I am going to confession

I really ask that this be moved into the Catholic section, please.

The first thing that will happen, more than likely, is that the priest will thank you for coming to Confession. So there's no need to be nervous. God is overjoyed that you are going to Confession. Already, the Holy Spirit is at work guiding you towards this wondeful Sacrament.

You just need to prayerfully reflect on your sins. The priest will help you. He will understand it's been a long time and you're not the first to do this. I went 8 years between Confessions. I was welcomed with open arms. God bless you and say a 'Hail Mary' for me.

Hi jewels13,

Perhaps the following "examination of conscience" might help you (and others).

http://www.catholic-pages.com/penance/examine.asp

I am going for the first time ever before my confirmation. Do I need to cover EVERYTHING I have ever done or failed to do, etc? Yikes...

2nd April 2003 at 01:20 PM Chris†opher Paul said this in Post #5

I am going for the first time ever before my confirmation. Do I need to cover EVERYTHING I have ever done or failed to do, etc? Yikes...

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LOL, that sounds like it has all the makings of a good joke.  You could title it "Ten signs that tells a Priest that this confession is going to be a lengthy one".  "10. The confessor needs his lap top for reference", "9. . . . ".

Mind you, I am laughing with you, not at you.

In answer to your question CP, yes, you need to tell everything.  Make sure you also provide dates on everything and have it all cross referenced for easy reference.  Also make sure both you and the Priest have brought something to eat and provide a schedule for rest room breaks.

LOL...seriously though, do I have to TRY and cover everything I can think of???

2nd April 2003 at 02:59 PM Chris†opher Paul said this in Post #7

LOL...seriously though, do I have to TRY and cover everything I can think of???

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You should.......as much as u can remember anyways. I usually say at the end......that's all i can remember, but i'm sure there's more

2nd April 2003 at 02:42 PM Greeter said this in Post #6



LOL, that sounds like it has all the makings of a good joke.  You could title it "Ten signs that tells a Priest that this confession is going to be a lengthy one".  "10. The confessor needs his lap top for reference", "9. . . . ".

Mind you, I am laughing with you, not at you.

In answer to your question CP, yes, you need to tell everything.  Make sure you also provide dates on everything and have it all cross referenced for easy reference.  Also make sure both you and the Priest have brought something to eat and provide a schedule for rest room breaks.

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lol rotf........u forgot to mention that he needs to be LAST in line as not to hold up the others.

Its funny, but probably true!

2nd April 2003 at 01:20 PM Chris†opher Paul said this in Post #5

I am going for the first time ever before my confirmation. Do I need to cover EVERYTHING I have ever done or failed to do, etc? Yikes...

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I forgot to ask before but when is your confirmation?  You should change your avatar the week of your confirmation to that of a confirmation cross (white porcelain cross with dove on it) to let us all know you have completed it.

I bet you are very excited.  Are you counting the days?

I didn't think of it before but I seem to recall having to go to confession before I could receive Communion for the first time.  Will you be receiving Communion for the first time as well or have you already done so?

Chris, you need to try to remember your sins *after* your Baptism. Remember, we are baptised for forgiveness, so all sins, including OS, are washed away in the Sacrament.

I was nervous about my first Confession, but I was also very eager. And it was amazing. Use the guide for examination of conscience. It's alright to confess general sins, but if you can remember details of instances that particularly burden you then share them.

A big thing for me to get past was that there was no need for shame. Only contrition. I didn't have to be embarrassed or uncomfortable, I just had to bring my sorrow for my sins to Christ and He would take them from me. We are like children. Have you ever seen a parent try to force a child to apologize? The resulting, "Sorry", is resentful, grudging, and insincere. I used to have a very pretty snow globe/music box. It was very special to me. One day I discovered it behind the entertainment center, completely smashed. I called the children in and told them that I was very sad and upset that they had broken something of mine and had not even told me but hidden it. I was more sad about the cover up than I was about the accident that broke the globe in the first place. Well, that night after I had put them to bed, my oldest son comes back into the living room where I was sitting. He had tears in his eyes and he said, "Mommy, I broke your ball. I'm very sorry. Will you forgive me?" He had said 'sorry' many times in his short little life, but that was the first time he had asked for forgiveness. It is much harder than just saying sorry. And much more satisfying. He wasn't embarrassed or afraid of being punished, he was just sorry for hurting me with his mistake.

And that is how I go to God. With all of my sorrow for hurting Him with my sins.

Peace be with you all of you.

When I joined the Church, I was baptized, confirmed, received my First Communion, and my husband and I had our marriage blessed in the Church. Before we could be "married," he had to make a Confession, and he hadn't been in years.

He and the priest were gone about all of five minutes.

We used to have a priest who would run you through the ten commandments. Basically, though, your Confession consists of this: you've been apart from God, you understand you NEED Him in your life, and you want to do everything you can to reconcile yourself to Him.

The priest will probably give you a hug and welcome you home.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

3rd April 2003 at 12:52 AM VOW said this in Post #13

When I joined the Church, I was baptized, confirmed, received my First Communion, and my husband and I had our marriage blessed in the Church. Before we could be "married," he had to make a Confession, and he hadn't been in years.

He and the priest were gone about all of five minutes.

We used to have a priest who would run you through the ten commandments. Basically, though, your Confession consists of this: you've been apart from God, you understand you NEED Him in your life, and you want to do everything you can to reconcile yourself to Him.

The priest will probably give you a hug and welcome you home.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

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It is nice to see you are back with us without a change to your mod status.

Did you do all of the above in one day?  What is the order of things nowadays?  Does one have to go to confession before receiving communion for the first time or has that been changed?

After the hug and "welcome home" do people still have a certain number of prayers to perform or has that been changed along with how confession is done? (The Catholic Church was still in the process of changing from using confessionals to the small rooms when I was last in confession and not all churches had yet switched.)

When you make your Act of Contrition, be sure to include something along the lines of, "I am sorry for these sins and all the sins of my life, including the ones I may not be aware of or do not remember."

God still forgives you for those sins even if you forget to confess them, but it helps you in your own mind to know that you've done your best to include them in the most complete way that you can.

The beauty of Catholicism......

Wols,

But when you remember them are you required to confess them then if they are mortal?

2nd April 2003 at 01:42 PM Greeter said this in Post #6

In answer to your question CP, yes, you need to tell everything.  Make sure you also provide dates on everything and have it all cross referenced for easy reference.

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*blood drains completely from head*

Man, I am kinda nervous. I know intellectually that I shouldnt worry about it, but the idea of confessing my deepest hidden sins to another person is hard...

Ughhh....