Sin from Childhood - Confess now?

[Elizabeth_T]

I have a question: if we reflect upon our behavior from childhood to adulthood and we realize that something we did as a child that we didn’t know then was a sin was indeed a sin, is it a sin and should we confess it?

Thank you and I apologize for being so ignorant.

Elizabeth

 

[Pug]

You do not need to confess it. It can’t have been a mortal sin because you did not know it was wrong when you did it. For a sin to be mortal, you have to have full knowledge. You did not, so it was not mortal. Only mortal sins need to be confessed, but other sins can be helpful to confess. Finding out later on that something you did was wrong does not turn it into a sin. It doesn’t go back in time like that.

From the CCC

**1859 **Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

And please, feel free to ask! Don’t worry!

 

[SMHW]

In general, you shouldn’t have to confess it.

But if it was actually serious, or if it really bothers you, then there is no harm in mentioning it next time you go to confession. But doing so would be more for your piece of mind than for a need for forgiveness.

 

[puzzleannie]

I have a question: if we reflect upon our behavior from childhood to adulthood and we realize that something we did as a child that we didn’t know then was a sin was indeed a sin, is it a sin and should we confess it?

Thank you and I apologize for being so ignorant.

Elizabeth

If you did not know it was a sin when you did it, you did not commit a sin at that time. If you have already made a confession of sins of your past life, they have all been absolved, even the ones you have forgotten about, and there is no need to confess them again, unless your confessor or spiritual director allows you to do so.

 

[Elizabeth_T]

Pug, SMHW and puzzleannie: thanks so much for answering my question.

This was a subject matter that has been bothering me for a while and so I thank you for all of your answers!

 

[Carthusianish]

In general, you shouldn’t have to confess it.

But if it was actually serious, or if it really bothers you, then there is no harm in mentioning it next time you go to confession. But doing so would be more for your piece of mind than for a need for forgiveness.

I would agree with this post.

There is no harm in mentioning it and if it is significant enough for you to still be thinking about it may very well be beneficial to mention it and get it off your chest.

There is nothing to lose but what seems to be a bit of guilt about it that is still bothering you whether it was a sin or not.

 

[Elizabeth_T]

Thank you for your thoughtful insight, Carthusianish. I really do appreciate it and will most likely take the advice of everyone in this thread.

Thank you, again, and God bless,

Elizabeth