Thinking About A General Confession

[tkdnick]

I’ve been thinking for a while about doing a general confession.

Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas about making general confessions, how to prepare for one, or how to find the right priest to hear one?

 

[michaeldaniels]

You should only do a general confession if it has been years or a long period of time since your last one…or if the priest allows it…as far as priest shopping, not sure what to say to that…I don’t recommend it. Remember, you are not confessing something God does not already know…go into the confessional and recount all of your sins to the best of your knowledge…it isn’t difficult to do…if it has been a while, tell the priest how long it has been and ask him if he minds if you make a general confession…he will tell you ok or that it isn’t ok…I tried that a few years ago after several months of not going to confession and the priest shut me down and told me to make a good confession…recounting all of my sins and the number of times I committed them. Don’t be nervous…think of the graces you are going to receive and how great it will be to be back in a state of grace. Good Luck

I’ve been thinking for a while about doing a general confession.

Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas about making general confessions, how to prepare for one, or how to find the right priest to hear one?

 

[Don9of11]

I have never heard of a General Confession, didn’t know there was such a thing. I was long time between confessions more than 20 years. I called the parish I live in and requested a meeting to go to confession and I was asked if I could come to confession at the regular time, which was a Saturday around 4pm. So I went. I just confessed my sins to best of my knowledge letting the priest know how long it had been. I guess in the context of what your asking a General Confession is for someone who hasn’t been to confession for a long and so he “generalizes” because you can’t remember everything.

I wouldn’t be to worried or afraid, just go, like I did. Like the prodigal son who came to his senses and returned home, the Father will forgive you. He doesn’t need to hear all the details; confess what you can remember, he knows what you’ve been up to, just coming home with a contrite heart is enough. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord.

 

[fatherwannabe]

You should only do a general confession if it has been years or a long period of time since your last one…or if the priest allows it…as far as priest shopping, not sure what to say to that…I don’t recommend it. Remember, you are not confessing something God does not already know…go into the confessional and recount all of your sins to the best of your knowledge…it isn’t difficult to do…if it has been a while, tell the priest how long it has been and ask him if he minds if you make a general confession…he will tell you ok or that it isn’t ok…I tried that a few years ago after several months of not going to confession and the priest shut me down and told me to make a good confession…recounting all of my sins and the number of times I committed them. Don’t be nervous…think of the graces you are going to receive and how great it will be to be back in a state of grace. Good Luck

PLEASE don’t mislead people on here unless you know what you are talking about!

General confession does not require that you have a long time between confessions. A priest has no right to deny you the right to a general confession, although it is considered better to schedule a time for this since it might take a while.

You should confess all your sins since the last general confession, if you have made one before. If you are dealing with specific issues in your life (sexual temptation, lying, etc.) you should spend more time on these in your examen.

 

[baltobetsy]

A general confession is usually made before a major step in one’s life - i.e., marriage or ordination, or at a retreat. It is also necessary if it has been many years since the last confession, or if a new convert who was previously baptized is entering the Church.

It can consist of all the major sins of your life, or just the ones since the last general confession if you make one regularly at your retreats every year or so.

Some people who suffer from scrupulosity make general confession after general confession because they think their previous confessions were somehow invalid or not good enough. This is not good.

Betsy

 

[michaeldaniels]

I am sorry…but I do. It is you that needs to temper your statements. When going to confession, a pentinent MUST state ALL mortal sins they have committed and the number of times they committed each sin…and in the case of a habitual sin or a problem area, etc, it should be made known to the confessor, so they can provide them with the best spiritual counsel as possible…The OP appears to me that they desire a general confession and also wants to priest shop…which leads me to believe they are purposely trying to avoid mentioning something or glossing over something in confession…I warned against that practice…and I said you should only do that if it has been a years since your last confession, simply because if it has been something like 20 years, it is possible that a person who has not been living with an informed conscience and taking a daily inventory will not be able to recount every mortal sin and the number of times they committed it…therefore, A GENERAL CONFESSION will suffice…however, if they CAN recount every mortal sin and the number of times they committed it, THEY ARE REQUIRED to confess it to the priest IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE A VALID SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION…therefore, if they do such, it would not be a general confession would it??? Any other crayon theology you want me to poke holes in? Check mate!

PLEASE don’t mislead people on here unless you know what you are talking about!

General confession does not require that you have a long time between confessions. A priest has no right to deny you the right to a general confession, although it is considered better to schedule a time for this since it might take a while.

You should confess all your sins since the last general confession, if you have made one before. If you are dealing with specific issues in your life (sexual temptation, lying, etc.) you should spend more time on these in your examen.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

The OP appears to me that they desire a general confession and also wants to priest shop…which leads me to believe they are purposely trying to avoid mentioning something or glossing over something in confession…I warned against that practice…and I said you should only do that if it has been a years since your last confession, simply because if it has been something like 20 years, it is possible that a person who has not been living with an informed conscience and taking a daily inventory will not be able to recount every mortal sin and the number of times they committed it…therefore, A GENERAL CONFESSION will suffice…however, if they CAN recount every mortal sin and the number of times they committed it, THEY ARE REQUIRED to confess it to the priest IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE A VALID SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION…therefore, if they do such, it would not be a general confession would it??? Any other crayon theology you want me to poke holes in? Check mate!

Cool your jets and check your definitions. A “general confession” does NOT mean that you confess in a general, nonspecific way. A “general confession” is one in which you confess all the sins of your life, or of a major portion of your life. It is usually done at pivotal times in your spiritual life (e.g., entering religious life, a major point of conversion, important retreat, etc.), or when you have not made a good confession in a long time and need to cover a lot of ground.

CHECK your facts, MATE.

 

[michaeldaniels]

No kidding…where did I say it wasn’t? I am well aware it is done in cases such as a person converting and giving their first confession…or when a person is confessing for the first time in 20 years or so…what part of my response are you misunderstanding? I stated unless it is one of these instances, one should not do it…what is wrong with that? And if that is not the case, and one is able to, they should tell every mortal sin they have committed and the number of times those sins were committed since their last confession. CHECK YOUR FACTS and please point out to me one place where I was theologically incorrect…otherwise, chastise yourself for distorting what I said.

Cool your jets and check your definitions. A “general confession” does NOT mean that you confess in a general, nonspecific way. A “general confession” is one in which you confess all the sins of your life, or of a major portion of your life. It is usually done at pivotal times in your spiritual life (e.g., entering religious life, a major point of conversion, important retreat, etc.), or when you have not made a good confession in a long time and need to cover a lot of ground.

CHECK your facts, MATE.

 

[tkdnick]

The OP appears to me that they desire a general confession and also wants to priest shop…which leads me to believe they are purposely trying to avoid mentioning something or glossing over something in confession…

I am not “priest shopping”, but I want to make sure that I find a priest who is faithful and can give me good advice. I’m not in search of just any ole priest, I want one who can provide me with solid spiritual direction.

I am also not trying to gloss over anything. I have had a very difficult past, & while I have confessed all of the sins that I can remember, my past sins still weigh heavy on my heart & my conscience. I wish to make a more detailed examination of my conscience & my past, confess all of my sins, & start a new chapter in my spiritual life.

Also, what I mean by general confession is a recounting of all of the sins (that I can remember) from my entire life in as specific terms & descriptions as I can make them.

 

[tkdnick]

A GENERAL CONFESSION will suffice…however, if they CAN recount every mortal sin and the number of times they committed it, THEY ARE REQUIRED to confess it to the priest IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE A VALID SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION…therefore, if they do such, it would not be a general confession would it??? Any other crayon theology you want me to poke holes in? Check mate!

Cool your jets and check your definitions. CHECK your facts, MATE.

CHECK YOUR FACTS and please point out to me one place where I was theologically incorrect…otherwise, chastise yourself for distorting what I said.

Glad you 2 are busy arguing amongst yourselves instead of responding to the original post. Please take it elsewhere.

 

[michaeldaniels]

Sorry…you did not explain all of this in your original post and I do apologize for getting off topic and going on a tangent with another poster. Honestly my friend, it sounds like you suffer from scruples. Please do me a favor and read the following link…if after reading it, you still feel the need to do a general confession, I wish you the best of luck in finding an adequate confessor that will be able to help you. God Bless

mission.liguori.org/newsletters/scrupulosity.htm

I am not “priest shopping”, but I want to make sure that I find a priest who is faithful and can give me good advice. I’m not in search of just any ole priest, I want one who can provide me with solid spiritual direction.

I am also not trying to gloss over anything. I have had a very difficult past, & while I have confessed all of the sins that I can remember, my past sins still weigh heavy on my heart & my conscience. I wish to make a more detailed examination of my conscience & my past, confess all of my sins, & start a new chapter in my spiritual life.

 

[Joan_M]

I am not “priest shopping”, but I want to make sure that I find a priest who is faithful and can give me good advice. I’m not in search of just any ole priest, I want one who can provide me with solid spiritual direction.

I am also not trying to gloss over anything. I have had a very difficult past, & while I have confessed all of the sins that I can remember, my past sins still weigh heavy on my heart & my conscience. I wish to make a more detailed examination of my conscience & my past, confess all of my sins, & start a new chapter in my spiritual life.

Also, what I mean by general confession is a recounting of all of the sins (that I can remember) from my entire life in as specific terms & descriptions as I can make them.

I know exactly where you are at! The last General Confession I made was about eight and a half years ago. It was at a time I was making an important change in my life, and I was a bit confused as to how to handle it. The priest to whom I made the confession advised me to look at my life in three parts - 1. from the age of reason until when I made my confirmation; 2. from confirmation until I married; and 3. from marriage to the present day. I should then ask myself - what kind of sins did I commit in the stage I was examining. That really made it easier for me - the first stage was pretty easy. Looking at stage 2 was actually enlightening, as I came to realize that I had been rebellious (I never recognized that before because it was passive rebellion rather than active rebellion!) and there were sins that I had ignored! Stage 3 was, for me, the longest time period, since I was in my 50’s when this confession took place, but the life circumstances were generally the same, since I am still married to the same man!

I hope that the description I have given will assist you.

 

[fatherwannabe]

Sorry…you did not explain all of this in your original post and I do apologize for getting off topic and going on a tangent with another poster. Honestly my friend, it sounds like you suffer from scruples. Please do me a favor and read the following link…if after reading it, you still feel the need to do a general confession, I wish you the best of luck in finding an adequate confessor that will be able to help you. God Bless

mission.liguori.org/newsletters/scrupulosity.htm

Unless you are a priest, you have ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT to even consider telling the poster that he “has scruples” or is scrupulous. I’m not sure where you get your information or lack of, but perhaps a class on the catechism and sacrament of reconciliation would be in order for you. Unless you want to continue hiding in your bubble of mis-truth.