If you have been I’ll do you still have to go to confession?

[Tomicca]

If you haven’t been well do you have to go to confession when you return to church? Haven’t been for a few weeks as I wasn’t well. I’m hoping to go back this weekend but can you still receive communion or do you have to go to confession first? I am normally a regular and go as many weekends as I can.

Apologies that should say ill good old predictive text!

Technically you should go to confessional before receiving communion. But I haven't been for 3 years. I'm a concert so not brought up with it. So feel absolutely no need of it. My priest friend only goes every quarter.

If your only 'sin' is having missed Sunday Mass, that's not a sin in this case. The Sunday obligation takes into account various good reasons for missing Mass, e.g. illness, caring responsibilities, no Mass available that you can get to. So there was no onligation for you since you were ill, therefore no sin. If you have a different mortal sin, then you need to go to confession before receiving communion. But if you only have less serious sins then it's fine to receive communion before confession because you're still in a state of grace.

I find it ridiculous that missing mass for no valid reason is on the same level as murder.

@Toddlerteaplease It's not. There are only two broad categories of sin: venial and mortal (and then various things that people might think are a sin but aren't, such as temptation). But the Church has never said that all venial sins are equivalent to one another and all mortal sins are equivalent to one another, there is very clearly a difference in gravity between different sins. The Chuch doesn't want to get into a hierarchy of grading each and every possible sin though, so the broad brush venial and mortal is the only official word on it, beyond calling certain sins particularly heinous (people like Aquinas and Dante do grade sins according to severity, but when I say official I mean in a document of the Magesterium). There has never in the Church's history been any attempt to equate missing Mass with murder or claim that all mortal sins are equivalent to each other.

No. If you missed Mass because younare unwell you need not go to confession.

Thanks all hoping to go back today.

Join us Protestants and you won't have to go to confession at all!😉

Haha it certainly sounds a lot more straightforward!

Why would you need to go to confession - church attendance isn’t compulsory.

@Parker231 technically attendance at Sunday mass is compulsory. Unless you have a good reason for not going. Illness, work etc.

I've not been to confession in 3 years. I feel no need of it. It's between me and God. And I know my bishop friend only goes once a quarter, I believe.

A good reason not to go if it tries to have just a hold over you. Who says it’s compulsory? What happens if you don’t go?

That's just the rule. Obviously nothing happens if you don't go. But you are supposed to make the effort.