Old-timey penance

[ccmcmg]

Let’s remember (or correct me if I’m wrong), penance is not necessary for our forgiveness. We are absolved in the Confessional, although we are given a penance beforehand. God’s Mercy is endless.

Perhaps our time in purgatory will be longer if we don’t perform our penances, and if I didn’t perform my penance, I would probably confess that as well the next time.

My own penances have varied from various known prayers, doing a specific act, or meditating on a prayer/verse. Oh what little has been asked of me for the evil I have done as a sinner, for His Great Mercy and Forgiveness.

 

[powerofk]

And with these heavy penances, asceticism at the time was so intense, that the Church had to implement the “Easter Duty” due to many of the ascetic practices, as people started to believe that they were so unworthy of receiving Jesus that they rarely, if ever, accepted Holy Communion. It’s no wonder why some of the “Protestant reformationists” were overly scrupulous or saw God as a vindictive judge instead of a loving father. I’d take a look at the writings of the Council of Trent, because I’m thinking that that’s around the time the changes in penance started.

Regardless, today, especially with the last few Popes, God’s Mercy has been emphasized. Seriously. Sure, many (if not most of us) today see sin as a trifling matter, and we could use a wake-up call of sorts. At the same time, these ascetic practices were, quite frankly, physically dangerous.