Any advice for Daily Confession?

[GoodMorning]

Ave Maria! Hello all!

I’ve just started driving and have found a nice church in the next town over with confession fifteen or thirty minutes before every Mass. They also have a great devotion to the First Fridays and First Saturdays.

So. I’m having a little trouble thinking over daily confession, which I haven’t done yet. Twice a week is the most I have done, but if it’s available it’s very good for the soul. Let’s say I miraculously don’t sin from one confession to confession the next day. Should I stay out of the confessional, or is there something I can also figure out? Like, imperfections and vocations? I know there are Saints who went to confession every day who were infinitely better than I am. I don’t know what they could possibly have talked about with the priest (nor is it my business), but I would like a little help.

Thank you and God bless. Ave Maria!

 

[Mary_Estelle]

I think that if you do not commit a mortal sin that once a week is good.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Receiving the sacrament of penance regularly is a good thing and closeness to it can be a great help to growing in virtue. It is one element in combination with other aspects of a good spiritual life: prayer, penance, spiritual reading, attendance at Mass, Holy Communion, etc.

That said, the fact that confessions are heard on a daily basis does not mean that one should be going to confession on a daily basis – and a confessor should rightly query someone receiving it daily as to their motivations and expectations. Anyone attempting to receive the sacrament of penance that frequently should have a spiritual director that they are consulting. Daily confession would not be the norm for even cloistered religious.

Deciding on how frequently one should approach confession, certainly beyond once per week, is a thoughtful discussion to have at least with your regular confessor (if not a spiritual director) taking into account all the aspects of where you are in the progress of your spiritual life and what you are bringing to the sacrament in your confessions.

 

[oneofmany]

Daily confession may get you into being scrupulous and that is not good. Are you thinking you sin that much? Martin Luther was so scrupulous he wanted to go back into confession the moment he left it. No wonder he decided once saved always saved was the best way to think. It was driving him crazy.

 

[eamonnroma]

The Church only requires confession when we commit a mortal sin. So unless you have commited a mortal sin from one day to the next, I am sure that once a week is sufficient.

 

[Teabag]

Once a week seems more than enough. I have been twice in a week when i truly thought it best to do so

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Do you feel so sinful that you need confession every day? If so, you should talk to a priest.

We can abuse a sacrament, and IMHO only, of course, confession and absolution daily is abusing the sacrament of reconciliation. I don’t mean to sound uncharitable. I respect you, and I don’t know your situation with regard to sin. I’m speaking in generalities because I don’t know you.

If you feel confession is good for your soul, confess to Christ daily. Work more on your prayer life and your personal relationship with Christ rather than relying on confession so much. We are all going to sin from day to day even if it’s just in our thoughts. We are a fallen people, but we still don’t need confession daily. Daily Eucharist is good, though. I think it’s good to take advantage of that.

I grew up with cloistered nuns - Carmelites - and the most they went to confession was once a week, some only once a month.

 

[ServusHumilis]

Keep in mind there is a Penitential Rite (the Confiteor) at the beginning of the Mass that forgives venial sins. Going to confession once a week should be ample, though I think if one was in mortal sin and confession was readily available the Church’s position would be that the person should definitely go. The priests that offer confession before every Mass do so for those who really need it. Unfortunately some parishes only seem to offer a confession time just once a week which in my opinion isn’t sufficient.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Daily confession may get you into being scrupulous and that is not good. Are you thinking you sin that much? Martin Luther was so scrupulous he wanted to go back into confession the moment he left it. No wonder he decided once saved always saved was the best way to think. It was driving him crazy.

I agree with that.

 

[Brendan_64]

Confession is a great source of grace. It shouldn’t just be seen as something we go to if we have commited a mortal sin.

I would think that getting through a day without committing any sins at all would be a very rare thing for almost anyone.

 

[truetofaith]

Confession is a great source of grace. It shouldn’t just be seen as something we go to if we have commited a mortal sin.

I would think that getting through a day without committing any sins at all would be a very rare thing for almost anyone.

I wish My parish had Confession more than once a week. I usually can’t make Sat. confession, so I don’t go to Communion more than once a month.

I know people who have not gone to Confession in 20 or 30 years but receive Communion every Sunday. Some say they don’t commit sin.

 

[GoodMorning]

Wow. Lots of replies and good help. Thank you all.

The thing that got me thinking was Father Isaac Mary Relyea. He made a comment at one point in a sermon, “Saint Bonaventure went to confession every day. You think you’re holier than Saint Bonaventure? I don’t think so.” Or something to that effect, maybe a few words a little different. I know Saint Joan of Arc (one of my patronesses) went to confession almost every day. Pope Pius XII I know went to confession daily. I was just thinking, if these are saints going to confession every day, what about me?

We can abuse a sacrament, and IMHO only, of course, confession and absolution daily is abusing the sacrament of reconciliation. I don’t mean to sound uncharitable. I respect you, and I don’t know your situation with regard to sin. I’m speaking in generalities because I don’t know you.

I completely understand this.

Keep in mind there is a Penitential Rite (the Confiteor) at the beginning of the Mass that forgives venial sins

Never knew that before. Thanks! I knew Holy Communion forgives venial sins. I’ve also heard that confessing venial sins, though, is of good practice and you receive graces that help you to stop committing them.

Another thing that got me started on thinking about this was that I confessed a venial sin to a priest, which he said was a minor venial sin. I got ten Hail Marys. Which I don’t mind, because they help!

Again, thank you so much for all your help. I’ve been really mulling this over for some time.

 

[Bookcat]

Never knew that before. Thanks! I knew Holy Communion forgives venial sins. I’ve also heard that confessing venial sins, though, is of good practice and you receive graces that help you to stop committing them.

Yes frequent is a good practice. Frequent Confession usually refers though to going say once a week or every other week etc. Daily confession has happened with some in history yes - and could be good for some and not helpful for others (as some have pointed out) but it is not the normal meaning of “frequent confession”.

And one approach in frequent confession can be to focus in on a particular area of venial sins.

---

As to venial sins I will re- post a post of mine on the subject:

We struggle with such “daily sins” …well ~* daily.* Those venial sins that happen daily.

One need not (not good to wait) -wait Confession to seek forgiveness (though let us go often!). Though it is very recommended that one goes to confession frequently (see the Catechism and all good that this brings).

Venial sins are forgiven in many ways -acts of perfect or even imperfect contrition, prayer, reading Sacred Scripture, the Mass, Holy Communion, the prayerful use holy water, other sacramentals, little short prayers during the day, acts of love etc

I will add a related section of the Catechism:

From the Catechism:

1436 Eucharist and Penance. Daily conversion and penance find their source and nourishment in the Eucharist, for in it is made present the sacrifice of Christ which has reconciled us with God. Through the Eucharist those who live from the life of Christ are fed and strengthened. “It is a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins.”

1437 Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Our Father - every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of our sins.

vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

Saint Augustine noted in the year 395 to his catechumens to live their Baptism - but in doing so they would not live without venial sins - for life is never without such - and that daily prayer was instituted to blot them out.

Let us pray the Our Father as St. Augustine spoke of being prayed for such daily venial sins …“forgive us our trespasses…” He noted that for such sins we were given prayer - and especially noted the Lords Prayer.

Indeed in the early Church such was often prayed three times a day. A wonderful practice that my family follows.

CCC The first communities prayed the Lord’s Prayer three times a day, in place of the “Eighteen Benedictions” customary in Jewish piety. scborromeo.org/ccc/p4s2a1.htm

 

[Brendan_64]

I wish My parish had Confession more than once a week. I usually can’t make Sat. confession, so I don’t go to Communion more than once a month.

I know people who have not gone to Confession in 20 or 30 years but receive Communion every Sunday. Some say they don’t commit sin.

With the almost universal reception of Communion on Sunday, and the complete lack of queues for Confession, are we to assume that people today sin, much, much less than people did in the past?

There really does seem to be a strange aversion to going to Confession from many Catholics today.

I recently met someone who told me that since sins are forgiven through the Eucharist at Mass and said that the Eucharist is the main sacrament of absolution effectively implying that the sacrament of Confession wasn’t that necessary. When I pointed out that mortal sins are not absolved except through Confession, she said that she doesn’t commit any mortal sins.

Then again when we live in an age where many priests rarely mention mortal sins and their consequences, it’s not surprising that many people think that they are sins that most people don’t commit.

 

[Brendan_64]

We can abuse a sacrament, and IMHO only, of course, confession and absolution daily is abusing the sacrament of reconciliation.

How can receiving the outpouring of grace that comes through this wonderful sacrament be an abuse?

Would you apply the same to receiving the Eucharist too often? Would receiving the Eucharist once a day also be an abuse?

Receiving the sacrament of Penance daily is not an abuse of this sacrament. Is there anything in our Church’s teaching that states that it is?

 

[Lily_Bernans]

How can receiving the outpouring of grace that comes through this wonderful sacrament be an abuse?

Would you apply the same to receiving the Eucharist too often? Would receiving the Eucharist once a day also be an abuse?

Receiving the sacrament of Penance daily is not an abuse of this sacrament. Is there anything in our Church’s teaching that states that it is?

We receive grace in many ways. Reconciliation was never meant to absolve the venial sins one commits day-to-day. Now, if one is a serial killer, who was really trying to stop killing, I could understand it, but not someone who is living a normal day-to-day life. Someone who goes to Mass daily is reconciled with the Church and with God. Reconciliation more than once a week puts one in danger of scrupulosity and God doesn’t want that for anyone, not to the extent that Martin Luther suffered it. That’s been pointed out already by another poster.

Once a week is plenty for someone not in mortal sin.

 

[Brendan_64]

We receive grace in many ways. Reconciliation was never meant to absolve the venial sins one commits day-to-day. Now, if one is a serial killer, who was really trying to stop killing, I could understand it, but not someone who is living a normal day-to-day life.

And where do you get the notion that the sacrament of Penance was never meant for the absolution of venial sins? I don’t think it says that in the Catechism.

Grave matter is defined as being a transgression of the 10 Commandments. There are many ways in a normal day-to-day life where we can trangress the 10 Commandments without having to be a murderer.

There really does seem to be an aversion to the sacrament of Penance from many within our Church. Is it a modern unwillingness to accept that we are sinners and that many of our sins are very serious in nature?

Lying, stealing, contraception, pornography, missing Mass, pride, eny… Are these things really so uncommon among people today that the sacrament of Penance isn’t really necessary?

 

[CRATUS]

Do you feel so sinful that you need confession every day? If so, you should talk to a priest.

We can abuse a sacrament, and IMHO only, of course, confession and absolution daily is abusing the sacrament of reconciliation. I don’t mean to sound uncharitable. I respect you, and I don’t know your situation with regard to sin. I’m speaking in generalities because I don’t know you.

If you feel confession is good for your soul, confess to Christ daily. Work more on your prayer life and your personal relationship with Christ rather than relying on confession so much. We are all going to sin from day to day even if it’s just in our thoughts. We are a fallen people, but we still don’t need confession daily. Daily Eucharist is good, though. I think it’s good to take advantage of that.

I grew up with cloistered nuns - Carmelites - and the most they went to confession was once a week, some only once a month.

I think once a week is good enough. Anymore I think you could get the scruples or you could be focusing too much on yourself?

 

[CRATUS]

And where do you get the notion that the sacrament of Penance was never meant for the absolution of venial sins? I don’t think it says that in the Catechism.

Grave matter is defined as being a transgression of the 10 Commandments. There are many ways in a normal day-to-day life where we can trangress the 10 Commandments without having to be a murderer.

There really does seem to be an aversion to the sacrament of Penance from many within our Church. Is it a modern unwillingness to accept that we are sinners and that many of our sins are very serious in nature?

Lying, stealing, contraception, pornography, missing Mass, pride, eny… Are these things really so uncommon among people today that the sacrament of Penance isn’t really necessary?

Clearly, she was not saying that. A sacrament can be abused. Someone can confess every day, but if they make no firm resolution to change, it is worthless. People have different reasons for attending confession. Some people do it just to feel good about themselves not because they care about their relationship with God. They want to get something off their chest or be relieved from all their sins, inwardly they have no remorse, sorrow or any real desire to change. The sacrament of penance is necessary. People with OCD or other mental illnesses can abuse that sacrament. There is always exceptions.

 

[truetofaith]

With the almost universal reception of Communion on Sunday, and the complete lack of queues for Confession, are we to assume that people today sin, much, much less than people did in the past?

There really does seem to be a strange aversion to going to Confession from many Catholics today.

I recently met someone who told me that since sins are forgiven through the Eucharist at Mass and said that the Eucharist is the main sacrament of absolution effectively implying that the sacrament of Confession wasn’t that necessary. When I pointed out that mortal sins are not absolved except through Confession, she said that she doesn’t commit any mortal sins.

Then again when we live in an age where many priests rarely mention mortal sins and their consequences, it’s not surprising that many people think that they are sins that most people don’t commit.

It is a sacrilege to receive the Eucharist in mortal sin. The Eucharist is not a sacrament of absolution. You should be sorry for those venial sins, before receiving Communion.