Full Confession?

[Number 81]

I heard from my Religious Education Director awhile back that you can make an appointment with a priest to do a full confession of everything you have ever done, is this true? I think it would be good for lent, because there are a lot of things I have done, especially with habitual sin, that I am worried that I may have forgotten to confess. Is there such a thing, and if so, would my priest know about it?

 

[epiclesis]

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[Caedmon]

I don't recommend a full confession. I don't even recommend a comprehensive regular confession. Not because you're withholding anything, but because you probably can't remember every occasion of sin, and rehashing old sins has a way of making you commit them again. Sound contradictory? It happens all the time. There is such a thing as burying yourself under your own guilt and becoming so depressed that you resign yourself to self-destruction. And most priests will tell you that confessing habitual sin is a waste of time, or even a way of avoiding dealing with the sin itself in your everyday life. Besides, most priests don't believe in mortal sin anyway, so you should be just fine.

 

[david01]

Whether or not a priest believe in mortal sin does not change the teaching of the Church on it. If, as the Church teaches, forgiveness of sins comes through confession to an ordained priest, then it is a serious matter to confess all known sins. A good priest will provide counseling in addition to penance so that habitual sin can be avoided.

 

[Carrye]

Sometimes it's called a Full Confession or a Lifetime Confession. If you think it might be for you, talk to your pastor.

 

[Caedmon]

Whether or not a priest believe in mortal sin does not change the teaching of the Church on it.

But it does change all real-world manifestations of "truth" of "the teaching of the Church." The description of an idea can be so fully and firmly developed and artificed that the explanation itself becomes the "truth." In other words, if every time I'm exposed to the same (or similar) priestly representation (no matter how "theologically inaccurate") of a church teaching, that representation becomes reality. And, if obedience to priestly counsel and direction has any meaning (and according to many orthodox Catholics I've spoken to, it carries a lot of weight), then this obedience demands that I follow the teachings of my priests.

If, as the Church teaches, forgiveness of sins comes through confession to an ordained priest, then it is a serious matter to confess all known sins.

Well I've always been taught that we must only confess mortal sins, and, according to the priests that I've asked, not even some sins of "serious matter" should be confessed every time they're committed. I've also been told that it's very difficult to even commit a mortal sin, nearly impossible, in fact.

A good priest will provide counseling in addition to penance so that habitual sin can be avoided.

True, but half the priests I've confessed to have not done so. And half the priests that have done so have recommended that I not confess every time I sin, even in the case of some "sins of grave matter." So, what should I do? Remain obedient to my priest's authority, or rebel against him and usurp the right to counsel myself?

 

[hawko]

I think that making an appointment with a priest is a good idea if someone has been away from the church for a long time, (such as ten or twenty years), otherwise, just go to regular confession like everyone else. If you honestly forget to confess a particular sin while in the confessional, it is forgiven anyway. If you are deliberately withholding a particular sin from the priest while in the confessional, then you have made a bad confession, and your sins are not forgiven. A good way to make good confessions is to go to frequent confessions, (like once a week); it is easier to recall all your sins that way. Try it, this works for me.

 

[geocajun]

I heard from my Religious Education Director awhile back that you can make an appointment with a priest to do a full confession of everything you have ever done, is this true? I think it would be good for lent, because there are a lot of things I have done, especially with habitual sin, that I am worried that I may have forgotten to confess. Is there such a thing, and if so, would my priest know about it?

There is such a thing and your priest would know about it. You can always just tell him you have some things on your conscience that you want to clear up and it is going to take some time so you would like an appointment.
Some folks are a bit scrupulous about these full confessions though. I've heard of some people doing them several times a year. That said, there is nothing wrong with doing it, you just want to take care not to become scrupulous about it.

 

[david01]

Caedmon, you have raised an excellent point and one which does, indeed, require some serious thought on the part of the Christian.

It is no secret that the understanding of Catholicism by the laity comes primarily through the local priest(s). It is also no secret that there are differences of teaching among priests (and bishops, as well) concerning a number of matters, not the least of which is the one in discussion. An example that springs to mind is the current discussions concerning Purgatory where priestly thought ranges from a firm disbelief in the existence of Purgatory to a very traditional view of Purgatory as a temporal place of severe punishment.

The role of the laity is to obey the teaching of the Church, but when that teaching becomes clouded or confused, then the question becomes one in which the laity can either simply ignore the matter or attempt to ascertain the correct teaching and apply it, which becomes a sticky matter if the local priest(s) view things differently.

It is easy to believe that the priests are ultimately accountable for these sins of error or omission, but I believe that there is also a level of accountability for the laity, as well, if they make no sincere efforts to follow God's will.

By the way, a close friend of mine changed parishes and was told by his priest that masturbation was a mortal sin. That was a great surprise to him as it appeared to him that pedophilia and masturbation were now on the same level. By the way, the priest insisted that he confess all his mortal sins.

 

[Caedmon]

By the way, a close friend of mine changed parishes and was told by his priest that masturbation was a mortal sin. That was a great surprise to him as it appeared to him that pedophilia and masturbation were now on the same level. By the way, the priest insisted that he confess all his mortal sins.

Now to me, this sends up red flags, because masturbation in and of itself is not a "mortal sin." According to the catechism, it is a "grave" sin. The catechism also says that in order for a "grave" sin to become "mortal," there must be gravity, full understanding, and full consent of the will. So, when a priest simply declares outright that "masturbation is a mortal sin," according to the books (if you trust them), he is incorrect. Now, whether I should believe what's written in a book, or what's spoken by a priest, is a conundrum. The only answer that I know of is to follow the counsel of the majority of priests I've talked to, and their majority answer is that masturbation is almost never mortal.

 

[colleen]

I don't recommend a full confession. I don't even recommend a comprehensive regular confession. Not because you're withholding anything, but because you probably can't remember every occasion of sin, and rehashing old sins has a way of making you commit them again. Sound contradictory? It happens all the time. There is such a thing as burying yourself under your own guilt and becoming so depressed that you resign yourself to self-destruction. And most priests will tell you that confessing habitual sin is a waste of time, or even a way of avoiding dealing with the sin itself in your everyday life. Besides, most priests don't believe in mortal sin anyway, so you should be just fine.

Everyone should really talk to their own confessor about this.

 

[david01]

I agree with you, Caedmon, about my friend's dilemma and gave him essentially the same advice as you did. However, he is in a small parish with one priest, so he still hasn't been able to resolve it for himself.

 

[Virgil the Roman]

Yes, there is such thing as mortal sin. It says in the Catechism
right below:

IV. The Gravity of Sin: Mortal and Venial Sin
1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. the distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.
1855 Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.
Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.
1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is, charity - necessitates a new initiative of God's mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation:
When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object . . . whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery.... But when the sinner's will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbor, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.130
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131
1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. the promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.
1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.
1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God; it does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. "Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness."134
While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call "light": if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.135
1864 "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."136 There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.137 Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.

 

[Caedmon]

Yes, there is such thing as mortal sin. It says in the Catechism
right below:

I didn't deny that mortal sin is possible. What I'm saying is that, according to the majority of priests today, mortal sin, or rather a pure combination of the three factors that make a sin mortal, is so rare as to be virtually nonexistent.

 

[Virgil the Roman]

I didn't deny that mortal sin is possible. What I'm saying is that, according to the majority of priests today, mortal sin, or rather a pure combination of the three factors that make a sin mortal, is virtually nonexistent.

I guess that I must one of those few people that when I commit grave sins, ones I know are major----they are always mortal sins for me.