What if someone "corrects" a sin?

[jcoldc]

I am wondering if anyone knows if it is necessary to go to confession is you commit a sin, but then make it right.

For example, if someone tells another a lie, but later tells the person “Hey I lied…This is what really happened.” Do they still need to go to confession? Does it maybe depend on how long they went before telling the truth?

I know there are some sins you can’t go back and “undo”. But there seems to be several you can. (ie stealing, lying, maybe even gossip or heresy if the person receiving it hasn’t “taken hold” of it.)

I remember someone on commenting on a sin he thought he committed. I suggested to go back and talk to the person. And now wonder if he straightens the situation out, does he need to go to confession?

 

[joeybaggz]

One cannot ‘correct’ a sin, one can only correct the damage or the effect of the sin. Only God can “correct” or maybe better, forgive and forget a sin.

Actually, most of the sins you mentioned demand some form of restitution as a penance. Undoing the wrong one does is generally a requirement for true contrition. It does not however ‘erase’ or ‘correct’ the sin. It does, hopefully, undo the damage to the agreived party. If the sin was, in the mind of the sinner, truly mortal, then yes, confession would be necessary.

Restitution is always a right action and when done sincerely, hopefully strengthens the sinners resolve to avoid that sin in the future.

My two cents.

 

[CarrieH]

I have “corrected” sins before, but I still confess them. I tell the priest the sin, and then tell him what I did to make things right. I figure the sin was wrong whether I did anything to fix the situation or not. When in doubt, confess it. :twocents:

 

[EasterJoy]

One would hope you’d do what you can to correct any sin as soon as you become aware of the damage, whether or not you’ve confessed it yet. That’s just kind of part of honest contrition, I would think. Otherwise, you’re trying to have your cake and eat it, too, don’t you think?

 

[LilyM]

In general I agree with the posters here - repairing the damage caused by your sin (which we all should do anyways if it lies in our power) doesn’t remove the need to go to confession.

Just a word about lying though, since it’s the example you brought up - not all lies are in fact mortal sins, the Catechism says the gravity of a lie depends on a number of factors (things like the seriousness and type of lie and the intent behind the lying). If not mortal sin, then there’s no need to go to confession.

Some theologians (not all, remember) argue a concept of ‘mental reservation’ whereby, for example, a Nazi looking for Jews in order to imprison or murder them is in fact not entitled to the truth because of the heinousness of their intent, and therefore you can without sin lie about whether you are hiding Jews in your house.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:28

Sin lies in the intent, the act of will, not in the physical action.

 

[jcoldc]

Some theologians (not all, remember) argue a concept of ‘mental reservation’ whereby, for example, a Nazi looking for Jews in order to imprison or murder them is in fact not entitled to the truth because of the heinousness of their intent, and therefore you can without sin lie about whether you are hiding Jews in your house.

That’s interesting. I didn’t know that, but gathered that it was OK based on what I learned of Vatican practices durnign Nazi Germany. It makes sense to me.

 

[jcoldc]

Actually, most of the sins you mentioned demand some form of restitution as a penance. Undoing the wrong one does is generally a requirement for true contrition. It does not however ‘erase’ or ‘correct’ the sin. It does, hopefully, undo the damage to the agreived party. If the sin was, in the mind of the sinner, truly mortal, then yes, confession would be necessary.

Is that something that is supposed to be common knowledge? Whenever I’ve had a sin that could fall in this category, generally I’ve been absolved without having been asked to go back and make restitution as penance. I think I can recall a few times, but not many.

Oh no.

 

[jcoldc]

I mentioned something about timing too. So this might sound silly, but since we’re on topic…

What if someone tells a lie, then immediately says, “Naa, that’s a lie.”

Still a sin? Maybe depends? I think in some cases you could say the intention was there, even if brief. But maybe you could also say in other cases someone said the lie without full consent. Maybe like, it just came out without thinking or something.

I know lying is a weird example because sometimes it’s not a mortal sin. But is an easy example.