Penance question

[leamar3]

The penance I was given is to spend some time in prayer. The priest told me some specific things to talk to God about, but he didn’t say for me to do this for a certain length of time. When you’re assigned this as your penance, how much time do you spend? Is it just something I’m to add to my daily prayers until I feel like God has helped me? I just want to make sure I’m doing what I should be doing. Thanks!

 

[LiamQ]

If a Priest literally told me to “spend some time in prayer” as a penance, and if he were to tell me to ask God for specific graces, then I would consider the penance fulfilled once I sincerely asked God for what Father wanted me to ask Him. Does that make sense? The essence of the penance seems to be to ask for certain graces, and not necessarily to pray for a certain amount of time.

But if I can make a humble suggestion: having vague penances assigned that one can’t really know that they’ve fulfilled is definitely something we should ask our Confessors not to impose on us.

Specific penances that can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time at Church and that are proportionate to the glory one stole from God through one’s sin = happy penitent.

 

[leamar3]

If a Priest literally told me to “spend some time in prayer” as a penance, and if he were to tell me to ask God for specific graces, then I would consider the penance fulfilled once I sincerely asked God for what Father wanted me to ask Him. Does that make sense? The essence of the penance seems to be to ask for certain graces, and not necessarily to pray for a certain amount of time.

That makes perfect sense! I think I was looking more into it than I needed too. Thank you!

 

[edward_george]

I try to assign SMART penances.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely

Basically, I want the penitent to know what to do, to know when they’ve completed it, and to be able to do it in a reasonable amount of time, ideally, in most cases, before they’ve left the church building. Sometimes I’ll try to match it to what has been done, like offering certain prayers for your family’s intentions if family issues are what seem to be a big source of temptation, for example.

-Fr ACEGC

 

[babochka]

If a Priest literally told me to “spend some time in prayer” as a penance, and if he were to tell me to ask God for specific graces, then I would consider the penance fulfilled once I sincerely asked God for what Father wanted me to ask Him. Does that make sense? The essence of the penance seems to be to ask for certain graces, and not necessarily to pray for a certain amount of time.

But if I can make a humble suggestion: having vague penances assigned that one can’t really know that they’ve fulfilled is definitely something we should ask our Confessors not to impose on us.

Specific penances that can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time at Church and that are proportionate to the glory one stole from God through one’s sin = happy penitent.

I think I must be alone in preferring what some think of as “vague” penances, such as “spend some time in prayer for a particular intention”. I think of them as thoughtful when they are directly related to my sins. The reason I like them is that they stick with me and help guide my prayer life in the next few days or even weeks. They continuously remind me of my weakness toward a particular sin and bring to mind my need to pray against that weakness. I never worry about whether I have completed the penance or try to p(name removed by moderator)oint when it has been completed. I have come to confession with a particular sin, a particular disease of my soul. My confessor gives me a remedy for that disease and as long as my weak mind remembers it, I am helped in my repentance.

 

[Reuben_J]

The penance I was given is to spend some time in prayer. The priest told me some specific things to talk to God about, but he didn’t say for me to do this for a certain length of time. When you’re assigned this as your penance, how much time do you spend? Is it just something I’m to add to my daily prayers until I feel like God has helped me? I just want to make sure I’m doing what I should be doing. Thanks!

Hi. Look like the suggestion is rather general but I think he just wanted you to increase your prayer time if you already have one. If you haven’t, perhaps to start a scheduled personal prayer and maybe to stick to it if you are up to it.

How do you know God helps you? That’s interesting. If you know, most likely you would not just stop there but rather to continue on with the habit of prayer and to improve on it.

To be able to talk to God in prayer shows reasonably good standard and which many of us have. The next step is to have it more regular to achieve a relationship with God. It may eventually come to a point when you can discern God is taking to you.

God bless.

Reuben