Question About Confession, Absolution, and Judgement

[tmyers]

Please consider the following scenario:

(1) Someone is Catholic.
(2) He/She generally goes to confession only once a year, and isn’t all that ‘religious’ about the faith.
(3) Unfortunately, this person dies in a state of mortal sin (before being able to make it to what would/could have been his/her last yearly confession).
(4) As a result (and/or for other reasons unknown to us), at his/her judgement, God decides not to mercifully extend salvation to this person, but instead, he/she goes to Hell, is eternally damned, and will be in a state of eternal and on-going punishment forever.

So here is the question:

Since this person has gone to confession a few times in his/her life, does the forgiveness and absolution that he/she did receive during his/her confessions still apply (thereby creating a situation in which this person is only eternally punished for the sins that were never absolved by sacramental confession), or will ALL of that person’s sins – even the ones that were forgiven and sacramentally absolved – be accounted for and punished during his/her eternal damnation in Hell?

In essence, does Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection end up ultimately gracing all peoples – even the ones who will be damned – with the mercy of God (in one capacity or another…through either lessened intensity of eternal punishment or greater intensity of eternal reward…depending on each individual person’s respective situation and spiritual state at death)?

Or in other words, will the souls who are damned in hell ultimately end up experiencing God’s mercy, too…(just in a different way)…and is Christ’s death and resurrection efficacious for all – even the damned? Or is Christ’s ultimate sacrifice only applied to those who will be in heaven? Moreover, if the latter is the case and not the former, what are the implications thereof in regards to the believed intrinsic/ontological efficaciousness of absolution that is received by sacramental confession)?

Please offer some discussion and/or reasons (as well as theological/Biblical authority if possible) for the answers/positions that you present?

Thank you, and God bless!!!

 

[Tietjen]

Please consider the following scenario:

(1) Someone is Catholic.
(2) He/She generally goes to confession only once a year, and isn’t all that ‘religious’ about the faith.
(3) Unfortunately, this person dies in a state of mortal sin (before being able to make it to what would/could have been his/her last yearly confession).
(4) As a result (and/or for other reasons unknown to us), at his/her judgement, God decides not to mercifully extend salvation to this person, but instead, he/she goes to Hell, is eternally damned, and will be in a state of eternal and on-going punishment forever.

So here is the question:

Since this person has gone to confession a few times in his/her life, does the forgiveness and absolution that he/she did receive during his/her confessions still apply (thereby creating a situation in which this person is only eternally punished for the sins that were never absolved by sacramental confession), or will ALL of that person’s sins – even the ones that were forgiven and sacramentally absolved – be accounted for and punished during his/her eternal damnation in Hell?

In essence, does Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection end up ultimately gracing all peoples – even the ones who will be damned – with the mercy of God (in one capacity or another…through either lessened intensity of eternal punishment or greater intensity of eternal reward…depending on each individual person’s respective situation and spiritual state at death)?

Or in other words, will the souls who are damned in hell ultimately end up experiencing God’s mercy, too…(just in a different way)…and is Christ’s death and resurrection efficacious for all – even the damned? Or is Christ’s ultimate sacrifice only applied to those who will be in heaven? Moreover, if the latter is the case and not the former, what are the implications thereof in regards to the believed intrinsic/ontological efficaciousness of absolution that is received by sacramental confession)?

Please offer some discussion and/or reasons (as well as theological/Biblical authority if possible) for the answers/positions that you present?

Thank you, and God bless!!!

Besides Dante’s Inferno I have not heard of varying degrees of torment as it relates to Hell. I tend to feel its all equal. Like standing on a cliff… a slight slip and you fall… a great leap and you fall… a willful back-flip with a twist and tuck and again you fall. So whether all the sins or just a year’s worth are the cause of the damnation, it makes no difference. In the end, Hell exists apart from God and because God is not present in any degree, the souls of the damned will be in torment… not measured on a scale of 1 to 10 but completely.

 

[Albany]

hi tymers,

its a really good question one i think we’ve all poundered over.

I think the only person who can answer that question is Jesus so we don’t know until we die.

But here is my opinion (and its only my opinion before im accused of being judgemental again)

I think if your catholic then you should be catholic and thats means going to confession once a year or more regularly if you need to, like me. If you choose not to be catholic thats cool but what you decide to follow, unless it evil, follow it the best you can.
Just like if your married you have an obligation to your family well I think we also have an obligation to our faith too.

As for dying before confession then i think the sins you had absolution for are gone and the others remain. However i dont think that means you’ll burn in hell.
And i dont think that people who dont go to confession or follow a different religion just go to hell.
I often forget cause im quite selfish that Jesus loves everyone the same and he’ll fight as hard as he can for everyone of us. Even people who dont believe in him or even people who think they hate him.

So who gets into heaven - i dont think any human can answer that.

As for bible references -
John 16 33 “I have told you this so may have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer, but be brave I have defeated the world”.

No theological debate stuff though thats the best a girl like me can do.

Albany
xxx

 

[jesus4ever]

god always gives us time even bewteen dieing and being dead and i would say even just after you have diead that brief moment to say sorry and ask for forgiveness.

yes we have to go to confession and confession is great however when we are in danger and or dieing say father i am sorry for all my sins have mercy on my a sinner. say it and mean it with all your heart and he will except it. HOW CAN A FATHER LIKE HIM NOT EXCEPT IT he love us and wants us to be with him.

 

[Edmundus1581]

I believe that it is only a matter of private revelation and/or theological opinion that the punishments of hell are allocated according to the particular sins of the damned, but that it is not church doctrine. However, if it is the case, then I don’t expect that God would repeal the pardon for sins that were sacramentally absolved. There are few things as final as “I absolve you of your sins”. So, in this hypothetical, a person person who confessed annually would be punished less than a person with the same sins who never confessed. (Assuming both are Catholic, for the sake of simplicity).

 

[Garyjohn2]

The person would only be damned for the sins that were not confessed. The reason for this is that the others were forgiven. The only exception to this would be if the person had a change of heart before death and wasn’t really sorry for those confessed sins after all.

I’ve heard that outside of Dante’s inferno it is thought that there are differing levels of punishment in hell, just as there are differing levels of glorification in heaven. To account for God’s justice, the person who mortally sins with impure thoughts would not be punished to the extent as a serial rapist and killer, for example.