Question about Confession

Zoleee

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Hi. I have a question about confession.

When are our sins forgiven?

When we accept Christ, after that when we sin, are our sins already forgiven because we believe in Christ?
Or do we need to pray and ask forgiveness?
Or do we need Confession in Church to be forgiven?

If our sins are already forgiven, why do we need Confession in Church?

Thank you for the answers have a blessed day.:groupray:
 

epiclesis

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I mean Confession to a priest, not Confession with prayer to God.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
 
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Rhamiel

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in the Bible, Jesus says many things like "if you love me keep my commandments" John 14:15
actually it would be good to read all of John 14 for a deeper understanding

I Corinthians 9:27
No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

see even St. Paul was concerned that he might fall away from salvation
so it is not a one time event, God saving us is an ongoing process

yes He died on the Cross once 2,000 years ago, so it was paid for in one moment in the past
but He works out that salvation in us over time

so we have to repent of sins
and if we do more sins
we have to repent of those too

epiclesis posted why we need to go to a Priest
God could have set it up any way, but Jesus choose to set up Apostles and to tell them to forgive sins
so who are we to question what the Lord has set?
 
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concretecamper

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I mean Confession to a priest, not Confession with prayer to God.

It is really the same thing......

"The sinner, then, who repents, casts himself humbly and sorrowfully at the feet of the priest, in order that by there humbling himself he may the more easily be led to see that he must tear up the roots of pride whence spring and flourish all the sins he now deplores. In the priest, who is his legitimate judge, he venerates the person and the power of Christ our Lord; for in the administration of the Sacrament of Penance, as in that of the other Sacraments, the priest holds the place of Christ. Next the penitent enumerates his sins, acknowledging, at the same time, that he deserves the greatest and severest chastisements; and finally, suppliantly asks pardon for his faults."

I heard a priest say that the first sin to die in confession is pride.
 
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Zoleee

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Thank you very much for the answers.

I have some more questions about it.

How often should we go to confession? Is it enough if we confess 2-3 times in a year? During Lent (before Easter) and before Christmas? Or should we do it more often?

And my other question is: If I go to confession today, and I sin tomorrow, but I ask for forgiveness in a prayer, will it be forgiven? Or my sins after my confession will only be forgiven when I confess them again?

And what sins should I confess?

And when can I go to Communion during Mass?

Thank you.
 
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Anhelyna

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Zolee

Your questions are really excellent questions :)

I could answer them but would you permit me to ask you some first so we have a good baseline from which to work ?

You describe yourself as a Christian - that's good. Are you interested in joining the Catholic Church ?

You see that with the Catholic Church, only Catholics in 'good standing ' with the Church [ as it is termed ] may Receive Communion during Mass.
 
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Zoleee

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I was raised Catholic, I went to religious eduaction or religious teaching (I don't really know how to translate it), I received First Communion and Confirmation too at ages 8-10 and 14.

I always believed in God, but until ~2013 I was not living a Christian life. I didn't go to church, didn't pray, didn't read the Bible. I was not loving others, I was mean to others. I did what I found "cool" like alcohol, picking on others etc. But I never lost faith, I always believed God, and when someone made fun of God and religion or cursed I felt bad and I never accepted it. Once my friend before Confirmation found out a joke about the Holy Spirit, and I was laughing on it. Yars later I was really, really, really afraid that I committed the unpardonable sin. (And I am still a little afraid about it.) But I think I didn't let God into my life. Later, I had a problem which caused me a lot of depression, and then a lot of panic attacks. In 2013 there was a big turning point in my life. I let God come into my life, but I started to be afraid because I've sinned a lot. I started being afraid of sins. Then a mental illness (Religious OCD / Scrupulosity) accoured in my life. I started to be afraid of sinning, so I saw sin in nearly everything. In entertainment, food, numbers, I was afraid I am sinning nearly everytime. But in the meantime, I started to be closer to closer to God, and all of my panic attacks were gone (Thank God :) ). I started praying, be kind to others, thank God for things in my life. God and faith became the center of my life. But this illness caused me a lot of problems. ~1 year ago I started reading the Bible (I never did that before) and in November 2015 I started going to Church again. :) I was more and more deep in faith, and more and more close to God.

Now, I still have this illness, but I was thinking about Confession. I am really not sure about a lot of things. If God forgets ours sins when we pray about it, why do we need Confession? And what should we confess? How often should we confess? If we confess our sins and sin again a day after, and pray about it, will it be forgiven immediately or it won't be forgiven until we go to confession again? I go to church every week, but I don't go to Mass, because I don't know if I am allowed to. Can I go to mass? Even if I sin again after confession?

I asked these questions, because today I am planning to go to Confession. I have to be honest, I am really afraid, but I know I shouldn't be. Sorry for the lot of "started" :)
 
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Anhelyna

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Of course you can go to Mass - and you should do . Maybe at times you should not go forward to Receive Communion though - only you know whether you need Confession first.

As for confession - try this idea

When we go to the doctor we don't expect to tell him our diagnosis - we tell him what we think are our signs and symptoms. The Doctor then may well ask some questions to help him decide what is wrong with us. Does this make sense ?

The he tells us what he thinks is wrong with us [ the diagnosis ] and suggests / prescribes medicine to help put things right.

Still with me ?

OK - now in Confession - you are telling the priest what you think is wrong - I'm going to be a bit silly now to see if this will help you.

You tell him that you kicked your wife down the stairs - that's wrong - you know it is and the priest will ask you if you are sorry for that.

You tell him that you stole something from a shop - because the action excited you - again you know it's wrong - and again the priest will ask you.

At the end the priest will ask you to say an act of contrition - if you can't remember it , or there isn't one handy - Just say something simple - that you know you have done wrong and hurt God by your actions , that you are really sorry for this and you will really try very very hard not to do these actions again.

You may well find the priest wants to talk a bit more about things - this is to help you - but remember he will not tell anyone else . After he has given you absolution you can say your penance [ take the medicine to help you get better ] and then you will be able to Receive Communion again.

There are times when you must go to Confession before you can Receive Communion - this is for serious sins - like murder , serious theft and so on - BIG sins that you know are wrong but you decide to do them deliberately.

Little sins - you forgot and ate meat on Friday - these are the sort of things that can be forgiven when we say the Act of Repentance at Mass each time - BUT if you find you keep committing these sins - then talk about them with the priest.

Any help ?
 
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Zoleee

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Of course you can go to Mass - and you should do . Maybe at times you should not go forward to Receive Communion though - only you know whether you need Confession first.

As for confession - try this idea

When we go to the doctor we don't expect to tell him our diagnosis - we tell him what we think are our signs and symptoms. The Doctor then may well ask some questions to help him decide what is wrong with us. Does this make sense ?

The he tells us what he thinks is wrong with us [ the diagnosis ] and suggests / prescribes medicine to help put things right.

Still with me ?

OK - now in Confession - you are telling the priest what you think is wrong - I'm going to be a bit silly now to see if this will help you.

You tell him that you kicked your wife down the stairs - that's wrong - you know it is and the priest will ask you if you are sorry for that.

You tell him that you stole something from a shop - because the action excited you - again you know it's wrong - and again the priest will ask you.

At the end the priest will ask you to say an act of contrition - if you can't remember it , or there isn't one handy - Just say something simple - that you know you have done wrong and hurt God by your actions , that you are really sorry for this and you will really try very very hard not to do these actions again.

You may well find the priest wants to talk a bit more about things - this is to help you - but remember he will not tell anyone else . After he has given you absolution you can say your penance [ take the medicine to help you get better ] and then you will be able to Receive Communion again.

There are times when you must go to Confession before you can Receive Communion - this is for serious sins - like murder , serious theft and so on - BIG sins that you know are wrong but you decide to do them deliberately.

Little sins - you forgot and ate meat on Friday - these are the sort of things that can be forgiven when we say the Act of Repentance at Mass each time - BUT if you find you keep committing these sins - then talk about them with the priest.

Any help ?

Thank you it helped me a lot. I wrote my sins onto a paper (sins of 8 years it was not hard to find) and today I'll go and confess them. I have to say I am really afraid but I will go.
 
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Anhelyna

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Tell the priest as you meet him how long it is since your last confession.

He'll be overjoyed to help you through it and you will feel so much better once it's over - Our Lord will be waiting for you to approach Him and receive Him into you tomorrow . What joy that will be.

What's that quote in your signature - I can do all things through ................

Believe it - you can !
 
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Zoleee

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Thank you everyone for the answers and the encouragement.

One more, last question: Are my sins fogiven only after confession? So if I confess my sins today but sin tomorrow, can it be forgiven by praying at home? Or it will only be forgiven after the next confession?
 
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Anhelyna

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The honest answer to that is - it really does depend on the severity of the sin .

This is something you really need to talk with your priest about. Scrupulosity is an illness and needs treating by someone who knows what he is doing - a priest .

Little sins - you spoke harshly to someone , you wasted food , you said you had completed homework when you knew you had not - these sort of sins are forgiven in prayer if you truly are repentant and intend to live a better life. These are the ones that are forgiven at the beginning of Mass as you all take part in the Act of Repentance and yes , you should tell God at night you are sorry for all the sins you have committed that day - even if you can't remember them all.

Again - talk with the priest - ask him how often he thinks you should go to Confession - and then accept his advice and stick to it.
 
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Zoleee

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Thank you.

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." 1 John 1:9
This verse gives me power.

I think today a guest priest will do the confessions, not mine. Next time I confess I'll ask about what you told me.
 
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Anhelyna

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If it is a long time since you last Confessed to a priest , or received Communion [ didn't you say something like several years - you should not Receive Communion till you have confessed to the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Remember that as you confess to the Priest - you are confessing your wrongdoings to Christ Himself.

Now go - and be at peace
 
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Zoleee

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Thank you for everything :) , I'll go to my confession in an hour. I am really scared, it is really hard for me to talk about my sins to others, but as you've said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.:crossrc: Philippians 4:13

I will write after my confession is done.
 
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Anhelyna

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Zoleee - I think if we are all honest we are all scared when we go to Confession - I'll freely admit I am - I shake as I meet with my Fr Confessor - and he is patient and kind and gentle and oh so very helpful .

And after it is over and I'm absolved he usually gives me a big smile and says " Better now ? "
 
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