Hi, James —

Before you are received into the Church you will need to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. While your repentance at the time of your accepting Christ may have been sincere, it was more than likely, not perfect contrition. Sacramental absolution by a priest would make up for what is lacking in your own contrition.

Nevertheless, we are getting ahead of ourselves. If you are seriously seeking (this doesn't mean you've made up your mind) you might consider entering an RCIA program. The instructors will go through all the sacraments during the program and they will explain:

• what each one does
• why it's important, and
• when you need to receive each.

Once you are received into the Church, frequent Confession is always a good idea. We should all go at least once a month even if we don't have any serious sin to confess. This sacrament helps us to keep our house in order and it's an encounter with Christ, just like the Eucharist.

For that reason, we ought to avail ourselves of it, without fear.

John

James —

If you have not been baptized, there is no need to go to Confession, because Baptism not only brings forgiveness, it restores your soul and fills you with grace.

If you have been baptized, then you would want to confess your sins. They were forgiven when you repented and accepted Jesus, but the sacrament of Confession brings a healing grace and it also is a reconciliation with the Body of Christ, something necessary before one can receive Holy Communion.

Mary Ann

James —

It's actually the other way around. You need to be ready to enter the Church. That means you have to be willing to accept all Her teachings even if you can't fully understand them and you have to be willing to submit to Her disciplines.

As Catholics, we believe that the Church cannot teach error on matters of faith and morals.

That doesn't mean individuals in the Church don't some time violate those same teachings.
It also does not mean that individuals will always transmit Catholic teaching properly.

Nevertheless, official Church teaching on matters of faith and morals is infallible, to the extent that it has been defined by the Church.

This means you can't be 99% Catholic, just like you can't be 99% pregnant; you either are or you are not. It doesn't mean you won't struggle to understand or submit, but you can't dissent from teachings.

If, and when, you can come into the Church professing in good conscience that you can accept this, then you are ready to enter. If you can't do that, then you are the one saying, No, not the Church. Neither the Church or any of us at AskACatholic.com are going to force you or anyone to submit and accept Her teachings, but if you can't accept them, then you really aren't coming into full communion with the Church. You are still protesting something and therefore are still a Protestant. A Protestant is nothing more than a protesting Catholic.

Now that doesn't mean you have to accept things that fall under the category of:

• private revelation
• theological opinion, or
• Church statements on science (or anything else that does not deal with faith and morals).

We should always take the Church seriously but the Church's infallibility is limited to teachings that are defining matters of faith and morals.

John

James —

The decision is yours. As I said, if you get baptized when you are received, Confession is not necessary.

If you are already baptized, you will want to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation to reconcile with the Body of Christ before receiving the Body of Christ.

Mary Ann