Penance after sacrament?

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So, today I went to confession. But the priest gave me the absolution without giving me a penance. I realized it while leaving the confessional and so went back to ask him for a penance. He gave me one but said he didn’t like the word “penance”.
Is this confession valid? Is the priest not supposed to give the penance before finishing the sacrament?

Furthermore, I have a doubt also because he gave me a very vague penance (i. e. to love more my fiancee). This is a bit like a burden because loving more my fiancee is a task of an entire life, so I will perhaps never finish my penance. And what if I don’t finish it before death? Could I go to hell? I know it can sound silly but it really disturbs me.
 
As long as the priest said “I absolve you in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit” your sins are forgiven
 
Of course it is valid. The Church has moved away from heavy penance. It’s the Sacrament of Reconcilliation today. It’s where we reconcile with God and say yes to God again, after distancing ourselves from His love.

I feel you might be developing scruples, if you see loving your fiancé more a burden and worry if you don’t love her till death, you are headed for hell
 
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This is why I am all for giving SMART penances.

Specific: You should know what it is.
Measurable: You should know when you’ve finished it.
Attainable: You should be able to finish it at all, and within a reasonable time period.
Relevant: Not as big a priority, since there’s not much gained by getting cute/creative with penances, as this is where a lot of priests unnecessarily burden people with fluff. Funny how fluff can be such a burden. But if I were to make it relevant, I’d propose a chaplet of Divine Mercy for a particularly difficult case or have the person say prayers for a family situation.
Timely: Again, it should be something you’re able to do within a reasonable time frame. Most of the time I assign light penances with the intention of the penitent doing it before they’ve left the premises.

Yes, your confession is valid. Validity does not depend upon the assigning or completing of a penance. If it would help put your mind at ease, go say an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for the intention of growing in love for your fiancee, and then don’t dwell on it.

If you need further assistance, particularly if this is an area of struggle for you, please feel free to PM me.

-Fr ACEGC
 
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It’s why it’s often called the Sacrament of Reconciliation these days, rather than the Sacrament of Penance.

The penance is going to confession in the first place.

Jim
 
Going to confession is an act of penance in that a person is sacrificing what they’d rather do and going to confess their sins to a priest.

It’s not the only penance of the Sacrament, but nonetheless it is a penance.

Source ? My confessors throughout my lifetime.

Jim
 
Remember one very important thing:

Jesus speaks through the priest in confession.

Do as he says and thank Our Lord.
 
You’re looking too deeply into this. He gave you absolution. Done.
 
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