How Often Should I Go to Confession?

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, then you are likely aware that I see the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a gift.  You can find videos that I made around twelve years ago on the Reconciliation page on my website.  You can also find these short handouts on that page. 

•  “The Gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation”    
• “Examinimg Your Conscience” 
• “How to Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation” 

More recently, I offered a video presentation, Why Should I Go to Confession?.   

Today I would like to offer some guidance on how often people should go to confession. 

To discuss how often we go, I would like to first say that we are obligated to confess mortal sins.  On the other hand, we are not required to confess venial sins but it is a recommended practice (Code of Canon Law,. 988). 

This, in turn, begs the question of what is mortal sin and what is venial sin.  In its 2021 document, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) talks about the distinction between mortal and venial sin in paragraphs 45-46. 

We should also realize that, as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent” (1857). 

We also need to consider our attitude when we go to confession.  Confession is a time for humility, not pride.  We read in Luke 18:9-13 “He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.  “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’  But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’  I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”” 

The Pharisee was not repentant.  The tax collector was.  The first prevented God from forgiving him because he did not admit his sins.  The second repented and was forgiven. 

God does not want to condemn us (see John 3:16-17).  He wants to help us do better.  

So, how often do we need to go to confession? 

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, our Catholic faith taught that anyone guilty of mortal sin needed to go to confession before receiving Communion.  This teaching has not changed but it has been forgotten by many. 

Desiring Communion, people would go to confession monthly.  Some even went every week.  Catholic guilt led people to think they must have done something wrong. 

After the Second Vatican Council, the pendulum swung to the other side.  People went from going to confession weekly to going seldom or not going at all.  People needed a better understanding of when they needed to go to confession but the pendulum swung too far. 

Why did people stop going?  Some embraced the Protestant notion of confessing their sins directly to God.  We can pray directly to God but He has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means to experience the forgiveness won for us by Jesus’ death on the Cross.  We can tell our sins directly to God but do we experience his forgiveness? 

In confessing our sins, we are admitting our faults.  With it we admit our need for God’s forgiveness.  As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1847). 

The power to forgive sins is found in God alone.  In Mark 2:1-12, the Pharisees say, “He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?”  They are right.  Only God can forgive sins.  Jesus is the Son of God.  Consubstantial with the Father, Jesus forgives sins.  In John 20:19-23, Jesus gives the power to forgive sins to all priests. 

Returning to the question, how often should I go to confession, we find the technical answer in the Code of Canon Law, “Can. 989 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.” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1457) 

I describe this as the technical answer because it is what is required.  However, do you really want to wait up to a year if you know you have committed a mortal sin before you seek God’s forgiveness?  What if you die in a car crash before the year is up?  The time to go to confession is as soon as we can when we realize we have committed a mortal sin. 

Another reason to go soon after we sin is that we might forget the sins that we need to confess.  In confessing our sins, we are called to do so in kind and number. If we want a year to confess our sins, how repentant are we and will we remind all our sins in kind and number? 

Here I turn again to the Code of Canon Law. 

• “Can. 987 To receive the salvific remedy of the sacrament of penance, a member of the Christian faithful must be disposed in such a way that, rejecting sins committed and having a purpose of amendment, the person is turned back to God. 

• Can. 988 §1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and number all grave sins committed after baptism and not yet remitted directly through the keys of the Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which the person has knowledge after diligent examination of conscience. 
  §2. It is recommended to the Christian faithful that they also confess venial sins. 

(For more on “kind and number”, see my article, “Getting the Most Out of Confession”). 

If we are serious about confessing our sins, a good practice is at the end of each day to take a moment to examine our day and ask ourselves if we committed any sins that day.  If we find we have committed mortal sin, then we should seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible.  If we have found we have not sinned, we should thank God for a good day. 

As the days and weeks go on, if we are not aware of any sins to confess, it can be a good practice to spend a few minutes examining our conscience.  You can find numerous examination of consciences on the internet that will help you discern if you have sins to confess 

As time goes on, if you have examined your conscience and discerned that you have not committed mortal sins, you may think about venial sins that you could confess.  Remembering one is not obligated to confess venial sins, one can choose to.  Since it is not obligatory, there is no prescribed frequency for this.  Ask the Holy Spirit to tell you when you need to go.  This is sometimes called   devotional confession.   

In a devotional confessional one comes with a humble heart saying they are not aware of any mortal sins.  Grateful for God’s Grace, they offer their hearts to God seeking grace to continue to avoid mortal sin.    

One might wonder why not do this weekly or even daily for the grace to sin no more.  Here we need to ask ourselves if we are taking God’s Grace for granted or if we are being scrupulous.  God wants us to trust in his Grace but we should not be presumptuous.  One might also wonder how long the priest would need to spend in the confessional if everyone came every week.   

One final point about when we need to confession our sins.  Some devotions and novenas like the First Saturday Devotions require confession as part of the devotional practice.  Indulgences also require one to be in a state of grace.  However, what does this mean if one goes to confession right after committing a sin and then a few days later wants to offer a devotion or seek an indulgence?  Here I point to what Fr. Charles Grondin says regarding the First Saturday devotion, “The sacramental confession can be received within twenty days either before or after the reception of Communion, as the Holy Seek’s Apostolic Penitentiary has decreed, provided the communicant is in a state of grace for Communion” (“First Saturday Devotion Requirements, Including Time Frame for Confession”). 

I hope this article helps you know when you need to go to confession. 

Peace, 

Fr. Jeff