Unsure of Following Priest's Direction

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WanderingFish

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My usual confessor recently told me not to confess past sins and to just go from most recent confession forward. The past is in the past and God forgives me. I always keep remembering past sins (including mortal ones) and now have no idea what to do. Don’t you need to confess mortal sins if you remember them? This same priest once told me something I know is a mortal sin is ok if it feels right. But priests are limited where I am.

I have no idea if I should follow his council and be obedient or if I should go against what he said and confess past remembered sins/details of sin anyway. I’m scared of following his advice and it end up being wrong and not finding out till the pearly gates 😦
 
He sounds a bit off. I wouldn’t take any chances and confess any and all mortal sins you can recall. God bless.
 
He gave you the best direction he could. When I second guess myself about mortal sins I contact a friendly monk. The best one I know is named Fr. Chris Saliga O.P. I would reach out!

He’s truly amazing and on LinkedIn as well
 
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What? Why would you confess mortal sins you already confessed and been forgiven of? Making a general confession where you confess ALL the sins you remember over your entire life is a spiritual practice that can be done, but it’s a pretty involved process and shouldn’t be done every time you make a confession.
 
I keep remembering ones I forgot to confess entirely, forgotten details of a sin that make it a more grave offense, or didn’t realize that something or some detail was a sin/added to the gravity of it
 
You’re referring to sins from the past which you never confessed, and suddenly remember? By all means, confess them at your next confession. I write mine down, so I don’t forget again.

S.Cono
 
I remember my first confession nearly two years ago, I said something like “there are so many.” The priest told me God forgives them. I never listed them out. But he said they are forgiven.
 
WanderingFish said:
Don’t you need to confess mortal sins if you remember them?
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Not if you’ve already confessed them.
This same priest once told me something I know is a mortal sin is ok if it feels right.
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Sins objectively are only grave or not grave. Mortal sin is not an objective category as it involves your culpability. A lot of people have trouble splitting the objective part of the sin from the subjective part. As such, they error on side of legalism or moral relativism. The moral relativists are reactionary to the legalistic. The legalististic type get fearful and angry and tend to feel the relavistists are threatening everyone’s salvation. God is more powerful than all of this. Pray and remember the parable of the talents. We are responsible for what we do with what we’re given. What we’re given is often imperfect. Do your best to orient yourself toward God. Don’t worry about the missteps made in ignorance.
 
You are well advised to follow the direction of your confessor. God does not play “gotcha” games; you will not faithfully follow what you earnestly think is the proper advice and, as you put it, find out at the pearly gates that it was wrong.

Others are responding for the normal circumstances; you forget a sin, mention it next time. Based on your wording, however, there’s some scrupulous behavior at play here, potentially, and so your best bet is to STOP taking advice from the Internet and listen ONLY to your priest.
 
we probably need more information, were you recently baptised? have you confessed past sin and come back to the church.

so best we are not judgemental and look at this in context.

what is the context.
 
It sounds like you are scrupulous and are reconfessing past sins because of that. Follow the direction of your priest in this matter. It’s on him if he steers you wrong. And you would be well advised not to ask these kinds of questions here, as there will be many contradictory and unqualified answers given, and it will only serve as a further temptation to sell reassurance.

You are in my prayers.

-Fr ACEGC
 
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