Taunted after confession

[kevstar31]

What should I do when after confession, rapidly in my mind come sins I forgot to mention while in the confessional.

Thanks in advance and God bless,
Kevin

 

[puzzleannie]

rest in the assurance that all your sins have been absolved, and plan on doing a better job of examing your conscience next time.

 

[wcknight]

Never feel guilty IF you ACCIDENTLY forget sins while in the confessional. They are all forgiven along with the rest. Just say to God you’re sorry for those as well and move on. IF you purposely hide a grave sin then that is a serious ommission and you need to confess those down the road.

Normally you should only have a short list of sins (no more than 4 or 5 or maybe just 2 or 3 of the biggest ones) to confess anyway. All the others should fall under the category of “these and ALL the sins of my past life”.

 

[Augustine]

It happens fairly frequently to me to enumerate a bunch of sins while examining my conscience only to forget to confess some of them. But I don’t let this feebleness of my mind get in the way of Jesus unfathomable mercy.

 

[petitfleur]

the priest at my church teases me becuase I write mine so not to forget. He tells me to burn it when I get home…really its not THAT bad!!!

 

[block]

I believe a confession is just a confession of your conscious sins anyways, so if you aren’t thinking of them during the confession you will not be accountable for them. But you must never skip a sin that is conscious in your mind. And if it is a sin that is still bothering you even after the confession, I would suggest saving it for next time even though it has been absolved.

 

[brigid12]

Never feel guilty IF you ACCIDENTLY forget sins while in the confessional. They are all forgiven along with the rest. Just say to God you’re sorry for those as well and move on. IF you purposely hide a grave sin then that is a serious ommission and you need to confess those down the road.

As soon as possible!

Normally you should only have a short list of sins (no more than 4 or 5 or maybe just 2 or 3 of the biggest ones) to confess anyway. All the others should fall under the category of “these and ALL the sins of my past life”.

That’s for venial sins, I’m sure this poster meant.

 

[MarieVeronica]

the priest at my church teases me becuase I write mine so not to forget. He tells me to burn it when I get home…really its not THAT bad!!!

“petit”. This made me laugh, because I write my sins down, too. My priest has never teased me about it (I still hide behind the screen ) … but when I get home, I take my sins, straight to the shredder! :blushing: I think we make Jesus laugh too, with our silliness. lol.

 

[brigid12]

“petit”. This made me laugh, because I write my sins down, too. My priest has never teased me about it (I still hide behind the screen ) … but when I get home, I take my sins, straight to the shredder! :blushing: I think we make Jesus laugh too, with our silliness. lol.

Yup, I write mine, too (otherwise, I get into the confessional and say"…") and I use the screen. I don’t bother to burn or shred them. I figure that in the slight case that someone finds and can decipher them, that it would be good for my humility.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

Never feel guilty IF you ACCIDENTLY forget sins while in the confessional. They are all forgiven along with the rest. Just say to God you’re sorry for those as well and move on.

wcknight,

I believe there is also an obligation to actually confess those forgotten sins at a later confession, even though they have already been forgiven.

VC

 

[petitfleur]

Definitly confess later…the more I go confess something the less likely I am to do it again…and again…and again…

 

[Joyful_1]

Yup, I write mine, too (otherwise, I get into the confessional and say"…") and I use the screen. I don’t bother to burn or shred them. I figure that in the slight case that someone finds and can decipher them, that it would be good for my humility.

I write them down when I go behind the screen, but I rarely get the chance to do that. I usually think about them for a long time so I remember them. It gets easier after a while because I’m afraid it’s pretty similar every time.

I have had an experience of having a whole long list and getting there with,"…". Yeah. I felt so bad afterwards because I didn’t remember half of what I had to say.

 

[GailMac4]

O dear! If they are mortal sins, you get to go back to Confession! If they aren’t then try better next time.

Peace,

Gail

 

[KCT]

I learned to conclude my confession with, “For these and all my sins I am sorry.” Wouldn’t that cover it? (not intentionally withheld mortal sins of course)

 

[SawGodThere]

I learned to conclude my confession with, “For these and all my sins I am sorry.” Wouldn’t that cover it? (not intentionally withheld mortal sins of course)

Don’t quote me on this, but I believe it does. I remember that there was a massive confession service at the parish that I attend. I had recently heard that we are to confess all of our sins, and if we forget, then we must go back. So, needless to say, I forgot a sin, and went back to confession. When I told the priest that my last confession was about 15 minutes ago, he was puzzled. I explained to him what happened, and he told me not to worry about it. He did not even ask if it was mortal or venial. Basically, I think that if you had it in your heart to confess and it did actually slip your mind, then you should be fine. Funny side story:

The last time I was at confession (about one month ago) I forgot one of my sins, but remembered it as the priest was giving me advice for amending my life. So, I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t let me talk! I kept trying to butt in, and he kept ignoring me and keeping on talking. It was quite funny…I literally could not confess the sin.

 

[Dempsey1919]

I always finish Confession with words to this effect:

"…and please forgive me for any sins I have forgotten to mention."

If I remember any more sins after I have left the confessional, I take note of them and I confess them the next time I go to the Sacrament of Penance.

 

[wcknight]

wcknight,

I believe there is also an obligation to actually confess those forgotten sins at a later confession, even though they have already been forgiven.

VC

There is an obligation to confess sins purposely omitted but not for ones you accidently forgot. Of course all mortal sins should be mentioned. I can’t imagine someone forgetting a mortal sin, but I suppose it’s possible.

Even then if accidentally forgotten, I think the mortal sin is forgiven but you probably should mention it in your next confession.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

There is an obligation to confess sins purposely omitted but not for ones you accidently forgot. Of course all mortal sins should be mentioned. I can’t imagine someone forgetting a mortal sin, but I suppose it’s possible.

Even then if accidentally forgotten, I think the mortal sin is forgiven but you probably should mention it in your next confession.

wcknight,

I’m speaking only of mortal sins, just to be clear. My understanding is that if one innocently forgets to mention a mortal sin, it is still forgiven. However, there is still an obligation to confess this sin, even though it was already forgiven, at your next confession.

VC

 

[Elizabeth502]

There is an obligation to confess sins purposely omitted but not for ones you accidently forgot. Of course all mortal sins should be mentioned. I can’t imagine someone forgetting a mortal sin, but I suppose it’s possible.

Even then if accidentally forgotten, I think the mortal sin is forgiven but you probably should mention it in your next confession.

I agree with you that it doesn’t seem possible, but some of us get nervous enough that we lose our orientation once we get in there (and thus forget out of case of nerves). Also, there have been times when I thought a sin was venial and later realized it was actually more serious & should have been confessed. Now that I let my interior impulse be my guide, I find that I’m actually more accurate. However, it does sometimes help me to write some kind of a “hint” list which may be easier to memorize because it consists of short clues. I do find it difficult to actually read a list because it feels non-spontaneous, and for me the grace of the sacrament happens in the immediate encounter. I don’t criticize those who need those aids; perhaps their confessions are more thorough than mine! But for myself, I need to concentrate on the heartfelt sorrow, & thus a list is too dry for me, personally.

 

[wcknight]

wcknight,

I’m speaking only of mortal sins, just to be clear. My understanding is that if one innocently forgets to mention a mortal sin, it is still forgiven. However, there is still an obligation to confess this sin, even though it was already forgiven, at your next confession.

VC

I would agree with this 100%