Unconfessed Past Sin, don't think mortal but possibly

[HopingforGodtohelp]

I remembered something from my past that I think was a sin, but I’m not sure if it was mortal or not. It’s pretty embarrassing, so I don’t want to say it here, but all I can say is I’m not sure if any of the 3 conditions for mortal sin were met. Not sure if grave matter, not sure if I had full knowledge, and not sure if I had complete consent. Do I need to confess this? I am really embarrassed by it and if I were not required to confess it I would not. I know that it has already been forgiven, but I’m not sure if I need to confess it at my next confession

 

[MeganCecilia]

Just ask a priest this question he will guide you!!! Don’t stress though if he says you should confess it, they’ve heard it all. I promise

Do not worry about it until you ask a priest at your next confession

 

[brown_bear]

I also remember some things from 40 years ago and I can say: when I did this I knew it was a serious sin, and now I still remember that I knew it; or on the contrary I remember that I did not consider myself to be in grave sin.

I mean: you should remember, you don’t seem like a person who swallows serious sins like peanuts

If you don’t remember, I think you can dismiss the case.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I remembered something from my past that I think was a sin, but I’m not sure if it was mortal or not. It’s pretty embarrassing, so I don’t want to say it here, but all I can say is I’m not sure if any of the 3 conditions for mortal sin were met. Not sure if grave matter, not sure if I had full knowledge, and not sure if I had complete consent. Do I need to confess this? I am really embarrassed by it and if I were not required to confess it I would not. I know that it has already been forgiven, but I’m not sure if I need to confess it at my next confession

I really want to say that, if you have this level of doubt in your mind, you should just consider that this sin was long ago absolved in your past confessions. By all means, mention it in your next confession if you feel like you need to, but also tell the priest exactly what you told us here, about your level of doubt. That last aspect is especially important.

I would hate to see this become a scrupulosity issue. I have long thought of “scrupulosity where one particular sin weighs on your mind” as being like one of those spring-loaded plate holders at a cafeteria — you pick up the plate you’re going to use, then another plate springs to the top for the next diner, and on and on, until all the plates are taken — only in the case of scrupulosity, the “plates” (those things perceived to be sins, or more sinful than they actually are) never run out.

Beyond that, scrupulosity is something I’m not qualified to help with. Please find a priest totally loyal to the magisterium in all things, tell him what you told us here — feel free to use my “plates in the cafeteria” analogy if you think that might be your situation — and do whatever he says.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve been in this situation. Just confess it. If it’s not a sin, the priest will tell you, but either way it will be a load off your mind.

 

[HopingforGodtohelp]

Not sure if I have scrupulosity. I feel like I might though. And I definitely have crippling anxiety. Recently I’ve tried to come closer to God and it’s so stressful thinking about all the sins I’ve committed and are committing and it causes me extreme stress and I really just don’t want to offend God, but I’ve already formed some bad habits of grave sin that I can’t stop and I try and try but I always fail. I feel like I can even do my best and not confess grave sin and then something from my past will come up from a time when I didn’t even know what a grave sin was, and I’ll stress so much over it and struggle confessing it because it’s hard to explain and will sound worse than it was. I don’t even know, I just sometimes feel like giving up altogether. I just want to love God and be in heaven with him when I die, but the path towards it makes me stressed beyond belief so that I can’t even function during my daily activities. No idea how to carry on. I just feel like giving up but I know I can’t

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Not sure if I have scrupulosity. I feel like I might though. And I definitely have crippling anxiety. Recently I’ve tried to come closer to God and it’s so stressful thinking about all the sins I’ve committed and are committing and it causes me extreme stress and I really just don’t want to offend God, but I’ve already formed some bad habits of grave sin that I can’t stop and I try and try but I always fail. I feel like I can even do my best and not confess grave sin and then something from my past will come up from a time when I didn’t even know what a grave sin was, and I’ll stress so much over it and struggle confessing it because it’s hard to explain and will sound worse than it was. I don’t even know, I just sometimes feel like giving up altogether. I just want to love God and be in heaven with him when I die, but the path towards it makes me stressed beyond belief so that I can’t even function during my daily activities. No idea how to carry on. I just feel like giving up but I know I can’t

Please see a priest at your earliest possible opportunity. You might mention your anxiety issues and see if he can direct you to some kind of therapist, preferably a Catholic (or other Christian) one, a therapist who will not interfere in your life of faith.

I hope it all goes well for you.

 

[TK421]

I remembered something from my past that I think was a sin, but I’m not sure if it was mortal or not. It’s pretty embarrassing, so I don’t want to say it here, but all I can say is I’m not sure if any of the 3 conditions for mortal sin were met. Not sure if grave matter, not sure if I had full knowledge, and not sure if I had complete consent. Do I need to confess this? I am really embarrassed by it and if I were not required to confess it I would not. I know that it has already been forgiven, but I’m not sure if I need to confess it at my next confession

If you’re not scrupulous, I’d recommend confessing it just because Confession is beneficial even if it is venial sin. Do it anonymously if you prefer. If you’re terribly nervous, prayer continually (mentally) as soon as you walk into Church and don’t stop until you’re in confession. Don’t be elaborate with the priest. Confess and be done.

I’m 99% positive you’ll be laughing at yourself when it’s done and over with and feel a wave of peace. Mountains of molehills.

Peace.

 

[Anesti33]

If you aren’t sure if it was a mortal sin then it wasn’t a mortal sin and you shouldn’t burden yourself by confessing it or worrying more about it at this point. Live for the future.

 

[SlavaIsusuChristu]

Remember when confessing sins you only need to list type and number. You really don’t need to go into detail. Jesus is who you are confessing to and He knows your sins. You don’t need to give explicit details for each sin as this can be a source of temptation for a priest as well. One of the most common sins being confessed in our day and age must be pornography. That’s a sin of lust. You can simply say I viewed pornography x amount of times. You don’t, and shouldn’t say I watched this type of pornography or that type, this specific sexual act in video or that specific sexual act. It’s all sinful and it’s all classified as pornography. The same rule of thumb applies to all sins being confessed.

As to your original question, confess the sin just to be safe. And going forward, end your confessions with a general confession, “I would like to make a general confession for any sins I’ve committed that I can’t recall at this time”. This general confession covers you for all your sins that you committed but forgot about. It’s really important stuff. Then later on you don’t have to worry about it because you already covered it. Just remember, this doesn’t mean that you can “forget” certain sins that you are too embarrassed to confess to the priest with the secret hope you could cover it in a general confession. This legitimately only covers sins you’ve truly forgotten about. It happens to me all the time. I reflect on my sins, go into the confessional, instant brain fart and forget about half of what I wanted to confess. Make general confession and while receiving absolution remember specific sins I wanted to confess.