R
returningcath
Guest
Can someone please help explain to me what constitutes a private vow? Is there a certain period of time or process that must happen to make a valid private vow?
It is difficult to describe but sometimes during prayer, I will get this feeling that if I do not allow certain thoughts to enter my heart then God will not give me peace. These thoughts usually involve some kind of deal or agreement with God. I fight them and often say something along the lines of “Jesus I am going to let this thought in but I am not promising anything” but still feel sometimes that I made some kind of a private vow.
The canon says: “A vow, that is, a deliberate and free promise made to God about a possible and better good, must be fulfilled by reason of the virtue of religion.” But it seems like there is kind of a grey area about when a private vow becomes official.
It is a great distraction to me during prayer and I really struggle to tell if I am fighting against thoughts/movements of the heart that God actually wants me to have or if they are just a distraction/from myself/etc. I do not want to make any of these vows but sometimes I feel as though I did and it troubles me.
I have spoken to my regular confessor about this and he has said to not make private vows and has “dispensed” me from any that I might have ever made, although I got the impression he did not think they were valid. I was hoping to get (name removed by moderator)ut from other people who have had this same issue. Thanks.
It is difficult to describe but sometimes during prayer, I will get this feeling that if I do not allow certain thoughts to enter my heart then God will not give me peace. These thoughts usually involve some kind of deal or agreement with God. I fight them and often say something along the lines of “Jesus I am going to let this thought in but I am not promising anything” but still feel sometimes that I made some kind of a private vow.
The canon says: “A vow, that is, a deliberate and free promise made to God about a possible and better good, must be fulfilled by reason of the virtue of religion.” But it seems like there is kind of a grey area about when a private vow becomes official.
It is a great distraction to me during prayer and I really struggle to tell if I am fighting against thoughts/movements of the heart that God actually wants me to have or if they are just a distraction/from myself/etc. I do not want to make any of these vows but sometimes I feel as though I did and it troubles me.
I have spoken to my regular confessor about this and he has said to not make private vows and has “dispensed” me from any that I might have ever made, although I got the impression he did not think they were valid. I was hoping to get (name removed by moderator)ut from other people who have had this same issue. Thanks.