Questioning one's penance

[Crepusculum]

Good evening all, was wondering about this yesterday - I keep finding myself questioning the penance I am given. I feel that the nature of my sins deserve at least more than a couple of prescribed prayers - less than I would do in the regular passage of a day. This especially in light of the extreme penances our fore-fathers would have got for the same infractions: 30 days bread & water diet, hair shirt, etc…

Is it wrong to doubt the wisdom of the allocated penance? Do I need to confess this?

Thanks,

 

[otjm]

No. Mercy is part of God’s gift of reconcilliation.

If it continues to bother you, particularly if it bothers you significantly, you mike have someone professional take a look at whether or not you engage in scrupulosity. That is not a sin, but is a very heavy burden.

 

[LilyM]

Firstly - the penance we are given in the confessional isn’t meant to be complete satisfaction for our sins. As if a priest could ever accurately measure which prayers or which amount of prayers would constitute complete satisfaction anyway. It IS meant to be a partial satisfaction, and is meant to encourage us to resume the prayer life that has been damaged by our sins. And we are meant of our own volition to pray regularly and do other penitential acts as well.

That’s why, for example, we must go to Mass on Sundays, to offer the perfect sacrifice and perfect prayer which does more than any amount of other praying in this regard. This is also why at least some sort of penance is highly recommended if not mandatory in most places on all Fridays.

If you feel that your penance is too light then it means you’re being called to spend more time in private prayer and penitential acts is all. While extreme physical penances like severe fasting should be cleared both with a doctor and your priest or spiritual advisor beforehand, you don’t need anyone’s permission to spend more time in prayer or increase practices such as daily Mass (assuming you’re not neglecting work, study or other obligations to do so).

God has blessed you with an acute awareness of the harm that sin does, but the remedy for that doesn’t necessarily lie in the penance imposed in the confessional, my friend.

 

[Caesar517]

If you feel that your penance is too light then it means you’re being called to spend more time in private prayer and penitential acts is all…
God has blessed you with an acute awareness of the harm that sin does, but the remedy for that doesn’t necessarily lie in the penance imposed in the confessional, my friend.

Well said.

I felt the same way upon recieving my penance after a particular confession where I had to deal with sins of habitual impurity. Don’t feel like you are limited to only do what the priest gives you as penance. There’s no such thing as too much prayer. At the same time, don’t feel like you need to punish yourself for your sins. Confession is forgiveness, not punishment.

 

[Crepusculum]

Thank you all for your replies - you’ve given me much to think about. May God bless you all.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

You know, you may suggest a penance to the priest. I did that once.

 

[bpbasilphx]

Sin is ultimately an act of disobedience against God.

Show your willingness to overcome disobedience by accepting in a spirit of obedience to God whatever penance is given you (assuming it’s within your strength and ability).

 

[Tsuwano]

Penance isn’t about being punished. It’s about being restored to the grace of God. In the very act of seeking reconciliation with God you are forgiven. The act of penance is a public enactment of that forgiveness. Any penance the priest chooses to give you is incidental to your forgiveness, unless you choose to make it otherwise, in which case one wonders if you actually believe you are forgiven. Indeed, focusing on the penance you receive from the priest strikes me as a perverse sense of pride. Surely my sins were more terrible than a mere two Hail Mary’s and an Act of Contrition! Perhaps they were, but you shouldn’t be focused on your sins or your penance for them. You should be focused on the grace of God that you have been priviledged to receive.