Stiffest Penance?

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Lux_et_veritas

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Ok, personal question here so just pass the thread by if you don’t want to divulge.

After a lifetime of getting the proverbial 3 Hail Mary’s and 3 Our Fathers, I recently got an entire Rosary to pray for Penance. Came as a shock, but I was actually greatful I got such a Penance because I had it coming laughs. After emptying my closet more deeply than I ever had before, it just wouldn’t have felt the same to have to give the same satisfaction as all those other times. I wonder if it had anything to do with admitting that I had been priest shopping for many years under the “Find a Father who will go easy on me and not ask too many questions” Doctrine.

:hmmm:

Now, I know some people may have other things involved besides prayers to recite, like if something was stolen they must return it or do something to make up for it. Feel free to talk about any of that, but I’m just curious about what kind of penance you normally get and how stiff it actually got for you at a given time (no need to divulge the deed that prompted it - keep it general).

Hopefully, this becomes a fun thread :rotfl:
 
I too recently was assigned an entire rosary as penance when I am used to praying five Our Fathers and five Harys, or reading the next Sunday’s lectionary readings.
Has anyone ever been asked to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet as penance?
 
Anima Christi:
I too recently was assigned an entire rosary as penance when I am used to praying five Our Fathers and five Harys, or reading the next Sunday’s lectionary readings.
Has anyone ever been asked to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet as penance?
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Interesting thought. In most cases I think the priest gives something that can be completed soon after.

I landed in the hospital and hadn’t been able to do my penance. People were sitting there visiting me and all I wanted to do was to pray my Rosary (in case I died laughs) and couldn’t get to it. I had to be charitable as they were sitting there with me at such a time. God must have sensed my strong desire to complete my penance because someone came in to run a test and the family was told it would be a few minutes. When it ended about 5 minutes later, no one returned to my room for another 25. They had gone to the cafeteria. I had my finger rosary with me and it gave me great comfort in the hospital. And hey, I survived.
 
I have been assigned to read a book of the bible on occasion
 
I guess I’ve gotten off light. A Rosary was the ‘stiffest’ pennance, yet. I recommended that a friend who has been away for a long time, go to ‘Father Three Our Fathers’. He got a Novena! Another friend of a friend, got a Rosary every day and weekly confession, ‘until further notice’.

I guess they can pile it on, when they need to.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon12.gif
 
Three May services or three times Via Crucis is probably my record. Usually, it’s one littany or one mystery of the rosary. Sometimes they give you a whole part or two littanies.
 
Yeah, once I had to say a whole rosary as well as go correct some serious false information I had given to two of my bosses. Not fun, but oh so effective. I also had to apologize to someone for gossip once. At first I was shocked that this priest would really make me go and apologize to another person instead of letting me apologize to God and that’s it. Now I am so grateful though, because it broke me of so many habits of small lies and careless gossipy comments.
 
The most I have ever gotten was 10 Hail Marys. I agree some of the penances I have gotten have been weak. At the parish I use to belong to, I would wait until the one who would give the mast to be in the confessional.

Of course, reading this thread has given me ideas for what to give if I do become a priest :bigyikes:

PF
 
Interesting stuff people. I must have been curious as to how creative some priests can be. The only penances I recall are the Hail Mary/Our Father types and this one Rosary I got.

I’m in the process of switching parishes and the one I’m headed to has got to be one of the most penitential communities I’ve ever been to. But, you know what, I like that better than the peanut-butter spread penance. People are very confession conscious and I don’t sense it is like they fear going to hell, rather I believe it is a matter of wanting to improve as Christians. Confession is a big help this way.
 
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Lux_et_veritas:
Ok, personal question here so just pass the thread by if you don’t want to divulge.

After a lifetime of getting the proverbial 3 Hail Mary’s and 3 Our Fathers, I recently got an entire Rosary to pray for Penance. Came as a shock, but I was actually greatful I got such a Penance because I had it coming laughs. After emptying my closet more deeply than I ever had before, it just wouldn’t have felt the same to have to give the same satisfaction as all those other times. I wonder if it had anything to do with admitting that I had been priest shopping for many years under the “Find a Father who will go easy on me and not ask too many questions” Doctrine.

:hmmm:

Now, I know some people may have other things involved besides prayers to recite, like if something was stolen they must return it or do something to make up for it. Feel free to talk about any of that, but I’m just curious about what kind of penance you normally get and how stiff it actually got for you at a given time (no need to divulge the deed that prompted it - keep it general).

Hopefully, this becomes a fun thread :rotfl:
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When I returned to the Chuch after 40 years, the Priest after hearing my confession for my penance told me to say the Novena Prayer … When I asked him fo how long, he looked at me and smiled and I got the feeling it was for life. And thats what I plan to do. Better safe than sorry.LOL
 
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birdie74:
Yeah, once I had to say a whole rosary as well as go correct some serious false information I had given to two of my bosses. Not fun, but oh so effective. I also had to apologize to someone for gossip once. At first I was shocked that this priest would really make me go and apologize to another person instead of letting me apologize to God and that’s it. Now I am so grateful though, because it broke me of so many habits of small lies and careless gossipy comments.
Click to expand...
Ouch!
 
I think the “stiffest” penance I’ve ever gotten was once I was told to pray a particular novena. It wasn’t really harsh, just different from the usual.

However, there is a priest at my TLM parish who is my absolute favorite confessor. He seems like the type who would give really harsh penances, but he doesn’t. However, his advice and the way he is able to get to the heart of what you are confessing is his greatest gift. I love him, he’s truly wonderful.
 
I haggled a pennance once when i was little. The priest said to say a Hail mary for each member of my family.

“But I have 8 people in my immediate family!”
“Well then say a decade of the rosary!”

Im not very good at haggling

Usually I am told to slowly and thoughtfully read 3 psalms.
 
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Brain:
I haggled a pennance once when i was little. The priest said to say a Hail mary for each member of my family.

“But I have 8 people in my immediate family!”
“Well then say a decade of the rosary!”

Im not very good at haggling

.
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:rotfl: That’s too cute of a story and you still remember it :rotfl:

I’ll bet you learned not to haggle a penance any more.
 
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tcraig:
I think the “stiffest” penance I’ve ever gotten was once I was told to pray a particular novena. It wasn’t really harsh, just different from the usual.

However, there is a priest at my TLM parish who is my absolute favorite confessor. He seems like the type who would give really harsh penances, but he doesn’t. However, his advice and the way he is able to get to the heart of what you are confessing is his greatest gift. I love him, he’s truly wonderful.
Click to expand...
I see confessionals always in action at the parish I’ve been attending. Granted they get extra help from the Canons of the Holy Cross priests that are there on the grounds and these guys are like professional confessors. They almost live in those boxes, but I have a high regard for the priests at this parish because confession rates are higher than anything I’ve ever seen. People just keep coming back for more.
 
Yesterday I confessed 2 venials and 2 mortals. I got 5 Hail Marys and some excellent advice and prayer.
Just for good measure, today I did 1 hour of adoration and a rosary.
I love my talkative Irish Priest!
 
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