General Confession

[faithcecelia]

I have read a few articles recently about general confessions and am a little confused about their purpose. I mean, I understand that the idea is to confess every sin from the time of your baptism to the present day, that you should spend a long time preparing for it, and advise the priest in advance so you have at least an hour. However, they seem to be 'aimed' at Catholics who already recieve the sacrament of reconciliation regularly, and as such the sins are already forgiven. As a convert I made my first confession as an adult, that took some time and included many sins from way back and was the most amazing experience of my life - I cried for 2 days before hand and then practically danced out of the confessional - so I suppose without realising it that might have been counted as a general confession, but I just don't understand there puropse otherwise. Could you please explain? Thank you.

[cappie]

[font="Verdana"]A general confession is the same as any other confession except that it's intended to cover your entire life.

One would usually do this in an extraordinary circumstance, such as: first confession; confession after many years; returning to the Church after many years, a change in one's state in life--i.e. just beforegetting married, or being ordained; duirng a retreat. Or if you've just reached a point in your life when you think an overall backward look would do you good.

Start out by saying, "Father, I'd like to make a general confession," to alert him that this will be longer than normal. It's probably best to do by appointment. [/font]

I know its typically done in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius:

Whoever, of his own accord, wants to make a General Confession, will, among many other advantages, find three in making it here.

First. The first: Though whoever goes to Confession every year is not obliged to make a General Confession, by making it there is greater profit and merit, because of the greater actual sorrow for all the sins and wickedness of his whole life.

Second. The second: In the Spiritual Exercises, sins and their malice are understood more intimately, than in the time when one was not so giving himself to interior things. Gaining now more knowledge of and sorrow for them, he will have greater profit and merit than he had before.

Third. The third is: In consequence, having made a better Confession and being better disposed, one finds himself in condition and prepared to receive the Blessed Sacrament: the reception of which is an aid not only not to fall into sin, but also to preserve the increase of grace.

This General Confession will be best made immediately after the Exercises of the First Week.