SPLIT: Confessing old sins/mortal sins

[sasha01]

1. I’ve read all the above posts and I think i have a serious issue with relation to confession and guilt. I have gone to confession and confessed every sin that i could remember. However, while confessing a mortal sin i was not aware that you need to confess the number of times you committed the sin and so i did’nt.So does it mean the confession of my mortal is wasnt valid and that i havent been forgiven?
2. Also i always have doubts about whether i have confessed a particular sin (since i tend to forget what exactly i had confessed after a while) and whether i confessed in a right manner. These thoughts keep bothering me. Any help?
3. Is passionate kissing a mortal sin (outside of marriage) if you werent aware that it was a sin? and if yes which category of sin does it fall under?

 

[Jean_Anthony]

aaa

 

[mfrances]

Now that you know that sins are properly confessed in kind and number, do this next time. Note that I say this is what is proper. It is still valid to confess the sins only.

Go back to confession and let the priest know if you have any doubts. He is there to help.
“I’m not sure, but I may have not previously confessed this sin, x-y-z.”

#1 thing you need to remember is that you do not commit a sin if you do not know the action is a sin.

 

[Bookcat]

1. I’ve read all the above posts and I think i have a serious issue with relation to confession and guilt. I have gone to confession and confessed every sin that i could remember. However, while confessing a mortal sin i was not aware that you need to confess the number of times you committed the sin and so i did’nt.So does it mean the confession of my mortal is wasnt valid and that i havent been forgiven?
2. Is passionate kissing a mortal sin (outside of marriage) if you werent aware that it was a sin? and if yes which category of sin does it fall under?

Now that you know that sins are properly confessed in kind and number, do this next time. Note that I say this is what is proper. It is still valid to confess the sins only.

.

They are obliged to confess in number and kind (and that which changes the kind --like it was your brother you murdered)-- for mortal sins… So it is not just proper but required (ordinarily).

If I committed say murder 3x and honestly had not clue that I had to give number and confessed “murder”…but was seeking to make a good confession was contrite etc – it would be like a forgotten mortal sin – absolved indirectly. Once I realized this --I would in the next confession --need to confess what was lacking (such as – it was three murders not just one).

If I committed though three murders and deliberately withheld the other 2…such is invalid and another mortal sins of sacrilege.

Now at times after ones examine --especially for one away for a while --one may not know the actual numbers. One can approximate according to what one does know. So it may be 5-8x or around 5 or around 2x a month for the last 10 years…or even if need be “a few times” or “many times”…

(yes passionate kissing can be a mortal sin …but discuss your state at that time…with the confessor

if it was mortal one would note say a mortal sin of passionate kissing…if your not sure --note that…

ewtn.com/expert/answers/dating.htm from a writer at EWTN …it will be of great help!

(One note though on this reading…I would note that when they say “as soon as he begins to enjoy…” under “pure intent”… it would mean before knowing consent…))

this too can be of help from Jimmy Akin of CA jimmyakin.com/2007/03/specific_confes.html

 

[R_C]

If you confessed every sin to the best of your knowledge and were absolved, Jesus truly forgave your sins, all of them.

It is interesting, though, that you have learned something more about confession. While confession was valid since you did not know about the requirement, and since it was Christ, and not the priest, who said ego te absolvo, I would say those confessions were valid.

However, it is truly a simple and nice thing to do if the next time you confess, you mention this to your confessor. He will tell you what to do.
I think it will greatly benefit you if before confession (perhaps the night before) you do an examination of conscience. There are nice ones with questions that will help you find out exactly how you may have sinned (I personally use “How to make an examination of conscience” by the Redemptorists). While such an in-depth examination of conscience may be limited to the time before confession, a quick daily one, possibly before going to bed, is a wonderfully edifying thing.
Love is the most wonderful thing there is. The Holy Spirit is pure Love, Love itself, so powerful and infinite to become a Divine Person equal to the Father and the Son. However, we ought to be strong and discern between what we do out of true love and what we do out of the pleasure of the senses. Lust, after all, sounds like a terrible word when referring to something we did apparently out of love. While I exhort you to find out a bit about the “theology of the body”, I remind you - to help you in discerning this and related things - of the words of the Lord:

anyone who even looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart

These words, of course, apply to the ladies as well.

 

[Windmill]

If you know your priest, email him and ask his advice. He may suggest you make a small appointment for a General Confession wherein you re-confess all your grave sins to the best of your ability (X times per week, etc…).

I did this years ago when I had the same realization. My priest waited patiently for me to finish my list that I had written down, asked me a few brief questions of clarification, gave me a small penance, and then that was it. It was exactly what my conscience needed. I left that office feeling like a million bucks.

 

[sasha01]

Thankj you for the advice. Its very helpful

I have another question. Even though i have felt really bad about the mistakes ive made and the sins ive committed, sometimes in wonder if i am repentant enough to be forgiven after confession. how do u know if you’re truly sorry for your sin? (this question really bothers me because it makes me feel like maybe im not sorry enough and havent been forgiven)

 

[Windmill]

If you’re expecting an emotional depression to validate your repentance, then you’re going to have a hard time with the sacramental life in general. Sorrow is an act of the will, not a “gut feeling”. Feelings and emotions are no basis for moral guidance. They are influenced by the passions and easily suppress the will and intellect. They can convince us that something is ok when our intellect knows it is wrong.

Contrition is sorrow for offending God who dearly loves us, and a resolution to enter into the battle against sin (ie, avoid the near occasion, etc), and a firm purpose to amend our lives and make needed restitution(eg. Return stolen goods).

Don’t over analyze it. Your feelings are not your guide - your intellect and will are. If you are resolved to avoid the near occasion of sin for love of God, then you’re contrite.

 

[sasha01]

If you know your priest, email him and ask his advice. He may suggest you make a small appointment for a General Confession wherein you re-confess all your grave sins to the best of your ability (X times per week, etc…).

I did this years ago when I had the same realization. My priest waited patiently for me to finish my list that I had written down, asked me a few brief questions of clarification, gave me a small penance, and then that was it. It was exactly what my conscience needed. I left that office feeling like a million bucks.

I will make sure i do this as soon as i can. However would it be a problem if i cant go to confession soon ? can i still receive communion? (since i did confess these sins before but not in number because i was unaware of this requirement)

 

[R_C]

I will make sure i do this as soon as i can. However would it be a problem if i cant go to confession soon ? can i still receive communion? (since i did confess these sins before but not in number because i was unaware of this requirement)

If you did not have the will to lie to God in Confession, but rather, you repented and wanted to find reconciliation with the Lord and confessed to the best of your ability, you should have the proper disposition to receive Communion - unless, of course, you are aware of any mortal sin after the absolution. But today and tomorrow (especially Sunday) you should have a chance of confessing before Mass. Please do explain the issue to the confessor and ask him if you need to confess those sins again…who knows, perhaps you won’t need to.

 

[Andre1000]

Under the line:
You just have to be honest and give you best.
That’s how I understand the teachings.

 

[horsefly19]

Hi, I have a couple of similar questions.

1. What is the difference between a sin and a mortal sin?
2. Is it a sin to watch kissing on movies/internet?

Thank you and God Bless you all.

 

[R_C]

1. What is the difference between a sin and a mortal sin?

1. Here is a concise teaching on sin, that explains the difference between venial and mortal sin. A few quotes:

1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture, became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”

1. Is it a sin to watch kissing on movies/internet?

1. It is not a sin per se: the sin is in the intention. Did you watch it for lust? If it evoked lust in your heart, did you reject the temptation or did you indulge? You cannot avoid having some images being thrown at you like temptations, but we not actively look for them (a search that is also sinful), rather actively avoiding any such occasion of sin (remember that there are such things as sins of omission!) For this topic, you may learn more here. One quote:

2351 Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.

These chapters of the Catechism are worth reading in their entirety, because they are like beautiful paintings that are fully appreciated if we pay attention to the details while still focusing on the whole composition.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Thankj you for the advice. Its very helpful

I have another question. Even though i have felt really bad about the mistakes ive made and the sins ive committed, sometimes in wonder if i am repentant enough to be forgiven after confession. how do u know if you’re truly sorry for your sin? (this question really bothers me because it makes me feel like maybe im not sorry enough and havent been forgiven)

Are you afraid of going to Hell? If so, that’s sufficient for Confession.

 

[Elizium23]

Are you afraid of going to Hell? If so, that’s sufficient for Confession.

This is good advice for rank-and-file Catholics, but it is actually dangerous and harmful advice for someone who is showing signs of scrupulosity like the OP. If the OP suffers from OCD or scruples, s/he should choose a regular confessor, go only to the one confessor, and place complete trust in that confessor for matters of faith and morals. Questions about whether sins should be re-confessed and doubts about whether Confessions in the past were valid are such signs. And our advice on the matter is not good enough for someone with scrupulosity, because his/her confessor should have the final word.