Bulletin Q&A Article; Published 5-26-24:
What can be said to someone who attends Mass regularly and receives Communion, but has not been to confession in years? How can they be encouraged to receive sacramental confession?
Let us begin by looking at the Church’s requirements for receiving the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. The Catechism refers to Canon 989 of Canon Law which states: “After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.” The Catechism goes on to state: “Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession” (CCC #1457).Unless an individual has committed a mortal, there is no obligation to go to confession once a year or before receiving Holy Communion.
However, the Church offers encouragement to go to confession even if there are no mortal sins to confess: “Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful” (CCC # 1458). The benefits of the sacrament go beyond simply the forgiveness of our sins. We can see this in the many names the Church gives to the sacrament. “It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin. It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner’s personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction. It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a ‘confession’ – acknowledgment and praise – of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man. It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest’s sacramental absolution God grants the penitent ‘pardon and peace.’ It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s call: ‘Go; first be reconciled to your brother.’” (CCC #1423-24).
Sacramental confession strengthens our relationship with God and gives us strength to persevere. At our baptisms the stain of original sin was removed, but concupiscence remains. It is a tendency to sin to satisfy the desires of the flesh. I read one explanation of concupiscence that likened it to a car that was out of alignment. A car that is out of alignment will not travel straight down the highway if you take your hands off the wheel. It will swerve to the right or to the left. There is a constant need to give attention to the steering wheel to keep the car on the straight path. There is a steady tug trying to pull the car into the ditch. And so it is with us. There is a steady tug on us to pull us into the spiritual ditch. If we get out of control and end up in the ditch by committing mortal sin, we obviously need to tow ourselves to confession. But the sacrament also gives us strength to help prevent us from going into the ditch in the first place, from entering onto a slippery slope. We receive graces to strengthen our commitment to “avoid the near occasions and to sin no more.” We are strengthened to be better in control of the steering wheel of our lives.
If we have a loved one who does not go to confession, we first need to understand their hesitancy and reluctance so that those issues can be addressed—maybe a personal discussion with a priest might be in order to address those issues. If it is not known that the person is in a state of mortal sin (and how could we possibly know the state of someone’s soul), we should try to approach them in a way that encourages them to want to go to confession, not one that tries to convince them that they must go to confession.