This is one question that used to confuse me. I previously did some online researching so as to know what the consensus was, but I realized that opinions on the matter varied among Catholics. Most written materials I could find enumerated the steps on how to prepare for and make a good Confession, but they said little about how frequent it must be done. For those of you who truly desire to live a life in state of grace, I’m certain that you also had this question in mind or still have.
In this Post, I am sharing with you the suggested resolution to the question, based on personal experience and credible religious advice.
So, how often should we go to Confession?
Hint: More than once a year.
1. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, each faithful of right discerning age is “bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.” (CCC 1457) Some might be tempted to just do the minimum. The Church allows it at one per year after all. But diligent self-examination will reveal that almost each one of us, if not all, actually sin several times- making a yearly Confession simply not enough.
2. How about for those people who believe that all they commit are so-called “venial” sins and never the “serious” ones as stated in the aforementioned Church teaching? For one, we must be very careful not to ‘downplay’ the real gravity of our sins. And even if it’s true that all our sins are only “everyday faults,” as the Church calls them, it is “nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church… to [do] regular confession of our venial sins… [it] helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit.” (CCC 1458)
3. In gist, here’s what my holy spiritual adviser, who is a member of Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism (AMOE), a reputable Ministry of the Catholic Church, told me- Go to Confession as many times as possible as you think you need so. It means that if you’re experiencing an ongoing struggle with a sin, such that you can’t stop it, you can go to Confession even as often as once a week.
4. However, I was reminded and cautioned to confess any sin only once, and not repeatedly, unless of course I commit the sin again. There was a religious order (which I won’t name) I encountered that claimed that a past sin, which you already confessed, should be confessed again over and over, even if you had not been doing it anymore, until you “feel right” about it. Such practice is part of what they call a “General Confession,” wherein every sin you ever committed, even during your earlier years as a child, is recalled to mind to be confessed again. While the idea sounded nice, I consulted that scenario with my spiritual adviser for a few times, and was told that such activity would constitute as sin of Pride.
5. I agree with the said spiritual advice. The Catholic Church teaches us that once a sin, no matter how grave, is properly confessed to a priest, God does forgive it. At times, people find it quite hard to believe, due to guilt, scrupulosity, doubt or other reasons, that the sin they sincerely confessed was forgiven. You have to confess it, only when you commit the same sin again. Otherwise, it is forgiven for eternity.
6. My spiritual adviser and the holy Exorcists-priests of the same Ministry said that even the Devil and other demons forget every particular sin you committed when it was absolved through the Sacrament of Penance. It is as though it never existed. The evil spirits could only guess what sins you might be struggling with by looking at your behavior and spiritual life. But God, in His goodness, totally erases the confessed sin from their memory.
7. Earlier, I mentioned about the “sin of pride.” It is true, what my spiritual adviser told me, that repeatedly confessing due to lack of faith in God’s forgiveness is considered as pride. Why is that so? It is like you are telling God, “I know better than You do, that my sin is not forgivable, and that You haven’t really forgiven me, even I went to Confession.” I also read that when you have such a disposition, you are actually committing another sin, which is called “sin against the Holy Spirit.” Take note, if you ever felt this way toward God or the Sacrament, you should include the sin of pride and the sin against the Holy Spirit in your list for your next Confession.
8. You might say, “I have never committed this or that mortal sin again. So why should I go to Confession?” That is because, as mentioned earlier, some sins might not be mortal per se, but are considered “grave.”
9. In a similar manner, ‘lighter’ or ‘venial’ sins result to behavioral problems or personal struggles that are not ‘grave’ or ‘mortally sinful,’ but can still affect or hurt the people around you, especially those who live with you, such as your family members.
10. For example, you are struggling with spending spree. It is not a mortal sin to spend and splurge the money you have. But it is better to go to Confession for it regularly, until you are free from that bad habit. It is different from what I said earlier about confessing the sin just once, since this spending spree habit is actively being committed by you. The struggle is not finished yet. And why spending spree can be considered a sin? That is because buying things you don’t necessarily need, and in excess, is a form of greed. You can instead donate some money to the poor, or give the money to help your family members.
11. Another example is if you suffer from depression. It is not a sin to be depressed. But I suggest for you to confess regularly its ill effects on yourself and the people around you. That is because many people who are depressed cause some problems or hardships to their family members and relationships, which may constitute as a sin, depending on the situation. At times, depressed people are not able to be active in their spiritual life, or look after their responsibilities as Catholics, such as constantly praying. Being too relaxed in one’s spiritual life is a sin.
12. There is another common sin that we always overlook- the sins of unforgiveness and anger. Many of us have been wronged by others. And I feel for you that it’s just not easy to forgive them, especially when they have never asked for your forgiveness. That is why, even it was not you who did an injustice to them, you must go to Confession regularly, until you are able to forgive them, or let go of the anger you are feeling against them.
13. Again, if you suffer from habitual sin you are not able to overcome yet, or behavioral issues that cause problems to the people around you and yourself, I suggest that you go to Confession as often as possible.
14. How ‘often’ is often? I go to Confession either once a month, or once every 2 weeks. The same principles I discussed above apply. I’m pleased to say that I have been living a morally upright life. But there are habitual sins or behavioral problems that I still need to correct and overcome.
15. One more tip I can give is for you to recall as much as possible the sins in your past that went unconfessed. They may come even from your earliest memories as a small child. Although by grace, they were retroactively forgiven through your prior Confessions, my spiritual advisors and other Catholics say that it is highly important that you mention these unconfessed sins in your next Confession. It doesn’t matter if these sins were committed decades ago, or everybody involved moved on from them. Still, mention these sins during your next Confession. Believe me, there is much value to it.
16. So what’s the value to it? The value is that constantly examining your conscience, and confessing your unconfessed sins from a distant past, at least in my experience, make my life lighter each time. I just feel the blessing of God being bestowed upon me. He frees and heals me from the penance, consequences, and wounds caused by the sins you committed in the past.
17. Another value is that, as I’m able to confess old unconfessed sins committed in the past, the more I’m able to avoid habitual sins in the present, and even overcome them completely.
18. Going to Confession once or twice a month not only purifies my conscience from guilt of the past, such as those lighter sins I committed as a kid, but also helps me in correcting those behavioral issues I think I should change.
19. I just want to remind you as well about the priests who seem to get ‘angry’ at you when they find out that it’s not been too long ago since you had your last Confession.
Among so many Confessors I encountered during Confession, I have observed that the ‘very modern’ priests are the ones against the practice of going to Confession frequently. There’s one who even shockingly told me that I, and people in general, should only do it once a year, even if the same sins are committed again and again. He reprimanded me a lot, that I felt like he was almost ‘angry’ at me. Oh boy, was I frightened. This always happened whenever he was the Confessor. I shared this experience to my spiritual adviser. And I was told to just ignore it.
20. Whenever you encounter these ‘very modern’ priests who discourage regular Confession and seem to get ‘angry’ at you, just focus on having a good Confession. But fear not, because I realize that these Confessors are minimal in number. Most of the priests, especially the ‘traditional’ ones, and those from the parishes, which have regular schedules of Confession, tell me that Catholics are advised to go to Confession at least once a month, and even once a week during times of struggle.
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Traditional Catholics still prefer to call Confession as the Sacrament of Penance. Vatican II refers to it as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Call it according to your preference. Personally, I believe that it should be more appropriately called as the Sacrament of Penance.
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Let us all go to the Sacrament of Penance every month as part of our spiritual life checklist, to keep our soul in state of grace, worthy of receiving the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and pray that all parishes in the world may have regular schedules of Confession.
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
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With the Corona Virus our local Catholic Church requires masks, social distancing limiting the amount of people allowed at Mass and Communion in the hand only. I am 66 years old and have never taken Communion in the hand as I believe it to be a sacrilege to do so. I watch and pray with EWTN daily Mass and Rosaries. With Easter approaching am I obliged to go to ‘in person’ Mass and receive in the hand against my better judgement? I have gone to Confession there but not Mass or Communion. What do you think I should do? Thank You so Much
I echo Greg – I’m a convert to the Catholic also entering at Easter Vigil in 2017. Just to be in Mass it is already Healing and is worse with the Sacrament of Confession, but I am still scared because where I am coming from there was nothing like confession and even the Holy Communion it was done once a month. I am really so thankful to be one of the Catholic Parishioners at St Patrick, Port Elizabeth in South Africa. There is tranquility and everything is just so practical. Safe regards to everyone.
What if u feel u didn’t confess your old sins properly and you try to re confess it to clear your conscience..have you also sinned against the Holy Spirit
Why cain’t I just pray to God (Jesus)….He.died for my sins and is an Advocate for me in the heavenly sanctuary per the Book of Hebrews??
Very thankful I came upon this post; it was very clear and helpful. I am a convert to the Catholic Church, entering at Easter Vigils 2017. The sacrament of Confession is such a healing place for the Body of Christ. As my Confessor said, “The Devil can’t get in here.”
Hi Greg. Thank you for your appreciation and kind words! I find it providential that I’m replying to your comment on Easter Vigil 2019, which is indirectly, the 2nd year that you have become our brother in Jesus Christ. Yes, I can personally attest to the healing that the Sacrament of Confession gives. It’s true what your Confessor said. May God bless you and your family, and have a blessed and glorious Easter Sunday.