What General Confession is NOT:
1. General Confession is NOT General Absolution.
2. General Confession is NOT saying, “I confess my life” with no detail other than that!
3. General Confession is NOT being scrupulous in trying to be more forgiven.
4. General Confession is NOT being scrupulous in trying to remember more sins just for the sake of remembering more sins that were, at any rate, already confessed.
5. General Confession is NOT the self-destruction of going over the same rubbish again and again.
What General Confession is really all about:
A General Confession is a brief overview of one’s sins during one’s lifetime, or since the last time that one has made a General Confession. No detail, just the kind, number and circumstances of whatever sins which you would like to present once again in Confession for the reason that you realize more clearly the greatness of the Lord’s love for us, and you have a more profound sorrow for sin BECAUSE of a greater love for Him. Sorrow for sin is a matter of love, even if one’s sin is already forgiven. The purpose of all this is THANKSGIVING. I’ve been such a sinner! I really know that more than ever. Because of that, I’m able to thank the Lord all the more for his goodness and kindness in his forgiveness. This is a matter of love and friendship with the Lord. IF one is looking to the goodness and kindness of the Lord in this way, it is a good idea to present even just one sin from the past that is already forgiven, but which is ever present in one’s mind, for instance, an abortion. There is a great deal of healing which goes on in Confession, if we participate in the Sacrament for reasons of love. General Confession, to whatever extent this practically turns out for whatever Confession (one sin or a whole lifetime) is a salutary exercise.
Who is and who is not ready to make a General Confession
It’s not for everyone. It’s not for the scrupulous. It’s not for those who are looking for a “better absolution”. It’s not necessary anyway. Some should and must avoid it.
It’s great for big events, like Confirmation, Marriage, entering Religious Life or the Seminary, being ordained to the diaconate or priesthood or episcopacy, going off on an extremely dangerous adventure, like the front lines of war, or even and especially a very deepened faith, before which one wants to lay one’s life before Jesus, frankly, totally, trusting in His great mercy.
Why there is confusion about all this:
1. People, including many priests, don’t know what Confession is all about. Some celebrate their goodness and that’s it. Some rationalize forever. Some confess tendencies, or weakness. All of that is just so much rubbish and an abuse of the Sacrament of Penance.
2. Some confuse psychology and the spiritual life. For such people, General Confession is counterproductive. They just don’t get the friendship with our Lord that is involved in a General Confession. Again, it is a matter of thanksgiving and of love for the goodness and kindness of our Lord.
3. Some confuse spiritual direction and Confession, which can be annoying to priests who have, say, a hundred people lined up for confession.
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
Thank you Father for sharing this. It is important for us to note that one of the necessary dispositions for receiving valid absolution, when only a general confession was made [I'll take it you mean general absolution...], is that the penitent “resolve to confess in due time [as soon as possible] each one of the grave sins which he cannot confess at present. (Is this so?) [Yes. A general absolution, for instance, with the permission of the bishop before an impending catastrophic event (including the outbreak of war, plague and so on) is only valid unto the forgiveness of sins if there is contrition and the intention to confess individually as soon as possible]
Reconciling of man to God is the purpose of Confession. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace. And by doing so, we make it even easier to sin some more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent of them, and to ask God’s forgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.
One MUST
1. be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
2. confess those sins fully, in kind and in number [and important circumstance, so that if a young man murders an old man, he sins against one of the commandments. If that old man happens to be his own father, he sins also against another commandment. Adultery, among the married, for instance, is worse than fornication among the unmarried, though both are grave sins.].
3. be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins
[Steven, I hope that you haven't had the circumstances in your dear Uganda in which a general absolution had to be made with the permission of the bishop! We hope for peace and goodness and kindness for Uganda!]
True Father. I personally have known very little about General Confession. It is one very rare hearing to most Catholics in Uganda.
One other important thing you talk about is the difference between Spiritual direction and confession. Many youth here tend to think that going to a priest for spiritual direction is good enough confession.
It is good that the current youth pastor at my parish has asked my to always create time for the Sacrament of penance whenever we have a youth event at the parish. And, I am happy…..the youth are much welcoming to this.
Wonderful, Steven. We become absolute best friends with Jesus in this great sacrament!