The when was my last confession question

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wjp984

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Now I know that you are supposed to be honest one way as in if it has been a year or more then you need to be honest and say so. However, if you feel it is good to go to confession and it has only been a couple weeks can you add more time to the question and say a month or two? It is a gamble going to confession in my opinion. Some priests will say you are going to often and some will say certain sins are not sins. I always add more time than it really has been like if it has been a month I will say 2 months, and I am wondering if this is wrong. However, I do this based on a legitimate fear.
 
if you have been told by your priest not to confess so often, and if you have, as you say, a legitimate fear about this issue, you may be battling with a spiritual problem called scrupulosity. If you are never really sure if you made a good confession, this is very likely what you suffer from. You must find one and only one priest to confess to, follow his instructions exactly, do not priest shop, never, ever lie to a priest in confession, and do not ask advice of others, especially anonymous strangers on the internet, about your spiritual situation.
 
Why can’t you just give the real answer? That way you don’t have to add on “fibbing” to your list. . .😉

My mother always told me, “Don’t borrow trouble”, also “Tell the truth and shame the devil.”

Think about it. If a priest is impatient, or gives you wrong information, well, that is his error/sin.

If you give wrong information knowingly, it’s your sin.

The ends do not justify the means.

God bless and make you strong in faith, united in love.
 
asquared said:
if you have been told by your priest not to confess so often, and if you have, as you say, a legitimate fear about this issue, you may be battling with a spiritual problem called scrupulosity. If you are never really sure if you made a good confession, this is very likely what you suffer from. You must find one and only one priest to confess to, follow his instructions exactly, do not priest shop, never, ever lie to a priest in confession, and do not ask advice of others, especially anonymous strangers on the internet, about your spiritual situation.
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lol, I am certainly not scruptulous since I don’t think that certain sins that may or may not be mortal prevent you from receiving communion. And I wouldn’t trust my priest with anything to do with my spiritual life or morality. I could drive 30 miles to another priest who I do trust but I don’t like doing that either. It is easy to just go somewhere where no one knows you. If anything, the fear of being scruptulous, which I am not, is what would keep me away from confession and make me want to add some time when I do go. I used to go once a year and had no problem with that. Perhaps I should go back to that.
 
You know, I just went to confession last week and I am going to have to go again this week. I would love to say that it had been two months since my last confession, but that would be so wrong. In fact, I suspect it would invalidate my confession, the same as holding back any mortal sins. Be honest about the last time you went to confession, and go as often as you have commited a serious sin.
 
wjp984 said:
Now I know that you are supposed to be honest one way as in if it has been a year or more then you need to be honest and say so. However, if you feel it is good to go to confession and it has only been a couple weeks can you add more time to the question and say a month or two? It is a gamble going to confession in my opinion. Some priests will say you are going to often and some will say certain sins are not sins. I always add more time than it really has been like if it has been a month I will say 2 months, and I am wondering if this is wrong. However, I do this based on a legitimate fear.
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Don’t lie about how long it’s been. Who cares if the priest thinks your sins are trivial? Confession is not only about absolution, it also gives you the grace to withstand future temptation and opportunity to sin.

The saints frequented confession, and sometimes did so daily, when they were experiencing temptation. I read somewhere that JPII sometimes went 2 - 3 times per week. I have a feeling that I am no where near as pius a human being as JPII, so I don’t think that my going to confession one or even twice a month can be thought too scrupulous. I really think that danger only comes in to play if one continuously doubts whether they have truely been forgiven.

But, going to confession often is a good thing. I find that for me, it helps me to keep myself focused on God in my daily life, and it helps me to be more aware of temptation.
 
**Hi wjp984, 🙂 **
I would in all kindness urge you not to lie to your confessor(s).
After reading your post and reflecting on its content, I decided to look up Pride; and found one of the definitions was ‘a refusal to be humiliated’. By attempting to pull the wool over your confessors eyes, it would seem you are not trusting him, as he acts in persona Christi, and therefore are showing a lack of faith in God, which is a grave sin indeed!
Please resist the temptation to continue this practice, and confess your prideful deceit.
**I am not judging you at all (Pride is something I battle with, also), just asking you to trust God, and accept the loving advice given by your confessor, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (However wrathful it may seem.) **
With love,
Your Sister-In-Christ
 
I was once accused of being a bit scrupulous in confession. I don’t really think that is true, but it could be. After that I thought perhaps I hadn’t made it clear what I was confessing.

In another case, a priest told me that he thought I shouldn’t be so worried and that as long as I wen to confession every few months I would be OK. This was just after confessing what was, as far as I can determine, a rather serious matter of mortal sin (and one that is a rather frequent temptation).

If you feel like you need to go to confession, then you probably do. If the priest then tells you that you are being scrupulous, then you should give consideration to that. However, don’t stop going to confession for fear of being scrupulous, that wouldn’t make any sense at all.

I used to be one of those that sort of thought that God loves us, so all the rest isn’t really so important. I made some really poor confessions (held things back, or worded things so that I wasn’t being exactly forthcoming) and sometimes skipped parts of penances. So, perhaps I do get a bit scrupulous, since I have reason to think that I made some bad confessions in the past. Also, now that I see the error in my earlier way of thinking, I am perhaps having a hard time striking a balance between the concepts of God’s love and mercy, and the need for conducting a thorough examination of conscience and making a good confession.

Go to confession when you feel the need. Be as honest as you are able. Be prepared to hear things you don’t really want to hear.
 
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