appendix — Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology
Appendix II. Concerning General Confession.
422. Its Necessity. General confession is the repetition of all or of many confessions. Considering the ordinary circumstances of penitents, general confession must be said to be necessary for two kinds of men:
a. For those who with grave fault concealed a mortal sin in confession, whether this was done from gravely culpable negligence in the examination of conscience or from defect of sincerity in the confession itself.
b. For those who knowingly confessed without sorrow and a serious purpose of amendment.
Those who for a long time lived in an evil habit of sinning and, although they often approached the sacraments, nevertheless always relapsed into the same sins without an efficacious effort of amendment, cannot be bound strictly to making a general confession, because it is not certain that past confessions were invalid. But since it can not imprudently be doubted concerning their value, they are earnestly to be exhorted to general confession.
423. Its Utility. All theologians agree in preaching the utility of general confession; for from it the penitent, having more inwardly known the state of his conscience, conceives fear and humility, horror of sin, peace and tranquillity of soul, and hope and confidence in God. One general confession often profits more than many ordinary confessions. Therefore Benedict XIV says: "Moderators of consciences agree with one voice that much utility is perceived from the use of general confessions."1
General confession is useful chiefly for five kinds of men:
a. For adults who have not yet made a general confession, especially if a suitable occasion offers itself for it, as in the time of a mission, spiritual exercises, a jubilee, etc.
b. For those who undertake a state of life or a new manner of living, such as those about to marry, widowers and widows, soldiers who enter barracks or return from them, students who begin higher studies, etc.
c. For those who seriously intend to be converted to God and to establish a better manner of life; for it scarcely happens that a truly Christian life is restored unless the sins of the past life have been expiated by serious penance.
d. For the sick who are in danger of death; for if they have not made a general confession either from childhood or for a long time, and their strength suffices, they are earnestly to be exhorted to making it, so that they may be able quietly and confidently to await death.
e. General confession can ordinarily be permitted also to the scrupulous; for it is not general confession itself, but its repetition, which harms them and therefore must be forbidden.
Note. Excess in this matter must be avoided. Therefore the confessor should take care not to drive penitents importunately to making general confession; for unless they make it willingly, there will be scarcely any utility from it. He should also take care not to demand general confession from every new penitent whom he obtains, under the pretext of better knowing the state of the soul; for the knowledge which can be drawn from ordinary confessions abundantly suffices for directing the conscience suitably.
1 Apostolic Constitution, June 26, 1749, n. 17.
424. Admonitions. 1. Because of the great utility of general confessions, the confessor should willingly hear them, and should never reject a penitent who intends to make a general confession under the pretext that it is not necessary; on the contrary, unless from the circumstances he judges that it will be harmful, he should promise that he will help the penitent, so that he may approach the making of confession with greater confidence.
General confession should not be made incidentally and perfunctorily only under the principal heads, but ordinarily, especially if it is made on the occasion of spiritual exercises or a public mission, it should be made accurately and diligently, even if there is no question of a necessary confession; for otherwise the penitent will not obtain that peace of soul and tranquillity of conscience which is the sweetest effect of general confession.1
It is not expedient that general confessions be made suddenly, as it were, and without preparation; but to obtain the fruits which by the grace of God can be hoped for from them, diligent preparation must be premised. Therefore those who are going to make a general confession must be instructed that for some days, insofar as daily business permits it, they should be occupied in examining conscience, in recalling and detesting sins, and especially in frequent prayers by which they implore true conversion.
If the penitent is sufficiently instructed and prepared, it is better that he himself, with the confessor assisting when there is need, state the sins which he knows. But if he is not sufficiently instructed or prepared for making confession, or if he spontaneously asks to be questioned, it is better that the confessor complete the whole confession by questioning.
1 Cf. Directorium in exercit. spirit. (Bruges: Desclee, 1897), c. 16, n. 3.
425. Preliminary Questions. In order to render general confession easier, it helps to question the penitent beforehand, either when he asks that his general confession be heard, or immediately before confession, about the following things.
Why he wishes to make a general confession. From the answers given it will be clear whether the general confession is necessary or only useful.
But if it is established that it is necessary because of past confessions made badly, it must at once be explored when the last valid confession was made, how often in a year the penitent was accustomed to confess and communicate, and whether during this time he received another sacrament, such as confirmation, matrimony, extreme unction.
An unknown penitent must be questioned about his state of life, single or matrimonial, and about the profession which he exercises.
When the last confession was made. Ordinarily a confession of sins committed since the last confession must be premised to a general confession, so that the confessor may thus better know the state of the penitent.
426. Catalogue of Sins. a. The penitent must be questioned about sins which, considering his state and condition, were probably committed by him. Therefore from the following catalogue sometimes some questions must be omitted, and sometimes others must be added; for it sets forth the sins about which one must ordinarily question.
b. It is expedient that the order of the precepts of the Decalogue be observed; but about the sixth precept the questions are to be made either immediately at the beginning or only at the end. The precepts of the Church can be reduced to the third, and the duties of state to the fourth precept.
c. If the penitent is found to have contracted an evil habit, it must be explored when it began and how long it lasted.
d. If he confesses a grave sin, he must at once be asked about the lowest species and about the number, if this can be done without grave inconvenience.
I. a. Whether he seriously doubted some truth of faith. Whether he denied a truth of faith.
b. Whether he despaired of his salvation.
c. Whether he murmured against God and his dispositions. If he affirms this, whether he had blasphemous thoughts about God.
d. Whether he held impious conversations against religion, the Church, priests. Whether he read bad books, bad newspapers, liberal or socialist, and handed them over to others to be read. Whether he thought that on this account he incurred excommunication. If he affirms this, he must be questioned about the very books which he read. Whether he performed superstitious things, such as spiritism or hypnotism. Whether he received a sacrament unworthily.
II. Whether he gravely blasphemed; whether before children. Whether he swore falsely, in court, with harm to a neighbor. Whether he made a vow which he afterward did not fulfill.
III. a. Whether on a feast day he culpably did not hear Mass. Whether on a feast day without necessity he labored, or imposed labor on others.
b. Whether on Friday he ate meat. Whether he violated the fast. Whether he satisfied the paschal precept.
IV. a. A son or daughter of a family: Whether he was disobedient in a grave matter, e.g., by staying outside the house at night, by frequenting persons or houses against the prohibition of parents. Whether he gravely saddened them. Whether he treated them harshly, by words or by deeds. Whether he wished death upon them.
b. A servant: Whether he furnished the service owed. Whether he caused harm to his master, or defrauded him.
c. The father and mother of a family: Whether they gave scandal to children. Whether they watched over children and servants, lest they frequent bad companions or dangerous houses, or neglect Christian duties.
d. A husband: Whether he lives peaceably with his wife. Whether by quarrels, reproaches, etc., he gravely offended her. Whether he squanders the goods of the family.
e. A wife: Whether she is obedient to her husband in domestic matters and in the conjugal debt. Whether she renders life troublesome to her husband.
V. Whether he had enmity, fostered hatred, wished a great evil, rejoiced over evil, and how long it lasted. Whether he gravely offended someone, struck him, wounded him, or had a duel. Whether he gravely harmed himself. Whether he wished death upon himself or thought about inflicting death on himself. Whether he made himself drunk.
VI and IX. Concerning sins against chastity, an examination with an adult penitent who can be supposed to have committed sins of this kind is more suitably made by beginning from the graver sins almost in this way: Whether he sinned by work against chastity. If he affirms this, whether he sinned with another person. If he affirms this, whether with a person of the other sex. If he affirms this, he is to be examined about the sins which were with a person of the other sex; if he denies it, about the sins which were with a person of the same sex; and if he did not sin with another person, about sins which can be committed solitarily.
a. With a person of the other sex: Whether he did as in marriage. If he affirms this, whether offspring followed. If he denies this, whether it could have followed. If he denies this, whether they placed an impediment to conception. Whether the person was related by blood, married, or sacred. How often this was done. Whether besides these things he basely touched persons of the other sex or looked at them; whether he admitted base touches. Whether he had base conversations or willingly heard them. Whether besides this he sinned with a person of the same sex; if he affirms, he must be examined as is indicated below. Whether he also sinned solitarily; if he affirms, he must be examined as is indicated below.
b. With a person of the same sex: Whether he performed base touches; whether unto pollution. Whether he committed something worse, sodomy. Whether he had base looks, base conversations. Whether besides this he sinned solitarily.
c. Solitarily: alpha. Whether he voluntarily had base motions; whether base touches. Whether he polluted himself, whether he had a habit of polluting himself, when it began, how long it lasted, whether it happened daily. Whether at the same time, in polluting himself, he had evil thoughts or desires, and what kind they were.
beta. Whether he had base looks with lustful affection. Whether he had base desires, and what kind they were.
gamma. Whether he read bad books. Whether he was present at indecent dances and in them sinned basely by thoughts, words, or touches. Whether he attended gravely base theaters and in them was voluntarily delighted.
delta. Whether animals were an occasion of sinning. Whether he performed base touches, whether worse things.
A married penitent must be examined about the sins of spouses: Whether conscience pricks him concerning the conjugal debt or concerning the use itself of marriage. Whether he preserved conjugal fidelity. Whether he performed the conjugal act duly.
VII and X. Whether he took something by theft. Whether he restored what was taken. Whether by selling, buying, or other contracts he caused grave harm. Whether he caused grave harm to the goods of his neighbor. Whether he repaired the harm caused. As far as can be done, penitents are to be freed from making restitution; but if this cannot be done, the manner of restitution must be indicated accurately.
VIII. Whether he revealed a hidden crime of his neighbor. Whether he said something false about his neighbor. Whether he violated a secret in a grave matter.
Note. Since light sins are omitted in the catalogue of sins, to render the penitent tranquil it will help at the end to include all sins, even unknown ones, especially negligences in prayers, anger and impatience, envy and pride, lies, and injuries to the charity of neighbor.
427. After Confession. When the confession has been completed: a. Let him ask the penitent whether there is anything which pricks his conscience and about which he has not been questioned.
b. Let him raise him up to full confidence by warning him that now all sins are remitted by absolution, and that there is no need that he ever be troubled about them or accuse anything further in confession, unless he certainly remembers a grave sin never declared up to this point in confession.
c. Let him suggest the means by which he can guard against relapse and make his salvation certain: alpha. frequentation of the sacraments; beta. devotion toward the blessed Virgin Mary; gamma. flight from occasions and battle against temptations; and anything further which, from the known state of the penitent, seems necessary or opportune.
d. After motives of penance have been proposed in a brief but paternal exhortation, let him elicit contrition with him and, after imposing penance, dismiss him absolved in the Lord.