Bringing you the
"Good News" of Jesus Christ
and His Church While PROMOTING CATHOLIC
Apologetic Support groups loyal to the Holy Father and Church's
magisterium
I'm just a fifteen-year-old boy. I'm sorry if this question has already been asked because I wasn't able to find it. If it hasn't been asked, I don't mind this being posted on the website.
A priest told me that if I were to commit a sin and then "resolve" it, I wouldn't have to confess it. When he said "resolve," he meant something like "making amends". My mom told me that it wasn't true. Now, I don't know who to listen to.
If I'm not bothering you, I was just looking for a little clarification.
Thank you for being patient with me.
With Gratitude,
Jaden
{ I'm getting different views from my priest and mom. If a sin is resolved, do I still need Confession? }
Eric replied:
That's a great question, Jaden; thanks for asking it.
It isn't a bother at all. I hate to contradict a priest whom you should be trusting, but I'm afraid either you misunderstood him, or he gave you bad advice.
Whether a sin is "resolved" or not, doesn't affect whether it needs to be confessed. What affects whether a sin "needs" to be confessed, is whether you are conscious of having committed a serious sin. (YouCat #233ff, Catechism of the Catholic Church #1385).
YouCat
(1090-1153) 233ff What sins must be confessed?
Under normal circumstances, all serious sins that one remembers after making a thorough examination of conscience and that have not yet been confessed can be forgiven only in individual sacramental Confession. [1457]
Of course there will be reluctance before making a Confession. Overcoming it is the first step toward interior healing. Often it helps to think that even the ?POPE has to have the courage to confess his failings and weaknesses to another priest—and thereby to God. Only in life-or-death emergencies (for instance, during an airstrike in wartime or on other occasions when a group of people are in danger of death) can a priest administer “general absolution” to a group of people without the personal Confession of sins beforehand. However, afterwards, one must confess serious sins in a personal Confession at the first opportunity. 315-320
ABSOLUTION (from Latin absolvere = to loosen, acquit): The absolution of the priest is the sacramental forgiveness of one or more sins after the penitent’s Confession of sins. The formula of absolution reads:
God, the merciful Father, by the death and Resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church may He give you pardon and peace. And I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
234:
When is a Catholic obliged to confess his serious sins?
How often should one go to Confession?
Upon reaching the age of reason, a Catholic is obliged to confess his serious sins. The Church urgently advises the faithful to do this at least once a year. At any rate one must go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion if one has committed a serious sin. [1457] By “the age of reason”, the Church means the age at which one has arrived at the use of reason and has learned to distinguish between good and bad. 315-320
Catechism of the Catholic Church
"Take this and eat it, all of you": Communion.
.
.
1385 To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience:
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Communion.
A mortal sin is a sin that:
is of its nature serious (like murder or sexual sins).
we know it's a sin with certainty, and
we freely, with thought and deliberation, commit it anyway.
These sins sever our relationship with God and put us under condemnation, and the sacrament of Confession is the way to be restored. See John 20:22-23, 1 John 1:9, James 5:16.
Less serious sins (what we call venial sins) do not strictly speaking need to be confessed, and maybe that's what the priest was getting at, but there is still grace in the sacrament, and it's worth bringing every sin we remember to the sacrament. It helps us overcome sin. Any true follower of Christ will want to eliminate even venial sin from his life.
I give you props for even being willing to go to Confession at your age. Keep it up! It's a great grace.
I wish I had used it more at your age.
Eric
Bob replied:
Dear Jaden,
Thanks for the question.
As a rule, it is not permissible to receive Communion in a state of serious sin. That being said, your situation may not be as dire as you think. If you are struggling with something like masturbation, which is a common issue for boys (and even girls) at 15, don’t despair.
First, say an act of contrition as soon as you can and make a firm commitment to avoid the sin. Then, make sure you avoid all the traps that lead you to this sin — like the internet. If you can’t go online without falling into a trap, don’t go online, or at least not in private. Keep your computer in a public place in the home. Jesus told us that “if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out...”, which doesn't mean literally losing an eye, but rather stop making excuses about the obstacles that keep you in sin. There is nothing more important to your soul and salvation than doing all you can to walk the narrow way. Then, make a resolution to go to confession as soon as possible. Realize that while the sin is serious, you may not be fully culpable, and therefore it is not mortal. This is tricky because we don’t want to make excuses for the sin which could encourage it, but at the same time we want to put it in context. Age, culture, hormones, and other things impact the freedom you have when making choices, it is sort of like when you are over-tired you may lash out at someone much more readily. Maturity will help you to grow in virtue, so you must realize that you are still a child — until you are an emancipated man who supports himself. So you can’t judge yourself as a full grown man. God loves you and wants to help you grow up out of what struggles you have as a teen so when you are a man you can have your life in proper order. But even then, some struggles take a long time and there are a lot of grownups who aren't very grown up at all.
Lastly, I would try to find another parish, even if it was in another town, where I could go to confession on a more regular basis. You could tell your parents you want to go monthly, or bi-monthly even, and maybe there would be a friend who has another parent-driver that could be enlisted as well. Think outside the box on how to access the Sacrament more frequently, because not only will you be able to clear your conscience, but the priest could have some really good advice on how to navigate through some stuff.
God bless; we'll be praying for you.
Bob Kirby
Please report any and all typos or grammatical errors.
Suggestions for this web page and the web site can be sent to Mike Humphrey
