Frequency of confession

[po18guy]

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?

I suggest monthly (or more often if needed), so you are accustomed to, and comfortable with, the Sacrament. Rhetorical question: How can one be comfotable with their sin, but uncomfortable with Reconciliation?

Reconciliation is one of the two Sacraments (along with the Eucharist) that are intended to be received repeatedly. If you think that regular reception of the Eucharist is beneficial, then so it is with Reconciliation.

Christ’s peace.

 

[brigid12]

Also another convert here (around the same time) and I went every week for the first few years since I felt I had a lot of graces to “catch up” on. Then I went every number of months to test that out (unless I committed a mortal sin). I found that it was harder for me to see my sins - it seemed very clear to me that I was getting a “hardened” conscience. Now I go around every two weeks. My conscience is sensitive again, without my becoming scrupulous. I feel right for now - I imagine it’ll change every so often, but I certainly don’t like the feeling when I didn’t go but every number of months!

 

[Vittorio23]

I go every 2-3 weeks, usually. Sometimes I will go sooner if I feel the need.

I like how a previous poster put it, if you are okay with frequent reception of Holy Eucharist, then frequent Confession is just as important.

 

[Brendan]

I go every 2-3 weeks. The goal is every 2 weeks , but sometimes it goes to 3.

 

[Shoshana]

I go every 2-3 weeks, usually. Sometimes I will go sooner if I feel the need.

I like how a previous poster put it, if you are okay with frequent reception of Holy Eucharist, then frequent Confession is just as important.

I like that alos…

 

[Sir_Knight]

I think that once a month is a good norm. If I am not mistaken, our Blessed Lady promised certain graces to those that confess on the first Saturdays of the month.

I use to do that until I was asked to be am EMHC. Since then, I’ve been going to confession weekly so that I can be as free of sin as possible when bringing Our Lord to others.

 

[Joannm]

I think that once a month is a good norm. If I am not mistaken, our Blessed Lady promised certain graces to those that confess on the first Saturdays of the month.

I use to do that until I was asked to be am EMHC. Since then, I’ve been going to confession weekly so that I can be as free of sin as possible when bringing Our Lord to others.

I have a question that I don’t expect you to answer, but what does one confess every week? I examine my conscience every night and I find it difficult to come up with anything to confess. I may get impatient, but is that a sin, especially if I don’t act on it. Once in awhile I may raise my voice at a student, but then again is that a sin? If I went every week I would probably be confessing the same thing week after week…I lost my patience and raised my voice Maybe once in awhile I might say I slacked off at work, but then is that a sin if I get all my work done? At least going once a month I might have a decent list but usually nothing that really needs confessing. I am not being flippant but I just wonder. Besides since I go to the same priest he might just get bored hearing the same things. I know there is grace in the sacrament but receiving communion daily gives grace as well.

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Right now, I have been going weekly. I also have the opportunity to go during the week if I need it since where I go to daily Mass has confessions after each Mass.

 

[katy]

I have a question that I don’t expect you to answer, but what does one confess every week? I examine my conscience every night and I find it difficult to come up with anything to confess. I may get impatient, but is that a sin, especially if I don’t act on it. Once in awhile I may raise my voice at a student, but then again is that a sin? If I went every week I would probably be confessing the same thing week after week…I lost my patience and raised my voice Maybe once in awhile I might say I slacked off at work, but then is that a sin if I get all my work done? At least going once a month I might have a decent list but usually nothing that really needs confessing. I am not being flippant but I just wonder. Besides since I go to the same priest he might just get bored hearing the same things. I know there is grace in the sacrament but receiving communion daily gives grace as well.

My thoughts exactly. Also not being flippant, just wondering what I might be missing here.

 

[preV2tradcath]

I try to go weekly because I need the grace given in the sacrament. In any event, I go at least once a month.

 

[jmcrae]

I have a question that I don’t expect you to answer, but what does one confess every week?

One’s venial sins.

“I became angry at the driver who cut me off on the freeway, and allowed his action to disturb my peace of mind for several minutes afterwards. I lied to my friend and told her that her hat was very pretty, when in fact I thought it was quite hideous - later, I saw her wearing it in a public place.”

You know. That stuff.

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Also, putting yourself into the “Near Occasion of Sin”, sins of omission… There is a lot if you think about it.

I was disappointed this weekend though. My normal confessor was not doing confessions this past weekend.

 

[katy]

One’s venial sins.

“I became angry at the driver who cut me off on the freeway, and allowed his action to disturb my peace of mind for several minutes afterwards. I lied to my friend and told her that her hat was very pretty, when in fact I thought it was quite hideous - later, I saw her wearing it in a public place.”

You know. That stuff.

Never thought about that much. Thanks for some food for thought.

 

[preV2tradcath]

Also, putting yourself into the “Near Occasion of Sin”, sins of omission… There is a lot if you think about it.

I was disappointed this weekend though. My normal confessor was not doing confessions this past weekend.

The reminder about the “Near Occasion of Sin” is very good. There have been many times when I have had to mention that I was paying too much attention to things that are a near occasion of sin for me. We also, or at least I do, tend to forget the sins of omission.

 

[Sir_Knight]

I have a question that I don’t expect you to answer, but what does one confess every week? I examine my conscience every night and I find it difficult to come up with anything to confess. I may get impatient, but is that a sin, especially if I don’t act on it. Once in awhile I may raise my voice at a student, but then again is that a sin? If I went every week I would probably be confessing the same thing week after week…I lost my patience and raised my voice Maybe once in awhile I might say I slacked off at work, but then is that a sin if I get all my work done? At least going once a month I might have a decent list but usually nothing that really needs confessing. I am not being flippant but I just wonder. Besides since I go to the same priest he might just get bored hearing the same things. I know there is grace in the sacrament but receiving communion daily gives grace as well.

My thoughts exactly. Also not being flippant, just wondering what I might be missing here.

What did Pope John Paul II confess three times a week? What did St. Mother Theresa confess DAILY?

Confession brings us closer to God, closer to the light. The closer we are to the light, the more clearly we can see our offenses. The further we are from the light, the less we are able to see our offenses.

If one were to get dressed in a dark bedroom in the pre-dawn hours without turning on the lights (maybe not to wake up a spouse). One might see nothing wrong with their appearance but as one came into the light, one might start to notice that one sock is brown while the other one is navy blue. That a shirt has a stain on it that was not visible in the darker room. That the pants are perhaps wrinkled. Again, something that might not have been noticeable how hard one looked in the darker room.

The same can be applied to our souls. The more often we go to confession, the closer we draw to the light and the more clearly we see our offenses.

One might say that I am being overly scrupulous but if that were the case, I would hope that my confessor would say something and he hasn’t.

 

[WanderAimlessly]

The reminder about the “Near Occasion of Sin” is very good. There have been many times when I have had to mention that I was paying too much attention to things that are a near occasion of sin for me. We also, or at least I do, tend to forget the sins of omission.

I aways knew about “sins of omission”. I did not know about putting myself into “near occasion of sin” until I went on retreat a few weeks ago.

I may just pull my copy of Frequent Confession: Its Place in the Spiritual Life by Benedict Baur out and reread if.

 

[katy]

I aways knew about “sins of omission”. I did not know about putting myself into “near occasion of sin” until I went on retreat a few weeks ago.

I’m trying to get the idea of how to grow in faith after the first phase of getting rid of almost constant, oblivious sin. And I have actually wondered what the pope might have had say; he forgot to floss? But that sounds flippant, only isn’t, just baffled somewhat.

 

[revelations]

I’ve just started my confession regimen…I’m in RCIA (already baptized) so it’s really the only sacrament i can get my hands on.

At first I went whenever I would sin mortally. Frequent confession is a fountain of grace that can help you change your ways immensely. Jesus through confession has helped me to kick some of my old (bad) habits and advance spiritually. Praise God. I used to go once a week (Sundays) but soon found out that making it to the next Sunday without serious sin was tough! So, I went as I felt the need for more grace. Through frequent confession I became enlightened to the root cause of my habits, pride. As soon as i confessed that one, I felt relieved and freed. Confession is humbling, and in humbling ourselves we become closer to the Lord.

For now, I am going Sunday-Wednesday, unless something comes up in between. As to the detail I go into, i let the Holy Spirit guide me. I usually pray in front of the blessed sacrament, saying “Jesus, you know what i did, i know what i did, help me to confess this to you…please speak to me through your servant waiting to hear me in the confessional”.

The priest is just there to mediate, when you’re in there it’s just you and God.

Go confess when you feel dirty, and in need of a spiritual shower. Jesus is waiting!

-revelatiosn

 

[revelations]

I’m trying to get the idea of how to grow in faith after the first phase of getting rid of almost constant, oblivious sin. And I have actually wondered what the pope might have had say; he forgot to floss? But that sounds flippant, only isn’t, just baffled somewhat.

When you think of how perfect the Lord was when he was flesh incarnate, how immaculate and loving he was, how beautiful it must have been to see him heal in person, and to feel him radiate, and you compare yourself to him…

The Pope is a man like all of us, and is stained with the wounds of original sin just like you and I. He has judgmental thoughts, has lapses of faith, doubts God (Mother Theresa…), etc etc. There is PLENTY to confess. Priests and bishops are simply human, called by God to be shepherds, that’s it. They aren’t angels.

I would suggest reading St. Faustina’s diary, it talks about alllllllllllll the things Jesus sees that we don’t even think about.

-revelations

 

[Joannm]

The reception of Eucharist forgives veniel sin. I guess for me I don’t think I would get anything out of weekly confession that I do not get from nightly examen and daily communion. If I have a particular problem I e-mail my confessor and we discuss it. Many times when I ask if something is a sin or not, he says that I can only decide that because he was not there. If there is something major he is quick to point that out, but still does not tell me if I have sinned. I have no idea what JPII or Mother Theresa had to confess daily. Maybe after reading the new book on Mother Theresa, she needed to confess her doubts, I cannot judge, only God can. My confessor is fine with the frequency of my confessions and that is what I go by. I guess if one needs weekly confession than that’s what he or she needs for whatever reason.