After being baptised in a protestant church many years ago at 18, I joined the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil. (For purposes of saving time, I will not go into the incredible faith journey I underwent to get to this point but perhaps someday I will formulate the words and share them.) A couple of weeks before Easter I systematically examined my concience to make sure that any sin I could remember would be confessed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to my confirmation and first communion. I made a list of my sins to take with me since I have ADD and sometimes lose my train of thought in mid-sentence. There was one particular sin that I was so embarrassed about that I actually waited until the afternoon of Good Friday, the last possible moment, to go to confession. By the time I found myself in line waiting to see the priest I was actually relieved to be getting this stuff off my chest once and for all and reconciling with the Church which I had grown to love so much. I guess I assumed that there would be some light in the confessional and when I closed the curtain and knelt down I realized that my well prepared list was going to do me no good in there. I paniced and told the priest about how this was my first confession etc. etc. and he very kindly and lovingly helped me through. I managed to get out about 10 of the most relevent and damaging sins when suddenly my mind went completely blank. I knelt there for what seemed like an eternity before I finally admitted I could not think of another thing although I knew there were many more things I had forgotten which were crucial and needed to be confessed and told him so. He asked me if I had honestly tried to remember all these sins and did not deliberately conceal any. I thought for a moment and just after I affirmed what he said, I suddenly remembered the awful sin I had avoided for so long. The priest then asked me if I knew my act of contrition and I admitted that I knew it but again, my mind drew a blank and I could not remember a thing. He then began helping me recite this and absolved me and gave me a penance. I left the confessional relieved but troubled at the fact that perhaps I should have stopped the priest at the moment I realized the sin but figured that since at the moment I affirmed that I was finished, I really had genuinely forgotten that one thing. After much prayer, I went with the assumption that I was being scrupulous and that I had indeed been forgiven and went on to Easter Vigil the next day. Is it possible that my entire Easter Vigil experience could have been tainted by that one thought at that very inopportune moment? I am finding it difficult to let this go and would appreciate any advice.

-- Traci Lynn (mysticcreations@yahoo.com), April 19, 2004

Answers

Traci,

Congratulations for joining the Catholic Church! I am a Protestant who wishes to convert also. I don't know the answer to your question so I will leave that to others.

God bless,

-- Emily (jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), April 19, 2004.

Any sin genuinely and sincerely forgotten during confession is forgiven along with the sins which are confessed. If you later remember a sin you forgot to confess, it is not necessary to run back to confession immediately. However, if it is a serious matter, it would be well to mention it during your next confession, just for your own peace of mind.

Frankly, the situation you describe doesn't sound completely black and white. You say you did recall this sin before you made your act of contrition and received absolution, so you really should have confessed it at that moment. Also, rather than just giving it "much prayer", it would have been good to call your priest and ask him. However, had you done so I am quite sure he would have told you basically what I said above. Especially considering that your ADD coupled with your nervousness about your first confession provided extenuating circumstances, and it apparently was not your conscious intent to conceal the sin.

Mention the sin in your next confession, including perhaps the circumstances of your first confession, and then you will have no doubt that all is well. As for the graces of your Easter Vigil experience, I believe you have received them in full - but if there was any spiritual obstacle present at the time, you will still receive the fullness of those graces once the obstacle is removed.

As for confessing "embarrassing" sins - I'm sure you have heard this before, but it is well to recall it occasionally - nothing you can confess will embarrass the priest. He is familar with every type of sin imaginable, including some you may never have heard of, and if he has been ordained for any length of time, he has "heard it all" in the confessional. He is no more likely to be embarrassed by your sin than a doctor is likely to be embarrassed by your illness. Of course, we may be embarrassed by our sins - or by our illnesses - but if we want to be healthy, we cannot let that embarrassment prevent us from seeking and receiving treatment - either medical or spiritual.

God bless you, and welcome to the family!

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), April 19, 2004.