Confession Is Obligatory More Than Once a Year in Certain Situations
While Catholics should be well aware that it is a precept of the Church to confess at least once a year – and that we are required to make a Sacramental Confession for any mortal sins before receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion – there are other situations when Sacramental Confession may be obligatory.[i]
One such instance is when Confession is stipulated in the rule of life to which a consecrated religious has vowed obedience. But there are three other incidents specifically concerning times of temptation. The faithful should be informed of these occasions so they can have recourse to the Sacrament of Confession.
We invite those interested in this topic to attend our conference,
“Fatima for the Next Generation.”
At the conference, Father Karl Stehlin will provide a practical workshop on “Making the Most of Your Confession.” The conference will include several other workshops that delve into practical spiritual matters, such as praying the Rosary more fruitfully, discerning God’s will, and tips for mental prayer.
Three Times When Confession Becomes a Moral Obligation, Including in Times of Temptation
Fr. Dominic Prummer, in his Handbook of Moral Theology, explains that Catholics are bound – by divine precept – to confess their sins when in actual or probable danger of death and at several other times during their life. He explains:
“The same precept is binding for incidental reasons, a) when the sinner wishes to receive Holy Communion; b) when the state of grace is necessary and the sinner cannot be morally certain of eliciting an act of perfect contrition; c) when it is impossible to overcome some serious temptation, especially an evil habit, without the aid of confession.”
Holy Mother Church also encourages her children to make a Sacramental Confession before receiving the ‘Sacraments of the Living.’ In this context, ‘living’ refers to supernatural life (that is, the state of grace). Only two sacraments can be received by those not in the state of grace: Baptism and Confession. The other five should only be received by those in the state of grace. Most well-formed Catholics know this regarding Holy Communion and Extreme Unction. However, many Catholics have forgotten that it is important to make a good confession just before being confirmed and before making solemn vows before God, be they marriage vows, religious vows, or receiving Holy Orders.
To Delay Confession of Mortal Sins More Than a Month is a Mortal Sin
In fact, according to St. Alphonsus Liguori, to delay confession of mortal sin for more than a month is a new mortal sin on the soul:
“As God is ever pouring richer and richer graces on those who make good use of them and cooperate with them, so He withdraws them from those who neglect and resist them. Hence, we may adopt the well-founded teaching of St Alphonsus, who states that the sinner ought not to put off for longer than a month his reconciliation with God … By such delay, he would incur a new sin” (Theory and Practice of the Confessional by Caspar Erich Schieler, published in 1905, page 86).
Note: This of course presumes the delay is intentional. Naturally, if the person in mortal sin does not have the opportunity to go to confession (e.g. he is bedridden, imprisoned, or lives in a remote area visited by a priest a few times a year), then no additional mortal sin would be incurred by the delay. Let us not forget that a mortal sin requires three conditions: grave matter, sufficient knowledge, and deliberate consent. For more on this, read “Does Sin Reside in the Will?” published April 12, 2024.
Do Not Neglect Confession for Lack of Tears
Some Catholics may stay away from Confession because they feel they do not hate sin enough and are not sorry enough for their sins. However, contrition – while required for valid confession – does not require tears of sorrow and complete certainty of never sinning again. Those who take these requirements to an [erroneous] extreme deprive themselves of God’s grace in the confessional and thereafter in the Holy Eucharist. The Sacraments are true medicine for the soul and making a Sacramental Confession and receiving Holy Communion often[ii] is praiseworthy and should not be discouraged.
To be clear, the Sacrament of Confession does not require the actual shedding of tears or perfect contrition.[iii] Imperfect contrition (fear of punishment) is valid matter for the Sacrament, as taught in the Roman Catechism: “But although contrition is defined as sorrow, the faithful are not thence to conclude that this sorrow consists in sensible feeling; for contrition is an act of the will….”
Frequent Confession Is an Enemy of the Devil
Frequent Confession restores sanctifying grace in our souls if we were in the state of mortal sin before our Confession, absolves all venial and mortal sins, strengthens our resolve, and helps us grow in virtue. And it is a powerful means of help in times of temptation. The Roman Catechism reminds the faithful that the Sacrament of Confession is never exhausted:
“The faithful should be careful above all to cleanse their consciences from sin by frequent confession. When a person is in mortal sin nothing can be more salutary, so precarious is human life, than to have immediate recourse to confession. But even if we could promise ourselves a long life, it would be truly disgraceful that we who are so particular in whatever relates to cleanliness of dress or person were not at least equally careful in preserving the luster of the soul unsullied from the foul stains of sin.”
Typically, Catholics should strive to go to Confession every two to four weeks, though some may need to go more or less often. Those who struggle with mortal sins may need to go more often, whereas those who are prone to scrupulosity (the feeling that everything is a sin) should go less often.
Every Catholic should have an honest discussion with their confessor to determine how often they should receive the Sacrament.
But do not neglect Confession for fear that you are not sorrowful enough. It is a trick of the devil to keep you away from the confessional.
ENDNOTES:
[i] Ecclesiastical law requires the following, according to c. 906: “Every one of the faithful of either sex on attaining the age of discretion, i.e. the use of reason, is bound to confess sincerely all sins at least once a year.” This precept is not satisfied by a sacrilegious or invalid confession (ibid. c. 007); but all the faithful may make their confession to any approved confessor even of another Rite (c. 905). (Source: Fr. Dominic Prummer, in his Handbook of Moral Theology, page 300.)
[ii] Regarding receiving Holy Communion often, it is essential to follow the requirements set forth by Pope St. Pius X. Those dispositions can be found at https://fatima.org/news-views/catholic-apologetics-168/
[iii] On the subject of contrition, the Catholic Encyclopedia states: “Catholic teaching distinguishes a twofold hatred of sin; one, perfect contrition, rises from the love of God Who has been grievously offended; the other, imperfect contrition, arises principally from some other motives, such as loss of Heaven, fear of hell, the heinousness of sin, etc. (Council of Trent, Sess. XIV, ch. Iv, de Contritione).”
While those who are dying without Confession and with mortal sin on their souls will need to make such a perfect act of contrition in order to avoid hell, we too can seek to make perfect acts of contrition whenever we sin. However, as an important clarification, even those who make a perfect act of contrition must confess their sins in the Confessional at the next available opportunity, as the Catechism of St. Pius X clarifies: “Perfect sorrow does not obtain us pardon of our sins independently of confession, because it always includes the intention to confess them.”