Priest not hearing sins if you frequent the confessional too often?

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Juliannarose

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I’ve been trying to go to confession more often. Anytime I’m guilty of mortal sin and especially because I go to Mass daily. Well, the last time before tonight was Tues. Tonight when I first knelt in the confessional and said, “it has been 4 days since my last confession” he paused and told me to say an Act of Contrition and started absolving me. At first I thought he fell asleep because the pause was fairly lengthy. He said no. I waited for him to be done with the prayer and I said, “I didn’t even confess yet!”. He then kept wanting to interrupt my confession.

My sons were in line after me and I later asked if they got the same treatment. They said no. The older one said that it happened once to him that when he went to Confession real close to a previous one, the priest did the same thing. This was a different priest about 1000 miles away.

Is this normal for priests to do with “regulars”? If so, I feel like saying, “it’s been awhile since my last confession”. Well, that doesn’t seem right either.:eek:
 
He’s not my regular confessor and not the priest I seen Tues, so how can he think I was just being scrupulous if he doesn’t hear my sins first?
 
I’ve never had this experience, and I’m sorry you did. If I did have this experience, I personally would want to find another priest, especially if mortal sins are involved. Just my two cents…
 
Juliannarose said:
He’s not my regular confessor and not the priest I seen Tues, so how can he think I was just being scrupulous if he doesn’t hear my sins first?
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Perhaps because you said it’s been four days since your last confession. I know its wrong for him to hastily make a judgement on you but perhaps he’s seen such scruples on other people and instead of taking time to hear you out and giving you advice, whether on the sin or the scruples that he might think you have, he just wants to “get it over with.” Suffice to say, if you are the level headed one, then be the one with understanding of whatever he may be thinking or feeling and pray for him.
 
ConstantineTG said:
be the one with understanding of whatever he may be thinking or feeling and pray for him.
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Well, that’s what I was planning on doing. The only reason I posted is because my son said this has happened with him with a priest 1000 miles away. So, I was wondering if this was a common practice of priests.
 
Juliannarose said:
Well, that’s what I was planning on doing. The only reason I posted is because my son said this has happened with him with a priest 1000 miles away. So, I was wondering if this was a common practice of priests.
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Greetings Juliannarose,

Sorry to hear that you went through that experience. This is one of the reasons that it might be helpful to get a regular confessor. A regular confessor should not mind if you go to Confession a bit more frequently. I am blessed in the fact that I have access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation every day with my Confessor, and this is a blessing which I have been partaking everyday since November 01 of last year [wow that seems weird to say, seems like only yestereday it was 2011 😃 ]

I have not heard this as a common experience, of course most of the priets that I have had contact with both in my country of residence and the other countries that I go and visit, as well as the country I attend University in, I have never ran across this situation.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
Never Happened to me. I have been going frequently myself lately, I try to make it 2 weeks before the next confession. But sometimes it is 1 week. I also try going to different priests at different parishes.
 
Priests hear hundreds of confessions a year (at least!), it is likely that someone who is not a known regular confessor, who comes in saying it has been *4 days *since my last confession (not a week which is what he might have expected to hear), is a tip off for scrupulosity. You know you aren’t, but the priest obviously didn’t.

Since you are trying to go to confession more often, I would schedule to go every week. Even if you don’t officially ask a priest to be your regular confessor, it may help to go to the same priest every week. Even though he won’t remember your specific sins from week to week, getting on going advice from the same priest might be very helpful.

I usually just go to the next available priest at our parish, but my husband and children always go the the same priests and receive great comfort from that.
 
You don’t think his pause was him waiting for you to confess?

I don’t know how it works as am yet to have my first confession. What is the Priest supposed to say after you have told him how long since your last confession, before you actually confess?
 
asd72 said:
You don’t think his pause was him waiting for you to confess?

I don’t know how it works as am yet to have my first confession. What is the Priest supposed to say after you have told him how long since your last confession, before you actually confess?
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Correct. It usually goes something like this:

Fr: you may begin
you: bless me father for I have sinned it has been a week/month/etc. since my last confession. In that time I have …x sins y number of times.
you: for these and all my sins I am heartily sorry
Fr: advice possibly or just “here’s you penance please say a good act of contrition”
Then he absolves you
 
I don’t know for sure, but isn’t there an opening prayer? That’s what I was waiting for during the long pause. I went again today and there was no opening prayer I don’t think. Shoot…now I can’t remember! Different parish/priest to.

I don’t know if I mentioned this…I go to daily Mass, so I just go to confession whenever I have mortal sin to confess.
 
Juliannarose said:
I don’t know for sure, but isn’t there an opening prayer? That’s what I was waiting for during the long pause. I went again today and there was no opening prayer I don’t think. Shoot…now I can’t remember! Different parish/priest to.

I don’t know if I mentioned this…I go to daily Mass, so I just go to confession whenever I have mortal sin to confess.
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Greetings Juliannarose,

I always start my Confession out with “Bless me Father for I have sinned.” and then the Sacraments proceeds. I like what my Confessor says to me after I say the above line.
“May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and heart so that you may worthily confess your sins.” After that, I pretty much delete the line where I say It’s been x amount since my last Confession, since I go to Confession every day.

I have never heard the opening prayer for Confession so that’s a new one on me.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
Anathama_Sit said:
Greetings Juliannarose,

I always start my Confession out with “Bless me Father for I have sinned.” and then the Sacraments proceeds. I like what my Confessor says to me after I say the above line.
“May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and heart so that you may worthily confess your sins.” After that, I pretty much delete the line where I say It’s been x amount since my last Confession, since I go to Confession every day.

I have never heard the opening prayer for Confession so that’s a new one on me.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
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That is the prayer I was talking about. “May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and heart so that you may worthily confess your sins.” This prayer has been omitted the last 2 times. I’m just going to leave the time off for now on. I came into the Church in 2004 and only went to confession once a year or less until Oct. Since then, it’s been weekly-biweekly (for the most part).
 
Juliannarose said:
That is the prayer I was talking about. “May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and heart so that you may worthily confess your sins.” This prayer has been omitted the last 2 times. I’m just going to leave the time off for now on. I came into the Church in 2004 and only went to confession once a year or less until Oct. Since then, it’s been weekly-biweekly (for the most part).
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My friend,

You can also say this prayer before you go to Confession if it gets omitted. Not every priest prays this. In the rare ocassion I confess to someone other than my Confession, I will say “May the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind and my heart so that I may worthily confess my sins.”

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
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