Can a preist cancel a prior penance?

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sdegutis

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I went to confession yesterday and received a penance that lasts a week. For some reason, I forgot a portion of what the penance was by today, so I looked up what should be done in this case. The Baltimore Catechism says we must go to a priest and tell him what happened and request a new penance. So today I went to another priest and told him that even though I remembered most of what it was, I did not remember all of it. He gave me a new penance, and when I tried to express guilt about receiving a new (lighter and quicker) one instead of some variation on the original one, he told me I was being obsessive compulsive and that I should stop worrying about the old penance. From my understanding, absolution was truly given yesterday even if I did not complete the penance (as long as it wasn’t out of defiance, I would guess). But I feel like a cheater now, and feel like I’m still bound to the penance I received today (which is done with) as well as the penance from yesterday, as best as I can remember it, which still has several more days left. But on the other hand, I want to stop being so scrupulous and trust in the mercy of God. So I want to trust the priest that he loosed me from my old penance and so I’m not bound to it as he implied by telling me to “forget about [the old penance]”. Do priests have that authority to loose someone from a past penance, either in this kind of a situation or in any?

Although I would guess that technically, since penance is imposed for the sake of remission of temporal punishment and not eternal punishment (so long as absolution is received worthily), I’m allowed to technically forgo either penance afterwards, so long as I realize that I’m adding exponentially more time to myself in Purgatory by doing so. Or, would that be a grave sin, to intend to do penance at first, and then simply to change one’s mine and forgo it? But either way, the original question above is probably more important than this little tangent.

(As a brief aside: the Baltimore Catechism also says we cannot give ourselves a penance if we forget the original one, as another thread on this forum suggests we can.)
 
I would stop worrying about it. You were given a new penance during your latest confession and have already done it. In the future, if you are given a penance you don’t think you can complete tell the priest so he can assign you a new one. If at the time you think you can complete it and you later realize you cannot, ask for a new one next time you go to confession.
 
I agree with marty. But you might write down a penance if it’s not very simple next time for your own peace of mind.
 
Maybe if the Priest is performing under mortal sin himself.
 
OCD…how many of us has a touch of it here and there?

Anyway, here’s my “advice”, so to say, for you.

The priest is the confessor but he is sitting in the place of Christ (he is an Altus Christus) and so it is Christ forgiving you.

Your penance is something you must do as asked by the priest in the function of Altus Christus, so in a way your penance is given to you by Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Now, consider Abraham of the Old Testament. Remember (Genesis 22) God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, but once he saw that in his heart, Abraham would be obedient to Him in all things, including sacrificing his only son to Him, God told Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead. I think Isaac breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Abraham wasn’t going to say, “But I need to follow through with what You told me earlier!”

Basically, if in our hearts we have made penance, then in His Eyes we have made penance, and God might change the exact details of what you might do for the penance.
 
If you had returned to get a lighter penance, than I would say…“no” one priest can not cancel a prior penance. But that is not true in your situation. Your intentions were pure…you forgot and nothing more. Accept the new penance and let it go. Worrying about it means that you are shouldering the burden and that is not what we are suppose to be doing.
 
[edited]

To the OP, I recommend accepting and performing the new penance and not obsessing over which penance was stricter.
 
triumphguy said:
Ex Opere Operato
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Thanks, I knew I read something like that.

"…we know that personal holiness or the state of grace in the minister is not a prerequisite for the valid administration of the sacrament. This has been solemnly defined in several general councils including the Council of Trent (Sess VII, can.12, ibid., de bapt., can. 4). The reason is that the sacraments have their efficacy by Divine institution and through the merits of Christ. Unworthy ministers, validly conferring the sacraments, cannot impede the efficacy of signs ordained by Christ to produce grace ex opere operato
 
sdegutis said:
I So today I went to another priest and told him that even though I remembered most of what it was, I did not remember all of it. He gave me a new penance, and when I tried to express guilt about receiving a new (lighter and quicker) one instead of some variation on the original one, he told me I was being obsessive compulsive and that I should stop worrying about the old penance. From my understanding, absolution was truly given yesterday even if I did not complete the penance (as long as it wasn’t out of defiance, I would guess).
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you follow what the priest tells you in confession and avoid the temptation to second guess and monday morning quarterback your confession with third parties, on this forum or anywhere else. If you keep doing this you risk getting into a frame of mind where you avoid confession altogether.

You must must must find one good priest you trust and go to confession exclusively to him, unless there is an emergency, so he can help you through this kind of difficulty. Nothing said here is going to help you. Of course your absolution was valid since the priest did his job right, the first time and the second time. It is exactly those kind of doubts and worries that are going to multiply if you keep rehashing and worrying about each confession. Completing the penance has nothing to do with validity of absolution.

We are not being harsh in this advice, but giving the best help we can. Third parties who don’t know you cannot give spiritual advice that speaks to your specific need.
[edited]
 
Yes, a priest can “commute” your penance. Its similar to a judge commuting your sentence. Its valid.
 
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