Case 25. A Recidivist

Caius, a Catholic young man, is accustomed to confess every week. Although otherwise of good disposition, he always accuses himself of the sin of self-pollution committed three or four times within the week. To the confessor’s questions he replied that he was accustomed to abstain for almost two days after confession but afterwards fell; that he was very sorry for the sins, sincerely wished to free himself from the evil habit, and would willingly accept from the confessor advice and means for amending himself. Hence it is asked:

1. Who is a relapser?

2. How must he be treated?

3. What is to be said of the case?

A recidivist is one who after many confessions has fallen into the same sin without any or with scarcely any amendment.

2. How is a recidivist to be treated?

This is a much controverted point among more recent moral theologians. The Jansenists taught that a recidivist can not be absolved until he has proved the sincerity of sorrow by actual amendment and by abstaining from falling again into the same sin for some time after confession. On the other hand laxists held that a penitent who has contracted a habit of sin should be absolved at once, provided that he makes verbal profession of his sorrow and purpose of amendment. Even some who are neither rigorists nor laxists hold that after a recidivist has been absolved a certain number of times, he may not be absolved again unless he shows extraordinary signs of sorrow. The doctrine of Lugo and other older theologians on this matter seems more workable and better grounded. In brief it comes to this: that the matter must be left to the judgment of the confessor, and if the confessor judges that the penitent is here and now sorry for his sins, notwithstanding his falls in the past, he may always absolve him.¹

1 Manual of Moral Theology, vol. ii, 218 ff.

3. The case. The fact that Caius keeps from sin for some time after going to confession shows that he derives fruit from the sacrament and he should not be deprived of it. He may be told to come to confession immediately after falling into sin if he can do so; to pray hard and perseveringly especially in time of temptation to God and His blessed Mother for help; to go frequently to Holy Communion; to keep constantly occupied in mind and body; to take plenty of fresh air exercise; and similar means. With God’s grace, if he adopts these remedies he will conquer his bad habit. The confessor should do all he can to cheer and encourage him.