On Confessing your sins ( a note from Fr. Sibley)

Father Sibley has some helpful advice for us when it comes to confessing mortal sin.

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A Note on Confessing Mortal Sins

When coming to Confession, if you have to confess a mortal sin, the Church teaches that it is important to mention both KIND and NUMBER (cf. Canon 988.1). Kind: What specific “kind” of sin is it? It is not
enough to say that you committed “impure acts” – this is too vague. While you don’t need to get into graphic detail, if you committed adultery then say you committed adultery. Number: How many times did you commit this specific mortal sin? There is a big difference in committing the sin one time since your last Confession vs. ten times. Why is it important to mention kind and number when making an integral confession? Because mentioning the kind of sin helps to hold us accountable for what we’ve done – any number of sins could fall under the category of “impure acts.” Please don’t be embarrassed or afraid, the priest has heard it all before (and will forget it soon after you’ve confessed it). Confessing the number of times you committed the sin is important because knowing the number helps the priest better give you advice on how to overcome a sin that might be have become habitual.

In reference to the issue of mortal sin, it is also valuable to note Canon 916 of the Code of Canon Law which reads: “A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of
the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.” If you are conscious that you are in the state of mortal sin, you are not to receive Holy Communion until you have received the Sacrament of Confession. Doing so becomes another grave sin. It is not sufficient to simply make an act of contrition with the intention of going later. Notice that the Canon mentions this is only possible when there is no opportunity to confess and there is a “grave reason.” The noble desire to receive the Eucharist or not wanting to be embarrassed
in front of friends and family does not constitute a grave reason. If you happen to find yourself in the state of grave sin, I encourage you to make it a point to go to Confession as soon as possible!

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Hey, atleast its not like this...'Automatic Confession'