The Second Precept of the Catholic Church: To Confess Serious Sins At Least Once a Year
The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the Precepts of the Church obligatory positive laws which “…guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor (CCC 2041).” This teaches us several things. First, they are obligatory laws, meaning that Catholics are required to follow them, unless they are dispensed for a serious reason. Second, they are necessary minimum standards, meaning that a Catholic who fails to uphold them without a just cause is no longer in good standing with the Church and is in need of repentance. However, the good news is, the sacrament of penance is always available for repentance and reconciliation with God to take place. In this article, I focus on the Second Precept of the Church mentioned in the Catechism: “You shall confess your sins at least once a year (CCC 2042).”
The 1983 Code of Canon Law states this precept in more detail: “After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year (Canon 989).” Here, the “age of discretion” is another way of saying the “age of reason,” meaning a person is old enough to be able to make deliberate choices, for good or evil. Although the “age of reason” varies from person to person, it is generally regarded that, with rare exceptions, practically everyone has reached the age of reason by the time they are seven years old (see Canon 97).
It is also noteworthy that Canon 989 specifies the necessity to confess grave (or mortal) sins. Further clarity is provided in the previous canon with respect to what sins need to be confessed. To summarize Canon 988: A Catholic must confess in kind and number each unforgiven mortal sin committed after baptism that he or she has knowledge of after a careful examination of conscience; it is also recommended to confess venial sins.
From Canon 988 we learn several important things. First, we must confess all known and unforgiven mortal sins committed after baptism. Of course, the sacrament of reconciliation is not a memory test, so there is no need to worry about inadvertently forgetting a sin in confession (however, it is gravely immoral to deliberately refuse to confess a mortal sin in the sacrament of penance).
Next, we need to confess each mortal sin we are aware of in “kind and number.” Confessing a sin in kind means giving the specific name for the sin, or giving enough information to identify the specific sin. This means that it is not enough to say only the general category the sin falls under, such as saying “I sinned against the Sixth Commandment”. On the other hand, it is possible to give too much information, such as graphic details about the sin, or telling the “backstory” for why the sin was committed. Confessing a sin in number means estimating, to the best of our memory, how many times the sin was committed or approximating the frequency of the sin over time.
Finally, confessing venial sins is recommended but not strictly required. Yet, it is still a good idea to go to regular confession, even for only venial sins, a practice sometimes called “devotional confession.” This is a great way to receive grace from God to avoid future sin and grow in virtue.
I recommend that most people go to confession at least once every four to six weeks if they have only venial sins to confess. However, if a person has mortal sins to confess, I recommend going to confession as soon as possible. Even though the Precept of the Church says, as a minimum requirement, that a person must confess mortal sins within one year, I think it is unwise to wait that long. For example, a person who is aware of having unconfessed mortal sin would have to refrain from receiving the Eucharist (to avoid committing the mortal sin of sacrilege) until those mortal sins are confessed. An attitude of love is not compatible with an attitude of trying to do only the “bare minimum;” instead, love always seeks the next step to do good in a deeper way for the beloved. May God grant us the courage and the desire to seek His boundless mercy often in the sacrament of penance.
Father Andrew Reckers 8.20.2023