Was my confession valid?

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Daisy101

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If one buys extra of something they already have plenty of, is this really a venial sin? I’m under the impression (from a past Confession) that it is.

A day or a few days before my last Confession, I saw something I really wanted that I already had plenty of at the store, and I think I decided I didn’t think it was a venial sin to buy extra. I knew I was planning to go to Confession that Saturday. Prior to that, I felt guilty and I think I tried to donate something equivalent to what I had bought (it was a bandaid box).

I know that one must be sorry for and Confess all mortal sins in Confession but if one commits venial sins and isn’t really that sorry for those? Would the confession be invalid? Thanks for any advice you can give, my OCD/scrupples are really bothering me on this one. Whats worse is I told my Mom I would give it a rest when I asked her (and about some other stuff) and here I am on here asking on here, so I feel like I might be sinning asking for advice here. I just want to make sure I had a valid confession.
 
Does your confessor know that you have trouble with scruples? You need to discuss these things with a good priest.

Buying extra of something is not a sin. Bandaids are not grave matter. So it looks like, given what you’ve told us, that you are ok.

But talk to a priest about the scruples.
 
Uhmm You are actually forgiven of venial sins at the mass (by attending mass) when we do the act of contrition, so even if you did not confess it, or if you forgot or whatever any venial sins are forgiven.
Remember the words? About asking God to forgive us for what we have done, and have failed to do, for our words and thoughts?

Hope this helps.

Have peace, I will pray for you 👍
 
Thank you for your responses and prayers. I’m thinking its my scrupples and OCD really getting at me. I would think that particular Priest knows I have scrupples (I think I may have told him I had them)…I had long general confession with him earlier this year and I think I usually have longer than 5 minute Confessions…I don’t want to forget anything that could possibly be a mortal sin.
 
Daisy101 said:
Thank you for your responses and prayers. I’m thinking its my scrupples and OCD really getting at me. I would think that particular Priest knows I have scrupples (I think I may have told him I had them)…I had long general confession with him earlier this year and I think I usually have longer than 5 minute Confessions…I don’t want to forget anything that could possibly be a mortal sin.
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If you can, make an appointment with him to discuss your scrupulosity, outside of confession, otherwise, tell him specifically that you do. Some priests have a gift of forgetfulness, so he may not realize that you have scrupulosity. He should be able to help you, but if he can’t, keep trying til you find a priest who can.
 
Daisy101 said:
I’m thinking its my scrupples and OCD really getting at me. I would think that particular Priest knows I have scrupples (I think I may have told him I had them)…I had long general confession with him earlier this year and **I think **I usually have longer than 5 minute Confessions…I don’t want to forget anything that could possibly be a mortal sin.
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I can tell you from your message that you know it is scrupulosity. Your mom knows it is, too, and you told her you would be finished with this subject today.

Make an appointment with the priest to discuss how you should handle your sufferings with scrupulosity. Maybe your mom can come to the appointment with you to learn how to help you.

Maybe your mom can get an appointment for you with a therapist if she wants professional help for your troubles.

If you have a post that begins “was my confession valid”, “is this a mortal sin”, or you think you MAY have forgotten something that MIGHT be a mortal sin during confession - then you KNOW it is your sufferings from scrupulosity. Asking one more time - to any one - feeds it - it does not make you feel better.

May God give you peace and may you TRUST God to know you are sorry for all sins - all sins. AMEN
 
I don’t want to wear this Priest out…I don’t attend the Church he is the Pastor of…maybe my Diocese might know of a Pastor who could help me out with my Scrupulosity.

I have one other question that maybe you could help me with, when is deliberate lying a mortal sin? (I’m decerning whether I should go to Confession this weekend or not). I was reading a book that I briefly discussed with my Pastor as I was leaving from Adoration. I think I started to tell him a little bit about it and I think he said something like "Tell me about it (after I was done reading it…can’t remember exactly). I think I told him I would but in my mind wasn’t planning to. The other thing deals with talking to my Mom about this possible invalid Confession and a few things that were bothering me relating to sins…yet I came on here and asked about it and sent an e-mail to SA about it. I told my Mom something like I’d drop it after she gave me her opinion and maybe "then some…thinking I would probably ask on SA or on here…would these instances be lying and grave sin? I’m trying to only go to Confession once a month but this is really bothering me and I don’t want to recieve Communion unworthily this weekend. Thanks!
 
If one confesses a mortal sin and is not sorry in any sense for it and even intends to do it again, they commit the mortal sin of sacrilege and their confession is not valid. Contrition is a necessary part of the validity of the Sacrament. But with venial sin it is different. Firstly, you are under no obligation to state them in the confessional and I would recommend someone with scruples not to do so. If you confess a venial sin but are not sorry for it, I believe then that you have committed another venial sin, but this does not invalidate the Sacrament. If however you had no mortal sins to confess and this is all that you confessed, then there was no Sacrament, but you did not commit the mortal sin of sacrilege.

In regards to scruples and the confessional, I have a couple suggestions based off of what I do: do your examination of conscience outside of the confessional and write down your mortal sins (you can tear it up and throw it away afterwards) and also, at the end of listing your sins say “I confess these and any sins I may have forgotten.” If you willfully omit something, that is sacrilege, but if you simply forget, there is no sin and you are still forgiven. If memory serves me correct, St. Padre Pio recommended saying this.

Here is a link to an article I found the other day. You may find it helpful. (MOD, please delete link if you disagree. Not meant to promote a site, simply the article.)
fisheaters.com/scruples.html
It’s called the 10 Commandments for the Scrupulous

God bless you!

In Corde Jesu et Mariae,
DeepeningFaith
 
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