D
Don_Ruggero
Guest
Sacraments can indeed be abused. To cite the example used of receiving Communion daily & whether or not that could be considered abusive – daily reception is, of course, not abuse…it is an accepted practice; it’s even optimal in the mind of the Church, a common practice of the saints & those in consecrated life. Canon law, moreover, allows a communicant to receive Communion twice per day, if the second time is in the body of a Mass attended by the person.
But the law PROSCRIBES receiving it beyond twice since it is not simply in multiplying the receptions of the Eucharist (or any sacrament) that grace is conveyed, as if quantifying the more receptions results in more grace.
If one receives 4, 5 or 6 times per day, each time one is receiving the Body and Blood of Christ – but one is taking a mechanistic or transactional approach to how sacramental grace operates…that is an abuse of the Eucharist; a flawed understanding of sacramental theology.
I was in a parish where it was thought if you received two hosts, you received twice as much…but, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, it is only the sign that is increased, not the reality of the Body and Blood of Christ received. Such a practice, of trying to receive the host multiple times at the same Mass, is an abuse of the sacrament.
Similarly, if one is in hospital, seriously ill, one should receive the anointing of the sick without delay. But one should not receive it everyday of one’s hospitalization, as if the day would be deprived of grace without it. Such daily repetition would be an abuse of the sacrament, employing it beyond the Church’s mind. It would also be an abuse to have recourse to anointing when only lightly ill or with an insignificant medical procedure such as drawing blood or being x-rayed.
The theology of that sacrament supports receiving it once during the illness & to repeat it if the condition deteriorates, leading closer to death. If the illness is of long duration, it can be given from time to time during the duration, with prudence and in consultation with the priest who has the care of souls of the sick person.
Sadly, I knew a situation in which a person was in a fatal accident. A family member was calling multiple parishes, requesting of each a priest to come, thinking that the more times the loved one was anointed, the better (!); if enough came, perhaps the loved one might even recover. A sad situation but still a horribly flawed understanding of the sacrament of the sick. By the time I discovered what was happening, the patient had been anointed numerous times in a few hours – the priests not realizing they were all summoned for the same patient. This constituted an egregious abuse of the sacrament; it was debasing the sacrament.
The case at hand is much more delicate. It CAN be legitimate to confess daily. It is very rare but can be legitimate. But those situations are discerned by the person’s normal confessor and/or spiritual director…not simply at the penitent’s own initiative. Normally, such a situation involves a soul who at the height of sanctity & whose knowledge of the Faith & of theology is at a profound level. Such a person is not asking for ideas of what to confess because he/she does not need to.
Pope Pius XII, for example, had a thorough understanding of the theology of the sacrament of reconciliation, a thorough understanding of mystical & ascetical theology, a heroic life & a truly extraordinary spiritual life. This is a circumstance that asks more for an expert in mystical theology than a typical confessor to help such a soul – their journey is at a zenith.
For a person not in that condition to approach confession daily can have deleterious effects for the penitent & the sacrament. It can possibly result in scrupulosity. It may restrain the penitent from using the extra-sacramental means available to grow in grace & virtue. Going to confession everyday can trivialize the sacrament over time & become a matter of habit rather than a radical encounter with Christ & a moment of conversion.
All that said, it is highly improper to prescribe a “one size fits all” when it comes to confession. I personally confess once per week; others find that too frequent. The original poster mentioned the First Saturday devotion. As given by Our Lady to Sister Lucia after the Fatima visions, it asks for the recitation of the rosary, sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist and a quarter-hour of meditation on one or all of the mysteries of the rosary. Confessing once per month has, as it were, an endorsement from the Mother of Jesus.
But…Discernment of how frequently to confess does not belong to a forum – it is best done between the penitent and his or her regular confessor, especially when the proposal is abnormally frequent, taking into account a number of criteria including availability of the sacrament, the person’s desire, where he/she is in their spiritual life at the present moment, what they are pursuing in their spiritual journey in the present moment & the circumstances of living out of their daily duty/vocation.
The confession of a Pope Pius XII or a Padre Pio is not the confession of an ordinary penitent done more frequently…it is the confession of a spiritual giant and his or her confessions are going to be markedly different from what is being discussed in this thread.
As I said in my original post, a solid confessor should query someone approaching the sacrament of penance each & every day. He would want to understand what has caused the penitent to undertake this regiment, was it endorsed by a spiritual director, what is their understanding of the nature of the sacrament, & how it is to be integrated in a healthy way into the sum total of all the spiritual exercises that should mark a healthy and sound and solid spiritual life.
But the law PROSCRIBES receiving it beyond twice since it is not simply in multiplying the receptions of the Eucharist (or any sacrament) that grace is conveyed, as if quantifying the more receptions results in more grace.
If one receives 4, 5 or 6 times per day, each time one is receiving the Body and Blood of Christ – but one is taking a mechanistic or transactional approach to how sacramental grace operates…that is an abuse of the Eucharist; a flawed understanding of sacramental theology.
I was in a parish where it was thought if you received two hosts, you received twice as much…but, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, it is only the sign that is increased, not the reality of the Body and Blood of Christ received. Such a practice, of trying to receive the host multiple times at the same Mass, is an abuse of the sacrament.
Similarly, if one is in hospital, seriously ill, one should receive the anointing of the sick without delay. But one should not receive it everyday of one’s hospitalization, as if the day would be deprived of grace without it. Such daily repetition would be an abuse of the sacrament, employing it beyond the Church’s mind. It would also be an abuse to have recourse to anointing when only lightly ill or with an insignificant medical procedure such as drawing blood or being x-rayed.
The theology of that sacrament supports receiving it once during the illness & to repeat it if the condition deteriorates, leading closer to death. If the illness is of long duration, it can be given from time to time during the duration, with prudence and in consultation with the priest who has the care of souls of the sick person.
Sadly, I knew a situation in which a person was in a fatal accident. A family member was calling multiple parishes, requesting of each a priest to come, thinking that the more times the loved one was anointed, the better (!); if enough came, perhaps the loved one might even recover. A sad situation but still a horribly flawed understanding of the sacrament of the sick. By the time I discovered what was happening, the patient had been anointed numerous times in a few hours – the priests not realizing they were all summoned for the same patient. This constituted an egregious abuse of the sacrament; it was debasing the sacrament.
The case at hand is much more delicate. It CAN be legitimate to confess daily. It is very rare but can be legitimate. But those situations are discerned by the person’s normal confessor and/or spiritual director…not simply at the penitent’s own initiative. Normally, such a situation involves a soul who at the height of sanctity & whose knowledge of the Faith & of theology is at a profound level. Such a person is not asking for ideas of what to confess because he/she does not need to.
Pope Pius XII, for example, had a thorough understanding of the theology of the sacrament of reconciliation, a thorough understanding of mystical & ascetical theology, a heroic life & a truly extraordinary spiritual life. This is a circumstance that asks more for an expert in mystical theology than a typical confessor to help such a soul – their journey is at a zenith.
For a person not in that condition to approach confession daily can have deleterious effects for the penitent & the sacrament. It can possibly result in scrupulosity. It may restrain the penitent from using the extra-sacramental means available to grow in grace & virtue. Going to confession everyday can trivialize the sacrament over time & become a matter of habit rather than a radical encounter with Christ & a moment of conversion.
All that said, it is highly improper to prescribe a “one size fits all” when it comes to confession. I personally confess once per week; others find that too frequent. The original poster mentioned the First Saturday devotion. As given by Our Lady to Sister Lucia after the Fatima visions, it asks for the recitation of the rosary, sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist and a quarter-hour of meditation on one or all of the mysteries of the rosary. Confessing once per month has, as it were, an endorsement from the Mother of Jesus.
But…Discernment of how frequently to confess does not belong to a forum – it is best done between the penitent and his or her regular confessor, especially when the proposal is abnormally frequent, taking into account a number of criteria including availability of the sacrament, the person’s desire, where he/she is in their spiritual life at the present moment, what they are pursuing in their spiritual journey in the present moment & the circumstances of living out of their daily duty/vocation.
The confession of a Pope Pius XII or a Padre Pio is not the confession of an ordinary penitent done more frequently…it is the confession of a spiritual giant and his or her confessions are going to be markedly different from what is being discussed in this thread.
As I said in my original post, a solid confessor should query someone approaching the sacrament of penance each & every day. He would want to understand what has caused the penitent to undertake this regiment, was it endorsed by a spiritual director, what is their understanding of the nature of the sacrament, & how it is to be integrated in a healthy way into the sum total of all the spiritual exercises that should mark a healthy and sound and solid spiritual life.