Frequency of confession

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liebchen77

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I am a Catholic convert–I have 8 years now in the Church & confession has been something that I have struggled with. I have only now felt comfortable making a confession, and I can’t believe how free it makes me feel!

Anyway, I’m wondering if a weekly confession is “too much?” My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.

What is a good practice?
 
liebchen77 said:
I am a Catholic convert–I have 8 years now in the Church & confession has been something that I have struggled with. I have only now felt comfortable making a confession, and I can’t believe how free it makes me feel!

Anyway, I’m wondering if a weekly confession is “too much?” My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.

What is a good practice?
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As often as your frequency of committing mortal sins suggests.

:whistle: :whistle: :hmmm:
 
liebchen77 said:
I am a Catholic convert–I have 8 years now in the Church & confession has been something that I have struggled with. I have only now felt comfortable making a confession, and I can’t believe how free it makes me feel!

Anyway, I’m wondering if a weekly confession is “too much?” My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.

What is a good practice?
Click to expand...
I persoanlly go weekly, just to receive the grace if nothing else. if I had a need, I would go the next day.
 
liebchen77 said:
My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.
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I can’t imagine only going to confession once a year. I can’t imagine that being enough- for anybody. I’d recommend at least once a month. As a general rule, I go once a week, and any other time it is offered and I happen to be there. I know there are people who go every day. Go as often as you need to go.
 
He_Man said:
I persoanlly go weekly, just to receive the grace if nothing else. if I had a need, I would go the next day.
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Thanks for the reply–I’m curious: is it necessary to be very specific in confession, or is it acceptable to mention my sin in a general way? i.e. lying to my husband about money can be covered by saying “I was dishonest”?
 
Be specific about the sin and the number of times you have committed it. It can be very difficult to admit to whatever the specific sin is, but the only way your confessor can help you remedy the problem is with specifics. Also, I find that if I am too vague, I find myself wondering if I really confessed the sin. Then I have to deal with that running through my head. Don’t try to take the easy way out.
 
liebchen77 said:
Anyway, I’m wondering if a weekly confession is “too much?” My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.

What is a good practice?
Click to expand...
I go at least every two weeks, if only for the grace. However, if I commit grave sin, I go as soon as possible to a place that has daily confession. I am an altar server at our parish’s early morning daily mass and will not receive communion on any day in which I am not in a state of grace. The letdown of being that close to communion without being able to receive is enough inspiration to go to confession.

Not many parishes offer daily confession. Go to www.masstimes.org to find someplace close to you.
 
liebchen77 said:
I am a Catholic convert–I have 8 years now in the Church & confession has been something that I have struggled with. I have only now felt comfortable making a confession, and I can’t believe how free it makes me feel!

Anyway, I’m wondering if a weekly confession is “too much?” My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.

What is a good practice?
Click to expand...
You are doing excellent. And I’ll tell ya - I try to go to confession once a week also. I don’t always succeed but that is the goal.

It is a renewable source of grace and we contribute to the sanctity of our priests. It’s a square deal. I don’t like to go with the minimums because the accumulation of sins makes it that much more difficult ( and Lucifer works on this) to go to confession after a long period of time. There is nothing wrong with confession every week or a goal of every week.

You are doing fine 🙂

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
 
Eilish_Maura said:
As often as your frequency of committing mortal sins suggests.
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liebchen77 said:
Why only mortal sins?
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Eilish_Maura said:
If you go to Mass regularly the venial ones are taken care of in the penitential rite.
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Confession is NOT only for mortal sins. Frequent confession of venial sins helps keep us from committing mortal sins. I think that if more people made frequent (weekly to monthly) confession of venial sins with a firm purpose of amendment, before long many of of them wouldn’t have any more mortal sins to confess. It’s great preventive medicine for the soul.

Here is what Pope Pius XII (who, I understand, went to confession daily!) had to say about frequent confession (and about those who discourage it):
  1. The same result [the prior paragraph noted the “deplorable ruin” of the faithful resulting from certain false teachings] follows from the opinions of those who assert that little importance should be given to the frequent confession of venial sins. Far more important, they say, is that general confession which the Spouse of Christ, surrounded by her children in the Lord, makes each day by the mouth of the priest as he approaches the altar of God. As you well know, Venerable Brethren, it is true that venial sins may be expiated in many ways which are to be highly commended. But to ensure more rapid progress day by day in the path of virtue, We will that the pious practice of frequent confession, which was introduced into the Church by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, should be earnestly advocated. By it genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, bad habits are corrected, spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary self-control is attained, and grace is increased in virtue of the Sacrament itself. Let those, therefore, among the younger clergy who make light of or lessen esteem for frequent confession realize that what they are doing is alien to the Spirit of Christ and disastrous for the Mystical Body of our Savior. (Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi #88)
 
PhilotheaZ said:
Confession is NOT only for mortal sins. Frequent confession of venial sins helps keep us from committing mortal sins. I think that if more people made frequent (weekly to monthly) confession of venial sins with a firm purpose of amendment, before long many of of them wouldn’t have any more mortal sins to confess. It’s great preventive medicine for the soul.
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I never said that confession is ONLY for mortal sins.

Mortal sins are more urgent and that urgency is what I based my suggestion on.

ALSO while frequent confession of venial sins can help us grow past them and grow in our resistance to them the penitential rite of the Mass does take care of them without going to confession.
 
My confessor is a very holy priest and says at a minimum once a month as the sacrament provides us with many graces to fight temptations etc…
 
ElizaCatherine said:
Be specific about the sin and the number of times you have committed it. Don’t try to take the easy way out.
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Thanks–I was very specific about my sins in my confession–I just wanted to make sure that this was OK to do. I had my sins written down (a couple of pages!), and I later worried that maybe I was taking too much time, since it was 15 minutes before Sunday morning Mass.

I’m like you–if I don’t feel like I actually confessed the sin in a specific way, I worry that I didn’t open up totally to God.
 
liebchen77 said:
Thanks–I was very specific about my sins in my confession–I just wanted to make sure that this was OK to do. I had my sins written down (a couple of pages!), and I later worried that maybe I was taking too much time, since it was 15 minutes before Sunday morning Mass.

I’m like you–if I don’t feel like I actually confessed the sin in a specific way, I worry that I didn’t open up totally to God.
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Next time you might want to schedule and appointment if you have several pages to cover.

Packing a snack for two would be a nice touch. 👍

😃 😃 😃
 
liebchen77 said:
I am a Catholic convert–I have 8 years now in the Church & confession has been something that I have struggled with. I have only now felt comfortable making a confession, and I can’t believe how free it makes me feel!

Anyway, I’m wondering if a weekly confession is “too much?” My priest recommended yearly confession, but I know that that is the minimum.

What is a good practice?
Click to expand...
I’m a convert too. When I first converted, I needed to go at least once a week, but I have beaten the worst of my bad habits now, and I am finding that once a month or even once every two months is working for me, right now. 🙂
 
Shoshana said:
Code:
And my husband used to say to bring a tent!:whistle:
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I have something better than a tent IMO – it is a zero gravity portable chair for use at the pool etc. Couple of them - sit back feet up… work on that list!
 
I have started to go weekly compared to going every month or so. I have found it is much easier to remember everything.

Usually I will go Saturday afternoon at my parish (with my normal Confessor), but I do have an option of after 6:30 AM Daily Mass at the National Shrine of the Little Flower if I really mess up 😊
 
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