Reconciliation

[justcatholic997]

Last night, I fell into a state of mortal sin(what it was is unimportant) and I feel crushed. I feel like my prayers will have no merit and I feel like there isn’t any forgiveness until I go to confession. Problem is, soonest I can potentially confess is saturday. Is there any consolation I can feel(knowing there’s nothing I could realistically do) or is it my fate to feel like **** until I get absolved by a priest?

P.S-If your thoughts are running around the lines of “that’s what you get”, “well maybe you shouldn’t have done it”, or “well now you won’t do it again”, welcome to the thoughts that were keeping me awake last night. If that’s all you would have to say, please don’t post here, since I feel horrible already.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

If you didn’t feel horrible after sinning mortally, you likely wouldn’t be moved to give up your sin and go to confession. No sin, regardless of how small and minute, should not make us feel horrible after committing it. When sin doesn’t make us feel horrible, we’re in a very dangerous place.

You could try making an appointment to go earlier, if not, you can use this time of remorse and compunction to firmly resolve to never commit such sins again.

 

[littlestsouls2]

Hey! Don’t be discouraged!

“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 242should 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.”

• Blosius

(I tried sending you a pm, but it says that your inbox is full)

Pax!

 

[Used2beSherryG]

I found myself in a foreign country in a small village, in fact and needed a confessor. I went to the nearest Catholic church and found the priest could not speak any English at all! However, after looking at me intently and quizzically, I stopped and asked if he could speak English in my halting few words of Spanish. He shook his head no, but waved at me to continue, pointing to the sky, saying Dios and pointing to his ear I confessed my sins as usual and when I ceased speaking, he spoke a bit and looked at me again. I knew that it was my turn to say an Act of Contrition. When I stopped talking, he gave me absolution (in Spanish)in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit at which time I felt the same gratitude and relief that comes with a good confession in my own language. He helped me see that he is only the agent and that Jesus truly hears my confession and offers absolution. Get an appt if you can and get this off your chest sooner rather than later. God bless you.

 

[chaplainmom]

The emotional psychological value of confession is to experience the mercy of Christ through another human being. Telling another trusted mature person what exactly you did - and experiencing their unconditional acceptance of you - is what confession is all about. If you have a trusted confidant to confide in, who might be able to help support you in the future to avoid this sin again - you are walking in the right direction.

The priest is supposed to be completely confidential. Today there should be other people in this world who you can trust who are also confidential. This will help you psychologically heal. Spiritually, the priest is supposed to do his own penance for each confession he hears. He is given special graces to help you heal supernaturally from this sinful tendency.

I’d suggest finding a mentor person who you can tell who will keep you accountable and seeing the priest on Saturday.

 

[e_c]

Make a perfect act of contrition (expression of sorrow for sin, desire to avoid all sin in the future, desire to make amends/do penance, intention to approach the Sacrament when it becomes possible). You will then be forgiven by God (yes, this is our Faith). You will be reconciled to the Church through the Sacrament when it becomes available.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

The emotional psychological value of confession is to experience the mercy of Christ through another human being. Telling another trusted mature person what exactly you did - and experiencing their unconditional acceptance of you - is what confession is all about. If you have a trusted confidant to confide in, who might be able to help support you in the future to avoid this sin again - you are walking in the right direction.

The priest is supposed to be completely confidential. Today there should be other people in this world who you can trust who are also confidential. This will help you psychologically heal. Spiritually, the priest is supposed to do his own penance for each confession he hears. He is given special graces to help you heal supernaturally from this sinful tendency.

I’d suggest finding a mentor person who you can tell who will keep you accountable and seeing the priest on Saturday.

This is wrong. When you go to Confession, the priest is sitting in the person of Christ there to absolve your sins. It’s not about confessing your sins to another person and their unconditional acceptance of you. When you go to confession, you are speaking to Christ himself who absolves you himself. The priest is merely the conduit.

 

[brad90956]

When you go to confession, you are speaking to Christ himself who absolves you himself. The priest is merely the conduit.

I believe that is what “chaplinmom” said in the first sentence of her post.

 

[peter26]

Problem is, soonest I can potentially confess is Saturday.

Go to a daily Mass tomorrow. Afterwards, ask the priest to hear a quick confession. Unless he has an urgent appointment, he will probably agree. Priests have a very serious duty under canon law to hear confessions.