G
Genesius
Guest
Okay, here’s the deal. Sometime during Lent I was visiting a friend who lives 70 miles away. I decided right before going back home that I would go to confession and Saturday Vigil. I’m kind of new to it all, being a fairly new convert so Father walked me through it. When I was finished he gave me something to do for penance. He told me to read some publication out in the area where you walk into the Church. I thought I would have no problem finding it, but by the time mass had ended I found a lot of publications out there and had forgotten exactly which one he asked me to read. I had every intention of doing so, but I could not even locate the priest who offered me absolution and the sun was going down and I cannot drive very well at night so I really didn’t have time, nor did I even know how to track him down.
Instead, I just decided to read a few extra devotions out of the current Living Faith for my penance and to say some Hail Mary’s. Of course, I know the proper thing to do would have been to do what the priest had given me to do and so I didn’t know what to make of the confession; if it really took or not.
Anyway, the question remains…what happens when one cannot do the required penance? Does it invalidate the absolution?
Instead, I just decided to read a few extra devotions out of the current Living Faith for my penance and to say some Hail Mary’s. Of course, I know the proper thing to do would have been to do what the priest had given me to do and so I didn’t know what to make of the confession; if it really took or not.
Anyway, the question remains…what happens when one cannot do the required penance? Does it invalidate the absolution?