Should you confess forgotten sins?

[M. Markewich]

Today I was looking up some things on confession since I am going to be doing it today and found this site: http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/communionprep.aspx
According to this website, if I forgot to confess a sin last confession, I should confess it the next time. I was under the impression that forgotten sins were forgiven and you didn't have to worry about them anymore. What is the correct practice?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Today I was looking up some things on confession since I am going to be doing it today and found this site: http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/communionprep.aspx
According to this website, if I forgot to confess a sin last confession, I should confess it the next time. I was under the impression that forgotten sins were forgiven and you didn't have to worry about them anymore. What is the correct practice?

Well, it sounds like we're talking about having now remembered a sin we previously forgot. If so we need to confess this.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[M. Markewich]

Thank you Father.

[Fr Seraphim (Black)]

Well, it sounds like we're talking about having now remembered a sin we previously forgot. If so we need to confess this.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

This is an area which I feel should be frankly spoken of, for the 'opening of our hearts' is a primary and continuous step on the Ladder of Divine Ascent.

In Orthodox Monasteries the practice of daily Confession is the normal praxis. Rather, I should term it the 'revealing (revelation) of thoughts'.

The extreme beauty of this monastic practice is that approached with a true spirit of repentance and humility, the penitent's heart will gradually learn to know what needs to be said and just when and even how often.

Troublesome sins - judging, anger etc., which are so often recurrent, are best dealt with by being openly and repeatedly confessed. In the words of the Fathers, the demon(s) of a particular passion fear exposure, and nothing exposes them more than the Sacrament of Confession.

We should not then feel ashamed unduly of our human fraility, nor of 'burdening' the Priest with repeating over and over again the very same sin. It is by this continual pounding that the devil will flee.

Now, as we approach (so quickly, it seems, each year!) Great and Holy Lent, the entire beauty and blessing of this Lenten Season; the Great Canon, the Akathist to the Mother of God, the Presanctified Liturgies, the Liturgy of St. Basil (with its glorious Anaphora), the Prayer of St. Ephraim, the many prostrations, fasting taken seriously and with the blessing of one's Spiritual Father, we find that our entire being becomes reborn and God-willing we will feel our spiritual heart, and this will lead us to live each word of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.

As St. Silouan said: 'The more you pray, the more you pray.' May I be forgiven for my audacity in saying that the more we confess, the more we confess (because our spiritual heart rings a little bell, telling us it is time!)

[Kusanagi]

Today I was looking up some things on confession since I am going to be doing it today and found this site: http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/communionprep.aspx
According to this website, if I forgot to confess a sin last confession, I should confess it the next time. I was under the impression that forgotten sins were forgiven and you didn't have to worry about them anymore. What is the correct practice?
Well for me i try to confess forgotten sins which i later remember so i can be at peace with myself and God and thats what we all want so why not confess sins if you later remember them?

if you remember them i think its best in order to have peace with God and be closer to Him.

[Paul Cowan]

Well for me i try to confess forgotten sins which i later remember so i can be at peace with myself and God and thats what we all want so why not confess sins if you later remember them?

if you remember them i think its best in order to have peace with God and be closer to Him.

I read into this thread sins post-baptism. I did a thorough confession I thought at baptism and was under the impression all sins of old were absolved. All known and unknown. I recently remembered a harm I caused someone long ago. There is no way I can track him down to apologize or make amends, so is this "old" sin also forgiven or do I need to do another thorough house-cleaning in confession?

At what point is the past truly "the past" and when do we not need to worry about it (the past) again?

Paul

[Mary]

I read into this thread sins post-baptism. I did a thorough confession I thought at baptism and was under the impression all sins of old were absolved. All known and unknown. I recently remembered a harm I caused someone long ago. There is no way I can track him down to apologize or make amends, so is this "old" sin also forgiven or do I need to do another thorough house-cleaning in confession?

At what point is the past truly "the past" and when do we not need to worry about it (the past) again?

Paul

I haven't really thought about when I don't need to worry about the past sins anymore. I just don't worry about any of them, as long as I have confessed them.

However, I do 're-confess' past sins, every time they begin to trouble me again. Sometimes I see additional sins in the same sin, that had not been confessed, because they weren't as obvious. Since most of my past sins were committed more due to ignorance than anything else, I really wasn't aware of the underlying causes. But I am able to recognize my thought patterns better at present. So, when I find something in the present, I remember something from the past, that followed the same pattern, and may have been caused by the same attitude defects. So I confess the twisted thought pattern, and include the present and the past ways in which it showed up in my life.

Also, the things that I see at first glance, are usually the tip of the iceberg. And as I begin to see more and more of it, I become aware of the magnitude of it... and I need to confess it again.

I love confession! Have been unable to do it for the past 5 weeks, for some reason or other popping up, and I feel like sludge!

Lord have mercy.

In Christ,
Mary.

[Alice]

I think that whatever comes to your mind from the past is supposed to be confessed.

[Paul Cowan]

I think that whatever comes to your mind from the past is supposed to be confessed.

Yes, but is this after baptism or prior to the first confession after baptism? Were all these sins not forgiven at that first confession?

[Alice]

Yes, but is this after baptism or prior to the first confession after baptism? Were all these sins not forgiven at that first confession?

I am confused by your question. I am a cradle, so I wouldn't have been able to confess after my baptism if I wanted to!! *wink* ) (A little humour there!)

I didn't start confessing until a decade ago despite going to an Orthodox parochial school for eight years. Confession was swept under the carpet in my jurisdiction for a while there.

*Once* in the eight years of parochial schooling, our principal/ priest decided to have us confess--It was either when I was eight or nine years old. I don't remember a single thing other than it was in the dimly lit church and we had to go sit in the front pew with the priest individually...I do remember that we all giggled when the most brazen girl in our third or fourth grade (don't remember which grade it was) told us that she told the priest that she had played 'strip poker'!! *eek*

Getting back to my first *real* confession after that one time experiment in third grade-- I was very glad that finally God presented it to me (and my husband) on a 'silver platter' as it were...it was when visiting a monastery to speak to the Elder about some things. He counseled us and then asked us to give our confessions. There was no running away, no worrying about making the dreaded phone call, etc. It was a good first confession because he asked all those questions about sins of the past you might be scared to offer or might have chosen to forget...and a simple 'no' or 'yes' and it was done--thankfully! --OVER!! *phew* :-)

Sorry I can't be much help in answering your question. Sorry for the diversion....

Alice

[Paul Cowan]

Sorry, Alice,

I should have specified this was a convert question. I was baptised 8 years ago, and during the first baptism (I was petrified to say the least) Fr. also asked me yes and no questions. He also allowed me to share anything he might have "missed". During the absolution part, I am sure he said something to the effect, all known and unknown sins were forgiven; or all spoken and unspoken; or some such verbage.

So I guess my question is Now that I have a few years under my belt, I do confess those things forgotten in the last 8 years, but does my first absolution wipe away the other 34 years of forgetfullness? I suppose if it is bothering me so much, i should just confess it again to clear my conscience, since this is what will ultimately judge us in the end.

Thanks.
Paul

[Alice]

Dear Paul,

How I deal with it, is if something specific comes to my mind from years past, then I attribute it to the Holy Spirit and bring it to my next confession...in other words, as you said, it is all a matter of conscience.

I wouldn't fret. We try our best and God helps us with the rest.

I do find that in any confession, I need to write things down before, because if I go there (without anything extraordinary to confess), my mind literally can go blank...(from nerves? preoccupation and distraction getting there? ) My mom says this happens to her too.

Be well!

In Christ,
Alice :-)

[Father David Moser]

if something specific comes to my mind from years past, then I attribute it to the Holy Spirit and bring it to my next confession...

This is indeed the case. The Holy Spirit enlivens our conscience and brings sins into our awareness that may have been forgotton or repressed. It may be that you were not spiritually ready to deal with the forgotten sin previously and thus it remained hidden, however, when you are ready to address it and work to remove the influence and effect of that sin in your life, then the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind.

Remember that confession is not solely about forgiveness, but also about treatment and therapy which help us to overcome the effects and influence of sin in ourselves and to heal us from the ravages of sin. Forgiveness is important, but it isn't the whole story.

Fr David Moser

[Paul Cowan]

Remember that confession is not solely about forgiveness, but also about treatment and therapy which help us to overcome the effects and influence of sin in ourselves and to heal us from the ravages of sin.

Fr David Moser

Thank you Fr. David,

This is something I would like to delve deeper into.

Forgiveness in confession as I see it has potentially 3 parts.
1) God forgives me
2) I forgive someone else
3) someone else forgives me

The healing I see from the treatment of confession is releif and forgiveness of sin; 1,2, or 3 above. The therapy is what? Penance? Something else? I have yet to receive a penance from my confessions though I know it is only a matter of time. What is "therapy" and what does it look like in the arena of confession? What does healing look like if nothing more than the inner knowledge God has forgiven me if and only if I fix my wrongs and make amends for them?

Paul

[Andreas Moran]

I remember that two or three years after I was received, I asked Bishop Eirenaios this question; I was concerned that I had not gone into enough detail. And, after all, I was unused to to the whole business of confession. The Bishop said, 'I knew your first confession was to be shallow; the time will come when you will make a deep confession.' Some years later, I mentioned this to Archimandrite Zacharias who said this was a classic teaching and I would know the day when this deep confession was to be made. This is not to say that sins that were forgotten and that then come to mind 'can wait'. But most sins are characteristic of the person and caused by his or her experiences in life.

I'm not sure what 'deep confession' really means (I ought to ask): I wonder if the following thoughts make any sense? The deep confession may mean something all-embracing which is therapeutic. One can, I think, arrive at some juncture in life when all manner of experiences and difficulties in one's whole life can be, as it were, resolved and one can feel reconciled to what happened in life; this will likely take a long time and involve (as has been mentioned in another thread) forgiveness of our past by us. Such resolution and reconciliation may then be sanctified by a confession which covers all that had continually disturbed the soul. Confession confers upon us God's forgiveness for the sins confessed - the symptoms - but may be this deep confession will go to the causes.

[Father David Moser]

The therapy is what? Penance? Something else? I have yet to receive a penance from my confessions though I know it is only a matter of time.

Personally, I don't like the word "penance" to describe obediences that are given at confession simply because they are not a "penalty" for sins committed, but rather they are directions about how to change your life to strengthen you against those sins in the future.

Your confessor has never said anything or offered advice during confession? Often in confession, while I rarely give an obedience, I will make suggestions about how to cope with temptations which are confessed. This is part of the "therapy" of confession.


What is "therapy" and what does it look like in the arena of confession? What does healing look like if nothing more than the inner knowledge God has forgiven me if and only if I fix my wrongs and make amends for them?

In addition to the above, are additional components of "therapy" for sins - the grace of the sacrament itself which is given from above; the intercessory prayers by the confessor for you (which are more specific because of the confession); the reception of the Holy Mysteries following the confession; the "release" from the burden of the sin and breaking the hold that the particular sin has on you; the reconciliation between the person and their guardian angel. These are all part of the healing process that the sacrament brings about.

Fr David Moser

[Mary]

Thank you Fr. David,

This is something I would like to delve deeper into.

Forgiveness in confession as I see it has potentially 3 parts.
1) God forgives me
2) I forgive someone else
3) someone else forgives me

The healing I see from the treatment of confession is releif and forgiveness of sin; 1,2, or 3 above. The therapy is what? Penance? Something else? I have yet to receive a penance from my confessions though I know it is only a matter of time. What is "therapy" and what does it look like in the arena of confession? What does healing look like if nothing more than the inner knowledge God has forgiven me if and only if I fix my wrongs and make amends for them?

Paul

Dear Paul,

When looking at sin as a disease, rather than a crime, it seems to throw a different light on 'forgiveness'. When we go to the doctor and 'expose' our symptoms, he isn't outraged, and has no reason to 'forgive' us or give us any kind of 'penance'. However, he does give us medicine, and advice on how to change our lifestyle according to our illness, in order to keep that illness from getting bigger, or in order to get rid of it altogether.

When I read articles/books by doctors of 'alternate' medicine, one repeated thing that comes up, is the layers of sickness in the body. The one that gets treated first, is the one that's most visible, and the one that needs instant attention. For example, you fall off your bike and break a bone, and while you're trying to get up you get bitten by the snake that you fell on. When you get to the doctor, you won't tell him how you broke your bone, in fact, you may have even forgotten about it, because the only thing on your mind is the fact that you've been bitten by a snake, and any minute, you might die. So the first thing, and maybe the only thing you'll tell the doctor first, is about the snake bite. Once you've received the antidote for the venom, everyone breathes a sigh of relief, and then you notice that you're in incredible pain... but it's from the broken bone - and then you start to remember what happened. Much later, your broken bone is happily healing, and you might find out you're diabetic.... and so it goes on.

So, each time a forgotten thing works its way back to the surface, it just means it's time to start working on that. A bit of medicine, a few changes in lifestyle... Quite simple really.

I just have to remember all this every time I start feeling sick like all my sins are still upon me. I hate it when it's just working it's way to the surface and I can't yet put my finger on it. It makes me feel sick and I dont' know what to confess. I thought maybe there's someone I still haven't forgiven, but I can't think of anyone.

And don't listen to me, just pray for me, for I've gone from the land of dry prayers into the land of toxic prayers. Ugh. I hate toxic build up!

In Christ,
Mary.

PS - I also don't like the word 'penance'. No one gets punished for being sick! It's compassion and kindness and mercy that God dumps on us when we go to Him, miserable and sick.

[Paul Cowan]

Personally, I don't like the word "penance" to describe obediences that are given at confession simply because they are not a "penalty" for sins committed, but rather they are directions about how to change your life to strengthen you against those sins in the future.

Your confessor has never said anything or offered advice during confession? Often in confession, while I rarely give an obedience, I will make suggestions about how to cope with temptations which are confessed. This is part of the "therapy" of confession.



In addition to the above, are additional components of "therapy" for sins - the grace of the sacrament itself which is given from above; the intercessory prayers by the confessor for you (which are more specific because of the confession); the reception of the Holy Mysteries following the confession; the "release" from the burden of the sin and breaking the hold that the particular sin has on you; the reconciliation between the person and their guardian angel. These are all part of the healing process that the sacrament brings about.

Fr David Moser

I guess I picked up the word penance when I was going to a monastery and Fr. said do not confess to them. I said ok, but asked why. He said because they could put you under a very long penance of not receiving communion and you would be stuck with it. I think he said up to 22 years?. So not so much punishment from sin per se, but restriction from receiving the Holy mysteries. To me that is punishment. So I did not confess to them during my visit. (that time) How easily I get caught up in the momnet when others were confessing from my parish also, I "had to" confess to the archmandrite also. He was forgiving.

Yes, he does always offer suggestions for me to avoid sin in the future. I try to do everything he recommends. He has never ordered me, (perhaps he should) but I know as a loving father, he only has my best interest at heart.

My earthly father KNEW when I was about to do something stupid when I was younger since he had done the exact same things as a kid.

Thank you Fr. David

Paul.

[Andreas Moran]

Christ didn't impose any penance when He forgave sins, did he? He forgave and did not condemn. (If a priest did impose a long penance, it could be overturned by a bishop.)

[M.C. Steenberg]

Christ didn't impose any penance when He forgave sins, did he? He forgave and did not condemn. (If a priest did impose a long penance, it could be overturned by a bishop.)

As others have indicated, it depends on what one means by the word.

Christ surely did impose the need to change ('Go, and sin no more...'; 'Go and make peace with your brother...'), necessary for the forgiveness He had granted to become something transformative in the lives of the forgiven.

This is not 'punishment', but the need to take the medicine Christ offers and apply it to one's healing. Similarly, good and holy confessors do at time prescribe an 'epitimia' as part of confession.

INXC, Dcn Matthew

[Peter S.]

I guess I picked up the word penance when I was going to a monastery and Fr. said do not confess to them. I said ok, but asked why. He said because they could put you under a very long penance of not receiving communion and you would be stuck with it. I think he said up to 22 years?. So not so much punishment from sin per se, but restriction from receiving the Holy mysteries. To me that is punishment.

That punishment reminds me of Diotrephes in 3.John (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=3John;&version=50;).

Peter