My priest said tonight that Confession not neccessary for 'Good Catholics'

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Thanks ChurchMilitant, that’s a good summary.

I have read and I think understand the CCC related to the Eucharist, and I drew the same conclusions that you have. But I am still somewhat confused by Reconciliation from the perspective of how it realates/comlplements the cleansing we receive during the Eucharist, other than the obvious piece that it has the ability to cleanse from mortal sin.

My question for you ChurchMilitant, can you refer me to verse(s) in the CCC that might help me understand the Reconciliation better as relates to this? I have probably read them alrweady but this would help me confidently read them with more thought and scrutiny.

Thanks!
 
Well, I talked to a friend who is quite active in the very consevative parish with the 8 AM Mass. I told her what Fr was going to talk about this morning. I’m so curious that I’m up early to go, even though it’s 15 degrees outside (Which is why I went to the Vigil Mass last night, to avoid getting up early on such a cold day).

She had heard that this was discussed at the Parish counsel meeting. Probably strong words were exchanged. This priest already had it out with this parish over no people volunteering for Eucharistic Minister, because they don’t like them there. They only receive under one species there also, and I have a feeling he’s paving the way to have both.

This priest really gets pissed and vengeful when he is challanged. I think he’s going out of his way to stick it to people. His sermon may have been technically correct, but ignored the value of confession in helping us overcome sin and deficiencies in our life. Hopefully he’ll present a more balanced approach this morning, reminding people that confession is valuable for spiritual growth. One lady, after last night’s sermon, who is a consecrated Virgin, said that Our Lady encouraged confession once a month. Also, as one person pointed out, our Holy Father goes often.

So, I’m going this morning to watch the fireworks. Human nature is very interesting. :cool:
 
Church Militant:
Listen folks…take it easy…
1st) The Act of Contrition (Provided one is truly sorry) deals with venial sins.

2nd) Mass always contains a rite of penitence that also handles all venial sins as we confess them before God, and the Eucharist also cleanses us. (See the CCC on the Eucharist for a better understanding).

3rd) Mortal sin is the main reason to go to confession, since they need the absolution of a priest through aural confession. How can a priest know whether to forgive or retain a sin unless he has heard it? (See John 20:21-23)

This is all better explained in the CCC section on Reconciliation. It’s under the sacraments. Maybe we all need to reread that, huh?

So…in the strictest sense, confession isn’t something that a good Catholic will need often in that they aren’t out commiting mortal sins…however- frequent reception of the sacraments is a great conduit of grace, so I personally need all of it I can get. Even a confession of venial sins brings greater grace and humilty and deepens our relationship with Jesus. (Besides…otherwise you might have to go to someone like Yaqubos or oudave for spiritual counsel and wouldn’t that be lovely?)

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Another really good and helpful answer Church Militant. I think you would make a great “spiritual director”.
 
Actually there is no obligation to confess venial sins on a yearly basis but it is** recommended**. The Code of Canon Law asserts, “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” (no. 989). However, the Code also asserts,* “It is to be recommended to the Christian faithful that venial sins also be confessed” (no. 988.2). *

So from a Church legalistic point, it is true that only serious (mortal, grave) sins need be confessed at least once a year. From a spiritual point of view, however, there is much grace to be gained from frequent confession and the accompanying examination of conscience. While confession of venial sins is spiritually beneficial, a good examination of conscience and act of contrition may be the most spiritually valuable part of that. Mortal sins, of course, need to be confessed so that absolution can be received.

Our Holy Father also stated, “It would, therefore, be foolish, as well as presumptuous, to wish arbitrarily to disregard the means of grace and salvation which the Lord has provided and, in the specific case, to claim to receive forgiveness while doing without the sacrament which was instituted by Christ precisely for forgiveness” (On Reconciliation and Penance, no. 31).

Viewing the whole process of the sacrament of penance, i.e. examination of conscience, confession, contrition and then the reception of the Eucharist as a spiritual gift rather than as an obligation can make a big difference in our spiritual development as well as development of our conscience.
 
Church Militant:
Listen folks…take it easy…
1st) The Act of Contrition (Provided one is truly sorry) deals with venial sins.

2nd) Mass always contains a rite of penitence that also handles all venial sins as we confess them before God, and the Eucharist also cleanses us. (See the CCC on the Eucharist for a better understanding).

3rd) Mortal sin is the main reason to go to confession, since they need the absolution of a priest through aural confession. How can a priest know whether to forgive or retain a sin unless he has heard it? (See John 20:21-23)

This is all better explained in the CCC section on Reconciliation. It’s under the sacraments. Maybe we all need to reread that, huh?

So…in the strictest sense, confession isn’t something that a good Catholic will need often in that they aren’t out commiting mortal sins…however- frequent reception of the sacraments is a great conduit of grace, so I personally need all of it I can get. Even a confession of venial sins brings greater grace and humilty and deepens our relationship with Jesus. (Besides…otherwise you might have to go to someone like Yaqubos or oudave for spiritual counsel and wouldn’t that be lovely?)
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This is brilliant catechesis. Straight to the point and no nonsense. Well done.
 
At best your Priest is a moron, at worst he is a Heretic.

Either way, I think it would be a good idea to get the Bishop involved. If the Bishop doesn’t help you out go to the Archbishop and if that doesn’t work send your complaint to Rome.
 
WhiteDove, maybe you could ask your priest why the Holy Father goes to Confession so often.

I figure if the Pope goes at least once weekly then I surely must need it as often!

When I am *truly honest *with myself about my conduct during an examination of conscience then it becomes glaringly clear how much I truly need to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as I do. I believe if more people were honest with themselves, *truly and deeply *honest with themselves, they would come to understand why our Pope confesses as often as he does and how he *benefits *from doing so. The more people humble themselves to this Sacrament the more we *all *benefit from it.
 
Yet more Justification to join the SSPX.

Many Churches are Catholic by name only.
 
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oudave:
Whitedove
YOU can go directly to God and confess your sins. You don’t need to go to a priest.
Dave
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Hi Dave,

I see in your profile that you’re not Catholic, so I can understand that you may think what you posted above is true. That is not what we, as Catholics, believe.
 
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oudave:
Whitedove
YOU can go directly to God and confess your sins. You don’t need to go to a priest.
Dave
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Hi Dave,

I see in your profile that you’re not Catholic, so I can understand that you may think what you posted above is true. That is not what we, as Catholics, believe.
 
I have taught RCIA and Counseled young Boy Scouts for the Ad Altari dei award for some years now. Both involve teaching on the seven sacraments. One of the things I teach is that in each of the sacraments we encounter the living Christ. That these sacraments were given by Christ to his apostles for the church so that He, Himself might minister to us very personally and bring us into an ever increasing intimate relationship with the trinity. That we partake through the sacraments in that loving relationship shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It seems to me that while the sacraments have a utilitarian purpose, forgiving of sins, being married, being ordained, etc. that over and above that they restore and bestow sanctifying grace and deserve to be sought after. Why then would one want to avoid the sacrament of penance even when one was not in a state of mortal sin. Its like saying kids should not enjoy a hug and caress from their mothers unless they have an injury. The talk by the priest above was in many ways correct, but was so nuanced as to be misleading to those in his parish. He did them no favors.
 
rwoehmke,

With all do respect you should NOT be teaching RCIA.
  1. HOWdo you know these Catholics are not living in mortal sin? Did the priest ask them if they practice birt control? I suspect most of them do, so the priest is helping condemn most to pits of Hell for that Mortal sin!
  2. There is an appalling attitude among some Catholics that “a venial sin doesn’t count” and there aren’t many mortal sins anyway. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Many souls are suffering great temporal punishment in Purgatory and could be suffering loss of the Beatific Vision until the end of time because of venial sins. Sin is sin and is always to be avoided. Moreover, a venial sin can develop into a habit of mortal sin. It is most profitable to confess venial sins for one’s spiritual benefit and the great remission of their temporal punishment by sacramental confession.
Both the priest and yourself are wrong!

“But to ensure more rapid progress day by day in the path of virtue, We will that the pious practice of frequent confession, which was introduced into the Church by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, should be earnestly advocated. By it genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, bad habits are corrected, spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary self-control is attained, and grace is increased in virtue of the Sacrament itself. Let those, therefore, among the younger clergy who make light of or lessen esteem for frequent confession realize that what they are doing is alien to the Spirit of Christ and disastrous for the Mystical Body of our Savior.”

MYSTICI CORPORIS - Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Pius XII On the Mystical Body of Christ - June 29, 1943
 
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csbyrnes84:
At best your Priest is a moron, at worst he is a Heretic.

Either way, I think it would be a good idea to get the Bishop involved. If the Bishop doesn’t help you out go to the Archbishop and if that doesn’t work send your complaint to Rome.
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No, this priest is actually highly educated and very intelligent. I think he is theologically liberal. Liturgically he seems very conservative.
 
I went to the 8:00 AM Mass this morning. He gave a very similar teaching sermon. He did mention that frequent confession is certainly an option, he mentioned a Pope, I didn’t catch which one, that confessed everyday. He said that this was a devotional practice, but not a requirement.

He mentioned again how our passions affect and mitigate Mortal sins. He said that this especially applies in the area of sexuality. He talked about how Catholics before around 1968 used to go to confession very frequently and were overly scrupulous, and how it totally reversed around 1968. He talked about the Catholic tendency towards guilt.

I think he is still reacting to what might have been excesses of that era. Nowadays, it seems as if we have the opposite problem, that folks don’t feel guilt easily, and modern concepts of morality are overly relativist.

I think it’s probably true that frequent confession by devout people is a devotional practise. But, probably one that needs to be encouraged more, not less.
 
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NightRider:
WhiteDove, maybe you could ask your priest why the Holy Father goes to Confession so often.

I figure if the Pope goes at least once weekly then I surely must need it as often!

When I am *truly honest *with myself about my conduct during an examination of conscience then it becomes glaringly clear how much I truly need to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as I do. I believe if more people were honest with themselves, *truly and deeply *honest with themselves, they would come to understand why our Pope confesses as often as he does and how he *benefits *from doing so. The more people humble themselves to this Sacrament the more we *all *benefit from it.
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Dear Nightrider,
I couldn’t agree with you more. How does next Sunday sound, BTW?
~Jan
 
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awalt:
Thanks ChurchMilitant, that’s a good summary.

I have read and I think understand the CCC related to the Eucharist, and I drew the same conclusions that you have. But I am still somewhat confused by Reconciliation from the perspective of how it realates/comlplements the cleansing we receive during the Eucharist, other than the obvious piece that it has the ability to cleanse from mortal sin.

My question for you ChurchMilitant, can you refer me to verse(s) in the CCC that might help me understand the Reconciliation better as relates to this? I have probably read them alrweady but this would help me confidently read them with more thought and scrutiny.

Thanks!
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Whipping out his handy paperback CCC 😃
Article 4 The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation begins at 1422 and goes through 1498. Enjoy!
I hope this helps.
P.S. Thanks for all the compliments, but I’m nothing that any of the rest of you cannot be…and maybe even better than I am. Glory Be To God and may He bless you all!
 
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WhiteDove:
Dear Nightrider,
I couldn’t agree with you more. How does next Sunday sound, BTW?
~Jan
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Thank you, WhiteDove! and next Sunday sounds great! We’ll talk soon to confirm! 👍
 
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OrthoCath:
rwoehmke,

With all do respect you should NOT be teaching RCIA.
  1. HOWdo you know these Catholics are not living in mortal sin? Did the priest ask them if they practice birt control? I suspect most of them do, so the priest is helping condemn most to pits of Hell for that Mortal sin!
  2. There is an appalling attitude among some Catholics that “a venial sin doesn’t count” and there aren’t many mortal sins anyway. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Many souls are suffering great temporal punishment in Purgatory and could be suffering loss of the Beatific Vision until the end of time because of venial sins. Sin is sin and is always to be avoided. Moreover, a venial sin can develop into a habit of mortal sin. It is most profitable to confess venial sins for one’s spiritual benefit and the great remission of their temporal punishment by sacramental confession.
Both the priest and yourself are wrong!

“But to ensure more rapid progress day by day in the path of virtue, We will that the pious practice of frequent confession, which was introduced into the Church by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, should be earnestly advocated. By it genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, bad habits are corrected, spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary self-control is attained, and grace is increased in virtue of the Sacrament itself. Let those, therefore, among the younger clergy who make light of or lessen esteem for frequent confession realize that what they are doing is alien to the Spirit of Christ and disastrous for the Mystical Body of our Savior.”

MYSTICI CORPORIS - Encyclical of His Holiness Pope Pius XII On the Mystical Body of Christ - June 29, 1943
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I think you misread what rwoehmke wrote?
 
Write a very polite but informative letter to the Bishop and Cardinal, some e-mail won’t hurt either. Also try writing a letter to the editor to the Boston Pilot, which could also help.
 
WhiteDove, I had a very similar experience. When I was in RCIA back in the early 1980s, we were taught the very same thing about mortal sin. They even told us that we would not have to go to confession before being confirmed and receiving the Eucharist for the very first time, and they were referring to those of us who had already been baptized in other denominations.
I thought to myself, well, if it is almost impossible to commit a mortal sin, that must mean that only the likes of Hitler and Stalin have committed mortal sins. I got off to a terrible start as a Catholic. I justified lots of awful things I did as “not a mortal sin.”
Years later we moved to another diocese, and the priest gave a hard hitting sermon on confession and mortal sin. I knew then in my heart that I had committed many mortal sins and had received Communion countless times, unworthily. So even though I had been a Catholic for 15 years, I finally went to confession for the first time.

This priest is leading many people down the path away from Christ.
 
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