D
Dranu
Guest
As it stands I have seen conflicting advice on whether or not to confess past sins (most likely for a second time). For one, I know doctrinally one is to confess all mortal sins that are forgotten in confession, and then number and kind, with good precession, is required for validity. However, I can find nothing that indicates what to do when there is small doubt.
For instance, let us say one confesses all past sins, then in time comes to doubt the absolute validity of the confession either in specificity (perhaps one might have left out a particular detail that might make a sin sound a little worse) or in number because of the haziness that begins to set when one thinks back on the confession where memory once use to be clear. Should they go back and re-confess all known past sins just to make sure, or is it possible that they could be justified in suppressing those doubts?
The above is my situation. It has been over a year since my general confession and when reflecting on it I am worried that perhaps I might have left a detail out (not because memory indicates so, but rather because of a lack of precise memory). I am not even sure that I did, I remember trying to be as bold/honest as possible, but perhaps I am or even was deceiving myself into thinking my attitude was such and I just do not fully realize it, for I certainly remember not wishing to go into detail, even though I acted contrary to that wish. Reason seems to indicate to let it go, but perhaps I am just rationalizing it so I will not have to keep on re-confessing (not a rather pleasant thing to do
). I cannot seem to let go of the doubt, since the doubt seems to be over such a serious issue as the sacrament, and I am not 100% certain that my doubt is wrong. Perhaps I have too much of a legalistic mindset, yet at the same time doubt gnaws at me that perhaps I have too little of such a frame of mind.
Anyhow, what I am hoping for is that someone may have some links or resources that indicate doctrinal pronouncements on such an issue. Specifically on increasingly imprecise memory of a thing that requires precision to be valid and/or on the level of precision that needs to be met in any particular confession. The best I can find is ‘kind and number without neglecting circumstances that can change the nature of the sin’ for precision of a particular confession and ‘confess past mortal sins that were forgotten’ for as far as memory is concerned.
For instance, let us say one confesses all past sins, then in time comes to doubt the absolute validity of the confession either in specificity (perhaps one might have left out a particular detail that might make a sin sound a little worse) or in number because of the haziness that begins to set when one thinks back on the confession where memory once use to be clear. Should they go back and re-confess all known past sins just to make sure, or is it possible that they could be justified in suppressing those doubts?
The above is my situation. It has been over a year since my general confession and when reflecting on it I am worried that perhaps I might have left a detail out (not because memory indicates so, but rather because of a lack of precise memory). I am not even sure that I did, I remember trying to be as bold/honest as possible, but perhaps I am or even was deceiving myself into thinking my attitude was such and I just do not fully realize it, for I certainly remember not wishing to go into detail, even though I acted contrary to that wish. Reason seems to indicate to let it go, but perhaps I am just rationalizing it so I will not have to keep on re-confessing (not a rather pleasant thing to do
). I cannot seem to let go of the doubt, since the doubt seems to be over such a serious issue as the sacrament, and I am not 100% certain that my doubt is wrong. Perhaps I have too much of a legalistic mindset, yet at the same time doubt gnaws at me that perhaps I have too little of such a frame of mind.Anyhow, what I am hoping for is that someone may have some links or resources that indicate doctrinal pronouncements on such an issue. Specifically on increasingly imprecise memory of a thing that requires precision to be valid and/or on the level of precision that needs to be met in any particular confession. The best I can find is ‘kind and number without neglecting circumstances that can change the nature of the sin’ for precision of a particular confession and ‘confess past mortal sins that were forgotten’ for as far as memory is concerned.