Technical confession question

[Magicsilence]

If I remember a mortal sin that i have committed in the past and am not sure if i have already confessed it, do i have to go to confession and confess it ASAP, or simply wait till the next time I would normally go?

Also, what do i say seeing as its been a while since my “big” confession? I.e with regards to this mortal sin.

"Bless me father for i have sinned etc…

Heres a sin i forgot about (its a shocker!)"

and then just confess normally?

Anyone have any idea?

In Christ.

Andre.

 

[RyanL]

There are a number of answers in the Ask an Apologist forum (link to search).

Basically, as long as you didn’t purposely omit the sin, you are forgiven of the sin—even though it has been forgiven, we owe God the acknowledgement of it to the priest, the next time we go to confession. Our Lord endured such agony to redeem us. The least—the very least we can do, is to acknowledge it to Him in the person of His priest! It’s an act of humility and gratitude and the Lord deserves to hear it.

God Bless,
RyanL

 

[sadie2723]

RyanL:

There are a number of answers in the Ask an Apologist forum (link to search).

Basically, as long as you didn’t purposely omit the sin, you are forgiven of the sin—even though it has been forgiven, we owe God the acknowledgement of it to the priest, the next time we go to confession. Our Lord endured such agony to redeem us. The least—the very least we can do, is to acknowledge it to Him in the person of His priest! It’s an act of humility and gratitude and the Lord deserves to hear it.

God Bless,
RyanL

I agree. The best thing to do is just get it out there. I do not think that you have to rush to the confessional this very moment, as you did not omit it intentionally and therefore are ok. I will say this however, I doubt that I would wait until my next scheduled confession. It is clear that it bothers you, and I think you should get it out.

In the process of the confession, I would get that one out of the way first, and then I would go on and do your normal confession.

Brad

 

[Myangel]

If I remember a mortal sin that i have committed in the past and am not sure if i have already confessed it, do i have to go to confession and confess it ASAP, or simply wait till the next time I would normally go?

The next time you confess you should mention it. This is on the proviso you actually forgot the sin rather than purposely omitted it.

Also, what do i say seeing as its been a while since my “big” confession? I.e with regards to this mortal sin.

"Bless me father for i have sinned etc…

Heres a sin i forgot about (its a shocker!)"

At the end of your confession “For these and all the sins of my life especially the time I …I am very sorry”

God Bless.

 

[hurst]

Magicsilence:

If I remember a mortal sin that i have committed in the past and am not sure if i have already confessed it, do i have to go to confession and confess it ASAP, or simply wait till the next time I would normally go?

From the Balitmore Catechism:

Q. 793. Is our Confession worthy if, without our fault, we forget to confess a mortal sin?

A. If without our fault we forget to confess a mortal sin, our Confession is worthy, and the sin is forgiven; but it must be told in Confession if it again comes to our mind.

Q. 794. May a person who has forgotten to tell a mortal sin in confession go to Holy Communion before going again to confession?

A. A person who has forgotten to tell a mortal sin in confession may go to communion before again going to confession, because the forgotten sin was forgiven with those confessed, and the confession was good and worthy.

Baltimore Catechism No. 3
Lesson 19: On Confession
ourladyswarriors.org/faith/bc3-19.htm

Magicsilence:

Also, what do i say seeing as its been a while since my “big” confession? I.e with regards to this mortal sin.

"Bless me father for i have sinned etc…

Heres a sin i forgot about (its a shocker!)"

and then just confess normally?

Anyone have any idea?

Also try to indicate the context of the other confession in which the sin was forgotten, because that could help the priest determine how grave the forgotten sin really is.

Keep in mind also, that it is salutary to confess sins again in order to increase grace in us. Some priests seem to get upset when they hear someone confess the same sin they were already forgiven for, because they suspect the penitent didn’t believe they were forgiven. But being forgiven is not the only effect of going to confession! We can confess already-forgiven sins in order to atone more for that sin, remove obstacles to grace caused by that sin in us, and remit more of the temporal punishment that remains due to the sin. (cf. Ott p. 433)

hurst