Can someone help me with my penance?

[Amac1]

I’m hoping we are allowed to talk about our penances on this forum. If not please let me know and I will delete.

Last month I went to confession for first time in 27 years. I confessed a lot of mortal sins. My penance was one Our Father. The priest told me to really concentrate on the words, especially “thy will be done”, and also “our daily bread”. He said “I know it’s hard to get communion now because of the virus, but think of ways round this, spiritual communion etc”.

Since my confession I have been thinking of the words a lot, particularly the “will” part and mostly have been focusing on that. I have received communion up to 4 times a week, but on some occasions just once a week (so not daily). Tonight, I have just realised I have not been saying an act of spiritual communion daily! Does this mean I haven’t yet done my penance?

I thought the priest saying to focus on the words was more general advice, but now I’m wondering if it was actually part of the penance, as he did put emphasis on it. Am I supposed to receive communion (actual or spiritual) daily, in order for my sins to be absolved.

Any advice welcome.
Thanks.

 

[Wesrock]

If you have questions on a penance you should speak to a priest (any priest) about it.

It sounds like your penance was just saying the Our Father once. Communion/Spiritual communion wasn’t part of your penance from what I read, just a suggestion for the future.

 

[Irishmom2]

Your sins were absolved whether you did your penance or not.

I have many times, said the Our Father, pausing after each word, to ponder about each word before continuing on.

For example give us (why us? Why not me? It is for all, not just me) this (this day, just today, don’t worry about tomorrow) etc. It is an interesting way of meditating on Our Lord’s Prayer.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Priests don’t give open-ended penances. They also don’t give penances of receiving physical or spiritual Communion (more on this below).

The penance was to say one Our Father. If you said it, concentrating on the words, then your penance is done.

The rest of the stuff the priest told you to do was a suggested spiritual activity. Priests don’t assign Holy Communions, or spiritual communions, for penance, because Communion is not a penitential act and it’s not really right to receive our Lord thinking “here I go checking the penance box.”
Priests tend to assign penances like saying a certain prayer, or reading and thinking about a Scripture passage, or doing a good deed for someone, or sitting quietly with the Lord for a while and meditating on some issue, etc.

Also, if you’re receiving Holy Communion 1 to 4 times a week, you’re doing very well in this time of COVID. Speaking as one who went 18 years without a confession and committed many mortal sins during that time, the communions will help you get back on track and stay on track. Spiritual communion is for when you cannot receive, but it sounds like if you are receiving 4 times a week you’re not having that issue. Some people have a hard time getting to Mass due to their work or because their Masses are cancelled or restricted or because they are afraid of catching COVID or transmitting it to their relative in fragile health at home.

 

[fide]

I’m hoping we are allowed to talk about our penances on this forum.

This section of the Catechism has some excellent discussion on penances given in the Sacrament. I recommend to all Catholics to have a copy of the Catechism to read and learn from. Here is the passage (the paragraph numbers are very useful. You can use them to look up the section or any particular paragraph, in any Catechism of the Catholic Church you might pick up and read). I put in bold the relationship between “absolution” and “penance,” or “satisfaction” assigned.:

Satisfaction

1459 Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.<Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1712> Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is also called “penance.”
1460 The penance the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent’s personal situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him.”<Rom 8:17; Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 2:1-2; cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1690>
The satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not so much ours as though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who can do nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things with the cooperation of “him who strengthens” us. Thus man has nothing of which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whom we make satisfaction by bringing forth “fruits that befit repentance.” These fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they are offered to the Father, and through him they are accepted by the Father.<Council of Trent (1551): DS 1691; cf. Phil 4:13; 1 Cor 1:31; 2 Cor 10:17; Gal 6:14; Lk 3:8>