A. The Catholic Church calls the Mass ‘the source and summit of our Christian lives’ (Catechism, 1324). It is both source and summit because, at Mass, we encounter Jesus in a unique way. There we come into His presence, uniting our lives with his: there we receive Christ Himself in Holy Communion, which is truly his Body and Blood.
At Mass our souls are filled with his power and strength and we are given the means to love one another, as Christ commanded (John 13:34). Finally, the Mass is the best way of giving thanks to God for all the gifts He has given us. Another word for the Mass is ‘Eucharist’, which means ‘Thanksgiving’.
A.Jesus Himself. The night before He died, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His apostles. This was the Passover meal, a feast the Jewish people have always celebrated to remember the night God freed them from slavery tot the Egyptians. But Jesus was to give this celebration a whole new meaning. He chose the Last Supper as the way in which He would remain with His disciples forever.
At the meal, Jesus took some bread, broke it and said: ‘This is my Body, which will be given up for you ‘ (Mathew 26:26; Mark 14:2; Luke 22:20). These are the same words we hear spoken at every Mass. When the priest says them, he is acting in the person of Jesus; the bread and wine really do become body and blood of Christ. The Church calls this amazing change ‘Transubstantiation’. It is a mystery, beyond our understanding, but accepted in faith. Very simply, it means that when we come to Mass, we are in the presence of Jesus, just as much as His apostles were at the Last Supper.
A. It was shortly after the Last Supper that Jesus was arrested, tried, tortured and crucified – and He rose again from the dead three days later. Christians believe that these events brought us salvation – Jesus’ death was a sacrifice to God His Father for the sins of all humanity.
At every Mass the bread and wine are changed into Christ’s Body and Blood – the body, which died on the cross, the blood, which was shed. This means that every Mass we join in a special way with the event of the crucifixion – we offer to God the same sacrifice, which Jesus offered to the Father on the Cross.
We also offer our lives along with Jesus, asking the Father to accept everything we have – our joys, our talents, our sorrows, our all. There are many important aspects to the Mass. Another is that the Mass is also a great prayer of thanksgiving and of praise to God, which we make to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
A. What we receive is the greatest gift of all; Holy Communion.
As the catechism says: ‘To receive communion is to receive Christ Himself who has offered Himself for us’ (1382). When we receive Holy Communion, we truly receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. We will never be more intimately united to Jesus than in Communion, and we will never receive anything so valuable in helping us to model our lives upon His. Holy Communion helps us to become like Christ, because it is Christ Himself who we receive.
A.No. Holy Communion is the highpoint of the Mass, but it is not the end. The strength we receive from the Mass should lead us nearer to God, should spur us on in our struggles against sin, and should empower us to help others. The Christ we have just received in Holy Communion is the same Christ who asks us to show true love to our neighbour, especially the poorest and most needy: ‘As often as you do these things to the least of my brothers and sisters you do them to me’ (Matthew 25:40).
A. Exactly! The Church quite literally needs the Mass to survive. Only there can we receive the strength we need to live a truly Christian life. The Mass unites us with our Lord and Saviour on earth, and it prepares us for the heavenly life to come.
A. Yes. The Mass is structured into six segments.
Penitential Rite: Here, we acknowledge our sins and call on the mercy of God.
Readings: We listen to God’s word in the Bible – through which He speaks to us with a promise for our lives.
Offertory: The bread and wine are brought to the altar. In spirit we offer our lives as well.
Eucharistic Prayer: Jesus is made present, and through Him we offer our prayers to the Father for the needs of the world.
Communion: We receive Christ’s Body and Blood, a moment of intimate closeness to Jesus.
Dismissal: We are sent out ‘to love and serve the Lord’, and to bring His Good News to others.
A. Some non-Catholics are surprised when they attend Holy Mass to see that not everyone receives Holy Communion. Some people stay in their benches at communion time while others approach the altar asking for a blessing. Except under very special circumstances, a non-Catholic is not permitted to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church and in fact many Catholics are also unable to receive.
Holy Communion expresses Unity.
It is important to understand why this is the case because decisions about who can or cannot receive Communion are not just matters of Church discipline. They are concerned with our very understanding of the meaning of Holy Communion.
Catholics believe that when we receive Holy Communion we eat and drink the very body and blood of Jesus Christ. Holy Communion is about being united with Jesus (‘communion’ means ‘union with’). For Catholics, receiving Holy Communion anticipates our union with God in heaven and is a sign of the unity we live in the Church. It is an expression of our unity not a means of achieving it.
The Acts of the Apostles stresses many times the unity lived in the early Church. The first Christians (Acts 2:42) were characterised by their fidelity to:
· The teaching of the apostles
· The fellowship
· The breaking of bread and prayer
These three elements help us understand the nature of unity in the Catholic Church. By examining them we can have some insight into who can receive Communion at Mass.
1.Teaching of the Apostles
The first Christians lived a unity in faith. To receive Holy Communion therefore implies at least a unity of belief about the Eucharist itself: that the Mass is the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary and that in Holy Communion we receive the Real Presence – Jesus Christ Himself – rather than a symbol or a sign of His presence. Catholics speak of transubstantiation or transformation of the whole substance of bread and wine into the living Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. Someone who does not accept the reality of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist would not be able to receive Communion in the Catholic Church.
Believing what the Church believes.
Of course unity in faith means more than just believing in the Real Presence. It means believing and professing “all that the Holy Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.” In exceptional circumstances a bishop may give permission for a non-Catholic to receive Holy Communion on a specific occasion basing that permission on unity of faith concerning the Real Presence. To receive Communion regularly, however, requires the wider unity in faith expressed through membership of the Catholic Church. The lack of unity in faith, and different beliefs about the Eucharist explain why Catholics are not allowed to take communion in non-Catholic Churches.
2. The Fellowship
While it is possible for the Bishop to give permission for a non-Catholic to receive Communion in certain limited circumstances, it would be clearly inappropriate for them to receive if they are living in a situation in which Catholics themselves would be excluded from Communion.
What breaks Unity?
Following Christ’s teaching that they would be known by the love they had for one another, the first Christians lived a life of mutual dedication or fellowship. Jesus summarises the Commandments as love of God and love of our neighbour. Our love for others is expressed in what we do. When we go against this love by committing a serious (or ‘mortal’) sin we break the unity that Christ calls us to live. In practice if we deliberately and consciously do something we know to be seriously wrong we cannot receive Communion without first being reconciled through the Sacrament of Confession.
For Catholics marriage is a particular expression of unity in love that Christ calls us to live. A married couple are invited to communicate God’s love to each other. The sign of this total, life-giving commitment is their sexual union.
If we are living in a state that does not correspond to the ideal of Christian life and love, for example by sleeping together outside of marriage, committing adultery, or being divorced and re-married, we would not receive Holy Communion at Mass.
3. Breaking of Bread and the Prayers
Hope is the virtue that allows us to put our trust in God’s providence and in the help of His Grace rather than in our own strength. The virtue of hope is expressed in prayer, and in a particular way when we come together as a Christian community to unite ourselves to the prayer of Christ at Mass.
We live out the virtue of hope when we pray and when we receive the Sacraments. Through these, God’s grace is communicated to us. We form a community of Hope when we unite with others who share our faith for prayer and sacramental life. Thus the third condition for receiving Holy Communion regularly is that we be people who are actively part of the praying and worshipping Christian community. In our parishes, the sick and house-bound remain united to the community by receiving Communion in their homes.
Actively practicing our Faith
A person who has habitually ignored God or excluded Him from their life should not receive Communion without first being reconciled in Confession. For example, a person who never prays, never thinks about their faith and never goes to Church should not receive Communion just because they happen to be at a wedding or funeral – unless of course they have been to confession first.
Catholics have a grave obligation to attend Mass on Sundays (or the vigil Mass on Saturday evenings). Someone who deliberately misses Holy Mass has chosen to put something before their unity with the Christian community and should not therefore receive communion without first seeking reconciliation.
The Eucharistic Fast
In order to make us aware of the greatness of the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist, the Church asks people to observe the Eucharistic Fast of one hour before receiving Communion. This fast includes all food and drink (except water and medication). In the case of the sick it is reduced to fifteen minutes.
Living our call to live in Unity
Of course we all commit sins and fall short of the ideal Christ puts before us. We are helped towards achieving that ideal by the grace of the Sacraments themselves, particularly Confession. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the pain of not being able to receive Communion can also be a salutary one: it may help remind us of the seriousness of our call to live in unity as God’s children.
People from all kinds of backgrounds, and for all kinds of different reasons, express an interest in knowing more about the Catholic faith. You may be engaged, or married, to a Catholic; you may belong to another Christian denomination, perhaps baptised or not, or a member of another religion, or none. You may be searching for the answers to some sincere and important questions about life.
The Roman Catholic Church claims that it is the visible community established by Jesus Christ, and built up by His first disciples, the apostles – we can trace our life back 2000 years to His life on earth and to His teachings and ministry. It is God’s will that all men and women should encounter the Christian message, so the Catholic Church is at heart a missionary organisation, seeking all the time to encourage people to become Catholics. So, in the first place, Catholics will welcome that you are considering this step in your life by reading this.
Personal contact is often better than reading a pamphlet, so the first thing you should do is speak to a priest at a Catholic Church near where you live or work. He will be able to talk to you about what is involved in becoming a Catholic; he can talk with you about your life and background, and what it is that has prompted you to make this enquiry.
If you don’t know where the nearest church is, you’ll find that Catholic churches are usually listed in telephone directories. If you can find a church near where you live or work, the best way to be introduced to the Church’s life is to go to Mass on a Sunday or a weekday and look at parish newsletters or magazines so you can see something of local Catholic life; there should also be copies of Catholic newspapers which tell you of the life of the Church in the rest of the country and the world.
Sometimes the priest will offer to help you consider becoming a Catholic by individual sessions with him, so that you can learn about what the Catholic Church teaches and discern God’s will for you. This is an important time and it doesn’t pay to rush, no matter how enthusiastic you may feel. Alternatively, instructions may be given in groups, with other people in the same position as yourself, which might be called by various names – FCIA (which stands for Tirte of Christian Initiation of Adults), Journey of Faith, or something similar. These groups meet over a period of months. Usually adults who wish to become Catholics do so at Easter, during the late night Mass on the Saturday evening before Easter, the Easter Vigil – the greatest feast in the Catholic Calendar!
If you have never been baptised, that is ‘christened’, then if you proceed you will be baptised as an adult and confirmed. If you have been baptised in another Christian Church whose rite of baptism the Catholic Church recognizes as valid the Catholic community accepts that baptism, and welcomes your experience of Christianity in that church. You cannot be baptised again, so you are confirmed and ‘received into full communion’ with the Catholic Church, often with others who have to be baptised as adults. In some parishes those who need to be baptised are prepared separately from those who have already been baptised in another church; in others everybody is prepared together.
Catholics, normally as children and as they grow up, receive several sacraments:
Baptism (becoming members of God’s Church)
The Eucharist ( receiving Our Lord as the Bread of Life).
Reconciliation, also known as Confession ( Receiving the strength to be soldiers for Christ).
Depending on your present situation (baptised or un-baptised etc), you may be introduced to all of them along this new journey.
Thank you for your kind question. To be a member of the Catholic Church or any Christian church a person must be baptised. St Paul to be Christian, after his conversion, was baptised by Ananias. Baptism is dying and resurrecting in Jesus Christ. The Canon Law No. 849 says: “Baptism, the gate way to the sacraments, is necessary for salvation, either by actual reception or at least by desire. By it people are freed from sins, are born again as children of God and, made to be like Christ by an indelible character, are incorporated into the Church. It is validly conferred only by a washing in real water with the proper form of words.”
Therefore a non-baptised person cannot receive any sacrament of the church. Therefore, dear Ally, just in case you are not baptised you cannot absolutely receive the Eucharist either during Mass or outside Mass.
Yours in Christ
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
Thank you for your kind question. You ask whether a Catholic can take communion at home or not. Well, the Canon Law is very clear in this regard. The Canon No. 910 says: “The ordinary minister of the Eucharist is a Bishop, a priest or a deacon. The extraordinary minister of holy communion is an acolyte, or another of Christ’s faithful deputed to it.” Therefore nobody is allowed to take home the Blessed Sacrament though with a good intention. Not even a priest is allowed to take the Blessed Sacramnent to his house, much less to his room.
Yours in Christ
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
I am glad to answer your question regarding the devotion to Mary in the Catholics. The devotion to Mary is not exclusive to Catholics. Orthodox churches have a very strong devotion to Mary and they celebrate the feasts of our Lady in a very solemn way. Plenty of icons of our Lady produced by the faith of the orthodox church reveal us that the devotion to Mary cannot be separated from love for Christ.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (C.C.C) No. 971 says: “All generations will call me blessed:” “The church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship”. The Church rightly honours “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honoured with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. This very special devotion differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Well, as you see, we don’t and can’t adore the Blessed Virgin Mary being her a creature and not a god. She was conceived as any human being but preserved from any kind of sin, in view of the merits of her Son. She was conceived immaculate, that is without original sin. Without a true and filial devotion to Mary we cannot be Catholics and can’t understand the person of Jesus Christ. As an Italian poet wrote “Mary is the mother of her Son.” He meant that Jesus is God to Mary. But Mary is not only the mother of the man Jesus but of Jesus man and God. In the council of Ephesus was proclaimed Mary “Theotokos” that is mother of God.
All dogmata regarding Mary or our faith find their explanation in the Bible. They help us to understand better our faith and to love God more. We pray to Mary and the saints to intercede for us as Mary interceeded for the couple of Cana. “Do whatever he tells you.” Unluckily protestants have lost their devotion to Mary. Some don’t accept that Jesus was conceived by Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they say that Jesus was conceived in a normal way. But the main protestant churches are re-thinking their theology and re-descovering the devotion to Mary.
Best wishes
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
If you wish to deepen your faith, at Consolata Shrine you may join any of these groups: charismatic group, prayer journey group and Bible Study group.
Best wishes
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
Thank you for your question to which I try to answer. Well, the Catechism of the Catholic Church at No. 1166 says “By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s Resurrection, the church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which day is appropiately called the Lord’s Day or Sunday. The day of Christ’s Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the ‘eighth day,’ on which Christ after his ‘rest on the great sabbath inaugurates the ‘day that the Lord has made,’ the ‘day that knows no evening.’ The Lord’s supper is its centre, for there the Lord’s community of the faithful encounters the risen Lord who invites them to his banquet.
So CCC explains us the meaning of Sunday and why we must attend the Eucharist on Sundays. But you wish to know why we Catholics celebrate the Eucharist on Saturday evening. This is a tradition going back to the early church when Christians used to meet on Saturday night, pray the whole night and at dawn celebrate the Eucharist. You can find this old tradition of the church in the Easter and Pentecost vigils. It is also a tradition rooted in the Bible and in the liturgy of the synagogue. For us the new day begins at midnight. For the biblican man the day did not begin at midnight but at sunset. You can find this concept of time in the first chapter of Genesis. “Evening came, and morning followed, the first day.” For the church Saturday evening is already Sunday, therefore the reading and prayers are of Sunday. Catholics taking part in this celebration of the Eucharist celebrate the day of their Lord.
Yours in Christ
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
I am very glad to reply your question. First of all I wish to let you know who are the ordinary ministers of the Eucharist. Well, the Canon Law is very clear in this regard. The Canon No. 910 says: “The ordinary minister of the Eucharist is a Bishop, a priest or a deacon. The extraordinary minister of holy communion is an acolyte, or another of Christ’s faithful deputed to it.”
An extraordinary minister of the Eucharist must be baptised in the Catholic Church. He/she must be a practising Catholic and a person of good reputation in the community. It is not necessary to be married. But in case he/she is married must have received the sacrament of marriage. He/she has to have come of age, done some training and have the mandate of the local bishop through his/her parish priest. The extraordinary minister of the Eucharist can take communion to the sick besides distributing communion to the faithful in church. In case of absence of a priest or deacon he/she can open the tabernacle for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to the faithful. He/she can even expose the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance for adoration but he/she cannot absolutely give benediction. As you see the Church attaches a great importance to this ministry and service given to the faithful.
Yours in Christ
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
Thank you for your question to which I try to answer. Well, the Catechism of the Catholic Church at No. 1166 says “By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s Resurrection, the church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which day is appropiately called the Lord’s Day or Sunday. The day of Christ’s Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the ‘eighth day,’ on which Christ after his ‘rest on the great sabbath inaugurates the ‘day that the Lord has made.’ The ‘day that knows no evening.’ The Lord’s supper is its centre, for there the Lord’s community of the faithful encounters the risen Lord who invites them to his banquet.
I kindly request you to read Institution of the Eucharist. Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-26;
Lk. 22:14-20; Lk. 24:1334: 1.Cor. 11:23-26.
As you can understand from the scripture readings, Jesus wants us to celebrate the Eucharist. “Do it in memory of me”. It is a command coming from the heart of God. It is the supreme gift of our Heavenly Father given to his children.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church at No. 1324 says: “ The Eucharist is ‘ the source and summit of Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch”. At No. 1327 the C.C.C. says: In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith; ‘our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.’
May God bless you and your family.
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
Thank you for your question to which I try to answer. Well, the book of Qoelet says that there is nothing new under the sun, therefore men of our time are not worse than they used to be in the past. What makes the difference between the past and the present is the fact that evil and good enter our houses very fast through the mass media. Both of them become global and we can see good and evil sitting in our sofas. We see the ravages of wars and starvation while sipping a nice cup of tea.
God is the master of history and since the first couple refused to recognise God as the supreme source of their joy and life, sin entered the world destroying the three great harmonies of creation.
1) The harmony with God.
2) The harmony with my neighbour.
3) The harmony with creation.
These three harmonies are as three super ways for man. When we sin against one of them we touch the other two. The “ten words of life” have been given us by God to live his life in this world. What happens in this world is either the acceptance of the ten words of life or their refusal.
The book of Wisdom says that death entered the world through the jealousy of the devil. It is a mystery how and why God allows the evil one to work in the heart of man and in the world. There are evil men and women doing the interests of evil in the world. We have structure of sin supported by ideologies, personal interests, terrorism, integralism, etc. In the gospel we see Jesus facing and fighting all kinds of evil. Jesus frees man from the worst evil, sin, the root af all evils, spiritual, psycological and physical.
Well, in front of this we, as intelligent people, we can ask ourselves and God, why all these happen in the world, overall after Jesus Christ's Resurrection. Israel has asked its God the meaning of suffering in the world. It gave an answer to it through faith and theological reflection.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (C.C.C) at No. 269 says: …Nothing is impossible with God, who disposes his works according to his will. He is the Lord of the universe, whose order he established and which remains wholly subject to him and at his disposal. He is the master of history, governing hearts and events in keeping with his will.
C.C.C at No. 3003 says: The witness of Scriptures is unanimous that solicitude of divine providence is concrete and immediate, God cares for all from the least things to the great events of the world and its history. The sacred Books powerfully affirm God’s absolute sovereignty over the course of events: “Our God is in heaven, he does whatever he pleases.” And so it is with Christ, “who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.” As the book of Proverbs states: “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.”
Again the C.C.C at No 304 says: And so we see the Holy Spirit, the principal author of Sacred Scripture, often attributing actions to God without mentioning any secondary causes. This is not a “primitive mode of speech,” but a profound way of recalling God’s primacy and absolute Lordship over history and the world, and so of educating his people to trust in him. The prayer of the psalms is the great school of this trust.
May God bless you and your family.
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
Thank you for your questions to which I try to reply. Well, I would say that there are sevaral symbols used during the Eucharist. The altar, the chair of the bishop (cathedra) or of the priest; the lectern (ambo); the cross; the candles; the turible and incense; the altar servers; the choir; the missal and lectionary; the proclaimers proclaiming the Word of God to the the faithful in “Persona Christi”.
During the celebration of the Eucharist, Christ is really present in his community as he was present in the community of his apostles. But he is present as the Risen Lord, the giver of life. When the reader proclaims the Word of God, it is Jesus himself proclaiming the Goodness of God our heavenly Father. When the priest kisses the altar, being it the symbol of Christ, he kisses Christ and Christ kisses the members of his community gathered to make memorial of him. “Do it in memory of me.” In the consecration, wine and bread are transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. Therefore Jesus is really present under the species of bread and wine. Note that I say “really present” and not “spiritually present”. That bread is not any longer bread but the body of Christ, the same for the wine. In the communion we receive the body and blood of Christ that is the person of Christ.
In the celebration of the Eucharist Jesus forgives our sins and he physically heals us.
Allow me to correct you. The Eucharist is not only very and very important to Catholics but to all Christians. There is no church and community without the Eucharist. When around the year 349 the Roman procurator asked the 39 martyrs of Abilene (Tunisia) to stop celebrating the Day of the Lord ( the Eucharist on Sunday) they replied “Sine Dominica non possumus” that is “Without Eucharist we cannot live”. They chose to die than giving up the celebration of the Eucharist.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church at No. 1324 states: “ The Eucharist is ‘ the source and summit of Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch”. At No. 1327 the C.C.C. states: “ In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith; ‘our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.’
May God bless you and your family.
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
Thank you for your question to which I try to reply. From your message I understand that you are a practising catholic and familiar with receiving all the sacraments of the Catholic Church, but one, the sacrament of reconciliation.
I fully agree with you that it is not always easy to go to the confessional box and receive this sacrament. When I go to receive this sacrament I have to tell the minister what is negative in my life. I am sure that you agree with me that nobody finds it easy to reveal to another person the dark side of his life. It is very human to be shy, and ashamed of our sins. St. Augustine speaks of “Rubrum paccatis” that is the “Blushing of sin”. This is already a penance and repentance. Among all the seven sacraments this is the only sacrament where your psychology is fully involved. Therefore we fear and are scared about what we are going to reveal to the priest. To overcome this fear you should find a minister you trust and have confidence in. The best way to help yourself, in my opinion, is to go and have a good sharing with a priest of your choice telling him the reasons of your problem. To respect the privacy of the penitent, mother church foresees two ways to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. One face to face with the confessor and the other one behind the grate. You can choose either of them at your convenience.
You have to keep in mind that confession is a sacrament. I mean, it is a sign of God’s grace poured out in your heart, through the minister of the church. Jesus gave his church, his bride, the mandate to forgive sins. Confession is the celebration of the joy of God shared with the repentant sinner.
The Canon Law at No. 988 states: “Each of Christ’s faithful is bound to confess, in kind and number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after careful examination of conscience he or she is aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession. It is recommended that Christ’s faithful confess venial sins also”.
The Canon Law at No. 989 states: “All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once a year”.
May God bless you and your family.
Fr. Eugene Ferrari
