Some questions

[Slayer]

Alright, I went to a TLM today and before I went, I went to confession. Usually, I make a note to make sure I hear the “I absolve you” part after I say my act of contrition. However, I missed what the priest said right after I said my act of contrition. I assumed he said it. He then gave me more advice. When he was done, he did not say in closing, “In the name of Father…”, which is what the priest says all the time that I have been going to confession. So, I then crossed myself before I left. As I got up from kneeling he asked me of I said my act of contrition! I said yes and then he seemed to have said “alright” or “you may go”. This was during Mass so it was kinda hard to hear.

So, as I then sat in the pew I was thinking about what just transpired. After I said my act of contrition he gave me more advice and I don’t think I heard him say that I was absolved. He then asked if I said my act of contrition before I left. I know you can’t receive absolution until you say your act of contrition. I thought the priest may have lost his place. I kept thinking about this and got all hot and bothered with it. So, I didn’t take the Eucharist just in case my sins were not forgiven.

For peace of mind, I am going to repeat my sins in confession next Sunday before Mass just in case. But I have some questions that relate to this:

Should I mention to the priest my situation from my last confession or should I just repeat the sins that I think may have not of been forgiven without saying my incident to avoid complication?

Is a Catholic obligated to take the Eucharist during Mass if he has no unconfessed mortal sins? - Is it a sin not too? The reason I ask this is because I did not take the Eucharist during today’s Mass because I thought my confession may have not of been valid but it MIGHT of been.

 

[JReducation]

Unless a priest explicitly tells you that he cannot absolve you, you can safely assume that you have been absolved as long as you were truly sorry for your sins. Most priests hear confessions without the use of a sacramentary. They have memorized the prayers and the ritual.

You could have gone to communion, even if you had been absolved and you suddenly remembered that you forgot to confess that you robbed a little old lady at 7-eleven. You just trust that if you had remembered, God would have absolved you. You just wait for the next confession.

Given the circumstances that there was background noise, he may have said the words of absolution and you did not hear him. Some priests will say them as your are saying your act of contrition, so that the two of you speaking at the same time and the sounds in the background will blurr each other out. Just as he did not hear your act of contrition, you may not have heard his words of absolution.

God knows the hearts of men, including yours and the priest. God’s mercy is not as litigious as we are.

If it makes you feel better, by all means tell a priest or a deacon what happened and ask what you should do. They’ll know what to do.

Peace

JR

 

[I_Believe]

Should I mention to the priest my situation from my last confession or should I just repeat the sins that I think may have not of been forgiven without saying my incident to avoid complication?

Is a Catholic obligated to take the Eucharist during Mass if he has no unconfessed mortal sins? - Is it a sin not too? The reason I ask this is because I did not take the Eucharist during today’s Mass because I thought my confession may have not of been valid but it MIGHT of been.

Hi Slayer. To JR’s sound advice, I’ll add… As soon as you enter the confessional, I’d simply say" Father, before we begin, I must mention that I’m repeating my last confession. I am unsure if I made a good confession at that time". He will either ask a question or indicate he understands. If he says “OK”, or “Very well”, or similar. Simply say “thank you Father” and let the Sacrament begin.

A confessional is not the place to ask a priest questions, but if he deems it necessary to discuss something, cooperate whith humility and honesty.

You are doing the right thing.

As far as Holy Communion, no, the Church does not require one to receive Holy Communion at every Mass. The only Precept of the Church regarding this, is that we receive at least once per year, on Easter Sunday.

You did the right thing in choosing not to receive, due to the uncertainty of absolution. That, my friend, is pleasing to God.

Not receiving when in a state of mortal sin requires frequent confession for many of us. How many times we receive isn’t important unless we receive worthily. That not only includes a good confession coupled with perfect contrition, but also requires a strong faith in the Real Presence. And not only that, one must prepare himself spiritually before Mass. During the Mass, we must focus on the liturgy and nothing more. Preparing ourselves helps ensure this.

And one last thing is, the moments after receiving Holy Communion are critical to our amount of Grace received through the Sacrament. We have just been blessed in a way we can only begin to comprehend. Is the minute or so we sit in prayer, thanksgiving, reflection, etc., before the priest ends the Mas enough ?

The answer of course will vary. We each have our on level of Faith, devotion, and piety. But nevertheless, I feel our “spiritual reaction” to receiving Holy Communion is very critical.

Hope this helped.

 

[Slayer]

Thanks!

 

[palmas85]

Alright, I went to a TLM today and before I went, I went to confession. Usually, I make a note to make sure I hear the “I absolve you” part after I say my act of contrition. However, I missed what the priest said right after I said my act of contrition. I assumed he said it. He then gave me more advice. When he was done, he did not say in closing, “In the name of Father…”, which is what the priest says all the time that I have been going to confession. So, I then crossed myself before I left. As I got up from kneeling he asked me of I said my act of contrition! I said yes and then he seemed to have said “alright” or “you may go”. This was during Mass so it was kinda hard to hear.

So, as I then sat in the pew I was thinking about what just transpired. After I said my act of contrition he gave me more advice and I don’t think I heard him say that I was absolved. He then asked if I said my act of contrition before I left. I know you can’t receive absolution until you say your act of contrition. I thought the priest may have lost his place. I kept thinking about this and got all hot and bothered with it. So, I didn’t take the Eucharist just in case my sins were not forgiven.

For peace of mind, I am going to repeat my sins in confession next Sunday before Mass just in case. But I have some questions that relate to this:

Should I mention to the priest my situation from my last confession or should I just repeat the sins that I think may have not of been forgiven without saying my incident to avoid complication?

Is a Catholic obligated to take the Eucharist during Mass if he has no unconfessed mortal sins? - Is it a sin not too? The reason I ask this is because I did not take the Eucharist during today’s Mass because I thought my confession may have not of been valid but it MIGHT of been.

First off let me applaud you.:clapping:

You did not receive because you thought you may be in a state of mortal sin. That shows that at least your heart is in the right place. It is not necessary that you hear the absolution or that the formula used by the Priest is exactly the same as you are used, to. As long as you go to Confession with a contrite heart, confess as best you remember, fully, and have a firm purpose of amendment you are OK. You’ve done your part.

No it is not a mortal sin or even a sin at all not to receive at every Mass. You are required to receive only once a year during the Easter season, that is any time from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost Sunday.

All too often people feel as if they must receive at every Mass. I think it good to remember that you must be properly disposed before you receive. That means no unconfessed mortal sins but it also means you must be of the right mindset. Lets say that you are at Mass, confessed beforehand and have done your penance. However, you have spent the bulk of your time at Mass stealing glances at the pretty young girl in the Hollister Surf Tee shirt and shorts sitting across the aisle from you and she in turn has been glancing and smiling at you. You have been thinking about how best to approach her after Mass, and fantasizing about possibilities for the future with her, rather than focusing on Christ and the Holy Sacrifice.

Question: Are you properly disposed to receive Holy Communion?

I would think not although I’m sure that some here will say go for it. Your mindset is incredibly important in this matter, and the Mass is a place for prayer, reflection and cleansing, and while frequent reception is desired and encouraged, it must not become a routine action.

I use the above example but there are hundreds of other situations that could just as easily adversely affect your ability to worthily receive.

So in short don’t feel bad about not receiving.

 

[Saint_Gemma]

Hi Slayer. To JR’s sound advice, I’ll add… As soon as you enter the confessional, I’d simply say" Father, before we begin, I must mention that I’m repeating my last confession. I am unsure if I made a good confession at that time". He will either ask a question or indicate he understands. If he says “OK”, or “Very well”, or similar. Simply say “thank you Father” and let the Sacrament begin.

A confessional is not the place to ask a priest questions, but if he deems it necessary to discuss something, cooperate whith humility and honesty.

You are doing the right thing.

As far as Holy Communion, no, the Church does not require one to receive Holy Communion at every Mass. **The only Precept of the Church regarding this, is that we receive at least once per year, on Easter Sunday. **

You did the right thing in choosing not to receive, due to the uncertainty of absolution. That, my friend, is pleasing to God.

Not receiving when in a state of mortal sin requires frequent confession for many of us. How many times we receive isn’t important unless we receive worthily. That not only includes a good confession coupled with perfect contrition, but also requires a strong faith in the Real Presence. And not only that, one must prepare himself spiritually before Mass. During the Mass, we must focus on the liturgy and nothing more. Preparing ourselves helps ensure this.

And one last thing is, the moments after receiving Holy Communion are critical to our amount of Grace received through the Sacrament. We have just been blessed in a way we can only begin to comprehend. Is the minute or so we sit in prayer, thanksgiving, reflection, etc., before the priest ends the Mas enough ?

The answer of course will vary. We each have our on level of Faith, devotion, and piety. But nevertheless, I feel our “spiritual reaction” to receiving Holy Communion is very critical.

Hope this helped.

Actually, the precept of the Church is that the baptized who have reached the age of reason must receive communion at least once during the Easter Season, which lasts from Easter until Pentecost Sunday.

 

[Pious_Mat]

Alright, I went to a TLM today and before I went, I went to confession. Usually, I make a note to make sure I hear the “I absolve you” part after I say my act of contrition. However, I missed what the priest said right after I said my act of contrition. I assumed he said it. He then gave me more advice. When he was done, he did not say in closing, “In the name of Father…”, which is what the priest says all the time that I have been going to confession. So, I then crossed myself before I left. As I got up from kneeling he asked me of I said my act of contrition! I said yes and then he seemed to have said “alright” or “you may go”. This was during Mass so it was kinda hard to hear.

So, as I then sat in the pew I was thinking about what just transpired. After I said my act of contrition he gave me more advice and I don’t think I heard him say that I was absolved. He then asked if I said my act of contrition before I left. I know you can’t receive absolution until you say your act of contrition. I thought the priest may have lost his place. I kept thinking about this and got all hot and bothered with it. So, I didn’t take the Eucharist just in case my sins were not forgiven.

For peace of mind, I am going to repeat my sins in confession next Sunday before Mass just in case. But I have some questions that relate to this:

Should I mention to the priest my situation from my last confession or should I just repeat the sins that I think may have not of been forgiven without saying my incident to avoid complication?

Is a Catholic obligated to take the Eucharist during Mass if he has no unconfessed mortal sins? - Is it a sin not too? The reason I ask this is because I did not take the Eucharist during today’s Mass because I thought my confession may have not of been valid but it MIGHT of been.

Seeing as you were at a TLM, the priest could have just been saying the absolution in Latin according to the 1962 Rituale Romanum. Many priests, particularly older ones, zoom through their Latin, and since the traditional latin absolution is quite long (it not only directly absolves you of your sin, but makes reference to lifting excommuncations and any clerical ban, as well as imparting a lengthy blessing), preists sometimes whispered it while the penitent reflected.

As to the Act of Contrition thing, people are sometimes forgetful, and don’t want to miss anything important. A priest friend of mine said that when he was a seminarian, he once went to confession while an older priest was hearing confessions. This older priest heard his confession, gave him advice, and absolved him. Before he could get up, the priest began giving him more advice and absolved him again, and then gave him more advice and absolved him again!

It might be a good idea to confess again, but this doesn’t seem too bizarre, and I would wager that you were absolved.

 

[I_Believe]

Actually, the precept of the Church is that the baptized who have reached the age of reason must receive communion at least once during the Easter Season, which lasts from Easter until Pentecost Sunday.

I stand corrected. My missal says “…Easter Sunday, or the time appointed”

Thank you.