new and have questions :)

[meliz]

Any priest will tell you that the sacrament of reconciliation is an extremely humbling experience because they get the privilege of playing such an instrumental role in helping a person repair their relationship with God. The more the damage is being repaired the more they're humbled. They're strictly forbidden not to repeat anything said during reconciliation, and not to even let it color the way they treat or act toward the penitent and the Holy Spirit gives them the great grace of forgetfulness when they leave the confessional which is a great aid in helping them hold to that responsibility.
I left the practice of the faith for over 20 years and I had some heavy duty sins to clean up. Fr Bill showed nothing but love and concern as I related everything I had done. I was wiping tears of joy from my eyes the whole way home because of the great weight that had been lifted off my shoulders.

As for making amends to the person you offended, that will be up to you. The penance a priest will give you will actually be something so easy, you might feel like it wasn't enough to make up for what you might have done (but rest assured it will be all that God will require). As for the sins you've forgotten: after you tell the priest the sins you do remember just tell him that you think there were other sins but don't remember, and they'll be forgiven as well. If you happen to remember a sin later on, just mention it the next time you go to reconciliation just to put a bow on it so to speak.

That's reassuring. I will admit that I have some sins I have confessed to God and repented of, but I do still feel weighed down by them. Getting them off my chest to a person could feel like a great relief.

 

[christseeker45]

And also, what about the thief on the cross? He didn't get baptism, or confess his sins, yet Jesus said he would be with him in paradise. I'm guessing this means that there are some exceptions to the need for baptism and reconciliation?

He was baptized by desire or blood, can not remember the correct one. Basically he would have been baptized if he could have been

 

[stormcloud]

And also, what about the thief on the cross? He didn't get baptism, or confess his sins, yet Jesus said he would be with him in paradise. I'm guessing this means that there are some exceptions to the need for baptism and reconciliation?

If you look at what thief said and how he said it, he did confess and he showed contrition at the same time. More importantly, he received a baptism of desire directly from Christ. The sacrament of baptism clothes us in Christ, reconciliation enables us to refresh and clean those clothes, so baptism precludes reconciliation.

Does this make sense?

 

[Brooklyn Knight]

Thanks. Definitely making more sense now. Although, I will admit the idea of confession sounds downright embarrassing. It's also overwhelming to think, if I do decide to become Catholic, then all these sins from my past that I thought had been forgiven by God aren't really forgiven. And what if you did something years ago, such as say unkind words about someone or lie to someone, and can't necessarily get contact with that person to make amends? I understand that making amends is important, but what if you can't? And also, what if you commit a sin, but don't remember it and don't confess it as a result? Do you need to write things down to confess?

Don't feel embarrassed. If you do feel intimidated, you can always go into a confessional, where there is a screen that makes it hard to see the person properly.

Don't focus too much on the past, but rather the present. You don't have to pinpoint every sin you did; you can be general. The one's that may be heavy on your conscious, confess those sins. If you can't reach the person, you can't reach the person. Tell the priest you are sorry and that you've tried telling the person of your sin. He'll probably tell you that if you ever get the chance, to apologize and to ask for forgiveness from this person.

If you forget a sin, no worries. This is something I learned after confessing my sins to a priest:

"I am sorry for these sins and the sins I may have forgotten and I ask God's pardon for them."

If you remember a sin that you didn't confess, again, no worries. Just bring it up on your next confession. It's that you are going in with the intentions to absolve your sins and to have a clean conscious is what mostly matters.

So, no, you don't have to write down all your sins on a piece of paper.

 

[meliz]

Becoming much more clear now. This is weird because if you had asked me even a few months ago if I would ever consider Catholicism, I would have given you a shocked look and said "No Way!" I've been taught that Catholics are unbiblical in practice and don't know their bibles. However, I've seen the exact opposite here. And watching the mass on tv, I was surprised to see that it was so full of scripture.

One more question (at least for now)...Can someone explain these verses in Ephesians 2? It seems contradictory:

8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God;
9 Not of works, that no man may glory.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.

This is from the Douay-Rheims, which I believe some Catholics use.

 

[Rhamiel]

I actually stumbled across this video the other day...it's partly why I'm interested in learning about Catholicism. I understand that there are venial and mortal sins. Mortal sins will condemn you to Hell, unless you do confession and repent of your sin before death.

Here's my question...what if a person has committed a mortal sin and confessed their sin to God and is repentant, but not yet to a priest, and they tragically die in an accident? Are they going to Hell?

And if the answer to this question is yes, then what exactly did Christ do for us on the cross, if he did not die for all of our sins?

I watched a mass online yesterday, and have been watching various things on EWTN such as praying of the rosary. After observing these things, I could really see myself attending mass and such, but I am so tripped up on the above questions. The level of respect for Christ and tradition I saw in the mass were really refreshing to see. I just haven't seen that in other churches I have visited.

And also, what about the thief on the cross? He didn't get baptism, or confess his sins, yet Jesus said he would be with him in paradise. I'm guessing this means that there are some exceptions to the need for baptism and reconciliation?

God knows our hearts and minds better then even we know our own
He is a kind Judge

in both of these cases, if the person would have lived the person would have gone about the normal sacremental way of being right with God
God knows this

both of these are kind of like exceptions rather then the normal way things happen

 

[Rhamiel]

also feel free to PM me anything you might want to ask but do not feel comfrotable saying on here