“you HAVE to go to sacramental confession,”
Says who?
The correct spelling is "Sez". Do I have to explain EVerything? Sheesh!
Sez me and my Sig p239 in 357 Sig. Next question?
(Sorry that's my Sicilian Catholic coming out. ....)
A "precept of the Church" is that IF you are conscious of grave sin you should go to confession at least once a year and receive Holy Communion (which by our take on things means "taking care" of a grave sin by, guess what, going to confession and being truly contrite and all that) at least once a year, AND if it's only once a year that should be during the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost.
But please note the general direction of the end of my interminable post, to wit: it's like saying, "If you want to taste sweetness, we are going cruelly to require you to eat this marzipan." To those with disordered senses, that seems like a "work". To those of us who know how good marzipan is, it's a grace.