Living Catholicism: How often should I go to Confession?

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October 19, 2004

How often should I go to Confession?

Often this question is phrased more like, “How often do I have to go to Confession.” But ultimately the question is the same. What is a good timeframe between confessions? It depends, but we can get at a decent answer using the Catholic Catechism.

What Confession Does
It’s important to note beforehand the reasoning behind confession in order to completely understand its’ value:

CCC 1458 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:

Whoever confesses his sins . . . is already working with God. God indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God. Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear "man" - this is what God has made; when you hear "sinner" - this is what man himself has made. Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has made .... When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. the beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light. (St. Augustine)

Confession not only obtains forgiveness for us, it also strengthens our will and forms our conscience. In other words, God not only pardons us during Confession, He also empowers us to resist sin in the future. This is important to understand: the more we go to Confession, the more Grace we have to resist future sins. This is a reason to go to Confession more often than necessarily required.
In addition, by going to frequent Confession we’re more likely to remember the sins committed than if we wait six months. This is particularly important for those fighting habitual sins or sins that are addictive in nature (such as sexual sins). When you’re really working to get out of this type of trap, Confession is an absolute necessity and the more often the better.

But what does the Church require?
The Church doesn’t require too much:

CCC 1457 According to the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year." 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. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.

So, technically, you’re only required to attend confession once a year provided you have no mortal sins on your soul. Of course, a person attending Confession only once a year is missing out on some of the better parts of a Sacramental life; you’re leaving Grace on the table when you need all the Grace you can get.

Practicality and Confession
But what’s practical? In the US, most parishes only offer confession for a couple hours a week – typically Saturday afternoons. This makes it slightly more difficult to attend Confession, since it doesn’t neatly fit into your schedule. However, remember that we should conform our lives to God’s schedule, not the other way around, so it does provide you with an opportunity to sacrifice some of your leisure plans for God, which is a good way to begin preparations for Confession!

The goal of every family should be to attend Confession monthly. If you can get into monthly Confessions, you have the opportunity to find a good spiritual director that you can see regularly. In addition, a monthly Confession really strengthens your resolve against sin and prepares you for the reality of life. It also provides you with four weekends to plan a day for Confession. I do believe that you should spend time – how much depends on each person – preparing for Confession by mentally reviewing your sins carefully, but that’s another post. If you feel monthly is overwhelming, try going every other month for a period of time and then working up to monthly.

Remember: every “extra” Confession you make it to gives you more of God’s power to resist sin and more time without sin on your soul. And that’s something worth taking time out for.