Sin & unable to partake in reconciliation

[Chris1112]

Greetings! I’ve recently been learning more about sin and the penance/reconciliation sacrament but can’t find any information on what I am suppose to do about reconciliation as an unbaptized/unconfirmed person. I’m planning to enroll in the RCIA program in September (I think… I’m still arguing with myself about it), and wouldn’t be baptized/confirmed for over a year.

There is a lot of advice on these forums instructing people in error to go to confession and take communion, but I don’t have these options. It’s a little distressing that I now recognize I’ve committed sins and would like to set things right but the only instructed methods of reconciliation are not available at this time. It’s bothering me greatly now as far as feeling terrible and guilty… I’m not looking forward to a full year feeling this way (sorry if that sounds selfish, I know my sins are about more than just how ‘I’ feel). I’m wondering if there is any official instruction or doctrine as far as reconciliation I could/should be doing at this point to make things as right as I possibly can?

 

[HoosierGal]

You can always go to reconciliation and explain that you are not Catholic (yet) but would like to confess. The priest cannot give you absolution, but will give you a blessing. He may also give you advice. I think you will feel better.

All of your sins (and the temporal punishment, i.e. purgatory) will be forgiven when you are baptized, so everything will be washed away and you will be white as snow. So get to that RCIA class!!

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Make an appointment and go see the priest/pastor. Explain it all to him.
’
You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

Only baptised people can receive the sacraments.

The solution for you is to bring your baptism forward, baptism itself will reconcile you with God you will not need confession, that is the thing to discuss with your priest.

 

[Chris1112]

So get to that RCIA class!!

The next RCIA program starts in September and runs through Easter. I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to do it, I just hesitate not knowing enough about Catholicism at this point… still learning and keeping an open mind though.

The solution for you is to bring your baptism forward, baptism itself will reconcile you with God you will not need confession, that is the thing to discuss with your priest.

Apparently, I go through RCIA first then get baptized right before confirmation… with the next classes starting in September, that puts my baptism at next Easter… feels like a very, very long time away.

Is confession a sacrament and I’m not suppose to do that without being Catholic? I thought it was similar to communion?

I’ll make an appointment with a priest/pastor though as suggested. Is that a normal thing that people do (call and make an appointment) or is that going to seem very odd of me? When Catholics have questions about stuff like this, how do you approach people in your church to get answers? Do you always make appointments with a priest or is there someone specific in the hierarchy whose job it is to field random questions? I have a sponsor but she wasn’t able to answer my questions and I wasn’t sure really what to do because it didn’t seem to be a big deal to her and the question was just sort of brushed off.

 

[HoosierGal]

The next RCIA program starts in September and runs through Easter. I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to do it, I just hesitate not knowing enough about Catholicism at this point… still learning and keeping an open mind though.

Apparently, I go through RCIA first then get baptized right before confirmation… with the next classes starting in September, that puts my baptism at next Easter… feels like a very, very long time away.

Is confession a sacrament and I’m not suppose to do that without being Catholic? I thought it was similar to communion?

I’ll make an appointment with a priest/pastor though as suggested. Is that a normal thing that people do (call and make an appointment) or is that going to seem very odd of me? When Catholics have questions about stuff like this, how do you approach people in your church to get answers? Do you always make appointments with a priest or is there someone specific in the hierarchy whose job it is to field random questions? I have a sponsor but she wasn’t able to answer my questions and I wasn’t sure really what to do because it didn’t seem to be a big deal to her and the question was just sort of brushed off.

I also researched a LONG time before joining RCIA. I sometimes got confused, but in the end I saw that the Catholic Church had it right. Yes, you go through RCIA, then at the Easter Vigil you will be baptized, confirmed and have your first communion. Then you can start going to the sacrament of reconciliation as the need arises.

Yes, confession is a sacrament, or at least the absolution part is. I’m no authority on the matter, but at my parish non-Catholics are permitted to go to confession but they cannot receive absolution (forgiveness of sins) because they are not fully in the Church for whatever reason. In RCIA, some people wanted to go to confession, even though they were going to be baptized, because they just felt better about saying their sins to a priest. They were permitted to do that.

Asking for an appointment to talk to a priest is very common, you won’t look odd. You may want to tell the secretary what your question is, or at least mention that you are considering RCIA soon, but have questions you want to talk to a priest about.

I hope this helps. And I will be praying for you as the Holy Spirit guides you on your faith journey.

 

[HoosierGal]

IWhen Catholics have questions about stuff like this, how do you approach people in your church to get answers? Do you always make appointments with a priest or is there someone specific in the hierarchy whose job it is to field random questions? I have a sponsor but she wasn’t able to answer my questions and I wasn’t sure really what to do because it didn’t seem to be a big deal to her and the question was just sort of brushed off.

The head of the RCIA program may be able to help. There may be brochures available that answer the most common questions. Many parishes have “discover the faith” sessions where a speaker comes in one night a week for a while and talks about a specific aspect of Catholicism. Just keep trying and you will meet up with a couple of people that will be able to answer your questions. But again, it is fine to seek out the priest to get answers to your questions.

 

[tee_eff_em]

Is confession a sacrament and I’m not suppose to do that without being Catholic? I thought it was similar to communion?

Reconciliation (Confession) is a sacrament, which is out of reach to the unbaptized. So is Communion.
What do you mean by I thought it was similar to communion??

tee

 

[markomalley]

Greetings! I’ve recently been learning more about sin and the penance/reconciliation sacrament but can’t find any information on what I am suppose to do about reconciliation as an unbaptized/unconfirmed person. I’m planning to enroll in the RCIA program in September (I think… I’m still arguing with myself about it), and wouldn’t be baptized/confirmed for over a year.

There is a lot of advice on these forums instructing people in error to go to confession and take communion, but I don’t have these options. It’s a little distressing that I now recognize I’ve committed sins and would like to set things right but the only instructed methods of reconciliation are not available at this time. It’s bothering me greatly now as far as feeling terrible and guilty… I’m not looking forward to a full year feeling this way (sorry if that sounds selfish, I know my sins are about more than just how ‘I’ feel). I’m wondering if there is any official instruction or doctrine as far as reconciliation I could/should be doing at this point to make things as right as I possibly can?

The fact that you feel contrition for your sins is adequate for now and God will honor that if your intent is to go through the RCIA program and be baptized on the Easter Vigil.

As is stated in the Catechism,
1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the sacrament.
On that great day when you are baptized and received into the Church, there will not be any need to confess those sins committed prior to your baptism. Again, we refer to the Catechism:1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam’s sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God.
Feeling bad about the sins is good. Wishing for Christ’s Salvation is good. Looking forward to that day when all your sins will be washed away is good. But I wouldn’t dwell on it to the point of being concerned about damnation…***provided ***that you keep on going down the path toward being baptized.

I’ll say a prayer for you on your journey tonight. Welcome home!!!

 

[LindaSK]

Don’t hesitate to call the priest. He is the one who would listen to your Confession, even though, as others have said, he can’t give you absolution. He can still counsel you You would probably be allowed to attend RCIA for the information. It may answer some of your questions. It is too late, though, for you to come into the Church this Easter.

God bless.

 

[Ron_Conte]

You absolutely may NOT receive the Sacraments of Confession or Communion before the Sacrament of Baptism.

An unbaptized person can be forgiven from sin, prior to Baptism, by perfect contrition, which is sorrow and repentance from sin out of love for God, with at least the desire to receive Confession (which you state that you have).

Act of perfect contrition

My God, I am sorry for having offended you and
for having harmed my neighbor. I regret all of my
sins, because I fear the loss of Heaven and the
pains of Hell, but most of all out of love for you,
my Savior, who is perfect in Love and Mercy. I
firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to
confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my
life. Amen.

(of course this prayer must be said sincerely
with true sorrow for sin motivated by the love of God)

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

If my memory serves me right it is actually impossible for someone unbaptised to receive the effects of the sacrament due to the effects of original sin which keeps them closed off.

So even if someone went through the outward signs of the sacrament there would be no actual effect and it would be utterly pointless.

 

[o_mlly]

Only baptised people can receive the sacraments.
…

True, except for the sacrament of Baptism itself.

 

[HoosierGal]

If my memory serves me right it is actually impossible for someone unbaptised to receive the effects of the sacrament due to the effects of original sin which keeps them closed off.

So even if someone went through the outward signs of the sacrament there would be no actual effect and it would be utterly pointless.

Before my baptism, while in RCIA, I routinely said “spiritual communion” prayers. It definitely had effect. I also knew people who went to confession and received a blessing instead of absolution, and they felt so much better. So I would say it had an effect. Obviously God understands the entire situation and will give sincere people the grace they need, even if they cannot partake of the actual sacraments. So while I agree that they are not getting the full effects of the sacraments, I would not agree that it is utterly pointless.

When a person is in RCIA and have gone through the Rite of Acceptance (usually in September), if they were to die afterwards but before baptism/confirmation, they would be buried in a Catholic cemetary.

 

[Chris1112]

First, thanks everyone for your responses! This information is really helpful for me at this point in my life and I’m happy to have some tools to work with now. I like the ‘Act of Contrition’ and ‘Spiritual Communion’ prayers quite a bit – I couldn’t have gotten better advice! Of course, in application, I ran across some confusion, so maybe someone could clarify. I’m really, really sorry if this sounds silly… but this part of the ‘Act of Contrition’ :

… I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to
confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my
life…

Does this part mean that with ‘the help of your grace’ I will convert in the future and resolve ‘to confess my sins, to do penance’ as a practicing Catholic?

Or does this part mean I’m suppose to ‘confess my sins’ and ‘do penance’ right now? I didn’t think it did at first, but it is called an ‘Act of Contrition’ so is this the ‘Act’ part? If it is… I guess the confessing is what I should probably just do in prayer and I do penance by…

Ugh, I feel embarrassed even asking… if this is covered in the ‘Catholics For Dummies’ book I haven’t found it yet.

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

You are simply voicing your desire and intention to God to do those things as soon as you are able to, none of which you would be able to do without His help hence the part that says with the help of His grace.

Now to do them yes you would need to become Catholic as confession in this prayer means confession to a Priest in the sacrament of penance.

Presumably you do intend to do that right?

 

[HoosierGal]

First, thanks everyone for your responses! This information is really helpful for me at this point in my life and I’m happy to have some tools to work with now. I like the ‘Act of Contrition’ and ‘Spiritual Communion’ prayers quite a bit – I couldn’t have gotten better advice! Of course, in application, I ran across some confusion, so maybe someone could clarify. I’m really, really sorry if this sounds silly… but this part of the ‘Act of Contrition’ :

Does this part mean that with ‘the help of your grace’ I will convert in the future and resolve ‘to confess my sins, to do penance’ as a practicing Catholic?

Or does this part mean I’m suppose to ‘confess my sins’ and ‘do penance’ right now? I didn’t think it did at first, but it is called an ‘Act of Contrition’ so is this the ‘Act’ part? If it is… I guess the confessing is what I should probably just do in prayer and I do penance by…

Ugh, I feel embarrassed even asking… if this is covered in the ‘Catholics For Dummies’ book I haven’t found it yet.

When people go to sacramental confession, they receive a special grace from God to help them refrain from the sins they just confessed to. I think that is what it means by “with the help of your grace”. This makes sacramental confession very powerful, because if you are sincerely sorry for even a venial sin, then by the grace of God you receive quite a boost in your ability to avoid this sin in the future. This is a wonderful way to work on bad habits and character flaws, and thereby grow in virtue and holiness. To me, the sacrament of confession is the best part of being Catholic! Well, except for the Eucharist, of course.

Personally, I think it would be very pleasing to God for you to say the act of contrition prayer, confess your sins to God, express your sorrow, beg for his grace, and offer to do penance. Penance could be a prayer, doing something kind for someone, refraining from a favorite food or snack for a day, etc. It need not be anything drastic! At any rate, it can never be wrong to pray to God and be sorry for your sins, and to offer penance. So give it a try and see how it feels. Also, please talk with a priest. Priests love to guide people like you.

And if you can, and feel like it, drop us a post and let us know how things are working out.

If you have any more questions or confusion, just ask.

 

[Chris1112]

Presumably you do intend to do that right?

Right, I do intend to do that. At least, I think I do…I want to but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have at least some anxiety/fear/confusion over the issue – its a very big life-changing decision from what I understand and that’s a hard thing to accept at this point.

Anyway, enough of my musings and back to the point… I think this makes better sense now… from what I understand… the confessing/penance isn’t the ‘Act’ of the ‘Act of Contrition’ then… the ‘Act’ is the desire and intent to do those things?

 

[HoosierGal]

Right, I do intend to do that. At least, I think I do…I want to but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have at least some anxiety/fear/confusion over the issue – its a very big life-changing decision from what I understand and that’s a hard thing to accept at this point.

Anyway, enough of my musings and back to the point… I think this makes better sense now… from what I understand… the confessing/penance isn’t the ‘Act’ of the ‘Act of Contrition’ then… the ‘Act’ is the desire and intent to do those things?

The “act” is the expression of sorrow, which is what the prayer is expressing. You are expressing your sorrow, or acting sorrowful.

 

[Advocatus_Fidei]

Right, I do intend to do that. At least, I think I do…I want to but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have at least some anxiety/fear/confusion over the issue – its a very big life-changing decision from what I understand and that’s a hard thing to accept at this point.

Anyway, enough of my musings and back to the point… I think this makes better sense now… from what I understand… the confessing/penance isn’t the ‘Act’ of the ‘Act of Contrition’ then… the ‘Act’ is the desire and intent to do those things?

Intentions is all that is needed Chris, certainty comes later in my experience, take the leap!