Too much confession?

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Hello,

I struggle with habitual mortal sin. I’ve been going to confession very frequently sometimes even daily. I still keep falling into these habits almost every day even shortly after going to confession. The priest determined that my habit is not mortal sin since my ability to deliberately consent is compromised (addiction). He told me to keep receiving the Eucharist. He also told me not to confess more than once a week.

I still don’t feel it would be right to receive the body of the lord in this state of sin under the guise of free will being compromised from decades of habitual sin. I feel all this does is paint me as a victim and gives me an excuse to keep sinning.

I fear going to confession frequency has become as much of a habit as my sin. I feel I have devalued the sacrament of reconciliation or even making it sacrilegious.

Deep inside, I know I don’t want to give these habits up. I have the same problem St. Augustine had when he was young “Lord make me chaste, just not yet”.

I’m trying not to despair here but I feel so lost. I don’t know why I prefer these sins over the lord even though I know its leading to misery/demise.

I’m thinking it would be best if went to daily mass as much as I can and do spiritual communion (avoid the eucharist) while avoiding the sacrament of reconciliation until I find the will (with gods grace) to even want to change my life. Is this a good idea or a backwards way of thinking?

Any advice is much appreciated and I could use your prayers as well.
 
Have you fasted?

The discipline and self denial are good practice and penance.

And by fast I mean the recommended Church fast of one main meal and 2 lesser meals with no in between meal snacks’
 
I would follow your Priest’s advice and I would also seek ways to overcome my sin.

For example, if your sin is being impure with yourself, you might try praying to our Lady for help maintaining your chastity and say 3 Hail Mary’s.

Whatever your sin is, you might try the next time you feel a need to do this thing, to go to our Lady and ask her to take this sinful feeling and offer it up to Lord Jesus for sanctification.

You might try abstaining as long as you possibly can, and offer up your suffering in the meantime for the good of the Holy Souls in purgatory.

You might try praying the Divine Mercy chaplet and ask specifically that God have mercy on you and deliver you from your addiction. Likewise you may try this with the Rosary and ask our Lady to pray for you to be delivered from your addiction.

God knows we are not perfect and that it’s a struggle- but I do believe God appreciates all our efforts and will help you.
 
Work with a Priest to overcome these difficulties and know that Jesus Loves you…one needs yes to reject these sins.

Even if one fears one will fall again. One repents and avoids the near occasion -and seeks the helps one needs.

.,remember Jesus of Nazareth is the Lamb and the Good Shepherd.

"Jesus is called the Lamb: He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Someone might think: but how can a lamb, which is so weak, a weak little lamb, how can it take away so many sins, so much wickedness? With Love. With his meekness. Jesus never ceased being a lamb: meek, good, full of love, close to the little ones, close to the poor. He was there, among the people, healing everyone, teaching, praying. Jesus, so weak, like a lamb. However, he had the strength to take all our sins upon himself, all of them.

“But, Father, you don’t know my life: I have a sin that…, I can’t even carry it with a truck…”.

Many times, when we examine our conscience, we find some there that are truly bad! But he carries them. He came for this: to forgive, to make peace in the world, but first in the heart. Perhaps each one of us feels troubled in his heart, perhaps he experiences darkness in his heart, perhaps he feels a little sad over a fault… He has come to take away all of this, He gives us peace, he forgives everything. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away sin”: he takes away sin, it’s root and all! This is salvation Jesus brings about by his love and his meekness. And in listening to what John the Baptist says, who bears witness to Jesus as the Saviour, our confidence in Jesus should grow. Many times we trust a doctor: it is good, because the doctor is there to cure us; we trust in a person: brothers and sisters can help us. It is good to have this human trust among ourselves. But we forget about trust in the Lord: this is the key to success in life. Trust in the Lord, let us trust in the Lord! “Lord, look at my life: I’m in the dark, I have this struggle, I have this sin…”; everything we have: “Look at this: I trust in you!”. And this is a risk we must take: to trust in Him, and He never disappoints."

~Pope Francis

vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140119_omelia-parrocchia-sacro-cuore-gesu_en.html

“Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” who goes in search of lost sheep, who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them (cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7; Jn 10:2-4, 11-18). He is the way, the right path that leads us to life (cf. Jn 14:6), the light that illuminates the dark valley and overcomes all our fears (cf. Jn 1:9; 8:12; 9:5; 12:46).”

~Pope Benedict XVI

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20111005_en.html

"I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since “no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”.[1] The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to say to Jesus: “Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more into your redeeming embrace”. How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost!

Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which impels us onwards!"

~ Pope Francis

EVANGELII GAUDIUM
 
steam said:
I’m thinking it would be best if went to daily mass as much as I can and do spiritual communion (avoid the eucharist) while avoiding the sacrament of reconciliation until I find the will (with gods grace) to even want to change my life. Is this a good idea or a backwards way of thinking?

Any advice is much appreciated and I could use your prayers as well.
Click to expand...
No, it would really be best to follow your priest’s advice. You need the strength and grace of receiving the Eucharist.

I’d also suggest talking to a therapist; maybe there’s something underlying this that you could get some help with.
 
steam said:
Hello,

I struggle with habitual mortal sin. I’ve been going to confession very frequently sometimes even daily. I still keep falling into these habits almost every day even shortly after going to confession. The priest determined that my habit is not mortal sin since my ability to deliberately consent is compromised (addiction). He told me to keep receiving the Eucharist. He also told me not to confess more than once a week.

I still don’t feel it would be right to receive the body of the lord in this state of sin under the guise of free will being compromised from decades of habitual sin. I feel all this does is paint me as a victim and gives me an excuse to keep sinning.

I fear going to confession frequency has become as much of a habit as my sin. I feel I have devalued the sacrament of reconciliation or even making it sacrilegious.

Deep inside, I know I don’t want to give these habits up. I have the same problem St. Augustine had when he was young “Lord make me chaste, just not yet”.

I’m trying not to despair here but I feel so lost. I don’t know why I prefer these sins over the lord even though I know its leading to misery/demise.

I’m thinking it would be best if went to daily mass as much as I can and do spiritual communion (avoid the eucharist) while avoiding the sacrament of reconciliation until I find the will (with gods grace) to even want to change my life. Is this a good idea or a backwards way of thinking?

Any advice is much appreciated and I could use your prayers as well.
Click to expand...
We cannot countermand advice like this given to you in Confession. It’s important to give the priest the whole story, but obviously, on some level you want to do something about the habits, or you wouldn’t be even be going.

Addiction is a condition that can make a grave matter a venial sin so what the priest said makes some sense. I think you may want to meet with the priest outside of Confession to discuss this.
 
If you are certain that you are not committing mortal sins, then, I recommend at the very most go to confession weekly. Don’t go more than weekly. Every time you fall into sin, try your best to make an act of perfect contrition.
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.”

There are 5 qualities or elements that must be in the act of perfect contrition:
Interior,
Supernatural,
Universal,
Supreme, and
Intense.
[edited]
Click to expand...
taken from catholicfirst.com/thefaith/prayers/perfectactcontrition.html
 
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