Question about penance...

[BlueinSD]

I understand the basis for confession and why it is necessary, but I don’t understand penance. I know what it is, but I don’t understand WHY it is necessary. I’ll admit that I am currently a Protestant so I don’t understand the Catholic doctrine on penance. However, I am looking at becoming Catholic, but I am just trying to have some of my questions answered before I make a decision.

As a Protestant, I was raised to believe that Our Lord’s sacrifice at Calvary was all that was needed as far as punishment goes. Our Lord took the full penalty for my sin on himself and as a result, when I sin, I need only confess my sin, repent of it and I am forgiven…no penance needed.

Can someone explain to me why penance is necessary, what the Protestants are missing and why the above doctrine I gave is wrong. Thanks folks!

 

[DavidFilmer]

As a Protestant, I was raised to believe that Our Lord’s sacrifice at Calvary was all that was needed as far as punishment goes.

As a protestant, you were taught that God is merciful (which he is). Mercy means that the penalty for an offence is not equal to the magnitude of the offence.

However, as a protestant, you were not also taught that God is just. Justice means that there is always a penalty for an offence.

God is both merciful and just. If he were merciful, but not just, he could forgive your sin and not expect you to do anything. If he were just but not merciful, he could condemn you outright, no matter what you subsequently did. But he is both.

This means he does not condemn you outright, but he expects you to incur some penalty. This is mercy + justice.

Since the penance is usually very minor, we see that God’s mercy is great. This may have something to do with the fact that he entrusted the ministry of forgiveness to the Church (John 20:23), which is made up entirely of sinners.

What about Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary? Does it not “take away the sins of the whole world?” Yes - but it is not an act which excludes us. We still participate in our own salvation, and our own forgiveness. We may not presume to commit as many sins as we wish, and simply assume that Jesus has assumed the burden of our forgiveness. Calvary made forgiveness possible, but not absolute. We still have our role to play - contrition and penance.

 

[Edward_H]

Great question and answer.

Penance helps us in a number of important human ways as well. It gets us involved in our own reparation, our own struggle toward holiness, deepens our contrition, makes our sin more real and tangible. Connects the physical with the supernatural. Sacraments all have a physical component. There’s always a connection between the natural and the supernatural. God designed us, we have immaterial souls and physical bodies. He knows how compelling the physical world is to us. He uses this attribute to help us move toward Him. God gives us an undeserved dignity by allowing us to cooperate with Him in the salvation of the whole world and our own salvation.

 

[pablope]

I understand the basis for confession and why it is necessary, but I don’t understand penance. I know what it is, but I don’t understand WHY it is necessary. I’ll admit that I am currently a Protestant so I don’t understand the Catholic doctrine on penance.

Can someone explain to me why penance is necessary, what the Protestants are missing and why the above doctrine I gave is wrong. Thanks folks!

I would recommend an excellent book on the both confession and penance…Lord Have Mercy by Scott Hahn.

Penance…why do we do Penance…

Penance provides the restitution and repair damage done by our sins, and to restore and strengthen our bond of love with Christ and the our fellowman.

 

[Todd_Easton]

When I think of penance I think of Zacchaeus, the repentant sinner, who, overjoyed at hearing that Jesus Christ wanted to stay at his house, said, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8)

I also think of Paul, the repentant persecutor of Christians, who worked harder at spreading the Gospel than the other apostles. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

 

[WesleyF]

The catechism explains this beautifully indeed.

1459 Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is also called “penance.”

1460 The penance the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent’s personal situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him.” (Romans 8:17, Romans 3:25, 1 John 2:1-2)

*The satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not so much ours as though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who can do nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things with the cooperation of "him who strengthens" us. Thus man has nothing of which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whom we make satisfaction by bringing forth "fruits that befit repentance." These fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they are offered to the Father, and through him they are accepted by the Father. (Phil 4:13, 1 Cor 1:31, 2 Cor 10:17, Gal 6:14, Luke 3:8)*

 

[WesleyF]

Wow. This teaching is wonderful indeed! Thanks for asking the question!

 

[brb3]

Calvary made forgiveness possible, but not absolute. We still have our role to play - contrition and penance.

DF …

Initially, contrite confession and repentance is sufficient … w/o penance. Faith w/o works applies. But, once we become Christ’s adoption, have been redeemed, have received rebirth and H.S. … now we must serve appropriate penance for any further [future] sins committed.