Confession and contrition

[Canadian75]

In my thread about mortal sin and mental illness, I said that I was often in terror that I was going to burn in hell if I died before confession. I just read recently that if one repents to God of the sin with the intention of confessing that sin when it is possible, then the sin is effectively forgiven and in the event of death (before confession) then one will not be damned for that sin.
I am trying to find where I found that info (I forgot to write it down), but I surprised that no one mentioned it in my previous thread. Is there anyone that can expand on this issue?

 

[Dream]

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.

1492 Repentance (also called contrition) must be inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from love of charity for God, it is called "perfect" contrition; if it is founded on other motives, it is called "imperfect."


If you really do have a perfect contrition, you'd want to go to Reconciliation anyways. It's extremely dangerous to think of it as a ticket out of Confession, since nobody truly knows if they have a perfect contrition.

 

[Canadian75]

I thought it was from the CCC. I never thought it was a ticket out of confession. Just a matter of easing a concience while waiting for confession.

 

[Dream]

I thought it was from the CCC. I never thought it was a ticket out of confession. Just a matter of easing a concience while waiting for confession.

Yes; those passages I copied are from the CCC.

I'm glad you don't think of it as a ticket out of a confession, but some people unfortunately do. They are so afraid to go to confession that they say to themselves, "I'm truly sorry for what I've done, so I need not attend Reconciliation."

God bless you on your journey. As I have said, I too have a mental illness, though quite different and not as severe as yours. Just hang in there and go to Confession often.

 

[Benedicta00]

Well the thing is, we really do not know if we are perfectly contrite or not. Perfectly contrite means we have perfect love of God, as in sainthood love of God.

With that said- if we commit a mortal sin and are contrite, perfect or imperfect- and we fully intend on confessing at the first available chance and we should die before that date, we are as good as confessed.