What do you do when you have to repeatedly confess the same sin?

[Merton]

I have a question about confession. What do you do when you go to confession to confess the same sin over and over? You don’t want to go to the same priest again and again because you are sure he knows who you are. He has shown some disgust toward you in the past. You have gone to other priests in the area but they are all becoming familiar with you. Confession is scary to begin with for some people like me. I am embarrassed to confess the same sin. My confession centers on this same sin and I don’t even think about other sins I may have committed. I end up feeling like I have not made a good confession.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

If a priest has literally shown disgust toward you because of sins you have committed, then that priest is not a good confessor. I suspect though that it is possible that what you are interpreting as disgust is instead some other reaction. I have heard, for example, of priests whose mannerisms in the confessional are somewhat gruff but not intentionally malicious or scornful. In any case, if such responses make you uncomfortable, then I can only recommend that you find another confessor.

Once you find a confessor whose style helps you, then stick with that confessor. Do not worry about confessing the same sin over and over again. Just as a mother will lovingly tend her child’s scrapes no matter how many times he skins his knees, so a good confessor will not deliberately cause you hurt because you must confess the same sin many times. You might though ask a regular confessor for a recommendation for a spiritual director who can give you more personal assistance in conquering this particular sin.