Confession

[Noel's angel]

I've fallen over in Confession, and my friend broke my other friend's arm coming out from Confession.

[StColette]

[quote name='Noel's angel' date='19 October 2009 - 05:11 PM' timestamp='1255986677' post='1987965']
and my friend broke my other friend's arm coming out from Confession.
[/quote]

Did your friend have to go to Confession for breaking your other friend's arm?

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Jesus_lol' date='16 October 2009 - 10:55 AM' timestamp='1255708515' post='1986448']
so thats a no. well poo. i was looking forward to that.

and i was wondering, lets say i did become catholic and went to confession, would i have to remembers all the various sins i have commited in the past 21 years? I'm pretty sure that priest would have to eat drink and sleep at some point before that was over.
[/quote]

You don't have to confess all your sins, only your mortal sins.

[Noel's angel]

[quote name='StColette' date='19 October 2009 - 11:12 PM' timestamp='1255986778' post='1987966']
Did your friend have to go to Confession for breaking your other friend's arm?
[/quote]

ha! Imagine it happened every time someone went to Confession. It actually occurred during the genuflection process.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='Resurrexi' date='19 October 2009 - 05:55 PM' timestamp='1255989321' post='1987971']
You don't have to confess all your sins, only your mortal sins.
[/quote]

We are encouraged to go to Confession frequently, even if we have committed only venial sins.

[BG45]

[quote name='Resurrexi' date='19 October 2009 - 05:55 PM' timestamp='1255989321' post='1987971']
You don't have to confess all your sins, only your mortal sins.
[/quote]

But as HCF said, we're encouraged to go frequently, even with venial sins. The late Pope John Paul II went daily.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='Lil Red' date='19 October 2009 - 03:34 PM' timestamp='1255980851' post='1987929']
+J.M.J.+
until your parachute doesn't open, and your back up parachute fails and you plummet to your death.
[/quote]

Lol. I knew someone would go there, I just couldn't think of a better analogy for "just jump" than skydiving.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='BG45' date='19 October 2009 - 07:20 PM' timestamp='1255994415' post='1988016']
But as HCF said, we're encouraged to go frequently, even with venial sins. The late Pope John Paul II went daily.
[/quote]

As far as specifics, I've heard weekly or bi-weekly. But yes, the gist of JPII's example for confession has been frequent confession.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='mommas_boy' date='19 October 2009 - 07:46 PM' timestamp='1255996002' post='1988025']
As far as specifics, I've heard weekly or bi-weekly. But yes, the gist of JPII's example for confession has been frequent confession.
[/quote]

Furthermore, the Catechism encourages it.

CCC 1863: "Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin."
CCC 1447: "It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration."
CCC 1458: "Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful."

[ardillacid]

I had a priest laugh uncontrollably at me in confession


Beat that

[Theologian in Training]

I just want to put some of you at ease. First of all, you have to know us priests do dread it when we hear that a person is confessing after only a few days, not because sin is not something that should be confessed, but because sometimes we have to be careful encouraging a person who might be a little too scrupulous. Believe me, I have met more than one in my short 3 1/2 years and it is more painful for some of them than any physical pain could ever be.

That being said, mortal sin is mortal sin and there is a reason we call it mortal, because, as Lil Red so eloquently pointed out, sin can eventually lead to death, and not physical death, a death far worse, spiritual death. That is why we run to the confessional, to be Resurrected, to be given new life, to be absolved of our sins and to start again.

I saw someone say that we are Jesus in disguise, but I would go even further and say we are Jesus, "Alter Christos," "another Christ." In fact, every time I myself forget that I am reminded of what Padre Pio told a woman when she asked him if it hurt him to stand during the consecration, and he told her he was not standing but hanging.

The sacraments are a mystery and we are not just guys doing our job, we are not even instruments, in a very real way we are Christ present to you. Given that, He knows better than we do what it is you suffer from, the affliction, the sin that you wish to free yourself from, that is why we are encouraged to confess all sins, no matter mortal or venial for the sake of rooting out "fatal sin" in our lives. My theory, is that if given enough time, venial sin "piles up" and though it cannot turn into mortal sin, it is definitely one of those things that makes it easier for mortal sin to occur. This is why I usually tell people, after they tell me it has been months since their last confession, that they have waited too long and that they need to be more frequent in their confessions.

All of that said, there is an inherent beauty that can be found in the confessional, granted, it is a moment of humility and weakness, but, indeed, that is the nature of the sacrament. Just think, you have it easy, confession used to be public, so that it was not a matter between just you and the priest, but you, the priest and the assembly. Talk about humility and weakness then, talk about fear and anxiety, but, just think, you might be reluctant to commit the same sins, if you have to keep bringing them up.

The confessional is there for our sake, but I feel I should also mention that it is not there as our failsafe, that, if we are not careful, we can also abuse it. I remember the first time that was made evident to me, when the priest withheld absolution, and I realized absolution was a privilege, a gift, not something that should be handed out like candy, but something we should treasure, something we should take seriously and truly appreciate.

The thing to remember is that that confessional is an opportunity to experience the fullness of God's mercy, love and compassion, which is why we should be aware of what we do, why we do it, and know that though no sin can destroy God, that no sin is unforgivable, but also that no sin should be worth taking advantage of what God has given, wants to give and continues to give.

The confessional is, indeed, a beautiful sacrament, I mean think about it, there is nothing else in the world that can continually (unlike baptism) clear our soul of sin, our very souls, there is power, beauty and love that is found there, which is why we go, but it is also a source of strength and perseverance and grace, which is why we come back again and again and again, because we are all sinners, maybe not equal in the types of sin, but sinners nonetheless.

Therefore, don't be afraid, don't be discouraged, trust in God's mercy and the sacrament He is left for all of us.

God bless

Fr. Brian

[HisChildForever]

That was a beautiful post, Father. I definitely agree that venial sin piles up, and that frequent Confession is our safeguard against mortal sin (and the temptations to commit mortal sin). I have been going to Confession, on average, every four weeks and I find that the week before Confession is always the most difficult for me. Therefore I have decided to now make Confession every three weeks.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='HisChildForever' date='19 October 2009 - 06:18 PM' timestamp='1255994311' post='1988015']
We are encouraged to go to Confession frequently, even if we have committed only venial sins.
[/quote]

I was addressing someone who said it would take him forever to confess all that he had done in 21 years.

In making a confession covering such a large period of time, trying to confess venial sins would take far too long.

[Archaeology cat]

Jesus_lol, I converted when I was 22, and thus had my first Confession at that age. You are encouraged to confess everything as specifically as possible, but of course the priest understands that you can't remember every single thing over that long a time. Thankfully the priest with me was very good at helping me through the Confession.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='Archaeology cat' date='20 October 2009 - 03:09 AM' timestamp='1256022540' post='1988375']
Jesus_lol, I converted when I was 22, and thus had my first Confession at that age. You are encouraged to confess everything as specifically as possible, but of course the priest understands that you can't remember every single thing over that long a time. Thankfully the priest with me was very good at helping me through the Confession.
[/quote]

@Jesus_lol: Ya, I get to confession at the very least once a month, but more often once every 1-3 weeks. And I [b]still[/b] can't remember all of my sins.

Usually, I try to look at patterns, or more often, a priest will pull out a pattern for me that I hadn't thought of before, and really just get at sort of an underlying theme or personality flaw that is sort of leading to these sins that I've mentioned. The best experiences in confession for me have been when the priest knows me really well, and is able to recommend steps to correct this personality flaw and thus undermine my tendency to perform those sins. The best penances that I've received haven't been only prayers to say, but actions to perform to actually get me into better habits: one time, I was confessing sins where the general theme was self-centeredness. Father gave me a great penance that helped to correct this: no talking for the rest of the day! Having struggled with various addictions and laziness (which are sins of self-mastery), I've had many priests focus in on this by prescribing penances like fasting, or pushups -- focusing on physical self-mastery. I actually find that by focusing on just one thing to work on with the grace of God, that I've been able to make a lot more progress.