Maximum times per day to receive sacrament of reconciliation

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GwenL

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One of our deacons gave a terrific talk tonight at an adult catechesis seminar about confession, penance, and reconciliation. A questioner stated that “Catholic teaching is that we can only receive the sacrament of reconciliation once per day.”

I think that’s not true. It makes no theological sense–why would Holy Mother Church prevent a repentant sinner from seeking and receiving absolution at any time, regardless of what happened earlier in the day? I could just imagine a sinner, having gone to confession early in the day to confess a few venial sins, then commits a mortal sin later in the day and seeks out the sacrament again. What’s the priest going to say, “You are overusing the sacrament, go away until tomorrow?”

What think you?

Was this ever a teaching? Well, by “ever” I mean in the last few hundred years. I understand that confession was a once-per-lifetime thing in the earliest Church.

Thanks for your thoughts!
 
GwenL said:
One of our deacons gave a terrific talk tonight at an adult catechesis seminar about confession, penance, and reconciliation. A questioner stated that “Catholic teaching is that we can only receive the sacrament of reconciliation once per day.”

I think that’s not true. It makes no theological sense–why would Holy Mother Church prevent a repentant sinner from seeking and receiving absolution at any time, regardless of what happened earlier in the day? I could just imagine a sinner, having gone to confession early in the day to confess a few venial sins, then commits a mortal sin later in the day and seeks out the sacrament again. What’s the priest going to say, “You are overusing the sacrament, go away until tomorrow?”

What think you?

Was this ever a teaching? Well, by “ever” I mean in the last few hundred years. I understand that confession was a once-per-lifetime thing in the earliest Church.

Thanks for your thoughts!
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I have studied the canons and have not found a limit. So there is no theological limit, only a practical one. You can confess privately to God every time you sin, although it would be impractical to find a priest multiple times a day.
 
No there is not “max”. But ordinarily not something that happens more than one time in a given day. (one should avoid of course scruples…)

Remember venial sins can be forgiven in various ways…prayer etc

But if say someone fell again into mortal sin…it is of course possible to go again to confession…
 
Notice in any class, seminar, Bible study, RCIA, etc, somebody is always a self-appointed expert? And these people always have a bunch of statements on “the Church teaching”. The particularly ignorant ones start every sentence with “Vatican 2 says…”

And I have 2 questions: where is the teaching, please point me to the Catechism or Canon Law or the Vatican Congregation that clarified it in a document.

And 2 (I don’t really say this, but I would like to!), “So, where did you say you got your PhD in theology?”

Of course there is no law prohibiting Confession more than once a day, although if a person were routinely seeking it out, there might be some issues of either scrupulosity, or they are a psychopath murdering someone each day, or something bizarre. It’s obviously not the norm for these sort of reasons.

However I can see someone going to Confession in the morning, and then they make a mistake and get carried away with their boyfriend that afternoon and have sex. Both people feel bad and want to get it cleared up right away and get their relationship on a better track, so they call the priest and ask permission to come by and receive Reconciliation.
 
It surely is possible to sin multiple times in a day.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.59 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:60

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.61
 
Margie9 said:
Notice in any class, seminar, Bible study, RCIA, etc, somebody is always a self-appointed expert? And these people always have a bunch of statements on “the Church teaching”.
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Yeah, just because something it taught in church does not make it a Church Teaching. As big and as spread out as the Catholic Church is, there is bound to be misinformation. Think of the game Telephone we all played in school.
 
Saint Seraphim of Sarov

Penitence

One desiring salvation must always have a heart inclined towards penitence and contrition: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:19). With such a contrite spirit a person can avoid without trouble all the artful tricks of the devil, whose efforts are all directed towards disturbing the spirit of a person. By this disturbance he sows tares (i.e., weeds), according to the words of the Gospel: “Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this’” (Mt. 13:27-28). But when a person struggles to have a meek heart and to keep peace in his thoughts, then are all the wiles of the enemy powerless; for, where there is peace of thought, God Himself resides: “In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion” (Ps. 76:2).

We offend the greatness of God with our sinning throughout our entire lives, and so must always humbly ask the Lord forgiveness for our sins.

Fast

fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/seraphim_e.htm
 
I think the bigger problem we have is people not going to confession often enough, not too often.
 
There is no limit. You may receive the sacrament more than once in a day if you have need of reconciliation with God. A requirement of receiving the sacrament is that you repent of your sins and have a firm purpose of amendment. It’s difficult to see how someone who needs to receive the sacrament with great frequency is fulfilling this requirement.
 
Doesn’t the Holy Father have a personal confessor with him always, whom he can go to multiple times each day if he feels the need? I recall reading that somewhere.

I’m sure I sin more than the Holy Father.

-Tim-
 
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