Commuting/ Undoing a given Penance

[Tannhauser]

Is it possible to commute or otherwise undo a given Penance?

Are there any Vatical/ Official documents to support this?

Are indeed we under an obligation on the pain of mortal sin to complete our Penance?

Please help.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I don’t have a source for this, but I have read someplace that one can ask a confessor, not necessarily the one who gave you the penance, to modify or replace it. Probably the best approach is to go to Confession someplace and tell him your problem.

 

[Maureen1125]

I think it would depend on why you want your penance changed. If you simply don’t want to do it…to dang bad. I am sure Jesus didn’t want to die a horrible death. If however, you are unable to perform your penance…say your Priest told you to spend 3 Saturdays volunteering at a soup kitchen, but you work FT and attend college on the weekends and you are physically unable to do it, then I think you could state that and instead maybe volunteer at a nursing home on bingo night instead.

Without the details, I really can’t tell you. I think you need to call or e-mail your Parish priest.

 

[Bookcat]

Is it possible to commute or otherwise undo a given Penance?

Are there any Vatical/ Official documents to support this?

Are indeed we under an obligation on the pain of mortal sin to complete our Penance?

Please help.

Yes…while one can not reject it at the time it is given (though one can ask for it to be changed even then…)

but yes it may be changed in confession…by the priest who gave it …or even another Priest…to whom one explains things.

sometimes a penance is given that needs be changed for one reason or another.

 

[Beth_Cecilia]

Is it possible to commute or otherwise undo a given Penance?

Are there any Vatical/ Official documents to support this?

Are indeed we under an obligation on the pain of mortal sin to complete our Penance?

Please help.

You can ask for a different penance, and your request is likely to be granted if you have a valid reason. If there is no reason, what is point of asking?

As to whether or not it is a mortal sin to not complete your penance, there too there are many factors. Obviously, it is not a mortal sin if you forget. Mortal sin requires awareness. But since you are asking, in your case it seems likely that to be a mortal sin. Skipping penance qualifies as grave. So if you do it, uncoerced and on purpose, it is a mortal sin. You should talk to your priest. There must be some reason you do not want to do the assigned penance, and there must be some reason he asked it of you. Talk to him.

 

[white_sheep]

One doesn’t have to perform the penance for the absolution to be valid, from my understanding anyway.

 

[thistle]

One doesn’t have to perform the penance for the absolution to be valid, from my understanding anyway.

That is correct but by deliberately not doing the penance you then put yourself in a state of sin.
Of course any penance must not be against Church teachings and immoral and must not be dangerous to the penitent or others.
The penance must be reasonable and appropriate.