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Hi, Nathaniel —
I'm not sure, specifically, what
kind of answer you're looking for,
but I'll say that, as it pertains
to the sacrament, the responsibility
of a penitent is to:
- faithfully execute their penance
- firmly intend to avoid the sin
in the future
- rely on and pray for the grace
of God, not only to resist sin,
but in all things.
This does not mean that you should
despair when it comes to habitual
sins that you fully expect you'll
commit again, it just means that
you can't be planning to commit them;
you must put up as best a fight,
as you can, to resist them.
More broadly, a penitent Catholic
has the responsibility to seek Christ's
kingdom and His righteousness first
(Matthew 6:33). This means:
- following Christ
- obeying His Gospel, and
- living for Him above all things
- surrendering all for the sake
of the Gospel according to our
state in life, and
- offering ourselves as holy and
living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
This includes a lot of things, such
as:
- obeying the commandments (Matthew
19:17)
- assisting at the liturgy on Sundays
and Holy days of obligation
- listening to the Church
- obeying Her as our Mother, and
so forth.
It's important to remember that at
the center of our faith is not a
list of do's, don'ts and rules, but the Person, Jesus Christ, who invites
us to come to know Him intimately
as a friend, and His Father, as our
Father.
Christ knows what's best
for us, and He is the Way, the Truth,
and the Life (John 14:6) so let us seek Him and
His Kingdom.
Eric
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