Episode Summary
What happens if you forget to confess a sin? Does that make your confession invalid, or mean you have another sin on your conscience?
In this episode of Ask a Priest, Fr. Tim explains that genuinely forgetting a sin is very different from deliberately hiding one. If you sincerely intended to confess all your mortal sins and, despite an honest and reasonably diligent examination of conscience, unintentionally forgot one, your confession remains valid and worthy. If the sin later comes back to mind, mention it at your next confession.
As Fr. Tim puts it, “Confession isn’t an audit.” Catholics should make a sincere examination of conscience and confess all remembered mortal sins, but God does not require an impossible or mechanically perfect reconstruction of every past fault.
Fr. Tim also describes confession as “not magic. It’s relationship.” More precisely, confession is a sacramental encounter with Jesus Christ, who forgives and heals through the ministry of the priest. Drawing on St. Faustina’s description of confession as the “tribunal of mercy,” Fr. Tim encourages anyone who has been away from confession, or who fears forgetting something, not to let that fear keep them from returning to Christ.
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00 –> 00:00:02] Why incense? Why incense at mass?
[00:00:02 –> 00:00:05] Why incense in the Catholic Church? What’s it all about?
[00:00:05 –> 00:00:08] (gentle music)
[00:00:09 –> 00:00:10] I remember when I was in college,
[00:00:10 –> 00:00:13] one of my friends asked the priest,
[00:00:13 –> 00:00:14] “Why do we do incense?
[00:00:14 –> 00:00:16] It smells horrible. It’s annoying.
[00:00:16 –> 00:00:18] I cough every time I smell incense.”
[00:00:18 –> 00:00:20] And the priest responded,
[00:00:20 –> 00:00:23] “It’s either incense in heaven or sulfur in hell.
[00:00:23 –> 00:00:24] Get used to it.”
[00:00:24 –> 00:00:27] Probably not the best way of evangelizing,
[00:00:27 –> 00:00:30] but the Book of Revelation talking about the angels
[00:00:30 –> 00:00:34] incensing the Father, incensing the Son, the Holy Spirit,
[00:00:34 –> 00:00:35] that within heaven,
[00:00:35 –> 00:00:39] there’s a glorification of the Lord with incense.
[00:00:39 –> 00:00:41] Incense was in the Old Testament.
[00:00:41 –> 00:00:42] It was in the New Testament.
[00:00:42 –> 00:00:43] It’s part of our tradition.
[00:00:43 –> 00:00:44] But for us as Catholics,
[00:00:44 –> 00:00:48] we are so earthy and so tangible and so physical.
[00:00:48 –> 00:00:50] We love this stuff.
[00:00:50 –> 00:00:52] For incense, we have the thurible,
[00:00:52 –> 00:00:56] metal from the Earth, handcrafted by human beings.
[00:00:56 –> 00:00:59] We have the charcoal from wood.
[00:00:59 –> 00:01:03] We have the incense, which is resin from trees.
[00:01:03 –> 00:01:04] It’s all glorifying the Father,
[00:01:04 –> 00:01:06] the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:06 –> 00:01:08] Well, Francis talked about incense at mass,
[00:01:08 –> 00:01:11] how awesome it is because we get ready for the hallelujah.
[00:01:11 –> 00:01:13] The Book of the Gospels is incensed.
[00:01:13 –> 00:01:16] It’s basically saying, get ready to hear from the king.
[00:01:16 –> 00:01:18] The king is about to speak.
[00:01:18 –> 00:01:20] Then we have incense at the offertory
[00:01:20 –> 00:01:22] where the altar is incensed.
[00:01:22 –> 00:01:25] And that’s also saying, the king is coming.
[00:01:25 –> 00:01:26] Prepare for the king.
[00:01:26 –> 00:01:30] Incense reminds us that our Catholic faith is not dead.
[00:01:30 –> 00:01:34] It’s not unimpressive. It’s not boring.
[00:01:34 –> 00:01:37] It’s alive. It’s billowing out of love.
[00:01:37 –> 00:01:42] It is flowing back and forth, up to heaven, down to Earth.
[00:01:42 –> 00:01:45] It is flowing all over the place. It is alive.
[00:01:45 –> 00:01:46] What I love about the incense
[00:01:46 –> 00:01:49] is that incense comes from trees
[00:01:49 –> 00:01:54] or plants that create resin, also known as tears.
[00:01:54 –> 00:01:56] The incense pebbles themselves,
[00:01:56 –> 00:02:00] very unimpressive, very closed off, very hard.
[00:02:00 –> 00:02:05] But when placed onto hot, burning, steady coals,
[00:02:05 –> 00:02:07] the incense literally becomes alive.
[00:02:07 –> 00:02:10] Literally becomes what it’s supposed to do.
[00:02:10 –> 00:02:12] This is literally what the sacred heart of Jesus does
[00:02:12 –> 00:02:15] when we let him ignite our hearts with love.
[00:02:15 –> 00:02:17] All the saints realize this.
[00:02:17 –> 00:02:20] All of the saints were living thuribles,
[00:02:20 –> 00:02:23] where they were able to be alive
[00:02:23 –> 00:02:25] in the fire of the Holy Spirit.
[00:02:25 –> 00:02:27] God is so good. Our faith is so good.
[00:02:27 –> 00:02:29] Catholic liturgy is so good
[00:02:29 –> 00:02:32] because again, it’s taking us out of ourselves.
[00:02:32 –> 00:02:36] It’s taking us out of our unimpressive hearts.
[00:02:36 –> 00:02:38] And then we get to be ignited by the living
[00:02:38 –> 00:02:40] and the true God,
[00:02:40 –> 00:02:43] the living and the true sacred heart of Jesus.
[00:02:43 –> 00:02:46] So next time that you see incense at mass,
[00:02:46 –> 00:02:49] that’s literally what your heart will look like
[00:02:49 –> 00:02:52] when you unite it with the sacred heart of Jesus.
[00:02:52 –> 00:02:54] Love you, praying for you.
[00:02:54 –> 00:02:55] This is Spirit Juice. Peace.
[00:02:55 –> 00:02:56] You know those questions
[00:02:56 –> 00:02:58] that are tricky questions
[00:02:58 –> 00:03:02] about the faith that really stir the pot.
[00:03:02 –> 00:03:03] I want those.
[00:03:03 –> 00:03:07] Send it to [email protected]
[00:03:07 –> 00:03:09] and you might be featured on the next episode.
[00:03:09 –> 00:03:12] Spirit Juice, God Answers. Peace.
Key Takeaways
- Genuinely forgetting a mortal sin is different from deliberately withholding one.
- Catholics should make an honest and reasonably diligent examination of conscience before confession.
- Confess all remembered mortal sins, including their kind and approximate number or frequency when reasonably possible.
- If you genuinely forget a mortal sin, your confession remains valid and worthy; it is not rendered invalid simply because you forgot.
- If you later remember the forgotten sin, mention it at your next confession.
- You do not ordinarily need to repeat your entire previous confession.
- Deliberately concealing a mortal sin affects the confession differently and should be brought honestly to a priest.
- Confession is not merely a conversation. It is a sacrament through which Christ forgives and heals through the ministry of the priest.
- If you have been away from confession for years, a priest can help guide you through making a good confession.q
What This Means for Prayer and Daily Life
It can be easy to approach confession as though everything depends on remembering every detail perfectly.
Catholic teaching asks us instead to prepare sincerely, examine our consciences honestly, confess the mortal sins we remember, and avoid intentionally hiding anything.
Then we are called to trust Christ’s mercy.
For someone returning to confession after many years, that may mean acknowledging that you cannot remember every individual instance of sin. Confess what you do remember as clearly as you reasonably can, including the kind of sin and an approximate number or frequency when possible. If you cannot remember exact details, say so and allow the priest to help you.
If you later remember a sin that you genuinely forgot, bring it to your next confession without panicking or assuming that your previous confession was automatically invalid.
And if fear about confession has kept you away, Fr. Tim’s encouragement is simple: return.
The confessional is what St. Faustina called the tribunal of mercy. We come with real repentance and honesty, and Christ meets us with real forgiveness and grace.
FAQ Section
If you sincerely intended to confess all your mortal sins and unintentionally forgot one despite an honest and reasonably diligent examination of conscience, your confession remains valid and worthy. It is not rendered invalid simply because you forgot.
The forgotten sin is forgiven along with the others, assuming you had the necessary dispositions and did not deliberately conceal anything.
When you later remember it, mention it at your next confession.
Ordinarily, no.
If the sin was genuinely forgotten, you can mention that forgotten sin at your next confession without repeating everything you previously confessed.
Yes.
Once the sin comes back to mind, bring it to your next confession.
Intentionally concealing a mortal sin is different from forgetting one.
If you deliberately concealed a mortal sin, tell the priest exactly what happened. He can guide you in repairing the confession, which ordinarily involves confessing the concealed sin and the mortal sins committed since your last worthy confession.
Give the best honest approximation you reasonably can.
That might mean giving an approximate number, frequency, or duration. If you truly cannot remember, explain that to the priest.
Do not let the amount of time keep you away.
Tell the priest how long it has been. Confess the mortal sins you remember as clearly as you reasonably can, and allow the priest to help guide you.
If it would make returning easier, Fr. Tim also suggests contacting a priest ahead of time and asking to schedule a confession.
In the episode, Fr. Tim explains that this moment says, in effect, “Get ready. The King is about to speak.”
Ask whether you made an honest examination of conscience and sincerely intended to confess all your mortal sins.
If so, do not assume that an imperfect memory rendered your confession invalid or unworthy.
If you are unsure whether an omission was accidental or deliberate, explain the situation simply to a priest and follow his guidance.
Fr. Tim uses St. Faustina’s description of confession as the “tribunal of mercy.”
The phrase emphasizes that confession is not merely an interrogation or exercise in remembering failures. It is a sacrament in which Christ forgives sins and restores the repentant sinner through the ministry of the priest.
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Standing at the empty tomb in the Holy Land, the reality becomes clear. Everything we believe, everything we hope for, rests on this moment. If Jesus rose from the dead, then death is defeated, and new life is possible for all of us.
The Resurrection isn’t symbolic. It’s the foundation of everything. This Easter, don’t just celebrate it, live like it’s true.
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Why Do Catholics Use Incense?
Why does the Catholic Church use incense and is it more than just smoke?
In this episode of Ask A Priest, Father Tim explains the meaning behind incense at Mass and why it has been part of worship from the Old Testament to Revelation. Incense is not just a smell or a visual effect, it is a sign of prayer, reverence, and the living worship of God.
From the thurible and charcoal to the resin of trees, incense reminds us that Catholic worship is earthy, physical, and alive. At Mass, it prepares us to hear the Gospel, honors the altar, and points us toward the King who is coming.
Father Tim also reflects on the beauty of incense itself: hard, closed-off resin becomes alive when placed on burning coals. In the same way, our hearts become alive when they are united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and set on fire by the Holy Spirit.
Next time you see incense at Mass, remember: that smoke rising toward heaven is an image of what your heart is called to become.
