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Confession

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Epiphanygirl

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I showed up late for confession yesterday. Father was nice enough to here my confession while sitting in the pews. It was wonderful! I've never been one for the "hide behind the screen" confessions. I started out that way, but I always felt more comfortable looking eye to eye with my Priest. Is it just me, or do any of you also feel that way?
 
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frettr00

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Gah...it's been 6 weeks now since my last confession..I really need to go again! I can feel the effects in my day to day life..:sigh:

Is it just me, or do any of you also feel that way?
Er...no I like to hide behind the screen thank you very much :sorry:
 
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Carrye

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Epiphanygirl said:
but I always felt more comfortable looking eye to eye with my Priest. Is it just me, or do any of you also feel that way?
That's been my experience as well. I prefer going to the same Confessor, so that he is able to better direct me. But one must remember that any priest can deny a person face-to-face confession; the priest is not obligated to hear confessions in this manner, as anonymous confession is the norm.
 
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Epiphanygirl

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clskinner said:
That's been my experience as well. I prefer going to the same Confessor, so that he is able to better direct me. But one must remember that any priest can deny a person face-to-face confession; the priest is not obligated to hear confessions in this manner, as anonymous confession is the norm.
Wow! I didn't know that. I guess I'm lucky in that I've always had the choice to do either/or. It makes sense though, I guess if someone had commited a crime, it wouldn't be cool for the priest or the person who commited the crime/offense to be face to face.
 
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Irenaeus

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Hey clskinner,

How are you? :)

I went to Confession today just before Mass, and it's always an amazing experience. I love going before our Lord with an unstained conscience.

I'm now adopting the practice of weekly confession, because one Priest I confessed to suggested it to me when I couldn't get to my main Confessor, and I asked my main Confessor if I could see him every week and he was all for it. :)

The Holy Father does this, anyway. Look where he is!

I do say, clskinner, this is still a great thread.
 
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faerieevaH

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I prefer to go to confession behind the screen. Not that I'm afraid to stand before the priest. In my parrish confession needs to asked especially and to be able to go to confession is quite an adventure as you've seen in my previous posts. In the confessional I feel less rushed and I forget less things. I know that the sins you have sincerely repented for and simply forgotten are also forgiven but I prefer not to forget them...
 
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marciadietrich

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clskinner said:
That's been my experience as well. I prefer going to the same Confessor, so that he is able to better direct me. But one must remember that any priest can deny a person face-to-face confession; the priest is not obligated to hear confessions in this manner, as anonymous confession is the norm.

Hi Carrie,

Then why can't priests deny communion to those who receive on the tongue or kneel as those aren't normative postures in the US? Or is there more to it than whether or not it is normative when denying a sacrament?

Could a priest deny confession in a confessional if the person identifies themself?

Oh, and I went this morning. :)

Marcia
 
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EllenMoran

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Thanks for bumping this to whoever did. I've got it on my calendar for tomorrow now. It's been 4.5mos for me -- much shorter than my previous lapses (12 years until earlier this year!), but I can tell it's too long if I really want to make this reversion part of my life, not just a flash-in-the-pan thing. I've been struggling to make it to Mass and other things that should be really simple.
 
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ShannonMcCatholic

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Irenaeus said:
Hey clskinner,

How are you? :)

I went to Confession today just before Mass, and it's always an amazing experience. I love going before our Lord with an unstained conscience.

I'm now adopting the practice of weekly confession, because one Priest I confessed to suggested it to me when I couldn't get to my main Confessor, and I asked my main Confessor if I could see him every week and he was all for it. :)

The Holy Father does this, anyway. Look where he is!

I do say, clskinner, this is still a great thread.

Weekly confession will change your life- and deepen your spirituality. Just remember that ther will be attacks- lots of ways that satan will attack to try to keep you from going-- just perservere--remember- "Routine! Blessed routine!"

Remember, too, that throughout your life you will have many confessors- some devout, some lukewarm- but that JEsus Himself is ALWAYS present and you always receive forgiveness andalways receive the grace to fight against future sin and overcome habitual sin!! (This I have found to be a time when many abandon weekly confession- when confessors leave and are replaced with those who might feel that going to weekly confession is just a person being "hard on themselves")

ANyway- just passing on my little tidbits- which are probably usless- but there they are anyway!
 
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wellab

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I feel for me going to confession at least every other month is good practice. I know more often might be better, but in some cases I'd just be confessing something over and over and that seems kinda dumb to me. But then again, I suppose if I were 100% trying to convert my heart like I say I will during the Act of Contrition, I wouldn't be committing the sames sins over and over. But we are creatures of habit, and some habits are difficult to break.


By sure, if a major sin ever popped up, I would go to confession as soon as possible, even if I just went last week.
 
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ShannonMcCatholic

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wellab said:
I feel for me going to confession at least every other month is good practice. I know more often might be better, but in some cases I'd just be confessing something over and over and that seems kinda dumb to me. But then again, I suppose if I were 100% trying to convert my heart like I say I will during the Act of Contrition, I wouldn't be committing the sames sins over and over. But we are creatures of habit, and some habits are difficult to break.


By sure, if a major sin ever popped up, I would go to confession as soon as possible, even if I just went last week.

Our Lady at Fatima recommended at least monthly confession- and the Holy Father goes every week. When I heard he went that often- I thought certainly I was a far greater sinner than he!

I have found through weekly confession0 I am able to be more accurate in my confession- rather than confessing in generalities (I used the Lord's name in vain two times as opossed to I used the Lord's name in vain a bunch of times). Also the other half of confession (besides the forgiveness of sins) that is very under stressed, in my opinion, is that we are given the grace to better fight against sin and to better overcome our habitual sins. Some of this shows itself by more readily realizing we are commiting sin and being contrite more readily (that is from my experience- others mat have experienced this grace working differently). We are encouraged to confess venial sin to grow in grace to better fight against sin and to grow ever more unlikely to commit mortal sin...

Just sharing my experience- not saying it is the "right" way-- just what my experience has been :wave:
 
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Maggie893

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I love how my priest puts it whenever he makes a plea before the congregation that everyone get to confession. He says confession not only cleanses you from your past sins but more so it forms your conscience. You can't expect to overcome sin if your conscience is poorly formed and therefore doesn't kick in when it ought to. In other words, if your conscience doesn't tell you something is wrong until after you've done it, you need to confess more often, even if it's the same sin over and over until you've formed your conscience to recognize it as a sin before you do the act. Eventually those sins won't happen any more. Frequent confession is the stuff that Saints are made of!
 
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Maggie893

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Brother Charlie said:
Is this a place where we can confess our sins to each other?

I disrespected my parents horribly tonight :cry:

There, I said it. Christ, have mercy.

As for the sacrament, I go every thursday
I can't absolve you but I can pray that God bless you for recognizing what you did and for being repentent. :thumbsup: :crossrc:

Just a suggestion, the sooner you throw an apology their way the sooner you will find peace!:hug:
 
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Y_Cathol

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awesome_oelz said:
is it okay to go on confession as often as possible like everyday or 3 times a week? isn't it enough to hear confession twice a year?
Once a week is all I can go, but If I feel I have something grave on mind shoulders, I ask a priest to hear my confession.

It depends on the gravity of your sins, and on how you view your conscience how often you should go to confession.

I don't know what the norm is, but I would try to go at least once a month.

:)
 
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