Question on Confession

[Alex1]

If you go to confession on a Saturday knowing full well that you are going to commit a certain venial sin on Monday, does this make it invalid?

I asked my local priest and he said this would make the confession invalid. However, his English is limited and I’m not sure if he understood what I was asking.

Can someone confirm?

 

[CatholicNick]

If you go to confession on a Saturday knowing full well that you are going to commit a certain venial sin on Monday, does this make it invalid?

I asked my local priest and he said this would make the confession invalid. However, his English is limited and I’m not sure if he understood what I was asking.

Can someone confirm?

Depends on what the act is - whether it is sufficiently grave or not. You have to be more specific I’m afraid.

 

[Alex1]

Does it make a difference when the act is venial? The act in particular was 3 students collaborating on a take-home quiz.

If this is true, then it means a lot of confessions are invalid as many go to confession knowing full well they’re going to continue stealing cable channels/taking 2 hour lunch breaks/using expired bus passes/etc.

 

[LilyM]

Does it make a difference when the act is venial? The act in particular was 3 students collaborating on a take-home quiz.

If this is true, then it means a lot of confessions are invalid as many go to confession knowing full well they’re going to continue stealing cable channels/taking 2 hour lunch breaks/using expired bus passes/etc.

There’s a difference between full intention and plans to continue with a particular sin, and the situation most repeat penitents are in. Most of us desire and want sincerely to stop sinning, but are aware of our frailties, know that we’ve failed in the past and are aware that we may fail again in the future, though certainly we aren’t planning on doing so.

That’s why in the act of contrition we make the resolution to avoid sin and the occasion of sin (that which we know will tempt us) 'with the help of your (God’s) grace. We know that without it we’re all incredibly weak. And some sins, especially the ones that are easy to continue or easy to get away with, are particularly difficult to stop as well.

Of course God can’t be fooled - people who fully and consciously intend and plan to keep sinning aren’t absolved of that particular sin. And if they try to confess they’re guilty of a further sin, which is called ‘presumption’ (though this actually, to my understanding, only does apply to mortal sins - so there does seem to be a difference).

And very often these people are the ones who won’t confess ever, because they just don’t see anything wrong with what they’re doing.