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BonnieBj
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Is a penance worth more if it is unpleasant or a bit difficult to do. If you had to choose between 2 penances, should youi choose the one you like the least?
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LilyM
Guest
The problem with this sort of thinking is that there is always something MORE unpleasant or difficult you can do than what you choose. So no, I don’t think it should be your sole criterion.
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Kathrin
Guest
Good question.
I sometimes want to do penance for something I think I did wrong, and somehow it doesn’t feel like penance enough if it isn’t a bit unpleasant…
But then, what IS the purpose of penance, really?
Is its purpose to make us feel cleansed of our sin? Or to bring about a change of heart? Or, maybe, to make something GOOD come out of it (say, if I pray for the souls in purgatory as a penance, then something good came out of my sin in the end.)
If I make myself suffer to the point where I feel bad about it afterward then maybe it was too much. (I remember making myself walk a long distance because I had felt anger. It made my stress level even higher.
I learned something from that.)
In any case, a very good question. Something I am torn about. Didn’t Mother Teresa say to always choose the hardest way?? (Sorry if I remember something wrong!) But then, others have said the exact opposite…
In any case, we need to remember: What matters is love. For others as well as for ourselves.
And of course for God!!!
Kathrin
I sometimes want to do penance for something I think I did wrong, and somehow it doesn’t feel like penance enough if it isn’t a bit unpleasant…
But then, what IS the purpose of penance, really?Is its purpose to make us feel cleansed of our sin? Or to bring about a change of heart? Or, maybe, to make something GOOD come out of it (say, if I pray for the souls in purgatory as a penance, then something good came out of my sin in the end.)
If I make myself suffer to the point where I feel bad about it afterward then maybe it was too much. (I remember making myself walk a long distance because I had felt anger. It made my stress level even higher.
I learned something from that.)In any case, a very good question. Something I am torn about. Didn’t Mother Teresa say to always choose the hardest way?? (Sorry if I remember something wrong!) But then, others have said the exact opposite…
In any case, we need to remember: What matters is love. For others as well as for ourselves.
And of course for God!!!
Kathrin
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Marsha_Adams
Guest
Penance does not need to be unpleasant. Often, the priest will assign prayers for one’s penance. Prayer should never be unpleasant. Sometimes, penance can be almsgiving which may pinch your pocket, but warms the soul so that should not be unpleasant either.
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BonnieBj
Guest
I agree that prayer should never be unpleasant but my pastor’s always gives the same penance, 1 Our Father, no matter what the sins were that I confessed. Then I kinda feel that the penance doesn’t fit, that there needs to be something more
Now when doing an alternate penance, like for when I choose to eat meat on Friday, rather than give up something I prefer to pray the chaplet of divine mercy because I know it is going to do others good. Now I only do the alternate penance when I choose to eat meat, like if I’m going out to lunch with a friend and there is no good healthy alternative. If I’ve had to eat meat due to a valid reason, usually something to do with my diabetes, then I don’t do a penance. Likewise if I forget that it’s Friday or I don’t have any proper alternatives in the house, again because of the diabetes.
Now when doing an alternate penance, like for when I choose to eat meat on Friday, rather than give up something I prefer to pray the chaplet of divine mercy because I know it is going to do others good. Now I only do the alternate penance when I choose to eat meat, like if I’m going out to lunch with a friend and there is no good healthy alternative. If I’ve had to eat meat due to a valid reason, usually something to do with my diabetes, then I don’t do a penance. Likewise if I forget that it’s Friday or I don’t have any proper alternatives in the house, again because of the diabetes.
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Marsha_Adams
Guest
Perhaps the the question that needs to be asked is “what is the purpose of penance.” What does the “something more” accomplish?
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Joe_5859
Guest
I think Kathrin was right: What matters is the love. The whole point of penance is to make a decision to do something for God. It doesn’t have to be particularly unpleasant (although it can be at times).
Simply because something is unpleasant doesn’t mean it’s a good penance. It would be more unpleasant for me to cut off my fingers one at a time than it would be to pray a rosary. That certainly doesn’t mean I’d gain more grace from chopping off my digits than I would from praying! In fact, quite the opposite would be true.
The OP asked whether a particular penance is “worth more” because it is more unpleasant or difficult. I think the answer to that would be both “it depends” and “only God knows”! It depends on what those particular penances are. And, even so, only God could really measure the difference.
Simply because something is unpleasant doesn’t mean it’s a good penance. It would be more unpleasant for me to cut off my fingers one at a time than it would be to pray a rosary. That certainly doesn’t mean I’d gain more grace from chopping off my digits than I would from praying! In fact, quite the opposite would be true.
The OP asked whether a particular penance is “worth more” because it is more unpleasant or difficult. I think the answer to that would be both “it depends” and “only God knows”! It depends on what those particular penances are. And, even so, only God could really measure the difference.
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Joe_5859
Guest
In the Sacrament of Confession, one is only obligated to do the penance given by the priest. Of course that doesn’t mean one can’t do extra! (It never hurts to pray more!) It just means that one should not question whether or not they were really forgiven because the penance just didn’t seem sufficient to them.
We don’t have to give up meat as our Friday penance (except during Lent, though your medical condition might excuse you from that), but we do have to do something. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or painful, though. Making a conscious effort to say extra prayers is certainly a good way to go. You could also do something simple like not listening to the car radio.
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Kathrin
Guest
Can we measure penances at all?
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Joe_5859
Guest
I don’t think we can measure penances, but God could. Whether He chooses to do so or not is another question!
Remember the widow and her gift of two small coins. Jesus said she gave more than everyone else even though, by our quantifiable standards, she gave the least. It just goes to show there’s more involved than we often realize!
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bilop
Guest
This is a dangerous line of thought.
Remember, our penance has NOTHING to do with the forgiveness of our sins. That is complete as soon as the Priest says " I absolve you…".
Penance does not earn our forgiveness, That is a free gift from God.
I would advise not worrying about penance, just do what the Priest says, and be joyful that God is so forgiving.
God Bless
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surfinpure
Guest
You would not be sinning to choose the one you liked better, but it could be more beneficial to choose the other. So long as you don’t become scrupulous about it, there is nothing wrong in considering this when doing penance.
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Danny_OC
Guest
“Suffering is the inner side of love.” Do keep that in mind. Modernity will teach you that pain is the worst evil and pleasure the greatest good. Don’t believe it.
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baltobetsy
Guest
If one of the choices involves obedience and the other is following your own will, opt for the choice that involves obedience. The sacrifice of our own will is extremely pleasing to God.
Betsy
Betsy
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BonnieBj
Guest
I guess my point originally should have been that sometimes the penance doesn’t seems to be appropriate for the sins confessed. When I returned to the Church I was gong through a whole catalog of past sins as I remembered over the course of about 6 months, and there were a lot of big ones like heresy and receiving communion in the state of mortal sin, and I just don’t think that one Our Father was sufficient. So I added the chaplet of divine mercy to the assigned penance because I fully realized just how merciful God was to have allowed me to live long enough to confess all my mortal sins and get back in a right relationship with Him and become a good and faithful Catholic, and i still do that. His mercy still astounds me, it boggles the mind when you think of it, all the “2nd chances” He gives us."
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jmcrae
Guest
The purpose of penance is to bring us closer to God, and to renew our friendship with Him. Therefore, if you have to choose between two penances, choose the one that will bring you closest to God. 
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Danny_OC
Guest
I have been in a similar situation (doesn’t that forgiveness feel so great and freeing?
); but if you are indeed truly sorry for your sins, and a priest gives you absolution; as far as I know, you are not obliged to ponder whether you have actually received forgiveness based upon the lack of severity of penance. But I would indeed encourage any additional self imposed penance that you can find the strength in yourself to perform.
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surfinpure
Guest
I have been in that position before, also, but the thing to remember is that the penance our confessors give us is not the only penance we need to be doing. It would be efficacious, ideally, to do penance any time we offend God, since penance removes the stain of sin (not the guilt, of course). If we offer up our incidental suffering as penance either for ourselves or for others, we are helping to decrease time spent in Purgatory, by effectively living it out here on earth.
So if you don’t feel the penance you received is equal to the sins you confessed, then do that penance out of obligation and more of your own free will. One cannot offer too many acts of penance!
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Kathrin
Guest
It sounds like it came from the heart.
Maybe your chaplet of divine mercy was a prayer of thanksgiving as much as it was a prayer of penance.
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MomblessedX3
Guest
I was reading the book The Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen. As I was reading the book I was really able to do an examination of conscience. I identified myself with both the sons. The one who turned away and the one who was angry at the brothers return.
This led me to my first confession in more that 15 years.
The penance I was assigned was to spend some time with the painting. It was particulary applicable. It was uncomfortable and comforting at the same time.
I don’t think penance should necessarily be ‘painful’ or not. It should be something that helps prevent a repeat of the sin and/or draws us closer to our Heavenly Father.
This led me to my first confession in more that 15 years.
The penance I was assigned was to spend some time with the painting. It was particulary applicable. It was uncomfortable and comforting at the same time.
I don’t think penance should necessarily be ‘painful’ or not. It should be something that helps prevent a repeat of the sin and/or draws us closer to our Heavenly Father.
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