Question 9 - Confession Frequency
Father, how often should we go to Confession?
Confession is a Sacrament of the Church that has a double effect : it brings back Sanctifying Grace in the soul of those who have lost it and increases it in the soul of those who still have it when they come to confession; the secondary effect is what we call the Sacramental Grace, which is a Grace that is linked to the reception of the Sacrament and brings about a special help to fight against temptation.
The Commandment of the Church is to receive the Sacrament of Penance at least once a year. This is the very minimum. Good Catholics however should confess at least once a month and, if necessary, even more often. If we do not see the importance of going to confession at least once a month, it means that we do not have the proper understanding of the ugliness of sin, of the importance of the mystery of Redemption and of the necessity of Sacraments to give grace to our soul. If we lost the habit of Confession, the first thing to do is to get back the good habit of daily examination of conscience. Without examination of conscience, there is no real progress in perfection, and perfection (holiness) is the goal of our life.
If we have committed a mortal sin, we should go to confession as soon as possible. This will restore in us Divine Grace and prevent us from falling again. But it is important to point out that only those who have the firm intention of quitting mortal sin can receive the absolution of the priest. When I come to confession, I can sometimes know that I will very likely fall again one day in this or this particular sin, but I must have the intention of never falling again into it and, therefore, to avoid the occasions that lead me to sin.
