What Should I Do About Confession?

[KarenJoanna]

I am scrupulous but I know I have made sacrilegious confessions in the past and went through a time without going to confession. I would need a general confession, confessing  all my sins since baptism but I get anxious whenever I have tried to make a general confession, I write my sins and then all day I spend thinking about my sins and feeling anxious and If I don't write them down I will forget my sins and won't feel like I have really done a valid confession and I also worry mostly about numbering my sins and I just want to make a good valid confession. Is a generic confession, as in just saying that I have sinned seriously in the past permissable to persons with scrupulosiyt/ocd like me? Or am I obliged to do a normal confession? The cathecism or canon law, not sure, say that only physical or moral difficulty excuse someone from a normal confession. Is that the case with me? 

I have tried to make a general confession but never end up doing it or I delay so much preparing that i get tired and quit. And I really want to go to confession.

[cappie]

A General Confession is a brief overview of one’s sins during one’s lifetime, or since the last time that one has made a General Confession. No detail, just the kind, number and circumstances of whatever sins which you would like to present once again in Confession for the reason that you realize more clearly the greatness of the Lord’s love for us, and you have a more profound sorrow for sin BECAUSE of a greater love for Him. Sorrow for sin is a matter of love, even if one’s sin is already forgiven. The purpose of all this is THANKSGIVING. I’ve been such a sinner! I really know that more than ever. Because of that, I’m able to thank the Lord all the more for his goodness and kindness in his forgiveness. This is a matter of love and friendship with the Lord. IF one is looking to the goodness and kindness of the Lord in this way, it is a good idea to present even just one sin from the past that is already forgiven, but which is ever present in one’s mind, for instance, an abortion. There is a great deal of healing which goes on in Confession, if we participate in the Sacrament for reasons of love. General Confession, to whatever extent this practically turns out for whatever Confession (one sin or a whole lifetime) is a salutary exercise.

 

A General Confession is not for everyone. It’s not for the scrupulous. It’s not for those who are looking for a “better absolution”. It’s not necessary anyway. Some should and must avoid it. It’s great for big events, like Confirmation, Marriage, entering Religious Life or the Seminary, being ordained to the diaconate or priesthood or episcopacy, going off on an extremely dangerous adventure, like the front lines of war, or even and especially a very deepened faith, before which one wants to lay one’s life before Jesus, frankly, totally, trusting in His great mercy.

 

You mention scruples: A "scrupulous" person is one who has "an unfounded apprehension and consequently unwarranted fear that something is a sin which, as a matter of fact, is not" (Catholic Encyclopedia). This doesn't refer to isolated incidents, but to a habitual way of feeling or thinking, an unwarranted fear, a sort of emotional obsession; it doesn't refer to true questions as to whether such and such a behavior is a sin or not. Anxiety is involved, and often a felt doubt as to the power of confession, the genuine-ness one's contrition, and the extent of God's Divine Mercy. If you have a good, orthodox Confessor, trust him and his advice, and tell him about any scruples you needlessly suffer from; he may be able to help you! And pray to St. Alphonsus Liguori, the great moral theologian who suffered from scruples himself and is now the patron saint of the scrupulous

 

Look at the following archives from the Redemptorists  Ligouri Newsletters especially towards the bottom of the list for Scrupulous Anonymous March,April,May 2012 It may help.

http://mission.liguori.org/newsletters/archives.htm#SA