Sins that were committed before I knew what it was

[Jonathan77]

I’ve committed some grave sins in the past before I even knew what the sins would be called. I have also gone to confession many times since committing those sins without confessing them. What I’m wondering is, do I still have to confess those sins that happened many years ago w/o knowing what they were?

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I would suggest that you mention this to your priest in confession next time. Explain to him that you committed sin X many years ago but did not know at the time that the sin was called X and so didn’t confess it. He will take it from there and either ask you other questions, absolve you, or if it wasn’t a sin for some reason (such as if you didn’t know it was a sin) he will explain that to you. In any event once you have mentioned these you won’t have to worry about them any more. God bless.

 

[Bradskii]

I’ve committed some grave sins in the past before I even knew what the sins would be called. I have also gone to confession many times since committing those sins without confessing them. What I’m wondering is, do I still have to confess those sins that happened many years ago w/o knowing what they were?

Let’s say that you copied some paragraphs from a book and put them into an essay you had to write. I’d assume that you’d know that that is cheating. Hence a sin. The fact that you might not know that it is called plagiarism doesn’t prevent you from confessing it.

I’m not sure that not knowing the actual definition of the sins you have commited (and which you appear to realise that you have commited) is an excuse not to confess them.

 

[Francis]

do I still have to confess those sins that happened many years ago w/o knowing what they were?

Yes since you realized those sins are grievous, you can make a general confession at any time ,by fixing an appointment with a priest.you can do such from time to time if you remember such sins ,i do it whenever i remember past sins.Trust in God after confessing them, Jesus never remember them ,be at peace .

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-wor...entals/penance/examinations-of-conscience.cfm

Before celebrating the Sacrament of Penance, one should prepare oneself with an examination of conscience, which involves reflecting prayerfully on one’s thoughts, words, and deeds in order to identify any sins.

There are various types of examinations of conscience but regardless of which one you use to prepare yourself for the Sacrament it should be rooted in Scripture; particularly, the Ten Commandments and Beatitudes. Below are a few examples of Examinations of Conscience that can help you prepare for the Sacrament.

Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments

Examination of Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching I En Español

Examination of Conscience for Children

Examination of Conscience for Young Adults

Examination of Conscience for Single People

Examination of Conscience for Married Persons

 

[Dan_Defender]

When in doubt, confess. I’ve never heard the priest tell me, oh you shouldn’t have confessed that or anything like that.

 

[Kei]

If it is weighing on your mind, it might be best to confess them. Now, they are probably already forgiven if you intended to make good confessions prior, but if it is on your mind and it bothers you, you should probably confess it. As said above, when in doubt, confess.

 

[Kei]

I think he meant to imply by the phrase great ignorance in general, and not only ignorance of the name.

 

[LittleFlower378]

It matters if you knew if they were a sin, not knowing what kind of sin they are. If you knew before you committed them that they were grave matter and still did them anyways, then confess this to the priest at your next confession. If they were grave matter and you didn’t know they were grave, then the sins could have been objective mortal sin but not actual mortal sin. Still, if it were me I would confess them.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve never heard the priest tell me, oh you shouldn’t have confessed that or anything like that.

I have had the priest tell me, “That’s not a sin.” He then explains why it isn’t a sin. If I want to be absolved I then have to come up with some other sins.