Do I have to go to confession every time I masturbate?

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robertmidwest said:
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects’ moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.

This is section 2352 from the catechism. Depending on his circumstances it may not even be a sin. OP needs to talk to a pastor to get direction, not a internet forum. It is wrong for us to tell him, without knowing all the details, that he is committing a grave sin.
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Robert, the above teaches doctrine regarding mortal sin, but that is not the discipline.

The discipline is simple. If you believe you have committed a grave sin, go to confession. Let the priest tell you whether it was mortal or not.

God Bless

I once (during my confession) mentioned the above and told the priest that I wasn’t sure whether the sin was mortal or not. He told me to never think that way and always play it safe by assuming it was mortal. However, I do not have issues with scrupulosity.

What you quote is in the Catechism more for people with scrupulosity and non-Catholics. But it’s not the daily practice or Church discipline.
 
robertmidwest said:
You know that this is what is going on in this situation from his post?
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I didn’t refer to the OP. You did and appear to be making the assumption he has reduced culpability.
I was making a general comment. Personally I do not believe all the people who claim to be addicted and assert they are therefore not committing a mortal sin. Its an easy way for them to justify continuing to sin.
 
phil19034 said:
Robert, the above teaches doctrine regarding mortal sin, but that is not the discipline.

The discipline is simple. If you believe you have committed a grave sin, go to confession. Let the priest tell you whether it was mortal or not.
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Please note, as robertmidwest highlighted, that it is to “guide pastoral action”.

It is about discipline as well as doctrine, under the guidance of one’s confessor.

And as robertmidwest said, the OP should discuss with his confessor. If it is an ongoing issue, having a regular confessor may be good to help, and to guide one’s actions, especially the question of receiving the Eucharist.

I will also note that I agree with what Thistle says too, that there is certainly a danger that some may use this as an excuse: “to justify continuing to sin”. Great care must be taken that one does not interpret advice from a confessor as persmission to continue to sin.
 
underacloud said:
I will also note that I agree with what Thistle says too, that there is certainly a danger that some may use this as an excuse: “to justify continuing to sin”. Great care must be taken that one does not interpret advice from a confessor as persmission to continue to sin.
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is a lot different than
thistle said:
Yes you must confess every time.
No you may not receive Communion.
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robertmidwest said:
is a lot different than
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Yes…I was trying to be careful to note what I agreed with Thistle regarding…but overall I agree with you that this is a question for the OP’s confessor.

It is good for the OP to be aware of the issues involved, though, since some confessors may be more strict and some more lax. The ultimate goal must be to stop this particular sin (and all sin of course) and a confessor being too strict or too lax can be an obstacle.
 
thistle said:
I didn’t refer to the OP. You did and appear to be making the assumption he has reduced culpability.
I was making a general comment. Personally I do not believe all the people who claim to be addicted and assert they are therefore not committing a mortal sin. Its an easy way for them to justify continuing to sin.
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My post to you was quoting YOU, not the OP. You were the one who brought up the reduced culpability card.
 
thistle said:
Yes you must confess every time.
No you may not receive Communion.
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How do you know he needs to confess every time when the catechism tells us that there are circumstance when it is not a grave sin? You must know more details than the rest of us. With the info I have, it could go either way so I will state AGAIN he needs to talk to a priest.
 
robertmidwest said:
How do you know he needs to confess every time when the catechism tells us that there are circumstance when it is not a grave sin? You must know more details than the rest of us. With the info I have, it could go either way so I will state AGAIN he needs to talk to a priest.
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The easiest way to talk with a priest is by going to confession.
 
phil19034 said:
Think of it this way… if someone says to you, “I think I may have committed a grave sin, what should I do?” Are you going to go over whether or not it may or may not be mortal?

No, you are going to tell him/her to go to Confession. (NOTE: the easiest way to talk to a priest is during confession)

Plain and simple. We should assume it’s mortal until a priest tells us otherwise. Not the other way around.

Same thing if someone says to me “I think I broke my toe, what should I do.” I’m going to say “go see a doctor.” I’m not going to mess around with trying to figure out what may or may not be wrong with it.

NOW, if we are in the wilderness and it will take days before we can see a doctor, then yes; I will treat it. Just like if I’m with a sinner who is panicing about their sin, and he can’t get to a priest for a week… I may then mention the doctrine to help him/her calm down.

But rule of thumb… have medical issue “go see doctor.” Have grave sin “go to confession”

God Bless and may The Lord grant us wisdom and understanding.
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If he and the pastor come to the conclusion that he has a mitigating factor, then he doesn’t need to have the same explanation each time.

Ask your pastor to explain it to you please. We are going in circles here.
 
robertmidwest said:
How do you know he needs to confess every time when the catechism tells us that there are circumstance when it is not a grave sin? You must know more details than the rest of us. With the info I have, it could go either way so** I will state AGAIN he needs to talk to a priest.**
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What do you think Confession means??
 
It is important you seek regular spiritual direction (ie the same priest with an ongoing understanding of the situation) in cases like these.

A good priest will help you.

Some have suggested a priest can tell you if you committed mortal sin or have reduced culpability in grave matter.

This isn’t quite right. Nobody can answer this question for you except yourself.
All a priest can do is give you some good rules of thumb and his own personal view of the matter inso far as he understands you and your situation.

Thus, we are bound to go to confession when we ourselves become conscious of grave sin.

Notice it says YOU becoming conscious not the priest.
It is clear that we are dealing with grave matter and that you are at least sinning venially.

And given you are not personally sure of your degree of culpability it is best, as a young man, to err on the side of caution and follow the advice of your Confessor.

If he is a good priest he will not want you to get obsessive about Communion purity as long as you are confessing to him on a regular basis (eg once a fortnight or once a month).

Under these circumstances there is no strict requirement that you MUST go to confession before each Communion…unless you are conscious of sinning more than venially on specific occasions.

God is not an authoritarian ATM machine demanding you be in credit before you can get the help you need from Communion. Its where that balance stands on average over time that is important.

Of course always make an act of contrition beforehand intending to go to Confession at your regular time. Even the CCC states that a perfect act of contrition like this will immediately put you in s state of grace before Communion. But even an imperfect act (attrition) will suffice provided you have the intention of getting to your Confessor at the usual time.

Take it in your stride and stick to a Confessor.
God is about an ongoing relationship not a one time only army entry phys-ed test.
 
Just to add, committing the sin and then running to the confession might get us thinking that “as long as I confess after, that’s all right, right?” Make sure you really talk to your confessor and then open this up to someone you trust as well so that you have an accountability partner. I know how hard it is to get out from a sin that’s very habitual, and one thing that I can really tell you is that you can never get out of it unless you ask God’s grace. Always know that nothing is impossible with the Lord when your heart is really committed in getting out of this habitual sin, and having someone to tell and letting the "sin’ out may really help on the long run. Of course, we will commit sin, but I think the best way to approach confession and getting out from the temptation of sin is always talking to the Lord and Mama Mary that you cannot do it alone. Having a heart of humility will help you get out of your rut.

God Bless and I will say one Hail Mary for you tonight. :):)🙂
 
Blue_Horizon said:
It is important you seek regular spiritual direction (ie the same priest with an ongoing understanding of the situation) in cases like these.

A good priest will help you.

Some have suggested a priest can tell you if you committed mortal sin or have reduced culpability in grave matter.

This isn’t quite right. Nobody can answer this question for you except yourself.
All a priest can do is give you some good rules of thumb and his own personal view of the matter inso far as he understands you and your situation.

Thus, we are bound to go to confession when we ourselves become conscious of grave sin.

Notice it says YOU becoming conscious not the priest.
It is clear that we are dealing with grave matter and that you are at least sinning venially.

And given you are not personally sure of your degree of culpability it is best, as a young man, to err on the side of caution and follow the advice of your Confessor.

If he is a good priest he will not want you to get obsessive about Communion purity as long as you are confessing to him on a regular basis (eg once a fortnight or once a month).

Under these circumstances there is no strict requirement that you MUST go to confession before each Communion…unless you are conscious of sinning more than venially on specific occasions.

God is not an authoritarian ATM machine demanding you be in credit before you can get the help you need from Communion. Its where that balance stands on average over time that is important.

Of course always make an act of contrition beforehand intending to go to Confession at your regular time. Even the CCC states that a perfect act of contrition like this will immediately put you in s state of grace before Communion. But even an imperfect act (attrition) will suffice provided you have the intention of getting to your Confessor at the usual time.

Take it in your stride and stick to a Confessor.
God is about an ongoing relationship not a one time only army entry phys-ed test.
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👍
 
Wow this thread got a lot more attention than I thought :eek:. But thank you all for your responses and advice. I already went to confession and will make sure to control myself much harder from now on. Once again thank you and God bless you all!
 
robertmidwest said:
If he and the pastor come to the conclusion that he has a mitigating factor, then he doesn’t need to have the same explanation each time.

Ask your pastor to explain it to you please. We are going in circles here.
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Robert - I totally understand the concept. But your posts make it seem like you should chat with the priest outside of the Sacrament of Confession to decide whether he should go to confession every time. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you?

My point (and a few others) is simply this: go to Confession. Once he has been to confession, then he can work it out with an orthodox Spiritual Director (who is a priest).

The default is (and should be) to go to Confession every single time you commit a grave sin unless your regular, orthodox confessor has instructed you not to.
 
robertmidwest said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by phil19034 View Post
Let the priest tell you whether it was mortal or not.

Isn’t that what I said?

Quote:
Originally Posted by robertmidwest View Post
Only your confessor can give you an answer after you discuss it with him.
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But that discussion with the priest should take place inside the Confessional or just after it. Not before going to Confession.
 
Do I have to feel regretful and ask sorry every time I hurt the feelings of the one who Loves me every unit of time and who deserves of all my Love?

Could we limit ourselves to not going to confession to ask sorry?

Hugs to you and Wishes for you to grow in the love of God. Love of God will teach us what to do.

Pray for us.
 
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