How often do you go to Confession?

c_man

Well how often do you go? It's the one which really seems to be at the back of the queue when it comes to sacraments. I think the Pope did a good job at bringing it into focus with the Year of Mercy, but I'm always surprised at how many Catholics I know tend to be infrequent partakers of it.

I do find it a tough one and can't use a priest I know which makes it a bit more of a chore to go to another church! I aim to go every month but in reality that can slip to once every two.

boardsuser1

Last went in 1998.

c_man

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Last went in 1998.

Long time Would you consider going back?

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

c_man wrote:

I do find it a tough one and can't use a priest I know which makes it a bit more of a chore to go to another church! I aim to go every month but in reality that can slip to once every two.

That's OK. God knows what your intentions are. You are doing your best. Any priest will do. He has heard it all before., Holy Spirit guide you.

boardsuser1

c_man wrote: »

Long time Would you consider going back?

No father

c_man

Hey that's with a capital 'F' there chief

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

The poster is asking a genuine question regarding his beliefs. Why do you mock him?

Thinkingaboutit

Weekly. If someone receives Communion most times they hear Mass, he or she has to be mindful that receiving Holy Communion with the stain of mortal sin is a sacrilege. Even understanding the plain definition of mortal and venial sin, it is a risk a Catholic should not take with his soul.

branie2

Rarely

I went a couple of years ago and the priest said it was the best confession he'd ever heard, the only problem was I hadn't committed any sins..

(Seriously..)

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Akrasia wrote:

So life begins before conception then. great. So the RCC was right, contraception should be illegal and masturbation should be a capital offense as it deprives some of the 'people' that god knows but won't get a chance to be even conceived because of fleshlights and condoms.

Deleted User wrote:

I went a couple of years ago and the priest said it was the best confession he'd ever heard, the only problem was I hadn't committed any sins..

Why did you go to Confession if you hadn't committed any sin? You were wasting the priest's time.

c_man

Ah here. He might have had things on his mind which he thought were sins, or he could have had sins and the priest was just... well one of those we all know! or any number of things. Going to Confession is never a bad thing (as long as the confession is sincere etc.) and I don't think anyone should be criticised for it.

hinault

c_man wrote: »

Well how often do you go? It's the one which really seems to be at the back of the queue when it comes to sacraments. I think the Pope did a good job at bringing it into focus with the Year of Mercy, but I'm always surprised at how many Catholics I know tend to be infrequent partakers of it.

I do find it a tough one and can't use a priest I know which makes it a bit more of a chore to go to another church! I aim to go every month but in reality that can slip to once every two.

Usually every 4-5 weeks.

uck51js9zml2yt

A question... You go every month or so. You die in the interim without the last rights.
What happens you in that event?

I've not been in a confession box in over 30 years.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

c_man wrote:

Ah here. He might have had things on his mind which he thought were sins, or he could have had sins and the priest was just... well one of those we all know! or any number of things. Going to Confession is never a bad thing (as long as the confession is sincere etc.) and I don't think anyone should be criticised for it.

Sorry. Of course you are right.

keano_afc

As its completely unnecessary to confess my sins to a fellow sinner that cant forgive them, I dont go to "confession".

1 John 1:9

Mutant z

A big fat never is what.

NinetyTwoTeam

Haven't gone in over 20 years and won't be any time soon.

Went with my mother to my Granny's anniversary mass recently, I don't really go to Mass but my Granny was religious and I went to accompany my mother.

She probably would have gone to confession beforehand but her car had been in the garage all week. So during the communion neither of us got up. Some of my uncles and cousins were sitting behind us and they went up, and I know none of them had been to confession.

When the communion was over, the priest announced he would be giving confession after the mass for anyone that wanted it, while he said this he had an icy stare fixed on me and my mother the entire time (we were in the second row). My mother was really offended. I thought it was comical and only confirmed why I don't bother with any church or religious order despite having a foundation of Christian beliefs, the Christian and Catholic faith is just about judging, condemnation and control. And confession is part of that.

We were following 'the rules' by not taking communion, guess we should have just played pretend like the others so we wouldn't get the evil eye.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

WhiteRoses wrote:

However, to play devils advocate, you could argue that the church and pregnancy support staff with a pro life agenda encourage women to keep babies they do not want. In fact, there was a recent case where a support service that was meant to be impartial, advised an undercover journalist that if she were to have an abortion, she was at risk of breast cancer and of becoming a child abuser later in life. It frightens me to think advice like this is given to vulnerable women having crisis pregnancies.

keano_afc wrote:

As its completely unnecessary to confess my sins to a fellow sinner that cant forgive them, I dont go to "confession".

Christ to His apostles : Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. The apostles were the first priests.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

NinetyTwoTeam wrote:

When the communion was over, the priest announced he would be giving confession after the mass for anyone that wanted it, while he said this he had an icy stare fixed on me and my mother the entire time (we were in the second row). My mother was really offended. I thought it was comical and only confirmed why I don't bother with any church or religious order despite having a foundation of Christian beliefs, the Christian and Catholic faith is just about judging, condemnation and control. And confession is part of that.

How do you know that you weren't imagining this? I'm sure there were lots of people in the church that day who didn't go to communion. . Did he give them the evil stare as well, or were you specially selected?

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Jadiel Melodic Tile wrote:

A question... You go every month or so. You die in the interim without the last rights. What happens you in that event?

Jadiel Melodic Tile wrote:

I've not been in a confession box in over 30 years.

God knows what your intentions are. I suggest you return to the sacrament of Confession as soon as possible.

uck51js9zml2yt

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

God knows what your intentions are. I suggest you return to the sacrament of Confession as soon as possible.

That doesn't answer my question!

tayto lover

I went in 1986. Before that about 1966.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

tayto lover wrote:

I went in 1986. Before that about 1966.

That's your decision.

Riva10

robinwing wrote: »

<snip>.

And That is why i do not go to confession.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Riva10 wrote:

And That is why i do not go to confession.

God help you.

NIMAN

Last time would have been when I was so young I didn't have the balls to stand up to my parents and say I wasn't going.

It was a LONG time ago.

downwesht

2005

tayto lover

Riva10 wrote: »

And That is why i do not go to confession.

Why was there a goat in the church?

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

robinwing wrote:

p.s. Why does a priest like 28 year old’s? -There’s 20 of them.

Don't mock God's workers.

Schorpio

Confession is something I've only ever understood in the context of getting advice.

If you've done wrong, are in dire straights, and need someone to talk to about it, yeah by all means go for it.

But if you can just talk to the man himself - or rather he can hear everything you wish to say to him in his omnipresent state - then why talk to the judgemental, imperfect mortal? Cut out the middle man?

NIMAN

I'd guess an awful lot of the abuse by priests was carried out in the confession box.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Schorpio wrote:

But if you can just talk to the man himself - or rather he can hear everything you wish to say to him in his omnipresent state - then why talk to the judgemental, imperfect mortal? Cut out the middle man?

Christ gave power to His apostles to forgive and retain sin. "Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you shall retain, they are retained"

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

NIMAN wrote:

I'd guess an awful lot of the abuse by priests was carried out in the confession box.

How do you know this?

eviltwin

My first confession was my only confession.

Schorpio

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

Christ gave power to His apostles to forgive and retain sin. "Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you shall retain, they are retained"

Yeah, no I get that.

But is a priest actually considered an apostle? Priests are essentially ordinary people who've decided to put in the work in becoming a priest. And it's been well documented that not all priests are/were....exemplary people.

So, what right does someone have, who is potentially as (if not more) morally corrupt, to forgive on behalf of the man himself? I get your theory behind it, but I'm just making the point. It's easy to see why people wouldn't bother.

uck51js9zml2yt

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

Christ gave power to His apostles to forgive and retain sin. "Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you shall retain, they are retained"

There is no evidence to suggest that this went beyond the remit of the 12.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Schorpio wrote:

But is a priest actually considered an apostle? Priests are essentially ordinary people who've decided to put in the work in becoming a priest. And it's been well documented that not all priests are/were....exemplary people.

The priest is an ordained minister of the Lord. Since the time of the apostles there is a continuous ordination down to the present day.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

eviltwin wrote:

My first confession was my only confession.

Well it's about time you confessed all the sins you committed in the meantime. That's if you want to be saved.

eviltwin

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

Well it's about time you confessed all the sins you committed in the meantime. That's if you want to be saved.

I've nothing to confess

Schorpio

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

The priest is an ordained minister of the Lord. Since the time of the apostles there is a continuous ordination down to the present day.

Yeah, but being ordained doesn't change whether a person is fundamentally bad or good.

I could be ordained if I really wanted to be. It doesn't mean that I'm not me anymore. Why does that give me the right to judge others as sinners and absolve? And I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to confess to me, because I'm just as flawed and imperfect as they are.

_Brian

I appreciate the point above that the 12 were given remit to forgive sin.

But is there anything to say a person couldn’t make a prayer to whomever and ask for sin to be forgiven, does it say that god doesn’t listen or forgive ??

How could god not forgive if a person was genuinely remorseful?

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

eviltwin wrote:

I've nothing to confess

Are you perfect?

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

Schorpio wrote:

I could be ordained if I really wanted to be. It doesn't mean that I'm not me anymore. Why does that give me the right to judge others as sinners and absolve? And I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to confess to me, because I'm just as flawed and imperfect as they are.

The priest stands for Christ in confession, as he does in all the sacraments. So when you go to confession, it is an encounter with the Lord.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

_Brian wrote:

But is there anything to say a person couldn’t make a prayer to whomever and ask for sin to be forgiven, does it say that god doesn’t listen or forgive ??

Yes you are correct. But God, in His infinite wisdom, instituted the sacrament of confession so that you will know that you are forgiven.

_Brian

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

Yes you are correct. But God, in His infinite wisdom, instituted the sacrament of confession so that you will know that you are forgiven.

I cannot see any reason that if I made a genuine prayer and request of god to forgive my sins that god would refuse.

I don’t need to “know”, I trust fully in god.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

_Brian wrote:

I don’t need to “knowâ€, I trust fully in god.

Why do you think He instituted the sacrament of Confession?

uck51js9zml2yt

_Brian wrote: »

I appreciate the point above that the 12 were given remit to forgive sin.

But is there anything to say a person couldn’t make a prayer to whomever and ask for sin to be forgiven, does it say that god doesn’t listen or forgive ??

How could god not forgive if a person was genuinely remorseful?

John says in his letters that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive. No mention of a mediator in a black suit.

_Brian

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

Why do you think He instituted the sacrament of Confession?

For those who need to “know” their sins are forgiven, maybe for those who just can’t have blind faith that god has forgiven them?

My point is God forgives, if a genuine confession is made to god he will forgive, how could he not.

Could there be a god who is spiteful and not forgive my sins because I go direct to him rather than to a local priest? How could such a god exist ?

eviltwin

5wj23syiznglum wrote: »

Are you perfect?

Far from it but I try to live a kind and patient life. If I do err the only person whose forgiveness I need to seek is that of the person I wronged.

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

_Brian wrote:

Could there be a god who is spiteful and not forgive my sins because I go direct to him rather than to a local priest? How could such a god exist ?

He shows you the way to forgiveness, through the sacrament of penance. Of course, the penitent going to the priest is forgiven, but in the sacrament you are given a cast iron guarantee, and you come from the confessional like a new born babe.