Failing to do penance on Friday

[Cradle]

Madia, thank you for the link… I do struggle with scrupulosity at times and that site was helpful today. At the very least I now know that St. Alphonsus Liguori is a good one to ask for help!

I did receive Communion… I hope that was the right course of action and I’ll call the diocesan office tomorrow and ask them since I don’t have a regular confessor.

Luvadoxi, so the archdiocese told you that in the U.S. Friday penance is a requirement under pain of venial sin. I think in Canada the CCCB would probably have the same kind of thing… but I’ll find out tomorrow (er, today…).

puzzleannie and Scott Waddell, of course not praying the rosary is not a sin in itself, but I mentioned it because in not praying the rosary I failed to do the Friday penance, that is what the whole discussion is about. I usually abstain from meat anyway but my sister in her kindness bought me something and I couldn’t say no, so the rosary was my last chance and I didn’t do it.

I guess I’ll know for sure later on today whether I should have received and whether it is venial or mortal, for future reference.

Thank you everyone for your contribution to the thread.

 

[puzzleannie]

Cradle:

puzzleannie and Scott Waddell, of course not praying the rosary is not a sin in itself, but I mentioned it because in not praying the rosary I failed to do the Friday penance, that is what the whole discussion is about. I

you did do a penance, an act of charity for your sister who brought you food.

there is no imposition of a Friday penance that carries the weight of mortal sin, so why are you looking for one? your pentitential practices should be exercises done out of love, and that is why the bishops modified the discipline. This attitude of divorcing yourself from the Eucharist because of a failure in an area that is not a sin illustrates your mistaking understanding of the reason for penance. Please see a priest, not because you need to confess, but because you need spiritual direction to discern penitential practices.

someone who struggles with scrupulosity should always have a regular confessor who knows them and can assist in this very devastating affliction, so if you think that describes you, please avail yourself of a regular confessor. Also it is important for someone who tends to struggle with these minor issues and constantly worry about if they are mortal sins to cease discussing their situation with outsiders, especially strangers. Keep these discussion with your regular confessor or spiritual director. To keep brining these issues up in a forum like this could be damaging.

 

[awalt]

I always felt the Act of Penance for a Friday celebration was the key party. I do not eat meat on Friday’s, but last Friday I was eating a Quesedilla at lunch, and I did not realize it had chicken in it until I was almost done. Arrgghh! So afterwards when I had a moment alone, I said a prayer t Jesus, said I was sorry but did not know, said I pledged to continue not to eat meat the rest of the day, and I said the rosary to make up for my carelessness.

I could tell in my heart that was the right thing to do.

 

[thistle]

awalt:

I always felt the Act of Penance for a Friday celebration was the key party. I do not eat meat on Friday’s, but last Friday I was eating a Quesedilla at lunch, and I did not realize it had chicken in it until I was almost done. Arrgghh! So afterwards when I had a moment alone, I said a prayer t Jesus, said I was sorry but did not know, said I pledged to continue not to eat meat the rest of the day, and I said the rosary to make up for my carelessness.

I could tell in my heart that was the right thing to do.

I also choose not to eat meat on Fridays. One time when I couldn’t avoid eating meat one lunchtime I then gave up dinner and had only bread and water.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

puzzleannie:

you did do a penance, an act of charity for your sister who brought you food.

there is no imposition of a Friday penance that carries the weight of mortal sin, so why are you looking for one? your pentitential practices should be exercises done out of love, and that is why the bishops modified the discipline. This attitude of divorcing yourself from the Eucharist because of a failure in an area that is not a sin illustrates your mistaking understanding of the reason for penance. Please see a priest, not because you need to confess, but because you need spiritual direction to discern penitential practices.

I’m not trying to argue that failing to do penance on Fridays (in America) is a mortal sin. I just want to make sure that people don’t think it’s some sort of non-issue.

Abstinence on all Fridays used to be a discipline carrying the weight of mortal sin (not all of the precepts entail mortal sin, according to a traditional priest whose Mass I attended during college). The United States bishops, however, availed themselves of the option to allow substitute penances instead of only abstinence from flesh meat. Therefore, the recognitio for their norms is read by some (there is another thread on the issue which you might search) as an acknowledgement that the universal requirement to observe Fridays as penitential days under pain of mortal sin may, in the U.S., be carried out by substituting something other than penance; this school does not see the obligation to observe penitential Fridays as having been abrogated.

Now, it’s true that the USCCB norms don’t contain an explicit requirement to do penance. As someone pointed out, they exhort. That’s why some say the obligation does not exist and others say that, despite this, their norms for observing the law do not remove the law altogether. Rather than dismiss a question regarding the matter I think it would be helpful to acknowledge the existence of some ambiguity and differences in piety.

 

[Cradle]

sigh The archdiocese told me to ask my priest…

:whacky: