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brian
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| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
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| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 05:08 pm |
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So is it the case that after confession all your sins are forgiven? Say you forgot about some, or just decided to confess your grave sins on some confession, but left out the venial sins, would the venial still be forgiven even though you chose not to mention them? I know you should mention them, but say you don't, does the absolution forgive every sin even the unconfessed sins that you do remember?
Also, I am struggling with the amount of details in the first confession. For instance, with bearing false witness. I have lied many times throughout my life, or dishonored my parents many times, but it is so hard to give a history or name all the specific times and ways. Is it enough to say "I have lied and deceived people in many different ways at many different times in my life" Or "I have dishonored my parents and disobeyed them many times" Will the priest ask more if he needs more...is all forgiven even though so little is being mentioned? Can you lump a lifetime of sin into a sentence like that and be a good confession?
Lastly, if I have forgotten some things or porrly confessed them, does the sacrmanet truly offer me complete and total forgiveness for all my sins, so long as I do confess anything else that I remember later if it comes up?
What if a person is not aware that say birth control is a serious sin and does not confess it because nobody ever told him that it was serious, or it was so long that he forgot? Is he still forgiven even though he never was aware of this sin or repentant for it? Are we forgiven totally of even things we are not aware we have done wrong?
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 05:46 pm |
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brian wrote: So is it the case that after confession all your sins are forgiven?
All sins are forgiven as long as no mortal sins are deliberately withheld. If mortal sins are deliberately withheld, the confession is made under false pretenses and the absolution is invalid.
From the Catechism:
1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."
When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know."but left out the venial sins, would the venial still be forgiven even though you chose not to mention them?
It is not required to confess venial sins. They are always forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance, even if they are not mentioned. It is a good idea to confess habitual venial sins, but it is not required.
does the absolution forgive every sin even the unconfessed sins that you do remember?
You are forgiven all confessed mortal sins, all venial sins, and any mortal sins you unintentionally forget to confess. If you deliberately fail to confess any mortal sins, nothing is forgiven. You are required to confess any mortal sins you remember later at your next confession.
Is it enough to say "I have lied and deceived people in many different ways at many different times in my life" Or "I have dishonored my parents and disobeyed them many times"
Yes. You should indicate as much as possible the nature, number, and duration of sins, but don't make up numbers. Say "many times" rather than "a hundred times" if you're not sure, or "a few times" if it's happened only occasionally.
Will the priest ask more if he needs more...is all forgiven even though so little is being mentioned?
Yes. His interest is in determining whether it is a momentary weakness or a long-term pattern of sinfulness, because that will change his spiritual direction. He is also concerned with behavior that may lead to greater sins. You should also try to indicate the severity of actions. Stealing a pencil is not the same thing as stealing a car, and taking a quarter from your mother's purse is not the same thing as holding up a liquor store at gunpoint. In the same way, a stray expletive is not the same as truly wishing that someone will suffer eternal damnation.
So you want to confess in language that will indicate the nature, frequency, and severity of your sins. Words like "often" and "seldom" and "many" and "few" will do fine, especially for your first confession.
Lastly, if I have forgotten some things or porrly confessed them, does the sacrmanet truly offer me complete and total forgiveness for all my sins, so long as I do confess anything else that I remember later if it comes up?
Yes. Forgiveness comes from God, and God knows what is in your heart. If your intention is to confess all of your serious sins, God will know them even if you forget. You are required to confess them later, even if they are already forgiven, so that the priest may offer you spiritual direction and the certainty of forgiveness.
What if a person is not aware that say birth control is a serious sin and does not confess it because nobody ever told him that it was serious, or it was so long that he forgot? Is he still forgiven even though he never was aware of this sin or repentant for it? Are we forgiven totally of even things we are not aware we have done wrong?
The three conditions necessary for a mortal sin are that it must be a grave evil that we commit knowingly and willingly. If a person truly does not know it is a grave evil, it is not a mortal sin. However, if a person has deliberately ignored the Church's teaching, or deliberately chosen to seek information which leads to an improperly formed conscience, they might very well be guilty of other, maybe even more serious, sins.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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brian
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 06:08 pm |
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Thanks, Rick.
What did this part mean?
even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."
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brian
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 06:09 pm |
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Thanks, Rick.
So, it is ok to say that I did 'something many times', if I really can not go through my whole life and realize many specific instances that stand out or have any way of telling which years I struggled how many times with it. It will be covered so long as I do not deliberately withhold any mortal sin?
Say somebody confesses a mortal sin, but is embarrassed and recalls very little details. Is it forgiven even if he does not say much about it. Say he committed murdered 20 people, and he just confesses "I have committed murder more than once" Would he be forgiven, if he was truly sorry but too embarrassed to mention the details and the priest did not ask?
Last edited on Tue Mar 27th, 2007 06:14 pm by brian
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 06:21 pm |
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brian wrote: What did this part mean?
even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."
The Decalogue is the Ten Commandments. The last two commandments regard coveting your neighbor's wife or goods. (These two commandments are combined in most Protestant listings; they are separate in Catholic teaching.) These are "secret" sins in that they are not directly committed against someone else, but are in the depths of our hearts and minds. I can "covet" someone's possessions without him ever knowing it, just as I can objectify a woman (treat her as a sex object) in the way I think about her, without ever acting on those thoughts. Other sins are more open. Lying, stealing, killing, murder, etc., cannot be done without directly hurting another. Coveting directly hurts only the sinner.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Mar 27th, 2007 06:34 pm |
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brian wrote: So, it is ok to say that I did 'something many times', if I really can not go through my whole life and realize many specific instances that stand out or have any way of telling which years I struggled how many times with it. It will be covered so long as I do not deliberately withhold any mortal sin?
Yes. Use language that indicates the frequency, severity, and duration of sinful behavior. Words such as many, few, constantly, frequently, seldom, occasionally, etc., all indicate frequency. Severity is indicated by words like big, small, etc. "I have frequently stolen small items" indicates disrespect for other people's property, but it is still not as serious as "I have frequently stolen expensive jewelry" or "I have frequently robbed banks".
As for duration, there is a big difference between "I was disrespectful of my parents all of last week" and "I was disrespectful of my parents for the last five years".
The important thing is to give the priest a true idea of your sinful behavior. He will ask questions as he feels necessary.
Say somebody confesses a mortal sin, but is embarrassed and recalls very little details. Is it forgiven even if he does not say much about it.
Yes, for most "normal" sins. However...
Say he committed murdered 20 people, and he just confesses "I have committed murder more than once" Would he be forgiven, if he was truly sorry but too embarrassed to mention the details and the priest did not ask?
In the case of murder, this would not be sufficient. The priest would certainly ask followup questions, but if life is so insignificant to a person that he can't even remember how many he killed, he has much more serious problems that require massive spiritual direction before he can be forgiven.
The same would be true of having sex outside of marriage. Depending on the age of the person and the length of time since the last confession, a person who, say, confessed having sex with "a couple of hundred women" in the last year needs much more serious guidance. That's when questions about frequency, severity, and duration come into play. Also, it is necessary that the language indicate the nature of the sin. "Sexual improprieties" would not be a sufficient explanation for using other human beings for recreational sexual gratification every other night and twice on Saturdays without even knowing their last names.
The main thing, Brian, is that you admit your sinfulness to the priest as accurately as possible. He is less interested in specific acts than in the nature of your actions that take you away from God. Trust the priest to ask any necessary followup questions.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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