Must I complete the penance (received at Confession) before Holy Communion?

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Once you have received absolution your sins are forgiven and you can receive communion. Complete your penance as soon as you can.
 
coffito said:
Is it a sin to complete it after Holy Communion?
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Not that I think they would be the norm… but I can conceive of certain penances which would require receiving communion before they could be considered complete.
 
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Here are some I’ve received. “Light a candle every night when you pray for your penance.” " next time you see your cousin do something nice for him" “say a novena” "when the bank opens on Monday you need to give them back that .million. " just kidding on that last one
 
Having confessed some DOOZY sins in my day, the most time consuming penance I was ever given was to read one chapter of Scripture. Took all of 5 minutes. I’ve never even had a Rosary given as penance and that would be what, 15 minutes?
 
It all depends on the priest. I remember going to confession on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent and my penance started “During the season of Advent…”
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
Once you have received absolution your sins are forgiven and you can receive communion. Complete your penance as soon as you can.
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Quite correct, and noting that completing the penance has nothing to do with making the previous absolution “complete”. It is complete from when it is spoken. If you were to, say, have a heart attack and die on the way out of the confessional then you die in a state of grace.
 
Here was a perfectly reasonable penance I received last year. Confession was offered before Mass. My penance was to bring some canned food to the food bank at the Parish. Ok great. I walk out of the confessional and now Mass is starting. Obviously I can bring the food later.
 
I confess before Saturday vigil. One time the priest said to pray the five decades of joyful mysteries rosary for my penance. Mass was just about to start and there were still people in line so the priest told me to tell them they can stay and confess after Mass. I had no time to do the penance before Mass so when I got home I immediately did the penance. Usually the penance is a few Our Fathers or Hail Marys which pray in Church before Mass begins.
 
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