16/04/2025
How to Confess S*xual Sins...
How to Confess S*xual Sins: A Guide to a Sincere and Healing Confession (Mortal Sin Do Not Expire)
Confession is a powerful sacrament of healing, offering God’s mercy and grace to those who repent. Among the sins people struggle with, s*xual sins can be particularly difficult to confess due to shame or fear. However, God’s love is greater than any sin, and He invites us to seek His forgiveness with a sincere heart.
Understanding S*xual Sins
S*xual sins fall under the Sixth and Ninth Commandments: “You shall not commit adultery” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.” These sins involve actions or thoughts that misuse the gift of human s*xuality, which God designed for marriage. Here are some of the most common s*xual sins:
1. Lust
Lust is the disordered desire for s*xual pleasure outside of God’s plan. It turns people into objects for gratification rather than respecting them as persons made in God’s image.
2. Po*******hy
Viewing or consuming pornographic content distorts the purpose of s*xuality, promotes impurity, and can lead to addiction, damaging relationships and one’s view of love.
3. Ma********on
This act involves seeking s*xual pleasure alone, which contradicts the self-giving nature of love that s*xuality is meant to express. The Catechism acknowledges factors that may reduce guilt (like habit or immaturity), but it remains a sin.
4. Premarital S*x (Fornication)
S*x outside of marriage goes against God’s design for intimacy to be a total self-giving within the sacrament of matrimony. It often leads to emotional and spiritual wounds.
5. Adultery
Being unfaithful to one’s spouse violates the sacred bond of marriage and breaks trust, harming families and relationships.
6. Homos*xual Acts
While the Church teaches that persons with same-s*x attraction must be treated with dignity and love, engaging in homos*xual acts is considered sinful because they are not open to life and the complementarity of male and female.
7. Contraception
The use of artificial means to prevent conception separates the unitive and procreative aspects of marital love, contradicting God’s plan for s*xuality.
8. Prostitution
Selling or buying s*xual services reduces the dignity of the person to an object of pleasure, exploiting human weakness.
9. R**e and S*xual Abuse
These gravely sinful acts violate human dignity and cause deep trauma to victims. Justice and reparation must accompany confession in such cases.
10. Impure Thoughts and Desires
Entertaining s*xual fantasies or desires that are not directed toward one’s spouse in marriage can be sinful when done deliberately.
How to Confess S*xual Sins
Confessing s*xual sins requires sincerity, humility, and trust in God’s mercy. Here’s how to do it properly:
1. Examine Your Conscience
Reflect on your thoughts, words, and actions. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sins you may have forgotten.
2. Be Honest and Sincere
Tell the priest your sins honestly without unnecessary details or excuses. If you struggle with a habitual sin, mention it so the priest can give guidance.
3. Use Clear, Simple Language and By Say it By Numbers. Do not sugarcoat your sin..
Rather than vague statements like "I was impure," specify what sin you committed (e.g., "I watched po*******hy," "I engaged in premarital s*x"). There is no need to go into explicit detail.
Example:
Ma********on
For example, from Grade 8 until now—spanning 30 years—I’ve struggled with an addiction to ma********on. I’ve done it 7 times a week for 30 years, which amounts to roughly 10,080 times.
Computation:
12 months × 4 weeks = 48 weeks per year
48 weeks × 30 years × 7 times per week = 10,080 occurrences
If you confess by saying, “I masturbate,” only 1 sin out of the 10,080 occurrences is forgiven. Your confession remains valid, but the remaining unconfessed instances of this sin could still leave you vulnerable. These unaddressed occurrences might allow demons to harass you and keep you obsessed with that sin. Mortal sins do not expire. If an unconfessed mortal sin remains in your soul, it becomes a weakness that evil can exploit, attacking you with the same habitual sin. This prevents you from moving forward and finding liberation.
Example: Premarital S*x
Here’s another example using your formula: Suppose a man has engaged in premarital s*x with 5 women, 50 times each, over the course of his life.
Computation:
5 women × 50 times per woman = 250 occurrences of premarital s*x
If he confesses by simply saying, “I committed premarital s*x,” only 1 sin out of the 250 occurrences is forgiven. While the confession is valid, the remaining 249 instances could still linger as vulnerabilities, allowing evil to tempt or harass him with the same habitual sin unless each occurrence is fully addressed.
Separate Calculation Involving Minors
You asked whether the premarital s*x example includes minors and requested a separate calculation.
Here’s an example assuming one of the 5 women was a minor:
Let’s say 4 women were adults (4 × 50 = 200 occurrences) and 1 was a minor (1 × 50 = 50 occurrences).
Total remains 250 occurrences, but separated as:
200 occurrences with adults
50 occurrences with a minor
If the man confesses, “I committed premarital s*x,” without specifying details, only 1 sin is forgiven—leaving 249 unaddressed. If the 50 occurrences with a minor carry additional moral or legal weight in his conscience or faith, he might need to confess that separately (e.g., “I committed premarital s*x with a minor”) to address that specific category of sin. Otherwise, these unconfessed acts—especially those involving a minor—could remain a distinct vulnerability for spiritual attack.
This revision keeps your theological perspective intact while improving readability and adding the requested example and calculation. Let me know if you’d like further adjustments!
4. Express Contrition
Be truly sorry for your sins, not just because of guilt but because they offend God and harm your soul.
5. Accept Your Penance
The priest will give you penance, which helps repair the effects of sin. Do it promptly and prayerfully.
6. Trust in God's Mercy
Once the priest grants absolution, believe that you are forgiven. Do not dwell on past sins but move forward in God’s grace.
7. Avoid Occasions of Sin
Make concrete efforts to avoid temptations. This may include installing accountability software, setting boundaries in relationships, or deepening your prayer life.
Conclusion
Confessing s*xual sins may be difficult, but God’s mercy is always greater. Approach the sacrament with humility, sincerity, and trust. The grace of confession will strengthen you to live a life of purity and holiness, drawing you closer to God’s love.
