I go to confession regularly and try to live my life based on my faith. On one or two occasions I have forgotten to mention a sin, and now do not recall if I ever mentioned it. Are forgotten sins forgiven?
We cannot stop the flow of God’s love and mercy, especially when we act with sincere hearts. People often worry that they have not said prayers with enough devotion, or that they have forgotten a grace before meals, and that their human weakness (i. e., loss of memory) is cause for God to be offended. When we strive to do the right thing and we honestly seek to live our faith, our foibles and miscues are not occasions of sin, but gentle reminders that we are human and imperfect. God loves us anyway!
So when we fail to live up to our own expectations of perfection, because of lack of sleep, memory lapse, illness or whatever, we do not sin. And yet, people will often confess that they missed Mass because they were in the hospital! Our judgment is much stricter than God’s! So, forgotten sins are forgiven, by the overwhelming mercy and love of God. If it is a serious sin, you should mention it next time you go to confession. Most importantly, remember that God is so anxious to love us and save us that nothing can stand in his way, except our refusal of his love. And even then, he waits for us to say yes.
©2009 Liturgical Publications Inc
Used with permission
