catholicPittsburgh.org

By John Houk

Do Catholics have a duty to go to confession during the Easter Season? It seems common for Catholics to be told that they do. What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say? But first a note about catechisms in general including the CCC.

Catechisms are like encyclopedias of what the Church teaches. They do not create new beliefs nor do they create new rules or disciplines. Catechisms gather information into one place for easy reference. A mature view of catechisms should include a respect for the author’s bias (what they choose to include or not to include and how they say it), and the intended audience.

Back to our “Easter Duty”. The CCC says “You shall confess your sins at least once a year.” (para. 2041) This statement is footnoted to the Code of Canon Law, canon 989. Going there we find “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”. The difference between these two statements is the word “grave”. So the duty to confess at least once a year applies only to grave (serious/mortal) sins, and nothing is being said yet about Easter.

We don’t often hear about the actual Easter Duty Precept of the Church which is to receive communion at least annually during the Easter Season. So there is no duty to go to confession during the Easter Season. Knowing this should not discourage the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but if you really want to know what the Church teaches you have to read the footnotes.