People ask me: “What does the Church say about promises?” The Church approves them when done properly. The saints made promises. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CIC) says that “in various circumstances, the Christian is invited to make promises to God. Out of personal devotion, the Christian can also promise Him this or that act, prayer, alms, pilgrimage, etc. Fidelity to the promises made to the Lord is a manifestation of the respect due to the divine majesty and of love for the faithful God” (CIC § 2101).
There are biblical passages that contain promises. Jacob makes a promise to God: “If God will be with me, if he will keep me during this journey that I have undertaken and give me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and make me return to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord will be my God . This stone from which I made a stele will be a house of God, and I will pay tithes of everything you give me” (Gen 28:20-22).
, the mother of the prophet Samuel, made a vow: “And he made a vow, saying, Lord of hosts, if you will deign to look upon the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me; If you do not forget your slave and give her a male child, I will consecrate him to the Lord all the days of his life, and the razor will not come over his head” (1 Samuel 1:11).
Fulfill what you promised.
Some psalms express the wishes or promises of those praying (Ps 65; 66,116; Jn 2,3-9).
If you offer to the Lord any burnt offering, burnt offering or, in fulfillment of a special vow or as a spontaneous offering (Nm 15,3).
If a woman makes a vow to the Lord or imposes an obligation on her father’s house during her youth, her vows will be valid, whatever they may be. If the father is aware of the obligation he imposed on himself, it will be valid. But if her father disapproves of them, the day he finds out about them, all her votes will become worthless. The Lord will forgive her, because her father opposed her (Nm 30,4-6).
Keep your vows or promises
However, there was a serious recommendation that the vow or deed be fulfilled. It is better not to make a vow than to promise and not be faithful to the promise (Eccl 5:4). Saint Paul wanted to submit to the obligations of the Nazirate’s vow: Paul remained there (in Corinth) for some time. Afterwards, he said goodbye to his brothers and sailed to Syria and with him Priscilla and Aquila. Before that, however, he had cut his hair in Cencris, because he had finished a vow (cf. Acts 18:18).
The Jews said to Paul: Here we have four men who have made a vow. Purify yourself with them and take charge so they can have your head shaved. This way everyone will know that the news about you is false, and that you behave as an observer of the Law (Acts 21,23s).
God knows what is best for us
It is true that promises do not oblige God to give us what He does not want to give, as He knows what is best for us, but these can often obtain from the Lord, through the intercession of those, the graces we need. Jesus ordered to ask and with insistence.
Promises have nothing magical or mechanical, nor can they be a trade with God; for they are not intended to bend the will of the Lord. Sometimes, believers even promise things that they are unable to fulfill due to lack of physical, mental or physical conditions, and are afraid of punishment from God the Father. It is even worse when someone makes a promise for another to fulfill, without their consent. Parents should not make promises for their children to keep.
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By determining that he would give us the necessary graces in this life, the Almighty wanted to include in His design our collaboration through sacrifice, charity, etc. God wants to take into account the prayers we make to Him. From this perspective, promises have value for God and for us prayers, as they fuel fervor in us, stimulate our devotion, exercise love for God in our hearts; and that is valuable. A well-made promise can open us more to the Lord’s mercy.
What if you can’t keep your promise?
When you cannot fulfill a promise made to God, look for a priest and ask him to change the material of the promise. This solution is in accordance with the biblical texts that foresee the possibility of changing vows (or promises) by priests: “If the one who makes a vow cannot pay the assessment, he will present the person before the priest and he will fix it. -The; the value will be fixed by the priest according to those who make a vow” (Lev 27, 8; cf. Lev 27,13s.18.23).
Try to promise practices that are not only reasonable, but also useful for the subject himself or for the good of others. As for the ex-votos (wax heads, arms, legs), which are offered in certain sanctuaries, says Dom Estevão Bettencout that they may have their meaning, as they contribute to testify to God’s mercy poured out on the graced people, thus, they will carry the people of God to glorify the Lord; but the recipients must know why they offer such wax objects, and not do so routinely or unconsciously (PR, No. 262 Year 1982 Page 202).
Prayer, almsgiving and fasting
Among the best promises are the three classic ones that Jesus himself proposed: prayer, almsgiving and fasting (cf. Mt 6:1-18). The Holy Mass is the center and nourishment par excellence of Christian life. Almsgiving “covers a multitude of sins (cf. 1Pt 4,8; Jas 5,20; Pr 10,12); fasting and mortification purify and free human beings from passions. Jesus said that certain evils can only be eliminated by and through prayer.
If the practice of the promises leads the Christian to carry out these good works, then it is healthy. The promises have nothing to do with the obligations of Afro-Brazilian cults, but are expressions of Christians’ filial love for God.
Felipe Aquino
Professor Felipe Aquino is a widower, father of five children. On TV , he presents the program “Escola da Fé” and “Pergunte e Responderemos”, on Radio he presents the program “No Coração da Igreja”. On weekends he holds in-depth meetings throughout Brazil and abroad. He wrote 73 books on Catholic formation for publishers Cléofas, Loyola and. Teacher page: and Twitter: