Reconfessing sin

  • Thread starter Thread starter Holland
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Holland

Guest
I have a particularly bad sin I committed early in my life. I have confessed that sin and received absolution but it comes back to me from time to time. Sometimes it hangs around a lot longer than I would like and for no particular reason. I am thinking if I could confess the sin again maybe it would go away faster. It is all right to do that, to confess a sin that has already been forgiven?
 
Well, you should not confess it again, because God has already forgiven you - and if you did confess it, you are saying you know better than God does on these matters, and that would surely be a sin.

It’s quite possible that you don’t question whether God has forgiven you, but rather that you still feel remorse. It’s certainly fine and wonderful to discuss the matter with a priest, to hear his words on how to get over it, but that’s different than a confession. The answer lies in prayer, maybe reading the Bible where we learn how much God loves us, and knows what retched sinners we are - God loves us infinitely! Knowing that, and praying, will hopefully get you on a path where you can fully accept God’s forgiveness.

One last point - in today’s devotion in the Magnificat, there was a great sentence that was very useful to me - “Live life today, and leave the future to God.” The same applies to the past.

Good luck!
 
I have a little story that may help you.

Our Lord started appearing to St Margaret Mary to establish the devotion to His Sacred Heart.
She told her confessor. Eventually the confessor decided to test her. He said," Next time our Lord appears to you ask Him what my last mortal sin was." She did , and when she next saw her confessor he asked her what our Lord said. To the confessors great surprise she sid," He said He doesn’t remember."
That’s how it is with God. Once you make a good confession and receive absolution your sin is gone and forgotten in God’s eyes.

Hope this helps.
 
40.png
Holland:
I have a particularly bad sin I committed early in my life. I have confessed that sin and received absolution but it comes back to me from time to time. Sometimes it hangs around a lot longer than I would like and for no particular reason. I am thinking if I could confess the sin again maybe it would go away faster. It is all right to do that, to confess a sin that has already been forgiven?
Click to expand...
Your post brings to mind some some good advice I once read in one of the Scrupulous Anonymous newsletters: “You must separate what you feel from what you know.” This is not always easy, as I can attest myself! I have to presume that, as a Catholic, you believe (i.e., you know) that your sins have been forgiven in sacramental confession. However, you are still feeling guilty for having committed those sins. That is OK, and over time these feelings will abate if you willfully push them out of your mind. One thing you must not do, however, for the sake of your spiritual well-being, is to confess a sin that has already been forgiven. This is spiritually very unhealthful. Whenever you start to feel guilty about a sin you have confessed, try to distract yourself, such as by saying a prayer to God to bring peace to your heart, talking with a friend, doing something productive, etc. What you must resist is the temptation to dwell on these feelings and thoughts - idleness can bring bad thoughts to your mind and should be avoided. Your sins have been forgiven - be at peace.
 
Another poster mentioned “Scrupulous Anonymous”. I have had exactly the same tendency you mention, and I found the material at Scrupulous Anonymous very helpful. It is completely orthodox, and much of the same advice was given to me by a very orthodox priest when I was struggling with this problem.

I strongly suggest you read the advice at the Scrupulous Anonymous web site, and take it to heart.

The URL is Scrupulous Anonymous - http://mission.liguori.org/newsletters/scrupanon.htm

Have peace, and remember that Jesus wants to save you more than you want to be saved. He loves you just the way you are, with all your faults and failings, sins, and even your scrupulosity. He wants to heal you of this painful spiritual illness. Have confidence in him!
 
I have struggled with this myself. Sometimes, we are so horrified by an act we committed in the past, that we find it impossible to believe that God could really forgive us for it. After all, we cannot even forgive ourselves. If you are having this trouble, it is most likely the work of the Evil One. He delights in making people believe that they are unlovable by God. But this is a lie. The thought that I have committed an unforgivable sin sometimes creeps into my thoughts. But I now know that nothing is impossible for God. The only problem is me, my faith, and my need to strengthen my faith in God. It is difficult, but we must be careful not to offend God with our own faulty thinking. And I believe it would be an offense to re-confess an already absolved sin.
 
What type of sin are we talking about here, venial or mortal?

I was brought up believing that if I confess my sin and recommit it I have to go to confession again . Has nothing to do with whether God forgave me the first time, but my inability to stay away from the sin.

PLEASE ADVICE…
 
40.png
Jonah:
What type of sin are we talking about here, venial or mortal?

I was brought up believing that if I confess my sin and recommit it I have to go to confession again . Has nothing to do with whether God forgave me the first time, but my inability to stay away from the sin.

PLEASE ADVICE…
Click to expand...
We are not talking about a sin that has been recommitted. It was a one time sin, that was already confessed and absolved. If you commit a sin over again, then yes, you need to go back to confession. But you shouldn’t confess one instance of sin twice. I don’t know if that makes it more clear or not. :confused:
 
How about this?
" Forget the former things and do not dwell on the past, See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and the wasteland."- Isaiah 43:18-19
 
Thanks everyone! I went to the Scrupulous Anonymous website and looked around. I can definitely say being scrupulous is not my problem. Like most people I tend to rationalize the bad stuff I do. As for repeating the sin; it isn’t one of those types of sins. It comes under bad decisions about life that shake your soul to pieces. It took me over 20 years to make it back to the Catholic Church and I can definitely say I have found peace. I need to realize I have been forgiven. Knowing you have been forgiven and realizing it are two different things. Thanks Again!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top