Need help explaining confession

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Thom18

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Until today, I didn’t have my driver’s license, so I had been relying on my mom to go to Mass if I was to get there. Last week, I asked her if we could leave early so that I could go to confession, but we didn’t leave in time. I didn’t want to receive the Eucharist, so I decided to wait in the restroom until our pew went up and got back. She asked why I didn’t go up for communion, but came to the conclusion on her own that it was because I didn’t get to confession. I tried to use the opportunity to encourage her to go with me next Saturday (tomorrow, now) but she doesn’t understand why it’s something we should have to do. She mentioned that she hasn’t gone to confession in about ten years, I said that we’re supposed to go at least once a year, but I don’t know how to adequately explain it.

So, I’m in need of help explaining to her how important it is that we do this. I assume I’ll need guidance on a few things:
What qualifies as a mortal sin. I don’t know how to “translate” it to her, and I admittedly have trouble determining what is/isn’t mortal myself.
Why the Church “gets to tell us” how often we should go.
Why we shouldn’t receive the Eucharist if we’re in a state of mortal sin.
Then, lastly, why it’s critical that we go.

Any help is sincerely appreciated.
 
Mortal sins are generally deliberate in nature, they must be known to be a sin, committed with intent, and the person who sins must sin out of free will. Depending on a case by case basis exclusions include the mentally disabled, addiction (depending), and few other instances. Mortal sins create a gap between the sinner and God that makes the act damnable. In the end God has final say, as with all things. In knowing what is stated above and the creation of a gap by violating our relationship with God and the common rule of not recieving unless in a state of grace it would stand to reason that we do not recieve ( we are only supposed to receive in a state of grace).

As for the church detemining when we confess and how. The way I think about it is this. Did I choose to sin, yes. Did I know it was a sin, yes. Did I have control over myself when I sinned, yes. Then it was mortal. This article explains why we can’t receive while in a non state of grave. Who Can Receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church | Catholic Answers | Catholic Answers.

As far as the church telling you when to go. If your mother is a Roman Catholic she then must also accept the catechism as an absolute authority as well as what a pope decrees as the mouth of God on earth. If you need further justification for this specific case, the church mandates you must receive the eucharist during the easter season. In order to do this you must be confessed and in a state of grace. The only way to that is to go to confession unless someone can claim they are innocent of all grave sins. To date I do not know anyone who over the course of a year has not committed a grave/mortal sin. While I am sure it is possible it is highly improbable. (Missing mass without good justification is mortal, lying is some cases can be mortal, being late to mass can be mortal). As you can see it is fairly easy to slip, but that is why we rely on God for His grace. Without Him we have no hope.
 
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I think you need to explain to your mother the reason that you want to go to confession, not the reasons that she should go.

If you want to try to give her a reason for an annual obligation to go to confession go ahead, but don’t have any expectations of her.
 
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