When was the obligation of going to Confession in Lent imposed? Who made it law for the early Christians?

Is it the same for the obligation of recieving Communion?

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), March 08, 2001

Answers

-@-

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), March 08, 2001.

Jmj

Hello, Enrique. Welcome back.
Can you please provide a quotation from the Church that indicates an "obligation of going to Confession in Lent." I believe that there is none, as I discussed with you on this thread one year ago.

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), March 09, 2001.

Thanks for that link. To add some historical information, it was made (Canon) law by that Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, and so was the rule that you must receive Communion once a year.

Pax et bonum,

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), March 10, 2001.

Jmj

Hello, Oliver.
Can you please provide a quotation from that Council, showing that it made Confession during Lent obligatory? [I have a dictionary that states that the Council required yearly Confession and Communion, without mentioning Lent/Eastertide.] And can you tell us when the discipline was changed, since it no longer exists?

Many thanks.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), March 11, 2001.

Engrique could be confusing some of the precepts of the Church. He may be confusing having to receive confession during the Easter season with having to confess our sins at least once a year (annual confession is obligatory only if serious sin is involved). Or, he could be confusing this notion with the Catholic precept of it being compulsory to recieve Holy Communion during the Easter season (at least once between the First Sunday in Lent and Trinity Sunday). To may knowledge Catholics are not obliged to go to confession during the Easter season.

St. James and Mary, Our Blessed Mother, strengthen all who profess the faith particularly at this time of the Litrugical Year. Let all recognize the Sacredness of this season; and as always, pray for us.

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 11, 2001.

I just came back, and promptly ran for the Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum by H. Denzinger, 23rd ed., Freiburg: Herder, 1937. In chapter 21 ("Denzinger 437", for the experts), it states:

Omnis utriusque sexus fidelis, postquam ad annos discretionis pervenerit, omnia sua solus peccata saltem semel in anno fideliter confiteatur proprio sacerdoti, et iniunctam sibi poenitentiam pro viribus studeat adimplere, suscipiens reverenter ad minus in Pascha Eucharistiae sacramentum.

I'm not going to translate it myself as English isn't my native language.

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), March 13, 2001.

Dear Oliver:

What is your native language?

-Hannah

-- Hannah (archiegoodwin_and_nerowolfe@hotmail.com), March 13, 2001.

Jmj

Thank you, Oliver.
I do not have a copy of Denziger's "Enchiridion symbolorum," though I am aware of its official status.
I have been able to verify that the Latin text you quoted was the first 1/3 of Canon #21 of the Fourth Lateran Council (AD 1215). I found some of the canons of that council on the Internet.
That part of Lateran IV's Canon #21 was probably made a part of the 1917 Code of Canon Law for the Western Church, though I have not been able to verify that, because I do not have a copy of the 1917 Code and have not found it on the Internet. The new 1983 Code is available online in English, Spanish, French, and Latin.

Here again is the Lateran text you quoted:
"Omnis utriusque sexus fidelis, postquam ad annos discretionis pervenerit, omnia sua solus peccata saltem semel in anno fideliter confiteatur proprio sacerdoti, et iniunctam sibi poenitentiam pro viribus studeat adimplere, suscipiens reverenter ad minus in Pascha Eucharistiae sacramentum."

My unofficial translation of this (cross-checked against the freer translation that I found on the Internet) is the following:
"Let each member of the faithful, of either sex, after he has reached the age of discretion, faithfully confess all his sins at least once a year to his own parish priest, and let him strive to the best of his ability to fulfill the penance enjoined upon him, reverently receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during Easter time."

So, it appears that, from 1215 to 1983, there was a law requiring sacramental Confession at least yearly, but the celebration of the sacrament was not linked with the Lenten season (except perhaps by custom), contrary to what you and Enrique thought. The Lateran text you quoted appears to have been split into two and altered somewhat in the 1983 (Western) Code of Canon Law. Here are the two new canons, in Latin and English. (You will be able to see, from the similar Latin wording, how they developed from the Lateran text.)>p> [Yearly Confession of mortal sins]
Can. 989 - Omnis fidelis, postquam ad annos discretionis pervenerit, obligatione tenetur peccata sua gravia, saltem semel in anno, fideliter confitendi.
Can. 989 All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once a year.

[Yearly Holy Communion, usually in Easter time]
Can. 920 - § 1. Omnis fidelis, postquam ad sanctissimam Eucharistiam initiatus sit, obligatione tenetur semel saltem in anno, sacram communionem recipiendi. § 2. Hoc praeceptum impleri debet tempore paschali, nisi iusta de causa alio tempore intra annum adimpleatur.
Can. 920 §1 Once admitted to the blessed Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year. §2 This precept must be fulfilled during paschal time, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year.

We should not be surprised that there were adaptations made in the canon(s). Though frequent Confession is recommended to all Catholics, a person who has not committed a grave sin could now actually omit celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation indefinitely without breaking Canon Law.
Did you notice that the Lateran IV canon from which you quoted says that confession must ordinarily be made to one's parish priest? In the part of the canon that you did not quote, the Council Fathers went on to require this: "But if anyone for a good reason should wish to confess his sins to another priest, let him first seek and obtain permission from his own parish priest, since otherwise the other priest cannot loose or bind him." Nowadays, however, one may confess to any priest in the world without the permission of one's pastor.
The Lateran canon goes on to show how deadly serious the Church is about the "seal of Confession" ...
"[Any priest] who dares to reveal a sin confided to him in the tribunal of penance, we decree that he be not only deposed from the sacerdotal office but also relegated to a monastery of strict observance to do penance for the remainder of his life." Nowadays, such a priest would be automatically excommunicated and allowed to return to the Church only by papal absolution.

St. James, pray for us. St. John Nepomucene, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), March 14, 2001.

I have been taught that reception of the Holy Eucharist removes venial sin. At daily Mass there has been one individual who asks the priest to go to confession immediately after Mass and after having received Holy Communion. This puzzled me to no end and so I asked this individual (a friend) why he does this. My reasoning is, if you have mortal sin on your soul then you should not be recieving Communion until it is removed through confession. If you only have venial sin on your soul then Communion will remove it. My suggestion was, he should go to confession BEFORE Mass not afterward. His argument was that he was going to confession for the graces. I then countered with the comment that our priests are very busy and to inconvenience them after Mass at the beginning of a busy workday instead of going throughout the week at regularly scheduled times is inconsiderate. (This is a very good friend I am talking about and can speak to him in this way without affecting our relationship.) He admitted he hadn't thought of it this way.

He also mentioned in our discussion that by making the Sign of the Cross one can remove all venial sin. Is this so? I have never heard of this belief before! If it is a Catholic belief could someone please point out the reference and origin of it? I asked him to quote his source but so far I have not heard anything.

St. James and Mary, Our Blessed Mother, encourage all to form a contrite heart especially at this time of year and as always, pray for us!

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 15, 2001.

Hannah, my native language is German. Being active in one of the English-speaking communities/missions in the city where I live, my English is better than it was during my school days, but translating Latin into English is still something I reserve for quiet evenings.

John's translations are correct AFAIK; thank you!

Ed, I know of removal of venial sin by receiving Communion, by reading/listening to the Scripture,... but I havent't heard of removal by making the sign of the cross. In case I find some reference to that I'll post it here.

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), March 15, 2001.

Oliver:

There is another one new to me! I am not aware that the practice of listening/reading Scripture could remove venial sin. Can you give me the source of your information please? I was aware of the indulgences that go along with such a practice but was never aware that reading/listening to Scripture can absolve one of venial sin!

St. James and Mary, Our Blessed Mother, continue to shed the light of Jesus upon this forum and as always, pray for us!

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 15, 2001.

Jmj

Hi, Ed and Oliver.

Without getting specific, the old Catholic Encyclopedia states the following, in its article on sin:
"Venial sins do not need the grace of absolution. They can be remitted by prayer, contrition, fervent communion, and other pious works. Nevertheless it is laudable to confess them." [Reading the Bible is a pious work.]

The Catechism says this:
1394. "As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins. [Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1638.]"

St. James, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), March 15, 2001.

Thanks John! As I have said many times before. I am always learning something new in this forum. A sign of the Cross can be considered a prayer, as can reading or listening to Scripture and as such have the effect of the remission of sins.

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 16, 2001.

Post Script!

Venials Sins, that is!

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), March 16, 2001.