| How Often Should We go To Confession? |
The Mystery of Holy Confession is truly a gift from God that enables us to be freed from the bonds of our sin, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. As often as we repent and ask for the forgiveness of our sins, God grants this. However, we must first repent. If do not repent of our sins, we cannot be forgiven.
What does it mean to repent?
It means to turn from them, and the direction they were taking us in. Holy Confession is not a magic talisman that protects us from the dangers of partaking of the Holy Eucharist. It is the Seal of the Holy Spirit, given to one who repents. Repenting of our sins, means actively trying to no longer do them. "It is not enough to say, well, so long as I go to Confession after going to the Casino each time, I'm ok." Just as it is not enough for a husband to say, "So long as I go to Confession after abusing my wife, I'm ok." We must make an effort to live better lives.
This does not mean that the forgiveness is invalid granted through absolution. But as Christ said to the demoniac, "Go and sin no more, lest nothing worse befall you." and again, "Once the house is cleaned [of the demon], if the door is left open to it, it will return with seven of its friends-and the house will be worse than if it had never been cleansed."
So, to answer the question: we should offer our Confession to Christ every four to six weeks, unless something major occurs. When offering our Confession, we should be sincere, and take the time to prepare through prayer, introspection and fasting, and a firm desire to be changed by Christ. |