Do I need to ask for another penance? Abstain from Receiving

[Galnextdoor]

I was taught that if you don’t do the penance the priest gives you, you cannot go to communion. The priest gave me a penance to finish praying the rosary with the people who were reciting the rosary outside in church. He also told me to come to one of the Holy Week services. When I left the confessional, the people in the church were saying the last few words of the Hail Holy Queen. I was just in time to make the sign of the cross at the end of the Rosary. I said some additional Hail Mary’s. I went to Communion, but afterwards I remembered my parents telling me as a child that I couldn’t go to Communion unless I did my penance first. Should I have abstained from Holy Communion? What happens if for some reason I can’t make it to a Holy Week service? Did I do the wrong thing to go to Communion? Are my sins absolved even though I wasn’t able to perform the penance? Can I pick another penance or should I go back to confession for another penance?

If this has been answered previously, please forgive me for my ineptness because I didn’t find it.

 

[Spirithound]

I was taught that if you don’t do the penance the priest gives you, you cannot go to communion. The priest gave me a penance to finish praying the rosary with the people who were reciting the rosary outside in church. He also told me to come to one of the Holy Week services. When I left the confessional, the people in the church were saying the last few words of the Hail Holy Queen. I was just in time to make the sign of the cross at the end of the Rosary. I said some additional Hail Mary’s. I went to Communion, but afterwards I remembered my parents telling me as a child that I couldn’t go to Communion unless I did my penance first. Should I have abstained from Holy Communion? What happens if for some reason I can’t make it to a Holy Week service? Did I do the wrong thing to go to Communion? Are my sins absolved even though I wasn’t able to perform the penance? Can I pick another penance or should I go back to confession for another penance?

Yes, your sins have been forgiven. You were permitted to receive Holy Communion. You must do your penance if you can, otherwise tell the priest at your next confession.

 

[CarmeliteGirl25]

I was taught that if you don’t do the penance the priest gives you, you cannot go to communion. The priest gave me a penance to finish praying the rosary with the people who were reciting the rosary outside in church. He also told me to come to one of the Holy Week services. When I left the confessional, the people in the church were saying the last few words of the Hail Holy Queen. I was just in time to make the sign of the cross at the end of the Rosary. I said some additional Hail Mary’s. I went to Communion, but afterwards I remembered my parents telling me as a child that I couldn’t go to Communion unless I did my penance first. Should I have abstained from Holy Communion? What happens if for some reason I can’t make it to a Holy Week service? Did I do the wrong thing to go to Communion? Are my sins absolved even though I wasn’t able to perform the penance? Can I pick another penance or should I go back to confession for another penance?

If this has been answered previously, please forgive me for my ineptness because I didn’t find it.

You did what you could. Don’t worry. You didn’t receive illicitly. If you are concerned about it still, ask for another penance next time you confess, but you are able to receive Communion.

 

[dixibehr]

You were told to finish saying the Rosary with the others.

You were there for the last prayer that finished it.

What’s the problem?

 

[thistle]

I was taught that if you don’t do the penance the priest gives you, you cannot go to communion. The priest gave me a penance to finish praying the rosary with the people who were reciting the rosary outside in church. He also told me to come to one of the Holy Week services. When I left the confessional, the people in the church were saying the last few words of the Hail Holy Queen. I was just in time to make the sign of the cross at the end of the Rosary. I said some additional Hail Mary’s. I went to Communion, but afterwards I remembered my parents telling me as a child that I couldn’t go to Communion unless I did my penance first. Should I have abstained from Holy Communion? What happens if for some reason I can’t make it to a Holy Week service? Did I do the wrong thing to go to Communion? Are my sins absolved even though I wasn’t able to perform the penance? Can I pick another penance or should I go back to confession for another penance?

If this has been answered previously, please forgive me for my ineptness because I didn’t find it.

Absolution is not conditional upon doing the penance. If you don’t do the penance your sins are still absolved and can receive Communion.

 

[Cristiano]

The only time that you should not receive communion is when you refuse to do your penance. That itself is a sin of disobedience to the Church and a sin of pride and it is grave matter. Sometime the penance cannot be done immediately and you do not have to wait to receive communion. Remember that mortal sin is clearly based on intent, if there is no intent there is not mortal sin.

 

[thistle]

The only time that you should not receive communion is when you refuse to do your penance. That itself is a sin of disobedience to the Church and a sin of pride and it is grave matter. Sometime the penance cannot be done immediately and you do not have to wait to receive communion. Remember that mortal sin is clearly based on intent, if there is no intent there is not mortal sin.

That is not correct.
First a penance could be immoral or against Church doctrine then you can refuse to do it. Also even if it is not immoral or against Church doctrine it might be something totally impracticable and you can refuse to do it.

Do not say its the sin of pride. Show us specifically where it is documented that refusing to do a penance is a grave sin.

 

[Spirithound]

First a penance could be immoral or against Church doctrine…it might be something totally impracticable.

Have you ever received such a penance? I haven’t.

 

[LilyM]

Yes, your sins have been forgiven. You were permitted to receive Holy Communion. You must do your penance if you can, otherwise tell the priest at your next confession.

OP DID the penance - the priest gave it without knowing how close the Rosary group were to finishing. She prayed with them until the end, so she did comply the best of her ability. Not her fault, no guilt on her part.

Galnextdoor, if you want, say another Rosary at another time, if you need extra reassurance make sure it’s with the group, but be assured you haven’t failed to do your penance.

 

[promethius]

Should I have abstained from Holy Communion?

as everyone has said, you’re fine here.

What happens if for some reason I can’t make it to a Holy Week service?

If you have a legitimate reason you can’t go, that makes the penance impractical. No fault there, but your penance remains undone until such time as you DO go to a Holy Week mass (next year) or get a different penance.

Did I do the wrong thing to go to Communion?

No

Are my sins absolved even though I wasn’t able to perform the penance?

technically as long as you are working towards completing any (appropriate) penance you’ve been assigned, your sins were absolved the second the priest pronounced absolution.

Can I pick another penance or should I go back to confession for another penance?

You can never self-determine a penance. That’s the office of the priest in the sacrament. You COULD go back to confession to ask for another penance, or you could just approach your confessor outside of confession sometime when he has a moment, inform him of the issue (say, if you end up unable to attend a Holy Week Mass), and ask for any adjustment to be made.

 

[thistle]

Have you ever received such a penance? I haven’t.

I haven’t either but you are missing the point! If a penance given is against Church teaching you do not have to do it. Think again if you believe all priests in the Church know all Church teachings or agree with them.
If a penance entails something impractical or impracticable you do not do it. For example, if someone confesses a crime and the priest tells the penitent his penance is to turn himself into the police he does not have to do that.

It is not a grave sin not to do a penance and absolution is not conditional upon a penance being done.

 

[Cristiano]

That is not correct.
First a penance could be immoral or against Church doctrine then you can refuse to do it. Also even if it is not immoral or against Church doctrine it might be something totally impracticable and you can refuse to do it.

Do not say its the sin of pride. Show us specifically where it is documented that refusing to do a penance is a grave sin.

I haven’t either but you are missing the point! If a penance given is against Church teaching you do not have to do it. Think again if you believe all priests in the Church know all Church teachings or agree with them.
If a penance entails something impractical or impracticable you do not do it. For example, if someone confesses a crime and the priest tells the penitent his penance is to turn himself into the police he does not have to do that.

It is not a grave sin not to do a penance and absolution is not conditional upon a penance being done.

From the Catechism of St. PiusX

106 Q: Is the penitent bound to accept the penance imposed on him by the confessor?

A: Yes, the penitent is bound to accept the penance imposed on him by the confessor if he can perform it; and if he cannot, he should humbly say so, and ask some other penance.

107 Q: When should the penance be performed?

A: If the confessor has fixed no time, the penance should be performed as soon as convenient, and as far as possible while in the state of grace.

113 Q: Which are the works of penance?

A: The works of penance may be reduced to three kinds: Prayer, Fasting, and Alms-deeds.

If we are “bound” to accept the penance and we do not obey to me is like eating meat on days of abstinence. It is disobedience! Every time that we think that we might know better than the priest (in persona Christi) we are in danger of getting very close to the sin of pride.

 

[thistle]

From the Catechism of St. PiusX

106 Q: Is the penitent bound to accept the penance imposed on him by the confessor?

A: Yes, the penitent is bound to accept the penance imposed on him by the confessor if he can perform it; and if he cannot, he should humbly say so, and ask some other penance.

107 Q: When should the penance be performed?

A: If the confessor has fixed no time, the penance should be performed as soon as convenient, and as far as possible while in the state of grace.

113 Q: Which are the works of penance?

A: The works of penance may be reduced to three kinds: Prayer, Fasting, and Alms-deeds.

If we are “bound” to accept the penance and we do not obey to me is like eating meat on days of abstinence. It is disobedience! Every time that we think that we might know better than the priest (in persona Christi) we are in danger of getting very close to the sin of pride.

I did not say it was not a sin. I said it is not a grave sin.