Easter Duty
- FR. WILLIAM SAUNDERS
My child is preparing for first penance. The Director of Religious Education at my parish said that a person only has to go to confession when he has a mortal sin. I know children that have not gone to confession since first penance. I was taught that a person had to make an "Easter duty" of going to confession and Holy Communion. What is correct?
Our
Lord Jesus Christ suffered, died and rose for our salvation to forgive
our sins and to offer us everlasting life in heaven. Moreover, He wanted His healing
ministry of forgiveness for sin to continue through the sacrament of penance.
On the night of the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and said, "As
the Father has sent Me, so I send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
mens sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound"
(Jn 20:21-23). Therefore, all of the faithful who are conscious of sin should
avail themselves to the reconciling graces offered through the sacrament of penance.
Granted, the person who is conscious of mortal sin must receive sacramental
absolution for forgiveness. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches,
"Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of Gods
law; it turns man away from God, Who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by
preferring an inferior good to Him" (No. 1855). Therefore, sacramental absolution
is necessary to forgive mortal sin, to restore the sanctifying grace in a persons
soul and to reconcile the person fully with God and neighbor.
This teaching
was clearly articulated in a previous age of confusion: The Council of Trent,
responding to the objections of the Protestant leaders who denied the sacrament
of penance and the need for confession, taught, "All mortal sins of which penitents
after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession,
even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts
of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and
are more dangerous than those which are committed openly" (Doctrine on the Sacrament
of Penance").
This teaching has been most recently repeated by our late
Holy Father, Pope John Paul II in Ecclesia de Eucharistia: "I therefore
desire to reaffirm that in the Church there remains in force, now and in the future,
the rule by which the Council of Trent gave concrete expression to the Apostle
Pauls stern warning then it affirmed that, in order to receive the Eucharist
in a worthy manner, one must first confess ones sins, when one is aware of mortal
sin (No. 36).... If a Christians conscience is burdened by serious sin, then
the path of penance through the sacrament of Reconciliation becomes necessary
for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice (No. 37)."
The only
exception to this norm, according to the Catechism, is when a person "has
a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to
confession" (No. 1457). Emphasis here must be placed on the phrasing "grave reason"
and "no possibility."
While confession is necessary for the forgiveness
of mortal sin, it is also a most important means of grace and a good spiritual
practice for the forgiveness of venial sin. Pope John Paul II, in a general audience
address given on September 15, 1999, reminded bishops of "the importance of the
necessary pastoral care for instilling a greater appreciation of the sacrament
[of penance] in the People of God, so that the message of reconciliation, the
path of conversion and the very celebration of the sacrament can more deeply touch
the hearts of the men and women of our day."
Our late Holy Father also
stated, "It would, therefore, be foolish, as well as presumptuous, to wish arbitrarily
to disregard the means of grace and salvation which the Lord has provided and,
in the specific case, to claim to receive forgiveness while doing without the
sacrament which was instituted by Christ precisely for forgiveness" ("On Reconciliation
and Penance," No. 31).
Consequently, a faithful Catholic must never
discount the spiritual exercise of confession, from beginning to end: to take
the time to diligently examine ones conscience, to have contrition (i.e. sorrow
for sin), to make a firm amendment not to sin again, to confess ones sins, and
to receive absolution and the graces which heal the soul of sin, restore fully
sanctifying grace and fortify it against future temptation. Regular confession
of venial sin helps the individual to form his conscience better, fight against
temptation, be aware of the occasions of sin and progress in the life of the Holy
Spirit (cf. Catechism, No. 1458).
Yes, strictly speaking, the
Code of Canon Law asserts, "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" (No. 989). However, the Code also asserts, "It is
to be recommended to the Christian faithful that venial sins also be confessed"
(No. 988.2). (This regulation is a slight variation of the old "Easter Duty" prescribed
by the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) which stated, "Every faithful of either sex
who has reached the age of discretion should at least once a year faithfully confess
all his sins in secret to his own priest. He should strive as far as possible
to fulfill the penance imposed on him, and with reverence receive at least during
Easter time the sacrament of the Eucharist.")
Only a legalist would
suggest that a person only has to go to confession when in a state of mortal sin,
thereby hinting regular confession is not necessary. Regular confession is the
recipe for sainthood, and all of the saints of our Church knew it. As we continue
our Easter celebration, we must not forget those graces of forgiveness and reconciliation
the Risen Lord offers to each of us through the sacrament of penance.
This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
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Acknowledgement
Saunders, Rev. William. "Easter Duty." Arlington Catholic Herald.
This article is reprinted with permission from Arlington Catholic Herald.
The Author
Father William Saunders is pastor of Our Lady of Hope parish in Potomac Falls, Virginia. He is dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College. The above article is a "Straight Answers" column he wrote for the Arlington Catholic Herald. Father Saunders is the author of Straight Answers, a book based on 100 of his columns, and Straight Answers II.
Copyright © 2005 Arlington Catholic Herald