Priest's advice

[dove51]

While talking in the confessional, my priest told me to say a rosary every day. If I choose not to, is it a sin?

 

[kevstar31]

Did he say to do it as penance?

 

[dove51]

Did he say to do it as penance?

I don’t think so.

 

[UndertheRadar]

You are obliged to follow the penance you are given, but I’m assuming that this was just advice, which is just that. It is a suggestion, but it is not obliged under pain of sin if you do not follow it. However, you would benefit a great deal at this advice.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

While talking in the confessional, my priest told me to say a rosary every day. If I choose not to, is it a sin?

Are you kidding? Of course not.

You don’t have to anything the priest tells you to because it’s simply advice. If you choose to follow it, fine. If not, that’s okay too.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

 

[jfhh]

Did he say to do it as penance?

If a priest gives a penance you feel too burdensome or are uncomfortable doing, my understanding – unless I’ve been misled – is that you can ask him or another priest to give you something else. You can do this during the same confession or later if it is over. I don’t know more than that.

In any event, I would for your peace of mind, just approach a priest, in confession, and explain and the priest (either same or different one) will probably accomodate you or give you peace of mind.

But I would highly doubt a priest would give that penance. So you can be sure it was just advice. Priests sometimes say “For your penance” etc. Anything else they say is advice.

 

[joseph_virgen]

just remember that a priest sole job is to give you the weapons to save your soul. he also has a soul to save. thus, he will not tell you to do anything that is counter to that end.

remember, advise from a priest is like recieving advise from not one holy man, but thousands that have gone before him as a stand-in for Jesus of Nazareth, do as he says.

if you follow the logic, the line of sucession,priest, bishop, pope, goes straight to the Nazarene. and if he, Jesus, gave you advise, would you take it? and if not, is it a sin. you can answer that question yourself.

good luck

 

[NTOT]

While talking in the confessional, my priest told me to say a rosary every day. If I choose not to, is it a sin?

If not given as a penance, it was only advice and wouldn’t be a sin to choose not to say a rosary every day. Given that, is there any earthly reason to choose not to say a rosary every day?

 

[FM927]

I went to confession after several years. I realized after reading several of the posts on this forum that I had committed many mortal sins through ignorance. I did things that I honestly did not know were mortal sins in the eyes of the church.
Anyway, I went to confession and face to face I told the priest
everything I remembered. He said to me: “We all sins, no one is perfect” and told me to say as penance, ONE Hail Mary, One Our father and an Act of Contrition.

I actually felt cheated. My thought was " Did he really hear what I was telling him? Why such a nothing penance?
So for good measure I also said a Rosary!

 

[Parce_Domine]

I actually felt cheated. My thought was "Did he really hear what I was telling him? Why such a nothing penance?

You answered this yourself:

I did things that I honestly did not know were mortal sins in the eyes of the church.

Once you learned the consequences of what you had done, you set out to remedy the situation. I would imagine that had a great deal to do with the “nothing” penance.

So for good measure I also said a Rosary!

Time well spent, but I wouldn’t count it as part of the penance since what the priest said to do was enough.

If you trust him enough for your confession, trust him enough for your penance. He is no less God’s mouthpeice when giving you penance than he is His earpeice when listening to your confession.

It is not necessary to “feel” reconciled; but to know that you are.

 

[teachccd]

I went to confession after several years. I realized after reading several of the posts on this forum that I had committed many mortal sins through ignorance. I did things that I honestly did not know were mortal sins in the eyes of the church.
Anyway, I went to confession and face to face I told the priest
everything I remembered. He said to me: “We all sins, no one is perfect” and told me to say as penance, ONE Hail Mary, One Our father and an Act of Contrition.

I actually felt cheated. My thought was " Did he really hear what I was telling him? Why such a nothing penance?
So for good measure I also said a Rosary!

You cannot commit mortal sin by accident or through ignorance of the sin’s gravity. Your penance fit exactly what the priest heard. The priest heard your conversion from what you really never knew but now you do know. So why would he give you a huge penance for such a beautiful conversion??

 

[Elizabeth502]

So why would he give you a huge penance for such a beautiful conversion??

Beautifully said.
And may I say that the priest is behaving as Jesus did in the Gospels, so in this case it is doubly that he is acting ‘in the person of Christ.’

This has happened to me, too, btw, recently & not-so-recently in confession. I’m not a person that hides my feelings well. A priest sensitive to the action & presence of the Holy Spirit will pick this up immediately.

Priests know that their role is not to punish, most especially when it comes to any pentitent demonstrating in the confessional that he or she has already experienced the punishment of those sins.

 

[Annette0723]

I was once given a penance to keep a journal every day. My mom told me this was not a valid penance because they can’t give you one that is perpetual. At my next confession I mentioned it, unfortunately the priest really didn’t give me an answer. I still don’t know the official answer.

 

[jfhh]

I was once given a penance to keep a journal every day. My mom told me this was not a valid penance because they can’t give you one that is perpetual. At my next confession I mentioned it, unfortunately the priest really didn’t give me an answer. I still don’t know the official answer.

I was once in a similar situation (except mine was not perpetual; it had a long period though) A different priest was able to give me a new penance. I believe this is all kosher under church law.

 

[Ron_Conte]

There is no requirement to do the particular penance assigned by your confessor. You can choose to substitute any penance that you wish. And even if you do no penance, you are still forgiven of the sin (but you may end up doing your penance in Purgatory, if you do not do it on earth).

 

[SimonArizona]

In centuries past, the repentent would have to stand outside the Church and ask forgiveness from the community for his sin.

 

[Newbie2]

I was once given a penance to keep a journal every day. My mom told me this was not a valid penance because they can’t give you one that is perpetual. At my next confession I mentioned it, unfortunately the priest really didn’t give me an answer. I still don’t know the official answer.

I’m pretty sure that penances are not meant to be that open ended as what may have been suggested by the OP. Sounds like more of a good suggestion to moi.