How Are Converts Supposed to Know Which Sins They’ve Committed Were Mortal Sins?
Dear CE:
How can a baptized Christian coming into the Catholic Church know which sins in his life were truly mortal sins in order to properly confess them in his first confession?
Thanks,
Vincent Miceli
Dear Vincent
Peace in Christ! The doctrine of mortal sin is part of the moral law, not ecclesial law, so it applies to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. As presented in our FAITH FACT, mortal sin involves three criteria. It must involve grave matter and be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1857).
It is possible for a non-Catholic to fulfill all three requirements. Let’s take, for example, adultery. Adultery does involve grave matter. A non-Catholic can know that adultery is a serious sin. If then, a non-Catholic, knowing it is seriously wrong, willfully commits adultery, he or she is guilty of mortal sin. Therefore, it is possible for a baptized non-Catholic to confess mortal sin in his or her first confession.
Furthermore, the faithful are encouraged to confess venial, or lesser, sins as well as mortal sins (Code of Canon Law, canon 988 §2). The Sacrament of Confession is one of healing. It makes us aware of our sinfulness and our dependence on God; therefore, it is vital to receive the sacrament frequently in order to advance in holiness.
For more information, please see our FAITH FACTS, I Confess and Going God’s Way: The Church’s Teaching on Moral Conscience.
I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Amy Barragree
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
Editor's Note: To submit a faith question to Catholic Exchange, email href=”mailto:jtaylor@catholicexchange.com”>jtaylor@catholicexchange.com. Please note that all email submitted to Catholic Exchange becomes the property of Catholic Exchange and may be published in this space. Published letters may be edited for length and clarity. Names and cities of letter writers may also be published. Email addresses of viewers will not normally be published.
Editor’s Note: As all RCIA candidates enter their final week of preparation to join the Church, let us keep them in prayer as together we fast, pray and make the ascent to Calvary with our Lord.
Why Do I Have to Wait?
Dear Catholic Exchange
As an RCIA candidate who has been a lifelong Anglican receiving what I’ve believed to be a valid Eucharist I do not understand why I cannot take communion until after confirmation. This practice seems to me to be a double standard.
Thanks for your insight,
Mr. Brietzke
Dear Mr. Brietzke
Peace in Christ! A few general background statements are necessary first. The three sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist—form a unity. Though the administration of these sacraments can be separated in time, the unity of Christian initiation cannot (cf. Catechism, nos. 1212, 1285).
This inseparable unity is signified by the Churches of the Eastern rite in their administering Baptism, Confirmation, and, in many cases, first Communion (under the species of wine) to infants. The practice grew in the Latin Church to postpone Confirmation in order for the bishop to confer the sacrament. The purpose was to show forth the “bishop as guarantor and servant of the unity, catholicity and apostolicity of his Church, and hence the connection with the apostolic origins of the Church” (Catechism, no. 1292).
In the case of children, the universal law in the Latin Church is to administer Confirmation and first Communion “about the age of discretion” (Code of Canon Law, canon 891). The age of discretion is not a particular age, but rather when a child attains the use of reason, which canon law presumes a child possesses by the age of seven (canon 97 §2). A conference of bishops is permitted to select another age (canon 891). In the United States, Confirmation is to be administered between the age of discretion to around age sixteen.
The typical practice in many dioceses has been to postpone Confirmation to a later age than the age of discretion. Although this is the bishop’s prerogative—(he cannot, however, refuse the sacrament to someone who rightly asks for it on his or her own accord [canon 843 §1])—the law does make explicit provision for both Confirmation and first Communion to be administered at the same time. There are different viewpoints as to how or in what order the sacraments of initiation are conferred. The important point in catechesis is to explain the unity of the three and how we are, by them, joined in the bonds of ecclesial communion with the Church all the way back to the twelve apostles.
In the case of adults, the three sacraments of initiation are ordinarily administered in the same celebration, unless there is a serious reason otherwise (canon 866). However, there are also many who seek to come into the Church who are already validly baptized. These persons are not being prohibited from receiving Communion until after Confirmation. More accurately, after receiving adequate instruction in the Catholic faith, a person is to receive both of those sacraments as soon as possible to complete their initiation. Because the Eucharist is the supreme sign of unity (cf. Catechism, no. 1398), a person cannot receive Communion in the Catholic Church prior to reception into full communion with the Church. So Confirmation and Communion are ordinarily given at the same time. This is not a contradiction for children who are already Catholic, who happen to be given first Communion prior to being confirmed.
I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
David E. Utsler
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
