongly advise you act on this priest’s advice, but you are not obliged to do so under obedience.

In case like this we exercise our freedom as children of God, and pay respectful attention to the advice we have received, but decide in our own conscience.

– Edit –

I just saw this…

I thank you guys for the replies but the thing is this priest was not my confessor/spiritual director just a priest I sometimes go to asking for advice and confession outside of the allotted times

Are you saying you received this advice informally, outside confession? If so, then that settles it. You are under no obligation whatsoever.

Still, it sounds like good advice…

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I assume there would be no moral obligation to follow the priest’s advice, since that looks like that’s all this was.

That said it sounds like good advice. I don’t think many people would benefit from confession more frequently than once a week. It seems to me it would encourage scrupulosity, discourage a person from hope that they can overcome their more common sins, or both.

 

[MaryT777]

The priest WAS your confessor, even if he is not your spiritual director. You are to obey him until your next confession in one week, at that point you will ask the priest that is hearing your confession if you are still bound by it.

Mary: I couldn’t agree more. Wait one week. That’s what the priest asked you to do.

 

[FrJack]

It would be an act of humility to do as the priest advised.