Favorite Penance

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I was inspired to write this poll because I got fasting as a penance in confession for the first time in my life and I think its a great idea!
 
I appreciate and like all penances, and my “favorite” type will change, depending on the circumstances. If I’m angry at someone a penance of praying for that person will be the most appreciated, since I’m supposed to pray for my enemies. If I’m struggling with being able to focus in Mass and with prayers, then being assigned a penance of meditating on a specific set of mysteries has helped renew my focus. If I’m having problems with self-hatred, then doing a good deed for others affirms that I am connected with the Body of Christ, therefore Christ is in me, and I’m not as worthless as I think I am, but that’s only because of Christ. It is very ill advised for me to fast due to medical issues.

Thanks for bringing up this topic, and God Bless!

Ericka
 
I didn’t vote, as they all have their merits, but my favorite penance came shortly after we had invited our pastor over for dinner. My kids were acting up a bit, and at the time we didn’t know him very well, but he scored big points with me the next time I was in the confessional when he said “Raising your kids is penance enough, I’m not going to give you anymore today!” 😃
 
“Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, and plead for the widow. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” [Isaiah 1:17-18]…“Since the Father loved us so much that He sent You to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away, we too should love one another.” [John 4:10-11] “By such love, everyone will know that we are Your disciples.” “Anyone who says ‘I love God’, and hates his brother is a liar, since a person who does not love the brother that he can see, cannot love God whom he has never seen.” [1 letter of John 4:20-21]
Our love “is not to be mere words or mere talk, but something real and active; only by this can we be certain that we are children of the truth.” [John 3:18-19]

Paul exhorts, “Do not let your love be pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other…If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you must make hospitality your special care.” [Romans 12:9-13] “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You; or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and make You welcome; naked and clothe You; sick or in prison and go to see You?” Jesus replies “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” “In so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least, you neglected to do it to me.” [Matthew 25:37-40, 45-46]
 
Several times from my pastor, I have gotten the “give something up for a day (or a few days) and offer it in thanksgiving or as a way to show your sorrow” I like that one, because often during the day, it helps me to remember what is truly important. Last time, I was told to pick the person who is most difficult in my job and to pray for them. I should do that all the time, but I don’t. It was a good penance.
 
kristie_m said:
I didn’t vote, as they all have their merits, but my favorite penance came shortly after we had invited our pastor over for dinner. My kids were acting up a bit, and at the time we didn’t know him very well, but he scored big points with me the next time I was in the confessional when he said “Raising your kids is penance enough, I’m not going to give you anymore today!” 😃
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My pastor knows my kids from altar serving, and my younger one is often quite a “challenge”. One day, I went into the confessional after my younger son, and before I said a word, the priest said, “I can just give you absolution right now!” 👍 He was just kidding, of course, but it was a good ice-breaker.
 
acadian said:
My pastor knows my kids from altar serving, and my younger one is often quite a “challenge”. One day, I went into the confessional after my younger son, and before I said a word, the priest said, “I can just give you absolution right now!” 👍 He was just kidding, of course, but it was a good ice-breaker.
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I love it!!! 👍
 
The one I still remember to this day was given to me by a Paulist priest at the Catholic Student Center at the University of Texas. I hadn’t been to Mass in almost 3 years. So, the real biggie I was confessing was my failure to attend Mass. The priest heard my confession, gave me absolution and then as my penance I was to go look at the cross for several minutes and contemplate how Christ suffered for three hours. “He loved you so much that he suffered for the worst possible pain for three hours for you, and you can’t thank him by giving up one hour of your Sunday for him,” said the priest.

That was a good penance. A good penance to give a cocky, know-it-all college kids. The Paulists at the University Catholic Centers are very good at ministering to the students at University Catholic Center.
 
My priest is great at pennance. I have a hard time with devotionals and I can come up with every excuse in the book to get out of things that are inconvenient. He has given me fasting, a rosary and a couple of times Eucharistic Adoration. I found the Adoration especially effective. I had never been before and the first time I went, it was really hard. Then the second time it was like I “got it”. Now I try to go without having it as a pennance. Mind you I have confessed far worse sins than the ones I confessed to him and got a couple of Hail Marys and an Our Father so when I went to this priest I had a major shock. But now I think he’s a pretty smart man:thumbsup:
 
My “favorite” was to spend some time in the Adoration Chapel opening my heart to Him and telling Him I loved Him.
 
I had and have a lot of sorrow with one of my sons. He is very angry with his childhood. He does not speak to me and I accapt totally my part about how this came about. My pennance is to do everything in my power to make things work out and so I contact him birthdays, Christmas, New year ect. and this constant bringing of myself to him keeps me from being angry with him - the opposite I have great compassion and understanding and love for him. So far it is an on going pennance and may be for a long time - no response yet! but a great lesson in humility for me 🙂 👍
Jesus will help us. I trust in Him.
 
I have had only one memorable pennance in my life, but it changed it forever. It was about 10 years ago, I don’t remember the sin, but I was told to attend a mass on a weekday. I had never done that and felt trepidation for some reason to do so, but after I went, it just opened up new horizons for me. I began to increase my prayer life, started reading Catholic books, teaching CCD and gradually increased my attendance at daily mass until now, its pretty much every day. I owe that priest, who I never saw before or since, a debt of gratitude.
 
My confessor gives creative penances. He doesn’t stick to the traditional prayers or ordinary penances a person would expect to receive. His penances make me really think about WHY I did what I did - they get to the root cause and almost become ongoing homework to help me grow, rather than a 5min prayer and then it’s all over with - until next time.
For example, I went through a time in my life when I was mad at the world, I mean, I really had a huge chip on my shoulder. People (inc my priest) were causing wounds and I wasn’t making any real effort or progress in healing or getting passed any of it. This confessor assigned me a Divine Mercy Chaplet, but not done in the traditional way. On each bead, when I said “Have mercy on us and on the whole world” I had to substitute my name AND the name of someone who had hurt/angered/offended me: “Have mercy on Martha and Name and on the whole world.” OUCH!!! This served a couple of purposes: 1. It put me and the other individuals on the same level - all of us imperfect children of God.
2. I had to ask for mercy for them in the same proportion I wanted in for myself.
That was one long chaplet, but four years alter, I still continue to do it when I’m tempted to cave in to bitterness.
 
marthagreys said:
My confessor gives creative penances. He doesn’t stick to the traditional prayers or ordinary penances a person would expect to receive. His penances make me really think about WHY I did what I did - they get to the root cause and almost become ongoing homework to help me grow, rather than a 5min prayer and then it’s all over with - until next time.
For example, I went through a time in my life when I was mad at the world, I mean, I really had a huge chip on my shoulder. People (inc my priest) were causing wounds and I wasn’t making any real effort or progress in healing or getting passed any of it. This confessor assigned me a Divine Mercy Chaplet, but not done in the traditional way. On each bead, when I said “Have mercy on us and on the whole world” I had to substitute my name AND the name of someone who had hurt/angered/offended me: “Have mercy on Martha and Name and on the whole world.” OUCH!!! This served a couple of purposes: 1. It put me and the other individuals on the same level - all of us imperfect children of God.
2. I had to ask for mercy for them in the same proportion I wanted in for myself.
That was one long chaplet, but four years alter, I still continue to do it when I’m tempted to cave in to bitterness.
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That’s outstanding! 👍 I tend to feel myself that the penance ought to fit the sin, to a degree. For those times when I’m just in for “regular maintanence”, I will often get a standard penance…but there have been a couple of times when it was more directly related to what I had confessed, and I always thought that was a good thing.
 
My Pastor is very creative with his penances. As he listens to the confession, he individualizes the penance to suit the person and the “crime” so to speak. So far my most memorable one was in response to my confession re: using an IUD. My penance was to plant a rose bush by the plack in the “Mary Garden” (which reads, "dedicated to “all the unborn babies of the world”) at my local parish. The financial cost was about $76.00 for the bush,shovel, dirt, etc. The physical cost (in terms of labor) was truly staggering. It was a big bush; the hole had to be dug wide and deep (we have “hard pan” type dirt here, and it is extremely difficult to dig, even for a strong man. I am a middle aged woman.). The emotional/ spiritual cost (I really think of it as gain) was very painful with heartfelt contrition and many tears. I feel this penance was so hard that it was truly staggering, but I do feel it was appropriate and emensly helpful spiritually. Has any one out there heard of a penance this hard, and how unusual is it based on your experiences?
Thanks for your perspectives.
Beverly Jean
appropriate
 
My Pastor is very creative with his penances. As he listens to the confession, he individualizes the penance to suit the person and the “crime” so to speak. So far my most memorable one was in response to my confession re: using an IUD. My penance was to plant a rose bush by the plack in the “Mary Garden” (which reads, "dedicated to “all the unborn babies of the world”) at my local parish. The financial cost was about $76.00 for the bush,shovel, dirt, etc. The physical cost (in terms of labor) was truly staggering. It was a big bush; the hole had to be dug wide and deep (we have “hard pan” type dirt here, and it is extremely difficult to dig, even for a strong man. I am a middle aged woman.). The emotional/ spiritual cost (I really think of it as gain) was very painful with heartfelt contrition and many tears. I feel this penance was so hard that it was truly staggering, but I do feel it was appropriate and emensly helpful spiritually. Has any one out there heard of a penance this hard, and how unusual is it based on your experiences?
Thanks for your perspectives.
Beverly Jean
 
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