Daily Confession Question

[TheUbiquitous]

Knowing that Confession is first and foremost a Sacrament of healing and forgiveness, and second that it provides the grace to avoid sin, a question comes up regarding the frequency of confession. Here's the argument trusted friends advance:

[indent=1]Daily Confession should of course to be encouraged. You shower every day, don't you?[/indent]

Foolishly maybe, I didn't give that a second thought --- and then a diocesan priest said something like this:

[indent=1]If it has only been one day since your last Confession, are you really taking advantage of the grace of the Sacrament? Are you really contrite? Are you coming back tomorrow? And the day after that? [/indent]

Obviously, if Confession is warranted it should be pursued, and again obviously there should be no abuse of Confession in the form of "I'll sin now because I know I can be absolved later." But barring these points for a moment, consider Daily Confession as a practice.

Under what circumstances should Daily Confession be encouraged?

[truthfinder]

I know there were a couple medieval mystics who would have their confession heard up to four times a day. Honestly, I don't think it should be promoted. It can lead to scruples and a degradation of sorts of the sacrament's worth. Before you mention about Communion being taken daily - there usually is not the same sense of fearing one's sins. I obviously value Confession being made available - I myself have had the need to go to Confession twice in two days. But that was a one-time thing where I fell badly and needed the sacrament. But as an on-going perpetual sort of cycle I'm not sure. I would only have daily Confession under the orders of a spiritual director for what I imagine would be a limited amount of time to break some sort of habitual mortal sin.

[cmaD2006]

I'm assuming that the person isn't abusing the sacrament (i.e. "I know I will be forgiven, so let me go ahead and sin"). And I am also going to assume that if the person is even interested in Daily Confession the person *probably* is not commonly commiting mortal sin (because if you are on a daily basis, then most likely you don't care even to go to yearly confession due to the serious pattern of sin).

Actually, I don't know if I will start a firestorm by saying this. Daily confession should *not* be encouraged. Weekly confession should suffice UNLESS you fall under mortal sin (in which case, go to the first available confession).

A person who is scrupulous would be tempted to go on a daily basis. And a person fighting scruples probably shouldn't even go on a weekly basis because it may fuel the scrupulosity.

What the diocesan priest says is true: there is a grace to the sacrament. At Mass, there are numerous points which serve for the remission of venial sins (at least if prayed with true contrition). So -- theoretically speaking, other than the Church precept of receiving the Sacrament of Confession at least once a year, then Daily confession is really overkill.

Why confession more than the minimal as required by the Church if you're not in mortal sin -- it is more for "us", to help us be more aware of habitual venial sin. But to go say more than weekly (and I wouldn't recommend weekly to everyone, especially not for the scrupulous) really is not relying on the grace of the sacrament.

Edited September 16, 2012 by cmariadiaz

[TheUbiquitous]

[indent=1][b]1458[/b] 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 ...[/indent]

Yet "regular" confession is specifically recommended. How regular?

Where in the Catechism is there a teaching regarding that grace other than the grace of reconciling with the Church comes with the sacrament? (That is, grace which we use to prevent further sin.)

[cappie]

Though it may be clear that frequent sacramental confession, besides its objective and other effects, is also a training in a most basic Christian attitude towards God (and this towards the forgiving God), this does not of course make it possible to deduce a priori from its nature a mathematical rule as to its frequency.

Any more exact determination of frequency is a matter for experience and positive law. There is no reason for doubting that the actual practice of the Church does as a general rule in fact hit the right measure. In individual cases general rules regarding the frequency of confession should be left to the individual circumstances and special needs of the penitent. For it must never be forgotten that there is no obligation of divine law to make a confession of devotion. No doubt there is also a frequency of confession which can no longer be justified for intrinsic reasons. In this matter, the principle `the more the better’ no longer holds. A sacramental judgement by God on the sinner of its very nature cannot be as frequent as, for example, the daily nourishment of the soul.

The meaning of frequent confession of devotion ultimately is that we might meet the reconciling God as often as possible in the way in which the God of ‘un-owed’ grace reveals himself most clearly.

“ It's true, in general our sins are always the same, but we clean our house, our room, at least every week, although the dirt is always the same. Confession is necessary only in the case of grave sin. But it is very useful to go to confession regularly to cultivate cleanliness and beauty of soul, and to mature little by little in life.” Pope Benedict XVI

[TheUbiquitous]

Thank you very much.

Where in the Catechism is there a teaching regarding that grace other than the grace of reconciling with the Church comes with the sacrament? (That is, grace which we use to prevent further sin.)

[cappie]

I can't find a quote from the CCC but I was taught in the Seminary: When received without any mortal sin on the soul, the sacrament of Reconciliation imparts to the soul an increase in sanctifying grace. This means that there is a deepening and strengthening of that divine-life-shared by which the soul is united to God.

In the Baltimore Catechism it states:

Question 145: Besides sanctifying grace, do the Sacraments give any other grace?
Answer: Besides sanctifying grace, the Sacraments give another grace, called sacramental.

Question 146: What is sacramental grace?
Answer: Sacramental grace is a special help which God gives to attain the end for which He instituted each Sacrament.
Explanation: For example, what was the end for which Penance was instituted? To forgive sins and keep us out of sin. Therefore -the sacramental grace given in Penance is a grace that will enable us to overcome temptation and avoid the sins we have been in the habit of committing.