Communion Confession?

[BrooklynBoy200]

I was told that if you confess your sins to God (like, in prayer) before you receive communion, then all your sins are absolved, and you don’t need to go to confessin. Is this true?

 

[CRW]

I was told that if you confess your sins to God (like, in prayer) before you receive communion, then all your sins are absolved, and you don’t need to go to confessin. Is this true?

CCC 1456: Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”

1457: Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession.

 

[John_Lilburne]

I was told that if you confess your sins to God (like, in prayer) before you receive communion, then all your sins are absolved, and you don’t need to go to confessin. Is this true?

You need the intention to go to confession as soon as possible, but it is true that you do not actually have to go to confession. It may not be possible.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"Contrition

1451 Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.”
[Footnote 50: Council of Trent (1551): DS 1676]

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.
[Footnote 51: Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1677.]"

(From usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm#50 )

So if someone dies in the queue to go to confession, the sins which they had contrition and intended to confess are still forgiven. Someone else may have similar intention, but be prevented by arrest, injury etc.

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church includes a prayer called “Act of Contrition”:

“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.”

The full Compendium is at vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html . This prayer is the last in Appendix A, Common Prayers.

 

[LilyM]

You need the intention to go to confession as soon as possible, but it is true that you do not actually have to go to confession. It may not be possible.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"Contrition

1451 Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.”
[Footnote 50: Council of Trent (1551): DS 1676]

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.
[Footnote 51: Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1677.]"

(From usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm#50 )

So if someone dies in the queue to go to confession, the sins which they had contrition and intended to confess are still forgiven. Someone else may have similar intention, but be prevented by arrest, injury etc.

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church includes a prayer called “Act of Contrition”:

“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.”

The full Compendium is at vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html . This prayer is the last in Appendix A, Common Prayers.

John, with all due respect - you’re being a little misleading.

A sincere act of Perfect Contrition certainly remits the sins of a contrite person in the event that they can’t promptly make it to confession.

It does NOT, however, except in the direst and most extreme circumstances (ie imminent danger of death or the chance that they may not be able to receive Communion again for an EXTREMELY long time), permit them to receive Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is not to be considered an automatic right (or indeed any sort of right at all) or an automatic part and parcel of attending Mass. It is the highest privilege - only to be received by souls in a state of grace.

The requirement is to receive Holy Communion once a year. That is why confession is also required once a year - the two go hand in hand! And no-one can ordinarily assume any sort of right or ability to receive more frequently than this, while being in a state of mortal sin, *without *prior sacramental confession.

 

[John_Lilburne]

Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“1457. … Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. …”.
[Footnote 57: Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1647; 1661; CIC, can. 916; CCEO, can. 711.]

 

[CRW]

John, with all due respect - you’re being a little misleading.

A sincere act of Perfect Contrition certainly remits the sins of a contrite person in the event that they can’t promptly make it to confession.

It does NOT, however, except in the direst and most extreme circumstances (ie imminent danger of death or the chance that they may not be able to receive Communion again for an EXTREMELY long time), permit them to receive Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is not to be considered an automatic right (or indeed any sort of right at all) or an automatic part and parcel of attending Mass. It is the highest privilege - only to be received by souls in a state of grace.

The requirement is to receive Holy Communion once a year. That is why confession is also required once a year - the two go hand in hand! And no-one can ordinarily assume any sort of right or ability to receive more frequently than this, while being in a state of mortal sin, *without *prior sacramental confession.

Good post but one is only required to go to confession if he or she is in a state of mortal sin. This also appplies to the once a year requirement.