What to confess?

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cintwina

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I’m a convert and a little confused about what stuff to confess besides breaking the ten com :o ments. Any suggestions?
 
First and foremost, anything that is of grave matter.
Second, anything venial.
Third, any inclinations or desires to commit sin.
 
Then ask the priest hearing your confession. The Ten Commandments is a good place to start. But don’t just look at them literally. Look deeper too. Your conscience is a good indicator of sin. If you feel that something may be sinful ask a priest if it is.
 
Before confession it’s a good idea to do an examination of conscience. This would mean that we think about the things that we’ve done to hurt ourselves or others, or just God himself.

This will help put your sins into proper perspective. I believe you can find one online. Personally I found a pamphlet at Church that I use to help me out.

frpat.com/examen.htm

theworkofgod.org/Library/examine.htm

And my favorite online examen of conscience is in two parts… part one is for mortal sins, and part 2 is for venial sins. It even tells you HOW to go to confession (step by step) A wonderful guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
Click on the links on the bottom of the page when on this site.
catholic.org/frz/examen/confession_how.htm
 
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cintwina:
I don’t know what things are sins?
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Where in the conversion process are you? Have you been baptised? Confirmed? Are you in RCIA? The answers to your questions depend very largely on your stage of formation. For example, if you are just beginning the inquiry process, you can bring this up with your group . . . You won’t be the only one with these questions.

If you are already “in” the Church, then some of what the other posters have said can help.

I would DEFINITELY not just walk into a confessional one Saturday afternoon and say, “I don’t know why I’m here.” The priest would help you, but there is a lot of groundwork you can do (and are doing!) before you walk in that door. The more you invest, the more you will reap.
 
Thank you to everybody. This has been very helpful. To answer your question about where I am, I joined the church a few years ago but when I ask about what to confess, people get very general and vague. Thanks.

Cindy
 
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cintwina:
Thank you to everybody. This has been very helpful. To answer your question about where I am, I joined the church a few years ago but when I ask about what to confess, people get very general and vague. Thanks.

Cindy
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:banghead: This drives me NUTS!!! Can you sue your RCIA program for malpractice?

Come to think of it, when I came into the Church, as a High Church Episcopalian, I had made sacramental confessions for many years – even taught a class on it to Episcopal seminarians. My classmate, however, was clueless. Three weeks (THREE !) before Easter the RCIA guy springs it on her: Um, by the way, when do you think you’ll be doing your first Penance? She didn’t even know what it was. They gave her a 5.5 x 4.2 foldover “examination of conscience” as a guide and just told her to “do it.” She nearly croaked. Can’t say I blame her.

I hope some of the resources provided here will be helpful.
 
You’ve all been very kind. There is so much information for me to look over. I don’t think I could’ve found it had I not asked here. I will read over the info, meditate on how it applies to me and I’m sure I will feel more confident when I go to confession. Thank you all again and God Bless.

Cindy :gopray:
 
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cintwina:
Thank you to everybody. This has been very helpful. To answer your question about where I am, I joined the church a few years ago but when I ask about what to confess, people get very general and vague. Thanks.

Cindy
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It is sad but many in the Church downplay sin and try to make everyone feel good about hemselves at all times. Part of the I love you you love me mentality that permeates many in the faith. That being said I can offer a few suggestions on confessing:

Examine your conscience, the first step. What have you done or felt that you feel guilty about? Have you broken any of the commandments? Have you committed an action or had some thought that may have offended God in some way? Were you disrespectful in some fashion to God, your parents or others? Were you un charitable in some fashion? Did you do something that hurt another person? Did you have desires for something you should not have? Did you covet something that belonged to someone else, etc etc?

Most people think that confession only applies to actions. Not so . Thoughts, desires, urges, feelings, all those if distracting and un Christian in nature can and should be confessed.

John Paul the Second, may he rest in peace, our late Pope, confessed not once but several times weekly. Saint Bernadette, truly a holy individual, near her death, wracked with incredible pain, confessed to her confessor and others that she had hurt her mothers feelings as a child by refusing to eat onion soup, and telling her to take it away because she could not stand it. Imagine that.

In short any thought, word or deed that you believe is wrong can and should be confessed.

Next, be truly sorry for what you have done. The confession is quite meaningless unless you feel true sorrow in your heart for your actions. This is probably a harder thing to do then remembering your sins. especially in these days when virtually anything goes and self gratification is seen as an absolute right.

Last. openly and freely confess without hesitation and evasion. Don’t hide or conceal anything. Admit your culpability and humbly ask forgiveness.

Thats it in a nutshell, without going into the mechanics and all eventualities. If you do these things, I think you will be all right.

Welcome to the Church, you will be in my prayers.

COR JESU SACRATISSIMUM, MISERERE NOBIS
 
Just make sure to confess all mortal sins by kind and approximate number for your confession to be valid. You don’t have to be exact in number for it to be valid; there’s a differnce between committing a mortal sin such as adultery twice during the last six months and committing it on an almost daily basis for the past six months.

If you’ve been holding back mortal sins then just tell the priest and confess them during your next confession. Don’t worry about being embarresed.
 
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cintwina:
I’m a convert and a little confused about what stuff to confess besides breaking the ten com :o ments. Any suggestions?
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The sins that most of us forget are those sins of “omission”. The things we “forget” to do, or are just to “lazy”, “busy”, etc. to do. Works of charity, kindness, politeness, etc. Holding back on our giving to charity because we want that money for some personal satisfaction. These sins of omission are not easily found when we examine our conscience.
 
the best time to examine your conscience is every night before bed, when you say your prayers. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you as you review the day. Recall everything that troubled you, look at your own responses and actions, and times you did not do what you should have done. Also look at long-term habits that arise out of sinful thoughts and desires. Make a good act of contrition and say the Our Father. If you make this a regular habit you will quickly come to know immediately when you are in mortal sin and need to confess. Confess regularly, and make a general examination of conscience beforehand using one of the guides cited above.
 
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