Introduction
“Penance” is our Lord’s first call to us, seen in the very first words Jesus utters in what scholars tell us and is the very first written Gospel which is seen in Mark 1:15 NAB revised : “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel”
Penance is an experience of the gift of God's boundless mercy.
Not only does it [the Sacrament of Penance] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We are liberated to be forgivers. We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned." ( United States Conference of Catholic Bishops accessed on 12-03-2024).
In one of the Teaching of the Church, The Council of Trent (1551) declares:
Penance “As a means of regaining grace and justice, penance was at all times necessary for those who had defiled their souls with any mortal sin.”.
Jesus Christ is the focus for our penance; Jesus Christ is the way of penance. The primary struggle of penance is thus that daily need to turn away from sin and self and to turn toward Christ and the Gospel.
THE FRUITS OF PENANCE
Loving God and our neighbors, hating our sins, receiving the Sacred Body and Blood and producing worthy fruits of penance make us one family in Christ, just as Christ will say, “For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mt. 12:50).
Living in Christ, living as Christ lived, then, produces the worthy fruits of penance: what are these fruits of penance, they includes; prayer, praise, humility, charity.
Prayer is spiritual communication between man and God, a two-way relationship in which man should not only talk to God but also listen to Him, because listening is very important in a communication process. Sometimes many of us fall a victim of talking and talking and talking, without listening or actively listening which is very bad. Praying to God is like a child’s conversation with his father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things he needs.
There are many promises in God’s Word to encourage us to pray, such as: “He shall call upon me and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him” which can be seen in (Psalm 91:15) and other quotations in the bible. The Scriptures tell us that we are to pray for one another and also assure us that God hears and answers prayer.
When you receive Christ into your heart, you become a child of God and have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity and through penance we can achieve this by going back to our father in a way of prayer as this Lenten period encourages us.
The second fruit of the penance which is praise in tells the recognition of Gods character or work in our lives. An Igbo adage says “ etoo dike na nke omere eme, omekwa ozo” which implies when you praise someone for doing something he does a greater one”. My dear brothers and sisters, sometimes we forget to show gratitude to God for his blessings in our lives. As Dalai lama will say “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness” ( retrieved from goodreads.com on 11/3/2024). Praising God alone and recognizing Him as the all and all paves way for good fortunes for us. This Lenten period encourages to always recognize the works of God in our lives.
Furthermore, humility which is another fruit of penance in emphasis on submission to God and to one another in lowliness of mind. This does not mean been passive or silent always it implies using your talents and capabilities for the glory of the lord. What we have, what are we using it for. Are we using it for good purpose or for evil purpose? Are impacting our knowledge to others or are we selfish with it. We should always look up our Blessed Mother Mary and fellow Her footsteps in the way of Her humility.
This will lead us to the last fruit fruit of penance which is charity. Charity which is seen as giving, sharing in love. This Lenten period how many people have we been charitable to or are we always at the receiving end.
My dear brothers and sisters, I will like to conclude by encourage us to always for reflect on our sinful nature and praise God for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to serve, live, and die for our sins. Lent ends on the glorious day of Easter when we celebrate Jesus' Resurrection.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Thank you everyone for your time and for giving me a listening ear this evening. Together let us conclude with a pray as we say, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen: “good and gracious God, in Your great mercy, You have called us to imitate and grow closer to Christ, Your Son, by following in the footsteps. Help us, please, to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel as Christ gives us the grace. Help us always to pray for and to support our brothers and sisters in our common call to Penance. Help us to offer ourselves as Your Son did in loving service of that kingdom where you live with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.” In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Do have a peaceful night rest.
REFERENCE
Quote by Dalai lama: “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of ap...” retrieved from goodreads.com on 11/3/2024.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops accessed on 12-03-2024).
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