"I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less."
9 April 2006Far from the comfy chairDawn Eden, approaching Catholicism, is facing her first Confession, and things don't seem to be quite the way I remember them from the Pleistocene era. The Archdiocese of New York recommends:
When finished examining his conscience, [the penitent] should make a mental list of all the mortal sins he committed, noting how and how many times he committed them, as far as he can remember. He can also add any venial sins he remembers.
This is "not helpful," says Dawn:
How exactly does one confess all one's sins from birth onward? I have some vague idea of going down the list of the Ten Commandments and highlighting anything particularly egregious.
Back when I carried around a Baltimore Catechism, I once used exactly this tack for the Sacrament of Besides, we have all sinned. God knows that; the priest hearing the confession knows that. What matters, I think, is that you recognize the more serious lapses, take note of the pattern if there seems to be an awful lot of them, and work diligently to do better next time. The first confession is scary, but it's the second one from which you measure your progress. Posted at 11:08 AM to Immaterial WitnessAs perhaps the sorriest Catholic alive, and I'm not talking guilt here (If it's possible to excommunicate oneself, 'tis done.), I recommend the following Act of Contrition: "O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, known and unknown, not only because I dread the loss of heaven and dread the pains of hell, and not only because Thou art my Creator, my Redeemer and my Sanctifier, but most of all because my sins have offended Thee, my God, Who art all good in Thyself and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen" Any merciful god worth his salt should be satisfied with that. Posted by: MikeH at 1:48 PM on 9 April 2006 |