PENANCE 137 



necessaria). Therefore, one who is conscious of 

 venial sins only, is not per se bound to receive the 

 Sacrament, for venial sins can be expiated by 

 other means besides Penance. 6 Nevertheless, ve- 

 nial sins are admissible and sufficient matter (ma- 

 teria libera seu sufUciens) for confession, and it is 

 advisable to include them, as the Sacrament of 

 Penance is the best and most efficacious means of 

 obtaining forgiveness of them, for two reasons : — 

 first, because men are easily deceived as to the 

 character of certain sins, and, secondly, because 

 Penance serves not merely to blot out sin and 

 sanctify the soul, but also to instruct, console, and 

 encourage the sinner, and thus aids him on the 

 way to perfection. 



A Catholic is furthermore bound to receive this 

 Sacrament, 



b) When he is laden with mortal sin and in 

 danger of death, or when he is conscious of being 

 in the state of mortal sin and wishes to receive a 

 Sacrament of the living; or 



c) When he is commanded to do so by an ec- 

 clesiastical precept (iure ecclesiastico). The 

 Third Commandment of the Church says that 

 every Catholic should worthily confess his sins 

 at least once a year to a duly ordained priest. 7 



6 Cone. Trident., Sess. XIV, De 62 sq.— Gopfert, Moraltheologie, 

 Poenit., c. 5, can. 6 (Denzinger- Vol. Ill, 4th ed., p. 150. 

 Bannwart, n. 899 sqq., 916); Pohle- 7 See A. Villien, A History of the 



Preuss, The Sacraments, Vol. Ill, Commandments of the Church, pp. 



IS 1 sqq. 



