Appendix III. Norm for a General Confession

520. • First let the penitent state what he knows, unless he prefers to be questioned immediately. Before all else the penitent is to be asked whether he is joined in matrimony or not. Then:

I. Any sacrilegious confession? Did you ever not dare to say something? How often? Did you receive Holy Communion in such a state? At Easter time ¹? How often? Did you culpably fail to fulfill penance?

¹ Experience teaches that the guilt of this circumstance is commonly not noticed by the faithful, but is spontaneously disclosed by the penitent who notices it.

II. Concerning the theological virtues: Did you sometimes elicit an act of Faith, Hope, and Charity ²? Do you know the principal mysteries necessary to be known, namely, that God exists and is the rewarder of good and evil; the mysteries of the Most Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Death of Jesus Christ? Did you perhaps deny the faith? Did you doubt some truth of Religion, or deny it? Did you speak against Religion? Did you read, sell, or lend prohibited books?

² Dominic Viva (on Proposition 1 among those condemned by Alexander VII, no. 8) mentions as a most well-known thing that the faithful never accuse themselves of the transgression of precepts obliging to acts of the theological virtues, nor are they accustomed to be questioned about this by Confessors. And those words of John De Lugo (De Poenit., disp. 15, no. 55) pertain here: Concerning this sin of omission of the penitence due throughout the year, whether of itself from the precept of the virtue of penitence... or accidentally..., it is not necessary to question the penitent, nor even to admonish him in particular.... And this can be proved by the example of the precept of loving God, concerning which penitents are also not questioned in particular..., nor are they admonished concerning the obligation of fulfilling that precept at some time; both because from the very course of the confession it is sufficiently apparent how the penitent stands toward God, and because, on account of the variety of opinions, we cannot impose upon him a certain obligation.

Did you perhaps despair? Why? Let the Confessor inspire hope: because the good God, if He had wished to condemn you, would not have brought you here today.... Did you presume ³? Did you neglect the precepts of God and the Church out of human respect ⁴?

³ This sin of presumption will occur very rarely in confessions. For it is not usually noticed if perhaps some presumption is present at some time.

⁴ This circumstance of human respect adds nothing that pertains to sacramental confession, and can of itself be reduced to a certain fear.

Did you give scandal, evil counsels, or examples to your neighbor?

Did you seek occasions of sinning?

III. Concerning the commandments of God: First: superstition? divination? vain observance? magic? idolatry? a habit of never or scarcely ever praying ⁵?

⁵ Elsewhere (Vol. I, no. 260) it was observed that it can be determined with the greatest difficulty what the obligation of praying is and how great it is.

Second: an oath? a vow? blasphemy?

Third: working on Sunday or a feast day? omission of Mass or hearing it badly?

Fourth: disobedience toward parents, masters, or one's Pastor? murmurings? insults? blows? wishing death upon them?

Toward children, servants, or other subjects: education? instruction? care of their salvation, proximate occasions of sin? vigilance concerning duties of religion? scandal? anger?

Fifth: injuries inflicted upon one's neighbor in body or soul? hatred? desires of revenge? cursing? quarrels? blows? homicide? a duel? abortion? abuse of marriage? But questioning here and concerning the following commandment is to be done sparingly, cautiously, chastely.

Sixth and Ninth: thoughts? morose delectation? desires? what kind? with what kinds of persons? Words? Did you utter or willingly listen to immodest words, jokes, songs...? Works? with yourself? by touches? pollutions? by sight? with others? with unmarried persons? with married persons? with relatives? with persons bound by vow ⁶? with persons of the same sex? Are you still here and now in a proximate occasion? Wives can be asked whether they were obedient to their husbands in all lawful things.

⁶ Since this occurs rarely and, if perhaps it has occurred, the penitent spontaneously discloses it, while otherwise a question of this kind could perhaps produce astonishment and something in the nature of scandal, inquiry concerning this circumstance does not seem to be proposed.

Seventh and Tenth: damage? theft? fraud? wages owed to workers withheld, defrauded, or diminished? restitution? petty thefts?

Eighth: harmful lies? rash judgments ⁷? detraction? calumny? reparation of reputation and of further damage perhaps inflicted.

⁷ Judgments, or rather suspicions, often arise; but they very rarely reach grave fault, namely, because of inadvertence, because of the imperfection of the judgment, or even because the reasons for suspecting or judging are such that neither the suspicions nor the judgments can be called rash. See Vol. I, no. 465.

IV. Concerning the precepts of the Church: fasting? abstinence from meat on prohibited days? confession? Easter Communion?

V. Concerning the capital sins: drunkenness? pride? sloth? envy? anger? avarice?

VI. Concerning the duties of one's state: husband; wife; master; civil magistrate; advocate; merchant, as to weight and measure.

N.B. At the end let him ask whether anything else still keeps the penitent anxious.