Was I absolved of this?

[StudentMI]

Today I went to Confession, and I think I remembered something but I either didn’t mention it because I was embarrassed or because the priest was talking. If the former, I would have confessed it after a moment of hesitation, as I’ve done before (I hesitated, realized I had to say it, and did), but I forgot about it. I must have because I didn’t even think of it until I got home. I’m still new to this and the gravity of withholding something didn’t come to mind until I was at home, either. I’m not sure what to do. I know that tomorrow I’ll try to confess to one of the priests after Mass, but I wish I could now. Problem is local priests are never available. If I called my parish priest (I know his number), he’d just tell me it had to wait and I shouldn’t worry so much.

I’m not even sure it was mortal because as I was thinking it (it was about the attractiveness of Buddhism as I watched a movie) I realized and tried to fight it but I forget if I did or not, or gave up. I know I mentioned blasphemous thoughts as something I had done but I wasn’t thinking of this instance, and what I had thought was more just an automatic kind of thing that I stopped.

When he absolved me, was that sin wiped away as well? I’ll mention it in any case but I’m wondering if it is technically absolved, or if it won’t be til I confess it again?

 

[edward_george]

I’m not sure that you’ve even sinned–being attracted to Buddhism isn’t exactly a sin, because it doesn’t sound like much of an act of the will is involved, and even if you were willfully seeking to learn about Buddhism (or any other religion), that’s not sinful of itself either–how else do Catholic theologians study what other religions believe? It sounds like you are probably suffering from scrupulosity, and you should speak to your confessor about that. You’re in my prayers.

-ACEGC

 

[StudentMI]

I’m not sure that you’ve even sinned–being attracted to Buddhism isn’t exactly a sin, because it doesn’t sound like much of an act of the will is involved, and even if you were willfully seeking to learn about Buddhism (or any other religion), that’s not sinful of itself either–how else do Catholic theologians study what other religions believe? It sounds like you are probably suffering from scrupulosity, and you should speak to your confessor about that. You’re in my prayers.

-ACEGC

It’s hard to explain. It was a series of thoughts while watching a movie with Chinese mythology, and how attractive that would be if real, even against Catholicism. But then I began thinking it made no sense theologically, then I began thinking it was wrong and realized the gravity of what I was thinking. Then the thing in the OP happened. I did withhold it, but I’d done that before for a moment or two and then I broke and said whatever I did because I knew I had to. But today, I don’t remember what happened but it just slipped my mind, the gravity of withholding and the incident itself.

I am scrupulous, or am becoming that way. I have OCD, have had it for most of my life, and so I’m beginning to encounter problems as it applies to prayer and other things. I’ll confess it asap, hopefully tomorrow. Thank you for the prayers.

 

[R_C]

Did you repent? Did you confess with the intention to speak only the truth and hide nothing?

Or did you not repent, or did you intend to lie or deceive the priest and to hide something from him?

I am sure that it is the first one that reflects your disposition. Then be at peace, for Christ did not come to judge and condemn, only to forgive his little ones and dwell in their hearts adorned with the glory of the Spirit’s sanctifying grace.

Remember: mortal sins are grave sins. They remove sanctifying grace and bring death to the soul. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacrament of the dead. A thought, no matter what, cannot be mortal sin per se unless certain conditions are met. The great saints of the past, unexposed to the filth we are exposed to daily and living ascetic and mortified lives, were tempted with terrible visions of lust at times. As long as they experienced disgust at the temptation, rejected it, and chose Christ, how could there be any sin?

how attractive that would be if real, even against Catholicism …] But then I began thinking it made no sense theologically

Where’s the sin? The “lightest” sin against faith is voluntary doubt, refusing to hold as true what God revealed and the Church teaches. Doubt is involuntary when the person hesitates to believe or cannot overcome objections to faith.

In this case there is no such refusal, and in fact you even rejected it yourself.