Some questions about the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
How often do I have to go to Confession? Well, ideally, we should be thinking of "getting to go" rather than "having to go," but to help us benefit for the Sacrament, the Church says that every Catholic is to confess serious sins at least once a year. Anyone who is aware of having committed a serious (mortal) sin must not receive Holy Communion without first receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
What is a mortal sin anyway? A mortal sin "destroys the divine life in the soul of the sinner" because we reject His sanctifying grace when we deliberately choose to turn away from God.
Three conditions must be present in order for a sin to be mortal:
- It must be serious/grave offense.
- We do it even though we know it is seriously wrong.
- We deliberately consent to it.
Can you give some examples of mortal sins? Considering the above conditions are present, killing someone, being unfaithful to one's spouse, robbing someone, harming someone reputation, missing Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation, looking at pornography, having sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage, using contraceptives... are some examples.
What is a venial sin? Do I ever need to confess those? A venial sin does not destroy the divine life in the soul but it does wound and diminish it. It is a failure to observe the moral laws in less grave matters, or it is committing a mortal sin without full knowledge or complete consent. Because the Sacrament of Penance helps us to assess our spiritual state, brings us peace of conscience, and gives us special graces to follow Jesus more closely, it is good to go to Confession even if we have only venial sins to confess.
