Perfect contrition is not an act.

[Marian_Carroll]

I’ve been told that the peson cannot receive the Eucharist. They might indeed be already forgiven but that they must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before they can take the Eucharist.

Such would not be the case if they were in danger of death.

Does anyone know?

See link provided in previous post 19.

 

[Pug]

Does anyone know?

Yes.

If a Catholic has done a mortal sin but not yet gone to confession, they ought not receive communion, even if they have made an act of perfect contrition (have perfect contrition in their heart). There are exceptions to this, say, danger of death. That you don’t have time to go to confession this week and want to receive at Sunday mass is not a reason. If you are on a battlefront without a priest, reasons begin to emerge.

CIC (canon law)

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

 

[littleone]

What I want to know is this: say you pray an act of contrition–you are sorry for your sin but are not PERFECTLY CONTRITE–let’s say you’re 99% CONTRITE.

You tell God you are sorry for mortally sinning and promise to go to a Catholic priest for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

On the way to making your confession to a Catholic priest a drunk driver hits your car and you die.

Will you go to Hell?

Brother Don’t we know that God’s mercy is greater than any love we could ever know? That He firstly forgives us 7 times 70 before he askes us to do the same. he must because He is the auther of the book we read, the bible.
. ANOTHER POINT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP IS THIS. How do you know when you are 100%contrite?
Come on, only God knows the amount of contrite we are.
Say for instance I sin, I go to confession, and I’m sorry because I don’t want to go to hell, am I contrite… doesn’t seem like it.
So I wonder if some one here might be looking into something we should leave to God.

I sin, I sin again against my neighbour, and I realise so i get on my nees and ask God to forgive me. Does God forgive me? Well in my bible maybe not…point is that God says in the bible

“Why do you come to me your God, who you cannot see, to ask forgiveness before you go to your brother, who you have sinned against, and ask forgiveness”?.
Now I think that that would give you more of an answer to most situations, since most sins are against our neighbour.

It seems that some people forget that some sins we commit against ourselves are forgiven or covered by God’s mercy.
Like when some people repeatedly sin against their own body, say smoking, excessive drink masterbation etc/ Now the person goes back to God askes for forgiveness and askes God to help because the person tells God they can’t do it by themself. They keep on asking they keep on sinning. One day God gives the person the grace to not sin in this form. The person is then healed no more sin in that form, through God’s healing.
All because of God wanting that person to go through purification, making them ready for ministry the next life or all for God’s glory.

That seems like a God I would follow.
I don’t ask the questions I read the Bible and leave the rest up to God.
All glory to God on High.

 

[littleone]

This may be helpful to the discussion:

Scroll down to –

Re: The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that if a person makes a “perfect” act of contrition, his mortal sins are forgiven if he has the firm amendment to go to sacramental confession as soon as possible. Does this mean that a person in the pew at Sunday morning Mass, after supposedly making a perfect act of contrition, can receive the Eucharist at that Mass?

catholic.com/thisrock/2006/0605qq.asp

All this seems to me to be a lot of reading but where is the heart of mercy. Surley God’s mercy is greater than reading all the books. We are not children in this matter. I believe that we are adults and maybe the point not mentioned here could be looked at.
What if the person did sin and then couldn’t get in touch with their priest and on their knees asked foregiveness through Jesus. Is Jesus love and mercy not strong enough to cover that. is Our God not good enough to hear the words of a sinner and foregive the person?
I think so, and maybe that’s the way we should look at the situation!

 

[Pug]

God says in the bible

“Why do you come to me your God, who you cannot see, to ask forgiveness before you go to your brother, who you have sinned against, and ask forgiveness”?

I don’t recognize this as a particular verse. Can you tell me which you meant? The only thing that springs to mind is one about how you can’t love God, whom you don’t see, if you don’t love your brother, whom you do see. That is from 1john.

I agree with you, littleone, that God can handle a sinner who falls on their knees to repent before they die, even if they can’t go to a priest before they die. I don’t think, however, that their words of repentance deserve or merit that God forgive them. I think God himself gave them the heart of repentance, and that is why they fell to their knees.

 

[littleone]

Hi Pug
The reading I will have to look up when I get home from work, yes I do get paid in this time, but I have to stay in the office for 1/2 hour each 1 hour.not bad eh, so they give me a computer…Wow, no complaint.

Yes i agree with your thoughts, that it is NOT of our doing least one should take merit of being saved or being forgiven, least we boast in pride of our own giving our heart to God.

So also if it that when one finds themself on their knees it is because of the saving mercy of God that comes to our heart and the spirit that gives us realisation, that the only rightful place to go, in asking forgiveness for our sin is on our knees in front of our Pure God.

 

[littleone]

Pug
I think the whole the whole line went: Why do you come to your God who you cannot see and ask forgiveness, when you have not gone to our brother who you can see, and ask forgiveness? Go to our brother who you have sinned against and ask forgiveness and your Father in heaven will then forgive you.
He was talking about people who are to puffed up in pride to go to the one they had transgressed against.
I asked Jesus about a person who had come to me and said that they would go to God and ask forgiveness, never mind the person who theyhad hurt. I thought that this was wrong I could see pride right away.

 

[Pug]

He was talking about people who are to puffed up in pride to go to the one they had transgressed against.

This reminds me of a line from Matthew5:

if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

It can be pride that makes us not want to make things right with our brother. Perhaps we fear to look stupid. It is easy to be fearful if we forget to live for Christ in every moment. It is easy to get distracted from that.

 

[900fillpower]

Thinking of going to Confession today. I have not been able to receive Absolution (because I am to addicted/selfish to give up my sins of the flesh,lust. Especially I struggle with (I firmly resolve to sin no more and avoid the near occasion of sin) Then two hours later I am smoking a cigarette and watching to much TV but hopefully I will not be committing sins of the flesh.

Greatful that I was raised in a church with Confession to an actual person/Priest.