Roman Catholics and confessions?

Question

i am at the point where i am looking for a new denomination of church to go too. i would go to the r catholic one but i am wondering about the confessions to the priest. i know they are bound to never speak of it to anyone but what i am wondering is two things . one do you as tell the priest everthing you can remember that you have done or thought about that you think is a sin or do you hold back and not tell all . i am not asking you to tell me your confession just how indepth the confessions are. i mean telling the priest about sex acts i dont know that i could handle that. the next part is that i am 100% postive that God is full aware of my confessions i make to him with out me ever seeing a priest . is that your thinking or what.

Answer 1

Bill, please do yourself a favor: Instead of trying to sort out the many conflicting answers you are going to get here, stop by the parish office of a Catholic church near you, and ask about attending RCIA classes. They are free, and meet one evening a week. There you can ask all of your questions, such as this one, and receive the correct answer -- not what someone thinks the Church teaches, but what it actually does teach and why.

RCIA classes are not just for those who are converting, but anyone who wants to learn more about the Church. Believe me, it's a much more accurate source of information than posting a question here.

Answer 2

If it's been a while, chances are, you won't remember every single sin you committed. That's okay. Chances are, if you could remember them, you'd confess them. Therefore, you will be forgiven because, in your heart, you are sorry for the sins you've committed but are unable to consciously confess because you've forgotten. You don't have to worry so much about those.

The sins you can remember; you will probably leave the Confessional and, on your way home, start remembering sins you forgot to confess at the time. Again, in your heart, God knows you would have confessed them had you remembered, so they will be forgiven.

Sometimes, and I've had this happen to me, I would forget to confess a sin. And even though I know it's forgiven, I sometimes still feel the need to confess it later. If you feel compelled to go back the following week, or whenever, to confess a sin you previously forgot, by all means do so.

When it comes to the real heavy stuff, like sins involving sex, again, don't be afraid. Priests have "heard it all". There is virtually nothing you could say that will shock them into "casting thee out" of Church.

Priests go to Confession as well. They know what it's like to be on your side of the Sacrament. Therefore, whenever someone confesses a particularly heavy sin, believe me the priest will appreciate the courage it took for you to make that confession.

I should add that, the act of deliberately withholding the confesssion of a sin constitutes a sin. It'll be one more thing you will eventually have to confess later.

As far as detals go when you are confessing a sin, just tell the priest the sin and how many times you committed it. If it was a one-time-only, the priest might apprepriate an approx time of the time (mm/dd). That's all.


God is indeed fully aware of all your sins, even the ones you've forgotten, along with the sins you will commit in the future. It's good that you repent from your sins, and that you've petitioned God for forgiveness.

Still, I can see you feel compelled to receive the Sacrament of Confession. God is leading you to the Sacrament of Confession because the Sacrament is how He wants you to ask Him for forgiveness.

Answer 3

+ Reconciliation +

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Luke 20:22-23)

Oral confessing sins is recommended over and over in both the Old and New Testaments:
+ James 5:16
+ Acts 19:18
+ Matthew 3:5-6
+ Mark 1:5
+ 1 Timothy 6:12
+ 1 John 1:9
+ Numbers 5:6-7
+ Nehemiah 9:2
+ Sirach 4:26

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

+ Method +

Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. He does not need a blow by blow description. Don’t be embarrassed. He has probably heard things a lot worse than you can imagine.

It is your responsibility to develop your conscience. If you are not sure something is wrong but you can ask the priest anything.

When you are done confessing your sins say: “…I am sorry for these and for all the sins I can’t remember.”

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 4

After a serious examination of conscience, you should confess every sin that you can remember to the priest. Do not hold anything back. If you hold anything back, your entire confession is invalid because you are saying that you are NOT sorry for all of your sins.

I do not think you need to get real specific when you are talking about your sexual sins. Stating that you have had sex with a woman who is not your wife or you have cheated on your wife is enough detail.

Yes, God is fully aware of the sins that you have committed. you are not telling God something He does not already know. The purpose of confessing to a priest is to show humility and to come clean (pun intended) to a member of the faith community of your sinfulness. Every sin offends God and the Christian community that you have let down because of sin. Confessing to a priest also gives a person the opportunity to receive advice on how to avoid sin and how to lead a good life.

Please contact me if you have any further questions

Answer 5

Though I disagree with those who consider Catholicism a "corrupt" religion (no worse than most other religions!), I DO know, having been raised a Catholic, that often, confession can make you feel WORSE! You're basically saying that your normal sexual appetite, for instance, is somehow wrong, which messes with your head, especially if you're younger.

I left the Church, not because it was "corrupt", but overbearing, controlling and it taught things I came not to believe in, such the idea that normal, healthy sex is a "sin"; actually I stopped believing in sin altogether.

Too many people (and not just catholics) use confession, to ease the burden of a guilty conscience, after they've hurt someone. I think you should make amends to the PERSON you've hurt, not go tell some priest, who will probably just make you say some "Our Fathers" and other prayers, then "absolve" you. How does that help the person you've hurt?

If you HAVEN'T hurt anyone, but feel bad about sex, maybe you need a counselor, NOT a priest! If you're plagued with guilt about other actions, again, I would go to a counselor to see WHY you feel guilt...is it realistic, or the product of a society that makes you feel guilty?

Answer 6

You MUST confess all serious (mortal) sins. Intentionally holding back such a sin is in itself a mortal sin. That would be like going to the doctor with several serious symptoms, but failing to tell him about one symptom - totally foolish! Either you want to be healed, or you don't! Yes, God does know everything we have done. But God instituted the sacrament of confession for us, by breathing upon the first priests of His Church, indicating a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and then telling them "whose sins YOU forgive, they are forgiven them". He expects us to make use of the sacraments He has provided for us.

If you are just looking for "another denomination", there are thousands to choose from, and you can find one that views things just as you do. Don't consider the Catholic Church unless you are looking for the fullness of Christian truth revealed to the Apostles by Jesus Christ. the Catholic Church is not "a denomination". It is the Church of God, the only Church founded by Jesus Christ, and the only Church ever approved or authorized by Him, from which manmade denominations broke away.

Answer 7

GOD already knows your sin. And GOD already knows what you need before you ask in prayer. The Bible states that we must confess our sins to one another so that they can pray for us. Also JESUS CHRIST has power on Earth to forgive sin. The priest is acting on behalf of CHRIST to absolve your sins. Just as in prayer we ask for that which we need. We in confession ask THE LORD for mercy for that which we have done. There is such a thing a general absolution too. Where we confess all our sins of the past and are absolved of all sin, even that which we do not recall or do not speak. It is helpful for our part to confront our sins openly before the LORD. A good confessor should lead you to repent and recall that which is in your heart, that you feel guilty about. If you are feeling guilty. Also remember we are forgiven as we forgive others. If you have sinned against another go to them and be reconciled, then go to confession and be absolved of your sin. And do the pennace that the priest gives you. This often involves saying a Decade of the Rosary or an OUR FATHER prayer etc.

There is a special grace we also get in confession, as in all the sacrements, which are explicitly for the dispensation of grace within the BODY OF CHRIST. This grace helps us to grapple with sin, if me make a firm commitment to overcome GOD will help us overcome that sin we confess. Therefore not only are we cleaned of this sin, we are given strength to overcome these sins in the future.

We can consider this then as a prayer for forgiveness, confessing our sins before THE LORD, and receiving from the LORD grace to overcome sin.

The tepidness you show in confessing your sin is not unusual, but it also is clear that your sin is personal and by confronting it you are repenting it, have courage. Courage and faith are respectable before the LORD. As is repentance asking for mercy. All these things are repsected in the LORD, even as sin, cowardice and unrepenatance are not respected.

And GOD bless you in your journey of faith in the HOLY Roman Catholic Church.

-LOVE your neighbor as yourself
Amen

Answer 8

Just tell the truth, and get yourself right with God in your life.
Then it is no big whoop.
Anyone who says confession is unbiblical, should read 1 John 1:8-10.
You say your sins to the priest and confess them to God.

Answer 9

You are doing okay. You are asking God to forgive your
mistakes (sins), who else can do that better than him.
I am catholic, and like you, I talk and pray to God -Jesus
directly. I don't belong to any church here, because I believe
God's church is in us, around us. He is not sitting in
any church waiting for me to visit him and talk to him.

Don't think you have to confess to the priest anything and everything. . Being mad at someone, doing stupid stuff, that you may regret later, that to is part of life - they are MISTAKES - not sins - as the church like to phrase it.
Sex is a natural part of life and is not a mistake or a sin.

So go ahead and enjoy your life - ask God to forgive the mistakes you make - he surely will - and you don't have to
live in fear of being a Sinner.

God-Jesus loves you just the way you are - a child of his
creation.

Hugs - Sabio

***Just goes to show - thumbs down on all the answers that
don't agree with the religious fanatics

Answer 10

Im new to the confession thing, I just tell him everythign I feel guilty about. I am a horrible person and didnt say a couple things because I was too weak to :(

Try to confess everything, be strong