Extra ecclesiam nulla salus Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I think all of my past confessions have been invalid for numerous reasons, but mostly for this one reason. I confessed stealing music from the internet and listening to it in each of my confessions, and then i never deleted it. does this mean all my confessions were invalid and that i have to reconfess everything I eve r did? Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Doesnt' the priest have to tell you that your sins are held bound and you must 'return' the stolen goods? If he didn't than i don't think he thought it was a big deal. A lot of people don't. (including some priests) 88c songs, its not quite like robbing a bank. If you are tweking out just delete them now. I have taken stuff (pocket change) a long time ago, then confessed it and the priest did not tell me to return it or anything like that. anyhoo thats my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Was it a matter that you remembered the sins, knew they needed to be confessed, and refused to confess them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theologian in Training Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 It would not invalidate the sacrament, it just means that you approached the sacrament without a firm purpose of amendment or did so with the intention of getting rid of them and for whatever reason did not. When I confessed it, the priest asked me what I was going to do with all the stuff I had, I told him I did not know. I then told him that if he made it my penance to get rid of them then I would have no choice, which is what he did and which is what I did when I got home. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 i defiently confessed it. they are deleted now. so i do not have to reconfess everything, just the whole stealing music thing? sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 why would you have to reconfess it? You confessed it, and now the songs are deleted, what else is required? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theoketos Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 The offense, if it is an offense wouuld not be the original downloading it, it would or might be the holding on to the music. Seeing as you deleted, I do not think that you need worry about. And the power of absolution works even against your lack of total and true contrition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 If piracy of the music is a sin, it would be the ACT of pirating that is the offense and possibly listening to it. Simply holding on to it, how is that a sin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Wednesday Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 If you are downloading and keeping music obtained from pirates, then are you not aiding and encouraging their piracy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scardella Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Well, wouldn't it be just as good to buy the music, so you can legally listen to the music you like? I know that's not financially doable for some, but you might be able to afford some percentage that you like best and delete the rest. Note to self... finish cleaning up my music collection... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theologian in Training Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 [quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Mar 17 2006, 12:11 PM']i defiently confessed it. they are deleted now. so i do not have to reconfess everything, just the whole stealing music thing? sam [right][snapback]913883[/snapback][/right] [/quote] You already confessed the sin and it does not seem as though you were told you had to delete them, so the sin was forgiven, it was just you still held on to them and eventually deleted them. I suppose you already confessed stealing music, and unless you have done it again after confessing it then what else would you need to confess with regard to that sin? I am not giving you advice as much as I am asking what you think you would still need to confess. God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateo el Feo Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 I would agree with others: your confession was valid. As mentioned, you should leave the confessional with a firm purpose of amendment, avoiding the continuation of sins that you just confessed. It seems like you're talking about multiple visits to the confessional (you say, "each of my confessions"). Your own self examination should reveal whether you intended to stop sinning--an important part of confession--when you are in the confessional. If you intended to continue sinning after confessing past sins, I'd just go to confession and explain that, and resolve to avoid that sin in the future. From the Catechism: [quote name='Paragraph 1451']Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with [b]the resolution not to sin again.[/b][/quote] An important thing about your sins: the devil loves small sins. They are the gateway to greater ones. He will patiently wait as those little sins chip away at the grace that God has given you. From the Imitation of Christ (Thomas a Kempis), the following is a quote about temptation. I bolded the good stuff [url="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation.ONE.13.html"](link)[/url]: [quote name='Imitation of Christ' date=' Book 1, Chapter 13'][b]RESISTING TEMPTATION[/b] SO LONG as we live in this world we cannot escape suffering and temptation. Whence it is written in Job: "The life of man upon earth is a warfare." Everyone, therefore, must guard against temptation and must watch in prayer lest the devil, who never sleeps but goes about seeking whom he may devour, find occasion to deceive him. No one is so perfect or so holy but he is sometimes tempted; man cannot be altogether free from temptation. Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. The saints all passed through many temptations and trials to profit by them, while those who could not resist became reprobate and fell away. There is no state so holy, no place so secret that temptations and trials will not come. Man is never safe from them as long as he lives, for they come from within us -- in sin we were born. When one temptation or trial passes, another comes; we shall always have something to suffer because we have lost the state of original blessedness. Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before. Little by little, in patience and long-suffering you will overcome them, by the help of God rather than by severity and your own rash ways. Often take counsel when tempted; and do not be harsh with others who are tempted, but console them as you yourself would wish to be consoled. The beginning of all temptation lies in a wavering mind and little trust in God, for as a rudderless ship is driven hither and yon by waves, so a careless and irresolute man is tempted in many ways. Fire tempers iron and temptation steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are. [b]Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks. Someone has said very aptly: "Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength." First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.[/b] Some suffer great temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others toward the end, while some are troubled almost constantly throughout their life. Others, again, are tempted but lightly according to the wisdom and justice of Divine Providence Who weighs the status and merit of each and prepares all for the salvation of His elect. We should not despair, therefore, when we are tempted, but pray to God the more fervently that He may see fit to help us, for according to the word of Paul, He will make issue with temptation that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our souls under the hand of God in every trial and temptation for He will save and exalt the humble in spirit. In temptations and trials the progress of a man is measured; in them opportunity for merit and virtue is made more manifest. When a man is not troubled it is not hard for him to be fervent and devout, but if he bears up patiently in time of adversity, there is hope for great progress. Some, guarded against great temptations, are frequently overcome by small ones in order that, humbled by their weakness in small trials, they may not presume on their own strength in great ones.[/quote] Finally, a brief comment on whether holding onto pirated digital music is a sin. I don't think holding onto a digital copy is a sin; but it certainly is a temptation in the future. For me at least, it wasn't easy to throw away CDs with pirated music. I suspect it wasn't fun for you, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus Posted March 18, 2006 Author Share Posted March 18, 2006 i had the reselution not to sin, but i had no resulution not to listen to the stolen music, or to delete it even though i confessed that i stole music. im confused wether or not my confessions were valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theologian in Training Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 [quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Mar 17 2006, 07:13 PM']i had the reselution not to sin, but i had no resulution not to listen to the stolen music, or to delete it even though i confessed that i stole music. im confused wether or not my confessions were valid. [right][snapback]914265[/snapback][/right] [/quote] The validity of the sacrament is not the question here..it was a valid confession, you went to confess your sins and you were absolved of those sins. My only question is why did you go to confession if you had no intention of not listening to those songs? Did you, at the time, know it was wrong, or were you still trying to justify it either way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus Posted March 18, 2006 Author Share Posted March 18, 2006 i knew it was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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