Valid confession??

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taye

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During my last confession, I confessed some disturbing thoughts I had been having to my priest. I did not know how much detail to get into, and my last intention was to tempt him to sin. However, while I was explaining all this, I also said that I wasn’t sure how much detail to go into. He proceeded to give me absolution right away. I left the confessional feeling that maybe I should have told him an additional bit of information. Leaving out that extra information made it sound like it wasn’t really that bad. I don’t know whether the sin I confessed was serious or not or whether I should return to confession before receiving communion again.

I’m sorry if I sound like I’m rambling, but try to keep in mind that I tend toward scrupulosity.
 
Your question is whether or not you made a valid confession. I can tell you that it is valid. The reason being because you confessed the sin. You do not need to go into specific detail when confessing a sin. The thing you want to confess is the sin with enough detail as to express the severity of it and how many times you committed it. Details are not necessary as far as how the act was committed or the details of what went on during the act.

For example:
A person confesses that they stole.
Father I stole (in this case you would want to add a little more detail)
The correct way would be
Father I stole money from my friend.
Father I stole a pencil from my job.
Both sins are sins but the severity is different on both.

I hope this makes sense.

Peace,
RCSeminarian
 
To me it also sounds like a valid confession because you fully intended to tell all but the priest appears not to have thought the further detail necessary. You were absolved.

It’s all about how you feel though, if you really in your heart are worried and it was about a mortal sin, simply go back again to confess.

God Bless,

Rove
 
I’ve been in this situation many times, and I can be scrupulous too, where I feel like if I’m not being detailed the priest won’t understand and I want to be detailed for his benefit of weighing the severity of my sin and my culpability, etc. Feeling like if I didn’t say everything I went in there (the confessional) to say, can make youI feel like it wasn’t complete somehow because whatever circumstance kept the confession short or maybe it was the priest, etc.

It then makes you feel conflicted- you KNOW you were forgiven, but you weren’t personally satisfied with the way it went down.

What makes me feel better when this happens is I realize three things:
  1. That again, I’m forgiven as, like the other posters here have said, the sin itself was mentioned. You didn’t hide it, or were attempting to get around to it and didn’t- You said it, were truly sorry for it, and that’s what counts and matters and makes the confession valid. God knows whats in your heart even though the priest does not. God knows what you will have intended to say, and He knows when you’re sincere in your heart and knows this when He forgives you. He knows that, if given the time you will have liked, you would have said more, but that it’s ok that it didn’t happen. If anything, I think it pleases God that you would want to be so thorough and truthful and I think it’s part of what makes the confession valid before it’s even official.
  2. You do not need to FEEL forgiven to BE forgiven. KNOW you’re forgiven by what the priest says “I absolve you from all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Usually, a priest will say “amen” and then “go in peace” to reaffirm to you that it’s ok.
  3. You need to be able to remove your personal satisfaction of the experience from the equation. What I mean is, in some ways, we may feel slighted if we didn’t get to say what we wanted, or that we’re not understood if we didn’t get to and that may make us feel hurt. Part of scrupulosity is also control or lack of it and our inability to initially deal with it appropriately, sometimes.
When you leave the confessional, or even while you’re still in there, realize that you’ve given that control to Jesus himself and you can trust him (through the priest) to do a better job at controlling the situation than you could have even on your best day without the scruples. When you surrender like this, a weight is lifted and you realize everything the priest has told you has come to pass and you don’t need to control the situation- God already had it covered.

You were forgiven and it was a valid confession. I can understand your concern, however. You were right to ask. God bless.
 
RCSeminarian said:
Your question is whether or not you made a valid confession. I can tell you that it is valid. The reason being because you confessed the sin. You do not need to go into specific detail when confessing a sin. The thing you want to confess is the sin with enough detail as to express the severity of it and how many times you committed it. Details are not necessary as far as how the act was committed or the details of what went on during the act.

For example:
A person confesses that they stole.
Father I stole (in this case you would want to add a little more detail)
The correct way would be
Father I stole money from my friend.
Father I stole a pencil from my job.
Both sins are sins but the severity is different on both.

I hope this makes sense

Peace,
RCSeminarian
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Although my scenario is different from the one listed above, I’m afraid it’s these sort of details that were left out. When I’m repeating the confession in my head with the details I left out, it sounds twice as bad. What then?
 
taye said:
Although my scenario is different from the one listed above, I’m afraid it’s these sort of details that were left out. When I’m repeating the confession in my head with the details I left out, it sounds twice as bad. What then?
Click to expand...
Don’t stress about this too much. Comfort yourself with the fact that you were absolved. You did not purposely withhold a sin. However I can sympathize with you as I have occasionally been unsure if I have made a complete confession. I would recommend going back to confession this week and saying “Father, I’m struggling with the last confession I made. I think it may have been incomplete and so I would like to repeat it to you.”

I happen to live in an area with several Catholic churches to choose from for Mass and Confession. If you are in a similar situation, try going to different church for confession- no harm done there and you might get a priest with a different approach.

Also, try saying this prayer before going into confession in the future:

"My Lord and God, I have sinned. I am guilty before You. Grant me the strength to say to Your minister what I say in the secret of my heart.

Increase my repentance. Make it more genuine. May it really be a sorrow for having offended You and my neighbor rather than a wounded love of self.

Help me to atone for my sin. May the sufferings of my lie and my little mortifications be joined with the sufferings of Jesus, Your Son, and cooperate in rooting sin from the world."

Pax!
 
You’re ok . The validity of the sacrament has very little to do with how clear you feel that you were. God knows your intent.
 
taye said:
Although my scenario is different from the one listed above, I’m afraid it’s these sort of details that were left out. When I’m repeating the confession in my head with the details I left out, it sounds twice as bad. What then?
Click to expand...
The Mercy of God is greater than our fear of mentioning more details. You are forgiven because you still confessed the sin and named it for what it is. There is a process where a priest goes down the 10 commandments and asks you questions and you have to answer yes or no and if yes how many times. I would suggest you use an examination of conscience and go with it to confession and say exactly how you answered it. But, that is only to help you feel better. As far as validity, you it is valid.
God Bless
 
It sounds to my uneducated mind as though your confession was valid. Remember that God knows your heart and loves you so much more than you love yourself and He wants to shower His Divine Mercy upon you.

In listening to “The Journey Home” on many occaisions, it is interesting to hear Protestants who’ve converted to Catholicism marvel over the wonderful sacrament of Confession. They say that, as a Protestant, they tell God of their sorrow over sin, but they don’t always know if “they were sorry enough” or something like that. However, as Catholics, when the priest absolves them of their sins, they know that the slate has been wiped clean.

Rest in the wonderful mercy of our Lord.

God bless,
Dan
 
Yes and you were absolved by the priest. It would be improper if you lied or didn’t mention something on purpose. It doesn’t sound like you did. Let God be God and accept the forgiveness.
 
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