Is every Catholic obligated to confess once a year even if they donot have Mortal sin

[turtle18]

I don’t know who are or are not in a state of mortal sin or how often they may or may not be. Only God knows that and its not for you to judge and scoff at.

That is anyway not the topic of the thread.

Oh please…I am not judging anyone. Everyone is a sinner & everyone needs the mercy and forgiveness of God. I would be willing to bet there isn’t any single one of us who doesn’t need to go to Confession at least once a year. If you didn’t need to go to Confession, then you would be a saint–but here is the catch–most saints went to Confession on a daily basis. Because when you truly love God, you realize how beautiful the Sacrament of Reconciliation is and you run towards it, not from it , no matter how big or how little your sins are.

And it is not about sexual sin or whether you miss Mass on Sundays. People are so prideful and blind to their actions they don’t recognize the people they hurt on a daily basis. People are so wrapped up in their lives they don’t realize how much they put other things (tv, Internet, leisure time, food, etc.) before God.

If you don’t think you need to go to Confession, say a prayer to the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and give you the grace to recognize your sins.

 

[Dicerning]

The Catechism lists yearly confession as a precept of the church.

Canon Law requires confession of Grave sins at least once per year.

HOWEVER if you one goes by Canon Law it appears that even Grave sins are only required to be confessed once per year.

I have brought this up with a theolgion and he told me canon law is ambiguous on this matter.

 

[Indyann]

The Catechism lists yearly confession as a precept of the church.

Canon Law requires confession of Grave sins at least once per year.

HOWEVER if you one goes by Canon Law it appears that even Grave sins are only required to be confessed once per year.

I have brought this up with a theolgion and he told me canon law is ambiguous on this matter.

This what the catechism says--------“serious sin”

1457 According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.”[56] 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.[57] Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.58

Is there another citation that says we must confess once a year, if there is no serious sin?

Can you cite somet

 

[kujayhawk]

One of the most difficult parts about this forum is reading through all the posts that stray from the subject.

This subject is: Is every Catholic obligated to confess once a year even if they donot (sic) have Mortal sin.

The answer has been given, correctly, several times. Several sources have been quoted including CCC. That should answer it. Period.

It is not the subject to discuss if or not people can go a year without committing a mortal, serious, grave sin.

I’m always sort of amused when a correct answer is given, with lots of citations, references etc. and yet the posting goes on and on. Why not start another thread?

 

[Pug]

Does anyone have any opinions

Of course! I think we are not required to confess venial sins. We are required to confess mortal sins at least once a year. I also think it is very helpful to confess venial sins in confession reasonably often, even though venial sins can be remitted in other ways.

I found an Ask An Apologist thread that addresses your question. Click here to get one of them. He agrees with my view that we are only required to confess the mortal sins once a year, and not the venial ones.

Here are two canons from the CIC (Code of Canon Law) that seem relevant:

Can. 988 §1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience.
§2. It is recommended to the Christian faithful that they also confess venial sins.
Can. 989 After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.

I included both canons because it is canon 988 that shows how “grave” is being used in opposition to “venial”. The venial sins are not obliged, but only recommended to be confessed. It is then canon 989 that gives the time limit on our obligation to confess those grave sins. That is how it appears to me upon reading the text.

 

[jmcrae]

I think that if the Great Mother of God, Mary most Holy, were to return to the earth in corporeal form and live among us, she would be exempted from the requirement for yearly Confession.

The rest of us would do well to make a habit of going a bit more frequently than that, I should think.

I find for myself that when I can’t think of what to confess each month, it’s not because I have no sins, but because I’m not doing my Examen correctly.

 

[Indyann]

I think that if the Great Mother of God, Mary most Holy, were to return to the earth in corporeal form and live among us, she would be exempted from the requirement for yearly Confession.

The rest of us would do well to make a habit of going a bit more frequently than that, I should think.

I find for myself that when I can’t think of what to confess each month, it’s not because I have no sins, but because I’m not doing my Examen correctly.

No one is disputing how often one should confess. The question was How often MUST you confess if there is no mortal sin.

I find no evidence that you MUST confess at least once a year if there is no mortal or serious sin.

 

[jmcrae]

No one is disputing how often one should confess. The question was How often MUST you confess if there is no mortal sin.

I find no evidence that you MUST confess at least once a year if there is no mortal or serious sin.

In the extremely unlikely event that you are so holy that you have not committed even one grave sin in the past year (never voiced an angry exclamation, never felt sorry for yourself, never repeated a thoughtless bit of gossip, never joined in teasing someone, never exceeded the speed limit while driving your car or riding your bike, or crossed the street at a place other than the crosswalk), then you would not be required to go to confession.

 

[Indyann]

In the extremely unlikely event that you are so holy that you have not committed even one grave sin in the past year (never voiced an angry exclamation, never felt sorry for yourself, never repeated a thoughtless bit of gossip, never joined in teasing someone, never exceeded the speed limit while driving your car or riding your bike, or crossed the street at a place other than the crosswalk), then you would not be required to go to confession.

Can you show me where any one of the transgressions you mentioned are mortal sins?

 

[jmcrae]

Can you show me where any one of the transgressions you mentioned are mortal sins?

They’re grave sins, because they are against the 5th and 8th commandments - they become mortal when they are done on purpose.

We are required to confess our grave sins once a year.

 

[Indyann]

They’re grave sins, because they are against the 5th and 8th commandments - they become mortal when they are done on purpose.

We are required to confess our grave sins once a year.

I’m not saying this to be mean, but I think you have a very wrong understanding of grave, serious, mortal sin.

All 3 conditions must be met before a sin is considered grave, serious or mortal.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

We are required to confess our grave sins once a year.

jmcrae,

That interpretation just doesn’t seem to match all the other worthy sources.

For instance:
The Baltimore Catechism #3:293. What is meant by the commandment to confess our sins at least once a year?

By the commandment to confess our sins at least once a year is meant that we are strictly obliged to make a good confession within the year, **if we have a mortal sin to confess.

**

 

[jmcrae]

I’m not saying this to be mean, but I think you have a very wrong understanding of grave, serious, mortal sin.

All 3 conditions must be met before a sin is considered grave, serious or mortal.

Grave sin is any action that goes against any one of the Ten Commandments, as interpreted through an approved Examen, or as seen through the lens of the Sermon on the Mount (anger = murder; gossip = false witness, lust = adultery, etc.).

Grave sins become mortal when the components of full knowledge and full consent of the will are added to the grave sin.

For example, if someone has no idea that murder is bad, or is compelled to commit a murder against his own will, then he has committed a grave sin, but it is not a mortal sin, because it lacks at least one of the other two components of a mortal sin.

Does this mean he doesn’t “have to” go to Confession, when he finds out that what he did was wrong?

 

[JC_in_Dallas]

let’s be carefull to not slide into the relative argument and stick with venial and mortal. Also let’s focus on the grace thing and not the obligation thing.

 

[Indyann]

Grave sin is any action that goes against any one of the Ten Commandments, as interpreted through an approved Examen, or as seen through the lens of the Sermon on the Mount (anger = murder; gossip = false witness, lust = adultery, etc.).

Grave sins become mortal when the components of full knowledge and full consent of the will are added to the grave sin.

For example, if someone has no idea that murder is bad, or is compelled to commit a murder against his own will, then he has committed a grave sin, but it is not a mortal sin, because it lacks at least one of the other two components of a mortal sin.

Does this mean he doesn’t “have to” go to Confession, when he finds out that what he did was wrong?

In your example, no, the person has not committed a grave, serious ,or mortal sin (they are all the same)

newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm

 

[jmcrae]

In your example, no, the person has not committed a grave, serious ,or mortal sin (they are all the same)

newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm

One of the headlines in that article says, “Conditions of mortal sin: knowledge, free will, grave matter” - I think this agrees with my point.

 

[Indyann]

One of the headlines in that article says, “Conditions of mortal sin: knowledge, free will, grave matter” - I think this agrees with my point.

In your example, you stated that the person was ignorant of the fact that murder was a sin.
Therefore no sin.

You said the person was forced to commit the murder. Therefore no sin.

Your example fails 2 of the 3 requirements for a sin to be mortal.

You are making a distinction between serious, grave, and mortal. They all mean the same thing.

 

[Indyann]

One of the headlines in that article says, “Conditions of mortal sin: knowledge, free will, grave matter” - I think this agrees with my point.

In your example, you stated that the person was ignorant of the fact that murder was a sin.
Therefore no sin.

You said the person was forced to commit the murder. Therefore no sin.

Your example fails 2 of the 3 requirements for a sin to be mortal.

You are making a distinction between serious, grave, and mortal. They all mean the same thing.

 

[jmcrae]

In your example, you stated that the person was ignorant of the fact that murder was a sin.
Therefore no sin.

You said the person was forced to commit the murder. Therefore no sin.

So, no murder actually took place? No one was actually killed?

Your example fails 2 of the 3 requirements for a sin to be mortal.

Yes. The criteria are: full knowledge, full consent of the will, and grave matter (means that the action, in and of itself, is gravely sinful).

You are making a distinction between serious, grave, and mortal. They all mean the same thing.

Quote and cite your source that says these three all mean the same thing.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

Quote and cite your source that says these three all mean the same thing.

Fr. Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary, on Mortal Sin:

The terms mortal, **deadly, grave, and serious **applied to sin are synonyms. . . the Church never distinguishes among these terms as though they represented different kinds of sins.