What is penance?

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Jesus and the Blessed Mother Mary asks us to pray, fast and do penance. What do They mean by penance? Is it just what the priest gives us to do when we are finishing up our confession? Or is it going to Confession often? Or is it something more?
 
Penance is sort of a broad word. It’s a means to make up for sins, but it has different specific meanings.

On one level, it’s the assignment a priest gives you after Confession; you do the penance to make up for the sin. Priests very kindly make these things very easy to do: a few Our Fathers or things like that.

Fasting is also a part of penance; we do it to make up for our sins.

Mortifying ourselves is also a part of penance. I’ve been reading a book about Fatima, and Mary told them about the importance of penance, to make up for the sins of others.

Penance is also a means of obtaining a grace from God. The Gospels tell us this; Fatima, too, had the message that we need to fast and mortify ourselves for the sakes of others who have no one else to pray for them.
 
Graciously and generously responding to the needs of others, and accepting the ordinary difficulties of your life, is also a worthwhile penance/atonement to offer God.
 
JesuXPIPassio said:
Penance is sort of a broad word. It’s a means to make up for sins, but it has different specific meanings.

On one level, it’s the assignment a priest gives you after Confession; you do the penance to make up for the sin. Priests very kindly make these things very easy to do: a few Our Fathers or things like that.

Fasting is also a part of penance; we do it to make up for our sins.

Mortifying ourselves is also a part of penance. I’ve been reading a book about Fatima, and Mary told them about the importance of penance, to make up for the sins of others.

Penance is also a means of obtaining a grace from God. The Gospels tell us this; Fatima, too, had the message that we need to fast and mortify ourselves for the sakes of others who have no one else to pray for them.
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Elaborate, if you will on “mortifying ourselves”. How do we do this?
 
Trishie said:
Graciously and generously responding to the needs of others, and accepting the ordinary difficulties of your life, is also a worthwhile penance/atonement to offer God.
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Does that mean just being happy as a single mom of 4 living with my kids and parents?

It seems that there is more that Our Blessed Mother and Jesus, Saviour of the World is asking for.
 
If you find those things easy you are blessed indeed. If you spend a lot of time in some forums you would find that for so many, these simple things are more than enough penance. I was not discounting the other suggestions, just adding to them.

I praise God for your pleasant easy life! God has been very generous to you. 🙂
 
Trishie said:
If you find those things easy you are blessed indeed. If you spend a lot of time in some forums you would find that for so many, these simple things are more than enough penance. I was not discounting the other suggestions, just adding to them.

I praise God for your pleasant easy life! God has been very generous to you. 🙂
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indeed He has!!!
 
Jesus_N_Cherie said:
Jesus and the Blessed Mother Mary asks us to pray, fast and do penance. What do They mean by penance? Is it just what the priest gives us to do when we are finishing up our confession? Or is it going to Confession often? Or is it something more?
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Where does Mary or Jesus ask us to perform penance? Section and verse please.
 
liberational said:
Where does Mary or Jesus ask us to perform penance? Section and verse please.
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Fatima, Lourdes, Akita, Medjugoria, and so many other apparitions and inner locutions to Father Gobi in Mary Speaks to Her Beloved Priests, and so many other places. I am sure it is also to be found in the New Testament. St. John the Baptist cried out “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” That may not be an EXACT quote, but I don’t have a Bible right in front of me. That was, however, the message of St. John the Baptist. If it was important then, it still is today. Also, the popes have said it.

If you are not asking in order to debate, you may look up those messages. If you are seeking a debate about the subject…then what problem do you have with repentance?
 
Jesus_N_Cherie said:
Fatima, Lourdes, Akita, Medjugoria, and so many other apparitions and inner locutions to Father Gobi in Mary Speaks to Her Beloved Priests, and so many other places. I am sure it is also to be found in the New Testament. St. John the Baptist cried out “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” That may not be an EXACT quote, but I don’t have a Bible right in front of me. That was, however, the message of St. John the Baptist. If it was important then, it still is today. Also, the popes have said it.

If you are not asking in order to debate, you may look up those messages. If you are seeking a debate about the subject…then what problem do you have with repentance?
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I’m looking for the specific verses in scripture that has Jesus and Mary instructing believers to carry out acts of penance.

Thanks
 
liberational said:
I’m looking for the specific verses in scripture that has Jesus and Mary instructing believers to carry out acts of penance.

quote from Cherie: "I have 4 children I am responsible for watching. I am unable to do the research at this time. You may find the answer by looking up the word penance in the concordances for the Bible. And look in the beginning of the Gospels. I am not sure which Gospel starts off by talking about St. John the Baptist. If it is in the Bible, it is TRUTH. And if St. John the Baptist said it for when Jesus was in this world as a man, He is still with us in the Holy Eucharist today. Therefore, we should still be repenting. Sorry I can’t help you further than this right now. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the versus. And Mary, as the Mother of God, surely has the authority to guide us to Her Son, Jesus. If She has asked us to perform works of penance, then we should listen and obey. Jesus gave Her to us, and us to Her from His Cross. Most especially at that point, when He was dying on the Cross, He would not have wasted His energy on meaningless words.
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Jesus_N_Cherie said:
Elaborate, if you will on “mortifying ourselves”. How do we do this?
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Generally fasting during Lenten Fridays. Opus Dei members use disciplines (light whips) and cilices (spiked chains) that don’t exactly hurt, but they create discomfort. Paul VI and Mother Teresa used those things too. The Fatima seers abstained from good food, which they gave to the poor, and ate bitter plants. They also would tie rough ropes around their waists. It could also be simple things like not having coffee after a meal, or not drinking anything.
 
JesuXPIPassio said:
Generally fasting during Lenten Fridays. Opus Dei members use disciplines (light whips) and cilices (spiked chains) that don’t exactly hurt, but they create discomfort. Paul VI and Mother Teresa used those things too. The Fatima seers abstained from good food, which they gave to the poor, and ate bitter plants. They also would tie rough ropes around their waists. It could also be simple things like not having coffee after a meal, or not drinking anything.
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Thanks so much. In other words, abstaining for the purpose of sacrifice, or doing things to cause yourslef discomfort…but not too extreme. And offering it all up as penance for the forgiveness of sins and conversions. Is that about right?
 
liberational said:
I’m looking for the specific verses in scripture that has Jesus and Mary instructing believers to carry out acts of penance.

Thanks
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First of all, are you sola scriptura? If so, nothing that the most skilled debater/apologist on earth can ever say will mean anything to you. Only the Holy Spirit, which leads and accompanies the church, can open your eyes.

The bible is at max, 1% of what Christ said and did. How on earth are you to have God’s full revelation by limiting yourself to the sacred Cliff’s Notes of the life of Christ? You cannot. Please ponder this.

Christ’s peace.
 
po18guy said:
The bible is at max, 1% of what Christ said and did.
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I’ll take it that there is no scripture where Jesus or Mary directs people carry out acts of penance.

I don’t subscribe to sola scriptura. I am interested to know how Catholics have reached the conclusion that Jesus and Mary want people to carry out acts of penance.

I’d hate to find out that someone within the Church just made that decision one day.

In relation to your claim that the Bible didn’t record 99% of what Christ said…please cite your source of that information.
 
liberational said:
I’ll take it that there is no scripture where Jesus or Mary directs people carry out acts of penance.

I don’t subscribe to sola scriptura. I am interested to know how Catholics have reached the conclusion that Jesus and Mary want people to carry out acts of penance.

I’d hate to find out that someone within the Church just made that decision one day.

In relation to your claim that the Bible didn’t record 99% of what Christ said…please cite your source of that information.
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Refer to Luke 3:18, John 20:30, John 21:25 and Acts 2:40. The bible is lacking more like 99.99% of what Jesus said and did. Like I said, many of us used to be stuck in the bible, not realizing that it is a tiny fraction of God’s revelation.

Simply put, penance is paying the temporal cost of sin. Say you break your neighbor’s window, but they forgive you. Good to go, right? You’re forgiven! But the window is still broken, and it’s raining. Penance is fixing the window.

Christ is not a book. Christ is the Word of God made Flesh. Therefore, He cannot be explained or described perfectly or completely by man. Can’t happen. How do you find more of Him? Where do you look? The fulness of God’s revelation to man. The church Christ founded has been entrusted for nearly 2,000 years with maintaining this deposit of faith.

Back before I believed in Christ, did that make Him false? No.

Back before I was a member of His church, did that make His church false? No.

When I did not believe in everything the church taught, did that make it false? No.
 
So, then, your saying that someone in the Church, one day, declared that Mary and Jesus want us to carry out acts of penance…and seeing as the Church is infallible in faith and morals…I guess there’s no arguing with them as to how they came to that conclusion.
 
Dear Liberational - I find your “questions” anything but rational. Would you mind changing your name please?

Oh, I also heard this wild guy running around telling everyone Jesus and Mary said we should do penance! Do you think I should listen or something? :eek:

Peace,

Gail
 
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