Dear Jason:

You ought to be scared. You have spit on God for four years and have separated yourself from the Church. Excommunication means that one is no longer in communion with the Church. This is not harsh, the Church did not do anything. You excommunicated yourself (excluded yourself from communion with the Church) by your rebellion against God by not going to Mass and not going to Confession. This is all on your shoulders. The consequences for you could be hell unless you rectify this situation.

Before getting more into that, let me explain the "excommunication" referred to in the Catechism of the Council of Trent.

The problem with the old catechisms is that they use language with which modern readers are unfamiliar. This quotation you gave from the Catechism of the Council of Trent is an excellent example. This, what you need the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition. You do not need the Catechism of the Council of Trent.

To explain the reference you quote, before the twentieth century the church designated two kinds of excommunication: 1) Major Excommunication; and 2) Minor Excommunication.

Major Excommunication is what we today think about concerning excommunication. Today, one can be excommunicated either "automatically" or be "declaration by the Church".

Automatic excommunication happens automatically at the instant we commit certain sins:

1) procured completed abortion
2) heresy
3) schism
4) apostasy
5) desecration/sacrilege against the Blessed Sacrament
6) physical attack upon the Pope

7) a priest who violates the confessional seal
8) a priest who gives absolution to his accomplice in adultery/fornication
9) a bishop who consecrates a new bishop without the Pope's permission

Declared excommunication happens when the Church (Bishop or Holy See) declares a person excommunicated for a act that is eligible for excommunication.

Minor Excommunication is uniformly defined by canonists and by Gregory IX  (cap. lix, De sent. exc., lib. V, tit. xxxix) as prohibition from receiving the sacraments. In otherwords, minor excommunication is being barred from receiving the Eucharist because one is not in a state of grace. Thus, using the definition of minor excommunciation, you are excommunicated because you have committed grave sin and have not confessed your sin in the Sacrament of Confession. All of us when we commit a grave (mortal) sin are "excommunicated" in the limited sense in that we not in communion with the Church because of our grave sin and thus are barred from receiving the Eucharist until we are absolved in the Sacrament of Confession.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent is using the term "excommunication" as "minor excommunication" meaning a person who does not receive the Eucharist at least once a year during Easter, is not in a State of Grace and is in need of Confession before receiving the Eucharist again.

The resolution to all excommunications (major and minor), the resolution to sin that robs us of a State of Grace, is the Sacrament of Confession.

By the way, even if one has not been to confession for 40 years, the person is required to go to Mass each Sunday (or Saturday vigil). If one fails to attend Sunday Mass then another grave sin is committed.

A person who is not properly disposed, that is, in a state of grace, sits in the pew and prays while others go forward to receive the Eucharist. Contrary to popular opinion the Vatican says that one DOES NOT go forward when not receiving the Eucharist to get a blessing from the priest (an extraordinary minister cannot legally give a blessing).

THEREFORE: Get to Confession immediately-Tomorrow-Saturday. There is no excuse for not going to Confession no matter how many times you repeat some sin. Do you wish to go to hell? Well, if you keep up the way you are, you may find yourself in hell. There is no need for this to happen. GET TO CONFESSION, NOW, WEEKLY IF NEEDED and attend Sunday Mass each week regardless of whether or not you have been to confession. Just don't receive the Eucharist until you have be absolved in the Sacrament of Confession.

In-between Confession when we sin we can say an Act of Perfect Confession. This Act, said even minutes after we sin, will forgive our sin and restore us to state of grace immediately and on the spot. However, with this Act of Perfect Confession comes the promise to go to the formal Sacrament of Confession at the next opportunity. Even though we are in a state of grace when we offer an Act of Perfect Contrition, we must still not receive the Eucharist until we have been absolved in the Sacrament of Confession.

An Act of Perfect Contrition is being sorry for your sins because you love God and are so sorry for disappointing him. An "imperfect" act of contrition is when we are sorry for our sins because we fear hell.

Here is an example of a Perfect Act of Contrition. Remember this is prayed because you love God and not out of mere fear of hell:

Our my Savior, I am sorry for having offended You by my sin of _______ because You are infinitely good and sin displeases You, whom I should love above all. I detest this sin and all the sins of my life and I desire to atone them. I firmly intend with Your help to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Through the merits of Your Precious Blood, wash from my soul all stain of sin, so that cleansed in body and soul, I may worthily approach the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.

At the end of this post I will talk about the issue of confession and repeating the same sin over and over, but first I have copied quotes from the Catechism and an article by a bishop that explains Perfect and Imperfect Contrition:

From the Catechism:

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.

1453 The contrition called "imperfect" (or "attrition") is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin's ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.

The following article is excerpted from the book, My Catholic Faith by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow published in 1949. By the way, he explains how Perfect Contrition should be easy to offer:

    Perfect contrition implies a fervent love of God. We are sorry for our sins because they offend God Who is so good. Mary Magdalen had perfect contrition. Her contrition was so perfect that she never sinned again. She followed Our Lord and was at the foot of the cross when He was crucified. Her perfect contrition and love were greatly rewarded, for He appeared to her on Easter morning. We should all try to imitate Mary Magdalene's contrition, arising from sorrow at offending God.

 Perfect Contrition

    Our contrition is perfect when we are sorry for our sins because sin offends God, Whom we love above all things for His own sake.

    "Wherefore I say to thee, her sins, many as they are, shall be forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he to whom little is forgiven, loves little.' And he said to her, 'Thy sins are forgiven.' And they who were at table with hi began to say within themselves, 'Who is this man, who even forgives sins?" But he said to the woman, 'Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace' " (Luke 7: 47-50).

    1. This contrition arises from a pure and perfect love of God. If we have a perfect love of God, our contrition for sins will be perfect. It ought not to be difficult for us to have a perfect love of God. We generally love our parents not for the food and clothes they give us, but for themselves, because we see their self-sacrifice, their unselfishness, and other good qualities.

    Thus we shall be sorry, not only because we fear punishment or dread the loss of His gifts, but because we offend the good God, to Whom nothing is more evil than sin. If we can love our parents spontaneously, not for any reward we expect or punishment we wish to avoid, why can we not love God, Who is infinitely more lovable than our parents? If we love God spontaneously, because He is lovable in Himself, our love is perfect.

    2. It is easy to make an act of perfect contrition if we sincerely love God. We can excite ourselves to it by thinking of the Passion, of how good God is, how many favors He has granted us, and how ungrateful we have been to Him in return for His goodness.

    By thinking of God's gifts, we realize a little the goodness of God and His worthiness to be loved for His own sake. We then feel sorry for having offended our Benefactor by the sins we have committed.

    3. If we happen to be assisting at a deathbed, and no priest is available, we should help the dying person make an act of perfect contrition.

    The father of a family met with an accident and was at the point of death. The youngest child, who had recently made his first communion, saw that his father would die before the priest could arrive. He therefore took a crucifix from the wall, and holding it before his father's eyes repeated aloud an act of contrition. Tears filled the dying man's eyes. He died before the priest arrived, but his act of contrition washed his soul clean of sin.

    4. We should form the habit of making an act of perfect contrition as often as possible.

    It is only necessary to raise our hearts to God in pure love, and say some such words as: "O my God, I am sorry I ever offended Thee, because Thou art so good, and I love Thee!"

Imperfect Contrition

    Our contrition is imperfect when we are sorry for our sins because they are hateful in themselves or because we fear God's punishment.

    1. Imperfect contrition is called attrition. The fear of hell is a common motive of attrition. It is a good motive, but it is imperfect, because it arises from fear of God's punishments, and not from pure love for Him.

    A mother sent her three young sons to take a big jar of honey to their grandmother. On the way the boys stopped to play. They stumbled over the jar, breaking it and spilling the honey. They all began to seep.

    The first said, "Mother will surely spank us?" The second cried, "She will be so displeased she will give us no cookies!" And the third wept, "Mother will surely be sad!"

    The first two boys had attrition: one had the fear of punishment, and the second had sorrow at the loss of reward. The third child had perfect contrition, for he thought only of the sadness and offense he caused to one he loved.

    2. To receive the sacrament of Penance worthily, imperfect contrition is sufficient. However, an act of attrition cannot obtain forgiveness of mortal sin without the absolution of a priest.

    Even if we feel only attrition for our sins, we can easily develop it into perfect contrition by remembering what we should be without God. We should always try to have perfect contrition in the sacrament of Penance.

    3. A purely servile fear of God is not sufficient for imperfect contrition. That is one which makes a person avoid sin only because of punishment: so that, if there were no punishment, he would not be sorry, but ready and resolved to sin, regardless of the laws of God. To receive the sacrament of Penance worthily, purely servile fear would not be sufficient.

    We call this fear "servile" because it is the fear of slaves, afraid of a hard taskmaster; they would quickly disobey his commands were they not afraid of his whips. Shall we look upon God thus? Servile fear does not make the sinner turn away from his sin. The "fear of God" that produces attrition is called filial fear. It is a fear of God's punishments that makes the sinner turn away from sin and return sincerely to God; it is the fear that a good son who has offended his father seriously feels when he begs forgiveness.

Regaining Grace

    A person in mortal sin can regain the state of grace before receiving the sacrament of Penance, by making an act of perfect contrition, with the sincere purpose of going to confession.

    1. An act of perfect contrition takes away sin immediately. Our sins however grievous are forgiven before we confess them, although the obligation to confess as soon as we can remains.

    Thus, if one makes an act of perfect contrition after having committed a mortal sin, and then dies before being able to go to confession, he is saved from hell by the act he made. Let us remember the penitent thief: "And he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise'" (Luke 23: 40-43).

    2. If we have the misfortune to commit a mortal sin, we should ask God's pardon and grace at once, make an act of perfect contrition, and go to confession as soon as we can.

    With the act of perfect contrition must be our intention to go to confession as soon as we can. If we die without being able to confess to a priest we shall be saved from hell by our act of perfect contrition.

    We may not receive Holy Communion after committing a mortal sin, if we merely make an act of perfect contrition; one who has sinned grievously must go to confession before receiving Holy Communion.

A good confession has these requirements:

1) genuine contrition (sorrow) for sins.

2) confess all sins that one remembers since last confession in at least kind and number. Sins that are genuinely forgotten are forgiven along with the rest when the priest absolves you. If you remember a grave sin, later you can mention it in your next confession even though it is technically already forgiven.

3) do not hold back any sin for any reason. If one purposely holds back a grave sin and does not confess it, then the whole confession is invalid and one is not forgiven.

There is a story told of a old nun who was a member with St. Teresa of Ávila in convent. The old nun was considered very saintly. One day God permitted this old nun after she died to appear to St. Teresa. The nun was in pain and suffering. At first St. Teresa thought the nun was in purgatory, but the nun cried out to St. Teresa to tell the sisters to never be embarrassed to confess their sins in confession. She had been too embarrassed about one sin and never confessed it. Thus, the nun died with mortal sin on her soul and she was in hell.

NEVER risk hell because of fear or embarrassment to confess all sins.