How do you know you've done non-specific penances?

[Tabby]

For a number of years, I went to a confessor whose custom it is to assign a specific prayer as penance. This was great because I had no doubt that I had performed the penance satisfactorily. I’ve started going to another confessor and am now trying to adjust to a different style of confession. For example, this particular confessor likes to give penances that entail non-specific acts (e.g., “Pray for the person you’ve had the most difficulty with lately”; “Do something loving for your relative”). I tend to be a scrupulous person, and am finding that these non-specific penances are more difficult to perform because I can’t measure whether I’ve done them “right” or “completely.” Other than asking the confessor for guidance, which I intend to do, do you have any other suggestions?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

There is something to be said for both styles of penance. On the one side, it is very true that a penance of specific prayers is much easier to perform because you know when you’ve done it (which can be important for people suffering from scrupulosity). On the flip side, praying specific prayers – especially if it is the same prayer or combination of prayers every time – has the danger of becoming rote. Penance is intended to be a token toward the temporal debt we owe God for our sins, but it should never be treated in a rote or token manner.

In addition to asking your confessor for guidance about how to perform the acts of penance he asks of you, perhaps you might also ask him if it is possible for him to give you a prayer or combination of prayers to pray before or after the non-specific act. That way the prayers can act as a “frame” for the penitential act, allowing you to know with more certainty either when you are entering into the penance or completing it afterwards. I don’t think a confessor would mind giving you additional penitential work to do, but if he thinks it would aggravate your scruples, then try to remind yourself that God knows your heart and knows when you have done your best. If you do the best you can to do the penance you’re given, you can trust God that he will accept it.