It it okay to go to Confession with no mortal sin to confess?

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nsper7

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Since we believe that the Sacrament of Reconciliation conveys graces, is it okay to go to Confession if one has no mortal sins (that they can remember of course)?

The Priest at my parish said going to Confession too often (say once-per-day, or even once a week) can lead to a hypersensitivity to sin and is like using a cannon to kill a fly if you are only using it to confess venial sins.

What does everyone else think?
 
It is greatly beneficial to go to confession frequently and it is necessary if one has a devotion to gaining indulgences for one’s self or for others.

I have read that Pope John Paul ll went to confession daily-

This Sacrament is the instrument through which great grace is given-
 
nsper7 said:
Since we believe that the Sacrament of Reconciliation conveys graces, is it okay to go to Confession if one has no mortal sins (that they can remember of course)?

The Priest at my parish said going to Confession too often (say once-per-day, or even once a week) can lead to a hypersensitivity to sin and is like using a cannon to kill a fly if you are only using it to confess venial sins.

What does everyone else think?
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First off - congratulations on deciding to become Catholic! Enjoy the process.

Secondly - while once per day is way out of the norm, and frequent confession CAN be a sign, in some people, of scrupulosity, I don’t get where your priest is getting the ‘killing a fly with a cannon’ image.

Jesus made clear to the Apostles that the sacrament of confession is suitable for ALL sin and not just mortal sin. The Catechism makes this clear too by stating that the confession of venial sin is also strongly encouraged.

And a priest has no business telling you that sin, even venial sin, isn’t to be taken seriously - didn’t Jesus go to the extremes of talking about chopping off our hands and gouging out our eyes in his effort to convey how we should do our utmost avoid ANY sin? It stands to reason that we should also avail ourselves of every possible grace which can heal us from past sins and prevent future ones - confession being one of the two most potent of sources of this grace.
 
Yes, do! God pours is His Precious Blood into your poor soul and gains His peace and some poor Priests are greatly consoled. Ta da!

Peace,

Gail
 
👍 Welcome Home 👍 !!! As a recent convert myself I had asked the same question. A friend had once explained it as each venial sin is minor(compared to mortal sin) but each one added on top of each other can add up fast. I would say go to confession once a month if not more often as time allows or oppurtunity gives, the Sacrement of Reconcilliation is also wonderful for gaining advice also, try to go to the same Confessor so that you can hold yourself accountable for the things you need to work on.
Again Welcome Home!!! It’s the best desciscion You Will Ever Make!
 
LilyM said:
Jesus made clear to the Apostles that the sacrament of confession is suitable for ALL sin and not just mortal sin. .
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Lily, I agree with your post, but can you provide a biblical reference for this? I can’t find it. Thanks
 
nsper7 said:
What does everyone else think?
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does not matter what any body else thinks, we are to follow the advice of our own confessor, based on our own situation. in general your priest is right, yes that can happen. yes confession is for venial sins as well, but it is not required for venial sins.
 
Newbie2 said:
Lily, I agree with your post, but can you provide a biblical reference for this? I can’t find it. Thanks
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And what else could He possibly have meant by ‘whosever sins you forgive they are forgiven’? There’s no footnote to that of ‘yeah, but they should only bother seeking you out for forgiveness if those sins are the REALLY bad ones’. 🤷
 
What he meant was to give them the authority to forgive sin, in his stead, not comment about the severity of the transgression.

I think you’re exhbiting isagesis (eisagesis), but your point is well taken that we shouldn’t be hesitant to take advantage of reconciliation for venial sin when we’re moved to do so. 👍
 
Pope Pius XII went to confession everyday. But this was never the norm for laypeople. Seminarians used to go once a week. Here they go once a month.
The above poster ( Puzzleannie) was 100% right. The idea of only going to confession for mortal sin has never been taught in the Church.
 
nsper7 said:
Since we believe that the Sacrament of Reconciliation conveys graces, is it okay to go to Confession if one has no mortal sins (that they can remember of course)?

The Priest at my parish said going to Confession too often (say once-per-day, or even once a week) can lead to a hypersensitivity to sin and is like using a cannon to kill a fly if you are only using it to confess venial sins.

What does everyone else think?
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Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CCC 1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:

Whoever confesses his sins . . . is already working with God. God indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God. Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear “man” - this is what God has made; when you hear “sinner” - this is what man himself has made. Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has made. . . . When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. The beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light.
 
nsper7 said:
Since we believe that the Sacrament of Reconciliation conveys graces, is it okay to go to Confession if one has no mortal sins (that they can remember of course)?

The Priest at my parish said going to Confession too often (say once-per-day, or even once a week) can lead to a hypersensitivity to sin and is like using a cannon to kill a fly if you are only using it to confess venial sins.

What does everyone else think?
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Imagine your soul as a piece of paper. 8 by 10 inches which is the size you need. Now rip it roughly in half. It is no longer usable. In essence it is destroyed as far as a piece of paper goes. That is a simple analogy as to what happens with mortal sin. It kills the soul. Confession and absolution repairs that damage.

Now imagine taking a tack. Push it through the paper. You now have a small hole in the paper and the paper is not as strong as it was. Continue sticking the paper with the tack. What happens? It gets weaker and weaker and easier to tear. Venial sins are like those little thumb tack pricks. They lead to a weakening of the soul and an can lead to the commission of mortal sins.

So yes, it is OK to confess only venial sins even though it is not required.
 
nsper7 said:
The Priest at my parish said going to Confession too often (say once-per-day, or even once a week) can lead to a hypersensitivity to sin and is like using a cannon to kill a fly if you are only using it to confess venial sins.
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I guess that they would also have a problem with Mother Theresa who went to confession daily and was recognized as a saint in record time.

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 no matter 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.
 
There is a good book called, “Particular Examen” by James McElhone . It helps to root out hidden faults.
 
nsper7 said:
Since we believe that the Sacrament of Reconciliation conveys graces, is it okay to go to Confession if one has no mortal sins (that they can remember of course)?

The Priest at my parish said going to Confession too often (say once-per-day, or even once a week) can lead to a hypersensitivity to sin and is like using a cannon to kill a fly if you are only using it to confess venial sins.

What does everyone else think?
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It is a little like exercise. Everyone needs it, but not everyone needs the same amount, the same intensity, or the same frequency. The spiritual demands on someone like the Holy Father or the head of an order like the Missionaries of Charity are also unusual, like the physical demands on an Olympic athlete. This is just an analogy, of course.

All the same, there are people for whom too-frequent confession can be a barrier to spiritual advancement. They have issues to take care of, such as scrupulosity, that prevent more frequent confession from being beneficial. If one is not making the most of monthly confessions and not faithfully tending to other spiritual practices that will bring about advancement, going more frequently may not help. It is like having a personal trainer and never doing the exercises. More appointments won’t get you anywhere.

That’s why this is something to discuss with one’s confessor or spiritual advisor, so one’s own case can have individual consideration. If you think your confessor has a one-size-fits-all attitude, and you’re not that size, that might mean you need a different confessor. That’s OK, too.
 
nsper7 said:
If you have no mortal sins, you can still go to confession to receive God’s mercy and even if you forget to mention a mortal sin, it is automatically forgiven.

Now if you went every day to Confession, than I would say you have a case of scrupulosity and that is a mental sickness.

You can receive graces just by visiting a church; saying the Rosary; praying for others.

CONGRATULATIONS IN JOINING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!!!
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Genesis12345 said:
Now if you went every day to Confession, than I would say you have a case of scrupulosity and that is a mental sickness.
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Interesting that none of Mother Theresa’s confessors advised her of this and tried to discourage her from going to confession everyday.
 
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