Confession

[N/A Gone]

In listening to an audio file on Christology from Fransican Universite Steubanville, the prof states that in the first couple hundred years of the church (noted in the Nicene council) that there was only 1 time we could attend confession. And the only sins in which we needed to confess were apostacy, murder, adultry. (the process itself was lengthy and very different then now) I know it has changed, but why and how often are we instructed to attend confession considering it was not as it is now?

[cappie]

The practice of confession as you note has varied over the years the current rule is mentioned in Canon Law:

Can. 988 §1 The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after careful examination of conscience they are aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession.

§2 The faithful are recommended to confess also venial sins.

[b]Can. 989 All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once a year. [/b]

The sacrament in different centuries has had different emphases from only confessing once in your lifetime to regular weekly confession and all the variations in between.

This is an article on frequent confession by Karl Rahner:

[url="http://ldysinger.stjohnsem.edu/@texts2/1960_rahner/05-TI3-13_frq_cnf.htm"]ARTICLE[/url]