I’ve noticed that penances are much easier now than when I was a kid. I never confessed anything noteworthy as a kid–mostly I’d say that I lied to my mom twice, cussed once and then tell the priest that I’d just lied about lying and cussing so I’d have something to confess–and I’d get hit with 20 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Marys, or something along those lines. I’ve talked to people who got things like ten complete Rosaries (all three sets of mysteries) on top of having to pay back/return something they’d stolen, and other penances that were similarly monumental to a kid. I remember wondering back then what sort of penances the adults who committed actual sins were receiving.
Nowadays it’s nowhere near the same. A few years ago, at the first real valid, thorough Confession of my adult life, I confessed years and years of very serious, persistent sins. I got one Our Father, one Hail Mary and was told to spend one minute counting my blessings. Honestly, the first thing that went through my head wasn’t relief over my absolution but a thought that I’d been ripped off. I was all set for some major penance and what I got was barely a fraction of my nightly prayers. Another time I nearly asked the priest if he couldn’t throw in a Rosary or two since I’d confessed something really major that I’d overlooked in an earlier Confession. The biggest penance I’ve received in the last few years was when the priest told me to say a prayer for each family member who had mistreated or spoken negatively about my wife & I: it took me nearly an hour to get through.
Seriously, though, I’d prefer somewhat stricter penances. I understand the reasoning to the contrary, but if I’m confessing a mortal sin which I committed with the full, adult awareness that it was a mortal sin, then I truly believe that I should be getting a stiff enough penance that it takes more than 1-2 minutes to complete. I’m not saying the priest should be telling people to stand on a busy street corner wearing a burlap shirt and a sandwich board listing their sins, but being given the occasional Rosary or two couldn’t hurt.
