Scared to go to confession!

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marvi43

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So I’m a new Catholic and wanted to do confession yesterday but was freaked out when I read this and examined my conscious, ugh…

ncregister.com/info/confession_guide_for_adults/

I hate to say it but I’m a HUGE sinner according to this guide. Has anyone else had anxiety about this? Any advice? I just don’t want my priest to think any different of me and I want to do it face to face not behind the curtain.

Brett
 
It is very likely that your priest has, himself, confessed to many of the same sins you wish to confess, and it is also very likely that your priest will be happy for you that you’ve chosen to confess them. 🙂
 
dont wory, everyone is nervous about this at one time or another.

priests are not allowed to act on anything they hear in the confessional under pain of excommunication. also, there is no new sin, everything that you could possably say has been heard by the priest many times before.

look at it from another perspecive, anxiety is an excellent motivation to make an effort not to sin
 
Maybe I’ll make my first time with another priest from another parish then I can feel better about seeing my priest.
 
A priest knows how hard it can be to go to confession. Your priest will not think differently of you. Everyone has sinned! (Unfortunately.) He has heard all this before. You are not the first to say what you will say, and you won’t be the last. Be not afraid!

If I may give some advice: don’t fall into the trap of telling your priest only your “lesser” sins and saving the “biggies” for some other priest. Your regular confessor can spiritually guide you best if he gets to know you, your sins, your weaknesses, etc. He will not lose respect for you. If fact, I bet a priest has a high regard for those who confess the biggies and confess regularly, because he knows you take the sacrament and your faith seriously.
 
Your concerns are common here is some help
  1. You can pick your Priest, check with the office who is available, and schedule an appointment with a priest you feel comfortable with
  2. Tell the Priest this is your first time and you may need his help with this, tell him you want to learn to do the sacrament properly
  3. He has heard it all to the point he does not want to hear it again. We think this is news, however he probably thinks –hey, it is the same list I hear over, and over, and over again
  4. Do not go first, sad truth is the Priest is human and the process wears him down, after 4, or 5 he wants out, believe me he is not waiting with baited breath to hear your sins, he is waiting for you to tell God you screwed up so he can give you the graces which derive from repenting
  5. Last, when he gives you your penance you will forget, it is because you have so much on your mind so say the act of contrition ever night for a week
Btw – your penance is usually extremely similar to the others confessing that day.

It gets easier the more you go
 
I just recently made my first confession, and boy, did I have quite the laundry list!

To ensure that I confessed EVERYTHING, I made a list and carried it with me to confession. Making a list can be quite daunting, especially as you see it grow and grow…

Another benefit to making a list is the satisfaction of destroying it after your confession! Throwing it away, burning it, or tearing it to shreds are fulfilling, tangible ways to help assure you that your sins have been wiped away!

Going into confession can be scary, but leaving, assured of God’s forgiveness and blessed with grace to carry on, is totally worth it! I LOVE confession now! Make use of the sacrament often, but remember that it’s not just about getting a clean slate–it’s about perfect contrition, feeling sorry for offending God.
 
If you have a long list of sins to confess this is what I recommend:

Ask the priest if he is comfortable as this is going to take a while

Bring snacks for the break

(J/K)

👍 👍 👍
 
Focus on how good you’ll feel after it is all over. Oh yea, and think of the party they will be having for you in heaven for you! 🙂
 
marvi43 said:
So I’m a new Catholic and wanted to do confession yesterday but was freaked out when I read this and examined my conscious, ugh…

ncregister.com/info/confession_guide_for_adults/

I hate to say it but I’m a HUGE sinner according to this guide. Has anyone else had anxiety about this? Any advice? I just don’t want my priest to think any different of me and I want to do it face to face not behind the curtain.

Brett
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you were all set to go to confession, but after reading this guide you found you have a lot of sins, and now you don’t want to go to confession, and are asking for advice? is this a trick question? Why wouldn’t that increase your desire for this sacrament of healing and forgiveness? The priest does not thing anything of you except that you, like every single person who comes to him, and himself, is a sinner in need of forgiveness and reconciliation in this sacrament.
 
Well, I guess I just feel that I didn’t want to dissapoint my priest. He really wants me to get involved and I do too! I just had this feeling that if I confessed my sins to him he’d look at my like I was unworthy or just not good enough. I didn’t want to go into the confessional with a huge novel and confess all my sins and have him go “what? Brett… sheesh!”

Anyways, I hope that kinda clarifies things.

Brett
 
marvi43 said:
Well, I guess I just feel that I didn’t want to dissapoint my priest. He really wants me to get involved and I do too! I just had this feeling that if I confessed my sins to him he’d look at my like I was unworthy or just not good enough. I didn’t want to go into the confessional with a huge novel and confess all my sins and have him go “what? Brett… sheesh!”

Anyways, I hope that kinda clarifies things.

Brett
Click to expand...
Shoot - this is an easy fix.

Go to a different parish for confession!
 
marvi43 said:
I just had this feeling that if I confessed my sins to him he’d look at my like I was unworthy or just not good enough. I
Click to expand...
get in line
we are all unworthy, including the priest, and are forgiven through God’s good grace in this sacrament, for which we are ALL “good enough” to receive.
 
marvi43 said:
Well, I guess I just feel that I didn’t want to dissapoint my priest. … I didn’t want to go into the confessional with a huge novel and confess all my sins and have him go “what? Brett… sheesh!”
Click to expand...
I doubt that will happen. When I went back after 7 or 8 years away, I sought out a priest that I knew because I knew I would be met with understanding and gentleness. I had looked at some examinations of conscience and felt like I could answer “yes” to just about every question. I didn’t have a novel, but several mortal sins that were fairly easy to sum up in a couple of sentences. Father did not fall out of his chair or gasp in horror. It was a wonderful experience.

I can almost promise you that he will be GLAD to see you in the confessional. Our pastor told us (at a parent meeting for our kids’ First Confession) that he does not look down on those who come to confession, but is rather awed and humbled that they come to him. A priest can not act on any information that he receives in the confessional, so if he was asking you to get involved before confession, that should not change just because you confessed whatever is on your list.
 
Don’t worry. Besides the Seal, the priest forgets everything you say to him the moment you have spoken it. He can forumulate no opinion of you whatsoever. I reccomend going behind the curtain. One of the greatest parts of Confession is that you can be anonymous.

God Bless,
BenedictMary
 
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