Ask Me Help Desk - Confession and forgiveness

What one should do if he cannot remember when was his last confession?
Does one need to worry when he cannot tell exactly when and how many times he has sinned?
If one keeps on falling to the same sin again which he has confessed already many times, is he still have the chance of forgiveness?

Pray for a clear mind to recall all that you ought to. Sincerety is the key; not how good your memory is.

As for the last question, you will know the answer better than others. In general, the answer is yes - but if you are sinning thinking "I know it's wrong but I'll just ask for forgiveness afterwards", then that's another issue.

You need more than confession. You need to speak personally, and at length, with a Priest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostchild

If one keeps on falling to the same sin again which he has confessed already many times, is he still have the chance of forgiveness?

Maybe what is being done is not a sin. Remember; It's a two way street. If the religious system that labels the behavior a sin is not respectable in its own right, then why should you hold their rules as important or valid? Whose standards are you so concerned with?

What religion are you or your friend? What is your concept of what sin is and who has the right to define it?

Since you use the word Confession, I will assume that you are either Catholic, one of the Orthodox Faiths, or you are Anglican, all of which use or can use a formal confession.

The Catholic Church does not accept phone or "email" confessions, while most of the Orthodox Churches do allow some of these to their priests.
I am not up on the Anglican practices since most of their churches do not follow any formal confession much any longer.

So if you are going to do a new confession, you merely start by telling the priest it has been so long you can't remember the last time, you tell him of any of the main "large" sins and some of the other sins, and ask for all sins done that have been forgotten be forgave also.

If it is bothering you, then please by all means don't let the amount of time bother you, go to a current confession.

Both your screen name and the contents of your post have caused me to hesitate and think carefully how to answer. I sense that you may have more reason for asking these questions than to get simple straightforward answers to the questions as stated. I surmise that you may be carrying a heavy load of guilt or remorse for something you have done, or a pattern of behavior that you have adopted, and you want very much to find solace and relief from this burden. Am I even close here?

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostchild

What one should do if he cannot remember when was his last confession?

I take it that you were probably raised a Catholic, but have not been devout or active in the church for a very long time. True? I know that people leave (or fail to practice) the religion of their youth for a whole variety of reasons, many times having nothing to do with questions of doctrine or doubts about the validity of church teachings. If this describes you, I agree with RickJ and Father Chuck that you should go to a priest and unburden your soul to him and follow his counsel for coming back into the fellowship of the church and seeking forgiveness within that framework.

If, on the other hand, you have distanced yourself from the church because you have serious doubts about the legitimacy of church doctrine or the theological foundation of church teachings, then VBnomad's comments may be more applicable. It may be that the things you are worried about are sins only within the church's interpretation of truth and reality, and outside that framework they are not really a problem at all. I personally would put homosexuality in this category, but there are many other attitudes and behaviors that would fall into this category as well. If this fits your case, then you may find it more helpful to go to a counsellor or therapist to get help with sorting out for yourself what your own beliefs and convictions really are so that you can bring your beliefs and behavior into harmony. Harmony can be achieved by changing either beliefs or behavior, and only you can decide which needs changing in your case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostchild

Does one need to worry when he cannot tell exactly when and how many times he has sinned?

My understanding of sin is that it is a condition of being alienated and estranged from your spiritual source and center. Therefore, it isn't really a matter of discrete events, thoughts, or acts that can be counted and enumerated, but rather a state of being or condition of existence. This is not to say that acts of selfishness, cruelty or callous disregard for others are not "sinful", rather that the cure is not to enumerate them and ask forgiveness for each specific one, but to heal the rift that prevents you from habitually thinking and acting in ways that are consistent with your spititual nature, which is good, kind, generous, forgiving and compassionate toward all, including yourself. I do believe that when our actions have harmed others we are obligated to make amends as completely and specifically as is possible, and that doing so speeds the process of healing that can rightly be called forgiveness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostchild

If one keeps on falling to the same sin again which he has confessed already many times, is he still have the chance of forgiveness?

Repeatedly acting in a way that violates your core beliefs about what is right probably means that you are not really settled in your conviction and need to honestly confront and resolve this division within yourself.

I really hope this is helpful to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostchild

What one should do if he cannot remember when was his last confession?
Does one need to worry when he cannot tell exactly when and how many times he has sinned?

It's good to be conscious that we need to live a Christian life and God appreciates our efforts. However, there is no need to be in a state of constant worry and no need to keep count.

Matthew 6:8b... for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

All sins committed because we aren't perfect and will sin no matter how hard we try to avoid doing so are covered by Jesus' Ransom Sacrifice. In fact, that's why Jesus died-so we don't need to keep worrying about it. Have faith in what he has done for us. Try your best to live as a Christian should live and then relax.

Quote:

If one keeps on falling to the same sin again which he has confessed already many times, is he still have the chance of forgiveness?

First, even if you don't confess God knows what kind of sins we commit and how many.
So even if we lose count he doesn't. But if we have placed our faith in Jesus' Ransom Sacrifice then you can be sure of one thing, God he isn't counting in order to level his mallet in condemnation. God is far more interested ion applying the value of Jesus' sacrifice to our sins in order to forgive them. So as before--relax and enjoy your redemption as you were intended to. Not as an excuse to practice sin, of course, but as the basis for not worrying unnecessarily and enjoying a good relationship with God.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus... Romans 8:1

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. I John 3:20

BTW
Confessing your sins directly to God in prayer is not a sin.