Stiffest Penance?

[ACOL-ite]

I’m still in the process of converting to the Roman Catholic Church, but we have auricular confession in the Anglican Church too (all may, some should, none must), so if I may comment based on those experiences…?

My ‘stiffest’ (and certainly most valuable) penance was simply to say one Our Father, but to take five minutes over it.

 

[Diaconia]

The most I’ve ever received was a decade of the Rosary.

Now, in my opinion, I’ve been “due” a lot stiffer penaces on occasion, but you just don’t seem to see them much these days.

I did get “do something nice for your wife” one time. Those ambiguous ones often make me a little uneasy.

 

[wannabee]

Think I have you all beaten

A difficult one was - choose your own penance and make sure it’s appropriate !

The other was

150 Hail Marys followed by 150 Our Fathers - now that is tough

 

[turboEDvo]

James_2:24:

I was told to sit in a park adjacent to the main boulevard in sack cloth and ashes… holding a sign that said, “This is my penance - Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”.

:bigyikes:

DANG!!! That’s pretty tough.

Worst I had was 15 minutes of spiritual reading. By worst, I mean longest. Generally I end up with 3 Hail Marys. Once I got a decade of the Rosary.

However, as pansy penance goes: I had a priest tell me to thank God on the way out of the church (which I was already doing…considering that confession )

Eamon

 

[turboEDvo]

wannabee:

Think I have you all beaten

A difficult one was - choose your own penance and make sure it’s appropriate !

The other was

150 Hail Marys followed by 150 Our Fathers - now that is tough

Wow, both of those are really quite painful!!

Eamon

 

[maggiec]

I figured someone would ask that. I got close, however its very difficult to read. I struggled through the parts I made it through and was left mostly confused. Honestly, St. Augustine, like Mark Twain is someone I love to quote, but do not love so much to read.

I am so glad to find that I’m not the only one confused and struggling with St Augustine. I have the tape set and I’m on the last tape. I will need to find someone to explain alot of it to me. I’m totally lost!
maggiec

 

[flamingsword]

I can’t think of the hardest penence I have received but the one penence that still sticks in my head was go out and enjoy the beautiful day. I took that as a hint I was being overly scrupulous.

 

[Fashina86]

once I had a Memorare… but I think the hardest was to do a week’s worth of trying not to cross paths (verbally) with my mother…

 

[Nan_S]

I’ve been reading this for a few days and I’m still shaking my head. Saying a whole rosary is a “stiff” penance? Spending an hour in prayer is “tough”?

Compared to the penance Jesus performed for us?

The most demanding penance I was ever assigned was to go out and actively live my resolution from my act of contrition - to consciously “avoid the near occasion of sin,” to perform generous deeds for people even when I was upset with them, and to scrupulously keep doing so for as long as it took to form good habits that replaced my bad habits. It wasn’t tough, just demanding and disciplined.

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Nan S:

I’ve been reading this for a few days and I’m still shaking my head. Saying a whole rosary is a “stiff” penance? Spending an hour in prayer is “tough”?

Compared to the penance Jesus performed for us?

The most demanding penance I was ever assigned was to go out and actively live my resolution from my act of contrition - to consciously “avoid the near occasion of sin,” to perform generous deeds for people even when I was upset with them, and to scrupulously keep doing so for as long as it took to form good habits that replaced my bad habits. It wasn’t tough, just demanding and disciplined.

I won’t disagree with you that we can’t even compare to what Jesus went through. It wasn’t quite intended to do that anyway, but rather to look at the kind of penances priests can give, and to look at how we respond to their creativeness. I just thought it was normal to get 3 Our Fathers and 3 Hail Mary’s. It never changed for me and I’m 43 years old. I haven’t had a repeat penance in 3 months and I’ve gone to confession every other week.

I think “stiff” is relative. When you go from the trio of OF and HM to a whole Rosary - when you don’t normally pray one, that can seem “stiff”. But, I actually found it refreshing to have my sinfulness acknowledged through a greater penance.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

10 Hail Mary’s and a discussion of St. Augustine’s Confession which i happened to be reading and brought along to confession for some reason ( I guess I figured it might help it St. Augustine would pray for me) (also it turns out that was the Priest’s name, this was not intended) with a pledge to finish the book (I did)

 

[monkeyman89]

You think 1 Rosary is bad! Try four! My stiffest penance was to pray all 20 mysteries of the Rosary in a week and I’ve revieved this penance more than once!

 

[mumto5]

I never get more than an our father OR 3 hail marys. I confessed not doing enough to convince my husband not to get a vasectomy, was told that under the circumstances there was no sin in his having done so and to just say ONE Our Father. What does one have to do to get a stiff penance? Or even an original one.

 

[MarthaMartha]

My dad, who would have been in his late 90s if he’d lived, was given a Stations of the Cross to do as a penance. (He never told me what sin/s he confessed to get that.) In an attempt to get out of it, he said, “I don’t know how.” His priest said, “Do two, then you’ll learn.”

 

[scared]

Well, after 17 years before completeing my first confession, took 30 minutes just for the mortal sins, didn’t even get to the other ones. I received one Our Father, to be said slowly. I think one should be receiving a whole lot more, at least one prayer for every mortal sin or at least for every year missed. I know I was scared, but one our father just doesn’t cut it. I think if I ever go back to confession, I need to tell the priest to make me work for my absolution, I worked real hard on committing the sins, shouldn’t we be obligated to work just as hard to be forgiven for them? Just my two cents and right now it is worth a lot less than two cents.

scared

 

[porthos11]

Dear Scared,

In all cases, obey your confessor. If you confessed 17 years worth of mortal sin, but were assigned one Our Father to be prayed slowly, then accept it, and don’t second-guess his judgment. Be at peace.

The reason for unflinching obedience is so that no one falls into scrupulosity. Rest assured, your sins are forgiven. If you wish to do more acts of piety in atonement for your sins, feel free to do so, but never feel a penance assigned by a priest is not “enough.” All valid absolutions and satisfied penances, whatever they are, are always enough.

scared:

Well, after 17 years before completeing my first confession, took 30 minutes just for the mortal sins, didn’t even get to the other ones. I received one Our Father, to be said slowly. I think one should be receiving a whole lot more, at least one prayer for every mortal sin or at least for every year missed. I know I was scared, but one our father just doesn’t cut it. I think if I ever go back to confession, I need to tell the priest to make me work for my absolution, I worked real hard on committing the sins, shouldn’t we be obligated to work just as hard to be forgiven for them? Just my two cents and right now it is worth a lot less than two cents.

scared

 

[Melanie01]

The Rosary is pretty common for me sometimes with a Litany thrown in as well.There is alwysa a reguest to add a prayer for the priest’s intention which I joyfully add.

The lightest penance was the one received for a General Confession which I was staggered over.

Incidentally, the top paragraph is pretty standard I think as I go to Confession weekly to monthly.Mind you it really is not a penance…taking a dip in a crocodile infested lagoon would be, I find the Rosary a consolation and a joy actually.

 

[scared]

Hi porthos11

I did listen and obey my confessor.Yes I know I was given absolution and accept that all my sins are forgiven. I have not doubt about that.

I was taking in general, what I think I should and what I got are two very different things. I just think it we received stiffer penance, confession has swung the other way, in recent years.

scared

 

[mcliffor]

Melanie01:

The Rosary is pretty common for me sometimes with a Litany thrown in as well.There is alwysa a reguest to add a prayer for the priest’s intention which I joyfully add.

The lightest penance was the one received for a General Confession which I was staggered over.

Incidentally, the top paragraph is pretty standard I think as I go to Confession weekly to monthly.Mind you it really is not a penance…taking a dip in a crocodile infested lagoon would be, I find the Rosary a consolation and a joy actually.

When I was 16, and I might have been scrupulous, I poored my heart out in the confessional and was almost crying. I really wanted a tough penance, just to show how much I cared about what I did and how sorry I was, but all I got was “a prayer in your own words.” I said the rosary anyway.

The most I’ve ever gotten was 5 HMs and 5 OFs

 

[Ambuoroko]

A lot of people here have indicated that they want a stiffer penance… or even that they do a stiffer penance on their own. I am not Catholic yet, but if you’d care to hear my view on this, I think the best penance would be to do nothing at all, especially for those who desire such “stiff” penances. Why? Because I get the overwhelming feeling that everyone here wants to earn their forgiveness and save themselves through their work. They want the penance to be intense so they can make up for what they did. But we are saved because of Christ, and not because we do all manner of things to make up for our shortcomings. A harsh penance would only strengthen the idea that we are responsible for our own salvation. I would challenge those who always do extra to try doing just what the priest asks for. It’s an excellant exercise in humility to realize that no amount of penance oculd EVER make up for our sins. Reading some of the replies here, I feel like many people have forgotten that and are seeking to earn their way into heaven. Just my $0.02

John