Please explain how Communion and the Sacrament of Confession take away sins differently

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Bouligny

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If we make a perfect act of contrition and then go to Communion right after, what other sins are forgiven in Communion?
 
Bouligny said:
If we make a perfect act of contrition and then go to Communion right after, what other sins are forgiven in Communion?
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If we make a perfect Act of Contrition all sins are forgiven, in communion only venial sins (the minor sort that don’t need confession) are forgiven.

The fact that an act of perfect contrition forgives all sins doesn’t mean we are fit to receive Communion just from an Act of Perfect Contrition.

If one has mortal sin on one’s soul, one needs confesion before one can receive communion, even after an Act of Perfect Contrition. Urgent cases aside, like danger of death and no opportunity to confess.

It’s a bit like when your car engine breaks down - if you fix it with silly putty and duct tape it may hold together long enough to get you to the nearest garage, but you wouldn’t go further without getting it fixed by a qualified mechanic using proper tools. 👍
 
If our contrition were truly perfect, we would want to go to confession as soon as possible, and certainly before receiving Communion again.

Perfect contrition arises from (is motivated by) love of God, and knowledge that we have offended the One who loves us perfectly.

If our contrition is perfect, we would want to do anything in our power to make things right with our Beloved. And this includes making use of the Sacrament He has given us to take care of such things.

If we use the notion of “act of perfect contrition” as an excuse not to go to confession, I doubt that the contrition is really perfect.
 
I know that Communion forgives sins and so does the Sacrament of Penance. Does Holy Communion only forgive those sins that weren’t confessed? What does Holy Communion forgive if you confessed everything? Why go to Holy Communion if you have no need to have your sins forgiven? I guess we get strength not to sin in Holy Communion. I am just confused because they both forgive sins, and I don’t know what the difference is.
 
Bouligny said:
I know that Communion forgives sins and so does the Sacrament of Penance. Does Holy Communion only forgive those sins that weren’t confessed? What does Holy Communion forgive if you confessed everything? Why go to Holy Communion if you have no need to have your sins forgiven? I guess we get strength not to sin in Holy Communion. I am just confused because they both forgive sins, and I don’t know what the difference is.
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Well, only the sins that haven’t been confessed need forgiveness. Sins that have already been forgiven in confession don’t need repeated forgiveness, of course.

Remember the saying from scripture that even the just man falls seven times a day? and St John saying that ‘if we say we have no sin then we are liars and the truth is not in us’? So it is most unlikely, even if we have been to very recent confession, that we haven’t committed any fresh sins since, which sins of course need forgiveness.

But in the unlikely event that we ARE completely free of sin, of course communion, as all the sacraments, also gives us grace to strengthen us against future sin. Im that case it’s like a healthy person taking vitamins so that they don’t fall sick in future.

You can’t tell the difference between confession and communion? It’s already been explained - communion can only ever forgive venial sins and cannot forgive mortal (serious) sins. Confession forgives BOTH venial AND mortal sins.
 
Bouligny said:
I know that Communion forgives sins and so does the Sacrament of Penance. Does Holy Communion only forgive those sins that weren’t confessed? What does Holy Communion forgive if you confessed everything? Why go to Holy Communion if you have no need to have your sins forgiven? I guess we get strength not to sin in Holy Communion. I am just confused because they both forgive sins, and I don’t know what the difference is.
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The Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation, Confession) is the only ordinary means by which mortal (serious) sins can be forgiven. God can work outside the Sacrament when He wants to, but we are obliged to confess all mortal sins (unless it is impossible to do so), and it is the only way we can be ASSURED of God’s forgiveness. We can make an act of contrition; that is a good thing to do, but we must also go to confession if we have committed mortal sin.

Venial (less serious) sins can be forgiven in a variety of ways: an act of contrition, works of charity, any act of love of God or neighbor, including receiving Holy Communion. (The word “venial” means “easily forgivable.”) Going to Confession is not strictly necessary for the forgiveness of venial sins, but it is a good idea, because confession gives us specific graces to overcome the sins we confess, and left alone for too long, venial sins can lead us to commit more serious sin.
 
What is the Scripture basis for serious sins only being forgiven via Penance?

Matthew 6:14 *For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Luke 11:4 *And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

Romans 8:2 *For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

1John 1.7
7 *but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Mark 16:16 *He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;

John 10:9 *I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.

Acts 2:21 *And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 16:31 *And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.

Romans 10:9 *because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:
Romans 10:13 *for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Luke 7:50 *And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
 
USUlsterScot said:
What is the Scripture basis for serious sins only being forgiven via Penance?
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Matthew 16:18-19, where Christ gave the Church the authority to decide these things:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
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By the way, “What is the Scripture basis” for some people’s assertion that something is true only if it is found in Scripture?

John 21:25 clearly shows that all Jesus’ teachings are NOT contained in Scripture:
There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.
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2 Thessalonians 2:15 supports the authority of Sacred Tradition (the teachings of the Church that are handed down by means other than Scripture):
Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
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Bouligny said:
If we make a perfect act of contrition and then go to Communion right after, what other sins are forgiven in Communion?
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Page 73 of Schieler’s ‘Theory and Practice of the Confessional’, on, describes in detail what it takes to make a perfect act of contrition and its effects.

'Perfect contrition restores the sinner to grace at once, even before he has approached the Sacrament of Penance, though the desire of receiving the Sacrament is necessary; it removes the eternal punishment and in part the temporal punishment.

‘The first part of this statement is fidei proximo., for the Council of Trent teaches that perfect contrition reconciles man to God before the Sacrament is received, but that this reconciliation by perfect contrition is not effected without the desire which is included in the act of contrition, of receiving the Sacrament.’

'The necessity of this confession for all mortal sins committed after Baptism is a dogma of the Church, and rests on the divine institution of the Sacrament. . . Perfect contrition, as we have seen above, remits sin apart even from the Sacrament, but it does not remove the obligation of mentioning the sins so remitted to a duly authorized priest. The obligation remains, because by Christ’s command every mortal sin committed after Baptism must be submitted by confession to the power of the keys. This follows from the words of Our Lord (John xx. 23); hence the Council of Trent teaches that for those who have fallen into mortal sin after Baptism confession is as necessary as Baptism is to those who have not been baptized.

A perfect act of contrition includes the at the very least implicit desire to go to Confession:

“The sinner is restored to grace by perfect contrition without the Sacrament only when he has the intention of receiving it, for the actual, or at least intentional, reception of the Sacrament is the one single means ordained by Christ for the removal of mortal sin. This intention is included in the act of perfect contrition, as the Council of Trent goes on to teach; hence all theologians hold that the implicit desire (votum implicitum) is sufficient, for whoever has true contrition has the wish to fulfill all the commands of God, and hence the command of Christ enjoining the confession of sin. Perfect contrition is an act of perfect love, and this urges man to fulfill the commands of God in accordance with Christ’s words: “He who loves Me will keep My word.” Hence it may happen that a sinner is justified by an act of perfect contrition without any actual confession; it is sufficient that he does not exclude the purpose of confessing his sin.”

Even a person who has made a perfect act of contrition, if one has committed a mortal sin, is still as a general norm required to go to Confession before receiving the Eucharist. So, even if you somehow feel you are certain you have made a perfect act of contrition – to the Confessional you go.

"With respect to the Holy Eucharist the same Council [of Trent] declares that although the forgiveness of sin is certainly not the principal fruit of this Sacrament, yet, in accordance with our Lord’s commands, we should receive it in order thereby to be freed from our daily trespasses and strengthened against mortal sin.

Hence there is no doubt that the Holy Eucharist removes venial sins. But theologians do not agree how it produces this effect whether, as in the case of the three preceding Sacraments, immediately, ex opere operate, or only mediately, ex opere operantis. The champions of both views appeal to St. Thomas. . . "

For a sin to be forgiven it must be repented – no sin is, if not. Repented at the very least generally, if not specifically, so that if you receive Communion, Confession, or even Baptism, but do not actually repent a sin, that sin is not forgiven – in the case of Baptism, if later, after you Baptism you repent it, it will be immediately forgiven by the delayed but waiting effect of that Baptism.

I recommend striving to be as capable as possible to being capable of making regular acts of perfect contrition. It will do wonders for your devotional life to strive to have within yourself an un-self interested perfect love of God, that would rather plunge into all the pains of Hell rather than commit one single venial sin. 🙂 This is the sort of love that persistant, inspires wonders of devotion in your life and the giving up of every sinful occassion and taking up of every virtuous act, and keeps one in a consistent state of grace with ever growing additional graces.
 
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