March 22, 2010
While the sacrament of Reconciliation may be celebrated whenever necessary and regular confession is encouraged, the season of Lent is seen as an especially appropriate time for celebrating this sacrament. In the early church, Lent was the season when those enrolled in the Order of Penitents completed their preparation for sacramental reconciliation on Holy Thursday. Canon 21 of the Fourth Lateran Council held in 1215 instituted a requirement of annual confession. The same canon also required the annual reception of Holy Communion during the Easter season. One consequence was that confession in Lent in preparation for Easter Communion became a common practice in much of the church and a component of communal Catholic identity.
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) promoted confession as a means for renewal in the church’s life. It repeated the requirement of annual confession but limited the obligation to the confession of mortal sins. At the same time, it encouraged people to confess all their sins and to avail themselves of this sacrament more than just once a year.
From the 17th to the 20th centuries, annual parish missions and going to confession as part of the mission often played a major part in the spiritual renewal of the church. In 1905, Pope Pius X encouraged frequent reception of Holy Communion. As frequent Communion became more common throughout the 20th century, so too did more frequent confession. The result was that more people regularly received both sacraments more often than probably at any time before.
The contemporary Rite of Penance continues to encourage “frequent and careful celebration of his sacrament … as a remedy for venial sins,” and the faithful are encouraged to approach the sacrament “especially during the scheduled periods. Since Lent is the principal season of penance for both individuals and for the whole church, it is an especially appropriate time to do so – to follow up on the invitation of repentance which we hear daily throughout this holy season.
While the particular obligation to confess grave sins at lease once a year can in principal be fulfilled at any time, the obligation to receive Holy Communion at least once a year must normally be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless there is just cause to do otherwise. In the United States, the prescribed time for fulfilling this “Easter duty” is during the 14 weeks from the first Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday, which falls on May 30 this year.