Prayer of forgiveness for mortal sin

[mjb472012]

Lets say a person commits a mortal sin on a Wednesday. They won’t have the opportunity to go to confession until Saturday. They resolve not to sin again and pray to God asking forgiveness for the mortal sin.
then they die the next day. Since they didn’t make it to confession, will they go to hell? Or will they go to heaven since they asked forgiveness from God and made a sincere effort to repent?

 

[Gorgias]

This thread probably fits better in the “liturgy & sacraments” forum; maybe a moderator will move it there for us.

Anyway, the catechism tells us:

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.

So, if the person were to have perfect contrition, but die before he had recourse to the sacrament of reconciliation, the catechism seems to be telling us that he would have been forgiven of his mortal sin. The key here is the perfect contrition. To contrast that with imperfect contrition, though:

1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.

Hope this helps!

 

[RPRPsych]

Lets say a person commits a mortal sin on a Wednesday. They won’t have the opportunity to go to confession until Saturday. They resolve not to sin again and pray to God asking forgiveness for the mortal sin.
then they die the next day. Since they didn’t make it to confession, will they go to hell? Or will they go to heaven since they asked forgiveness from God and made a sincere effort to repent?

Short answer: God alone knows. (And I mean that literally, not irreverently. )

Long answer: exactly what Gorgias said above. To which we might add that it would be our duty to pray for the soul of that person.

 

[asd72]

Express your contrition to God and ask Him to have mercy upon you if your should die before having the opportunity to go to confession. That’s what I do anyway.

 

[wanabesaint]

This issue isnt being recongnized or anwered correctly, and challenge the issue.

aleination cannot be reasoned away, it must be healed!

To say that sin canbe reasoned away is not true, even the catechism says this is not true, or acceptable, but it must be healed. If you sin, you cant merely run into the confessional say your sins, and then be free, you must change and go make it right…

Making it right is going to call for a charity of heart, a reflection of heart, and also in sever issues make you a slave of the one that has been offended.

Reasoning o f sin away isnot acceptable, it must be healed, and a true sense to never again sin must be .
it a rarity, when people are truely sorry for their sins, and desire to never do the act again, and come to recognize they must make it right. and they come to recognize thier condoning of sin, and they come to then not only recoginze sin, but to then stand agaisnt sin.
till we come to stand agaisnt sin, then do we really come to call for ourselves to be really forgiven for ours, as we forgive others and call others to turn away from sin, by our true example

denial of sin, reasoning away, is not contrition. its a double standard.

What also, happened to the recognition of Pergatory?

Presumption of ones going to Heaven is a sin in itself, or have we reasoned that one away? Have we suddenly deemed ourselves to be worthy of God?

 

[Ignatius]

Lets say a person commits a mortal sin on a Wednesday. They won’t have the opportunity to go to confession until Saturday. They resolve not to sin again and pray to God asking forgiveness for the mortal sin.
then they die the next day

Actually, if I commit a Mortal sin, I get straight over to the Church and ask the priest to hear my confession. I don’t delay.

If I have true contrition for my sins and I die before I can confess, I have every confidence that our All Merciful God will have mercy on me.

 

[randirhoades]

People are not giving God credit for His Great Mercy. I would think if you were so, so sorrowful for a mortal sin and bent from doing it, and died before you confessed it to a Priest, God would have mercy. Just like I feel He has mercy on those that commit suicide. Not trying to go off topic…Just showing how merciful I think our God is.

Love y’all and hugs,
Sheila

 

[littlestsouls2]

Blosius:

When St. Bridget was living in Rome, a certain man came there who wished to make sacramental confession of his sins, but could not obtain a confessor, because none of the priests understood his language. And when St. Bridget consulted our Lord on his be half, our Lord answered:

“He laments because he cannot find any one to hear his confession; but thou shalt tell him to be of good courage. The will is sufficient, when a man is not able to do the good work that he desires to do. For what brought salvation to the thief on the cross? Was it not his good will? And what constitutes hell, but an evil will and inordinate affections? Therefore, let this poor man remain firm and not draw back. When he has returned to his own country, let him seek from wise and just men those things which are salutary for his soul, and let him listen to them, submitting his will to them, and following their counsel rather than his own inclination or his own judgment. And if he should die on the way thither, it shall be with him as I, hanging upon the cross, said to the thief: Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise ” (St. Luke, xxiii. 43).

Without doubt a good will is a great and sweet treasure. He who has this, desires and endeavours to obey and to please God, and to do those things which are acceptable to Him. This is the foundation and the root of all holy virtues. It springs from the Holy Spirit, and is a great grace of God and an in fused love. Blessed is he who has received it from God, and who studies to keep it."

Link: ccel.org/ccel/blois/spiritual.v.vi.html?highlight=st,bridget#highlight