How Often Should One Go To Confession?

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The sacrament of confession is recommended to those who commit mortal sins. But it’s also advisable to go to confession even when one is not in the state of mortal sin? How often should one seek the sacramental blessings and guidance from this sacrament?
 
I believe you also gain grace to resist sins with each Confession. I try to go once a month, or if I need to for some other reason.

Eamon
 
I voted “as often as needed.” As for myself, I go nearly every week and confess venial sins if I have no mortal sins. I do so because penance helps me to grow in my faith and I become much more aware of the things I need to work on in my life and in my behavior. It also requires me to humble myself more deeply to Our Lord and this is very important to me. With frequent Confession I become more compassionate toward others and I lose any tendency toward arrogance. Thank God!!
 
Well, I go at least once a month, but the Pope goes once a day… it is a good way to get grace, so the more often, the better… ther really is no number to place on it, however
God bless-JMJ
Laura 🙂
 
Sometimes I go twice a month, but most of the time it’s once a month.
 
just like taking a bath, as often as you need it. You don’t wait until you fall into a slime pit to take a bath, you bathe to remove the ordinary sweat and specks of dust as well. Daily may not be necessary, but regularly certainly is necessary.
 
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puzzleannie:
just like taking a bath, as often as you need it. You don’t wait until you fall into a slime pit to take a bath, you bathe to remove the ordinary sweat and specks of dust as well. Daily may not be necessary, but regularly certainly is necessary.
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Dear Annie

I like your beautiful analogy of the bodily cleansing. You are right, we should keep our souls clean also in the same way we pay attention to our outer self.

You led me to think of how we adorn our body with clothes we like and perfumes/aftershave, we apply make-up (ladies only!🙂 ), we have a hair cut, we spend time making the exterior beautiful. We should also spend time making the interior, our souls, beautiful also and this is done by frequent confession and receipt of the Eucharist and this is brought about by reflective prayer on our lives and the life of Christ.

I go as often as is necessary and sometimes if it isn’t necessary I still go and talk in the Sacrament about sins I am prone to and ask for graces not to commit them again.

God bless you and thank you for your thoughts Annie

God bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
I ideal goal is to go once a week, but if I make it once every-other week then I think that’s okay. I’d go every day if I could, but I’m probably one of the few people that enjoys going to Confession. For me, it’s almost as wonderful as going to Mass and receiving Holy Communion. We are so blessed by Christ to have these incredible Sacraments. :dancing:

Scout :tiphat:
 
For our RCIA participants we recommend between once a week and once every three months. I like once a month; it’s easy to remember.

Longer periods make it difficult to thoroughly review ones actions since the last time.

I find that more frequently than once a month, it tends to become routine. I can’t work up real attention to it weekly.
 
I voted once a month and whenever needed. Right now I go about once a month, but am thinking about trying weekly confession. So many of the programs I listen to and things I read highly recommend that. Some of the posts in read in this thread mention the benefits of weekly confession too.
 
I voted once a month - which is what I will have to start doing! I don’t go often enough.
Originally Posted by NightRider
I do so because penance helps me to grow in my faith and I become much more aware of the things I need to work on in my life and in my behavior. It also requires me to humble myself more deeply to Our Lord and this is very important to me. With frequent Confession I become more compassionate toward others and I lose any tendency toward arrogance. Thank God!!
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👍
My thoughts exactly: Asking for God’s forgiveness helps us realise just how much we need it!
 
I voted once a month - which is what I will have to start doing! I don’t go often enough.
Originally Posted by NightRider
I do so because penance helps me to grow in my faith and I become much more aware of the things I need to work on in my life and in my behavior. It also requires me to humble myself more deeply to Our Lord and this is very important to me. With frequent Confession I become more compassionate toward others and I lose any tendency toward arrogance. Thank God!!
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👍 My thoughts exactly: Asking for God’s forgiveness helps us realise just how much we need it!
 
i would say at least once a month… now, all i got to do is practice what i just preached…:o
 
space ghost:
i would say at least once a month… now, all i got to do is practice what i just preached…:o
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😃 I’m right there with you brother!
 
I put as often as needed. I’m in RCIA and I cannot go yet.

To earn a plenary indulgence, the “usual conditions” apply.
To also go to confession and Mass, etc.

I have some dear departed friends that I hope are in purgatory or heaven. So I do pray for them. And I do sometimes think of them and offer up prayers or other things. I look forward to being able to try to earn more indulgences for them.

Until such a time as I can go to confession and receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass, I wonder if my efforts towards earning indulgences for them might be like playing BINGO. With what I cannot do, perhaps the Lord might grant me a “free space”. Maybe not. But if I do get “free space” for what I cannot do, then I should do what I can. Even if I do not get “free space” for what I cannot do, I should do what I can because the little can count too. So either way, I know to do what I can.

Even if you don’t need to go to confession, you can go and then go to Mass and also try to earn a plenary indulgence for somebody in purgatory. Perhaps then, they too will intercede for you when you need help. It makes a lot of sense to me.

If anyone wants to help pray for a worthy soul: Father May was my choir director when I was in the Catholic Chapel Choir in college. He died about eight years ago.

jmm08
 
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Sowndog:
I voted once a month - which is what I will have to start doing! I don’t go often enough.

👍
My thoughts exactly: Asking for God’s forgiveness helps us realise just how much we need it!
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Hi Sowndog! I notice you are in Belfast! I’m Irish American and went to Belfast in 1998. Loved it! I’m going to PM you straightaway!
 
Is anyone besides me finding it more and more difficult to find a normal confession time? Supposedly the church has confesion before Saturday mass, but for the last three weeks, and I tried two churches, no priest was available for confession before the mass, despite the fact that the bulletins say every Saturday before mass. I never understood why they can’t be in the confessional before each of the masses. I am sure that the priest is overworked, but if he is there for the mass anyway, what difference woudl a few minutes more make.

I know. I know. I can call and make an appointment, but I hate asking for extra time that way from a priest. I don’t like that much attention. I keep thinking he’ll be thinking “I made an appointment for what???”

Also getting to church presently is quite an issue for me, as my car is in the shop for a long time (needs major work) and I borrow a car for church. I work form home so the car is not too much an issue except for church and confession. But I want to be going to daily mass.
 
space ghost:
i would say at least once a month… now, all i got to do is practice what i just preached…:o
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I would echo what you just said and add…AS OFTEN as needed !!!
 
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