Go deeper, for parents
Sin, Confession and Communion
What the “Lord, have mercy” does, what Communion does, and when Confession comes first.
What your child reads
This prepares us for Mass, but it isn’t Confession: serious sins still need the Sacrament of Penance before Communion.
Two kinds of sin
“Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart”, while “venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it” (CCC 1855). For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must all be met: “grave matter”, “full knowledge” and “deliberate consent” (CCC 1857). Teaching
What the Penitential Act does
At the start of Mass we confess together and the priest prays for God’s mercy. That prayer “lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance” (GIRM 51). Teaching
What Communion does
Communion “wipes away venial sins” and “preserves us from future mortal sins” (CCC 1394–1395). But “the Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins — that is proper to the sacrament of Reconciliation” (CCC 1395). Teaching
Before receiving
“Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion” (CCC 1385; Can. 916). The one exception is a grave reason to receive with no chance to confess: the person then makes an act of perfect contrition and goes to Confession as soon as possible (Can. 916; CCC 1452). Teaching
First Confession first
Children make their first Confession before their First Communion (Can. 914). Teaching
Talking about it with children
Keep the weight on God’s mercy. And don’t guess about who else should or shouldn’t receive: “we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God” (CCC 1861). Tip
Questions children ask
Words to avoid
“The start of Mass is a mini-Confession”; “you can’t receive if you’ve sinned at all” (venial sins don’t keep anyone from Communion, CCC 1394).