Penance
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- For the Marvel Comics characters, see Penance (comics) and Robbie Baldwin.
Penance (via Old French penance from the Latin Poenitentia, the same root as penitence, which in English means repentance, the desire to be forgiven, see contrition; in many languages only one single word is derived) is, strictly, repentance of sins as well as the actual name of the Catholic Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. Penance and repentance, similar in their derivation and original sense, have however come to be symbolical of conflicting views of the essence of repentance, arising out of the controversy as to the respective merits of "faith" and "good works."
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[edit] Sacramental Penance
In a sacramental understanding of the term, "penance" applies to the whole activity from confession to absolution. Generally speaking, however, it is used to characterize the works of satisfaction imposed or recommended by the priest on or to the penitent. Traditionally, penance has been viewed as a punishment (the Latin poena, the root of pen(it) ance, means "punishment"), and varying with the character and heinousness of the offences committed. In the feudal era "doing penance" often involved severe and/or public discipline, which could be both harsh and humiliating but was considered edifying. Public penances have, however, long been abolished. Traditional forms still include prayers, while corporal punishments such as the wearing of a cilice and public humiliations have become rare, even in monastic practice. More recently, taking in account the insights of pastoral theology and psychology, penances have tended to move towards acts that positively or negatively reinforce the penitent's behaviour.
"Penance" also refers to acts that a believer imposes on him or herself outside of the sacramental context. Penitential activity is particularly common during the season of Lent and Holy Week (mainly the Passion week, inspired by Christ's suffering; hence in some cultural traditions still including flagellantism or even voluntary crucifixion) and, to a lesser extent, Advent, when penance is often combined with acts of self-discipline, such as fasting, voluntary celibacy, or other privations. In the Roman Catholic tradition especially, such acts of self-injury are sometimes called mortification of the flesh because of the belief that an unrestrained corporeal body endangers salvation, unless controlled by the spirit, serving to detach the penitent of his worldly passions, as to draw him into closer union with God.
[edit] Public penance
Performing penance in public, as opposed to the privacy of the confessional chair, gives it the character of public humiliation, which is often more 'punishing' than the intrinsic pain or discomfort of the deed. Such practices are now uncommon, but still exist in certain traditions, particularly those of the Jehovah's Witness tradition.
In societies in which religion and the state are integrated, public penance can actually be a mode of judicial punishment, as the state religion is imposed by law. This is not infrequent, for example, in Islamic societies. In some societies or faith traditions, the common venue for the humiliation is before one's community in the place of worship, preferably during the main weekly service; or altenatively outdoors, so the whole community can witness it, and hopefully be dissuaded from offending similarly.
Certain places of worship were or are actually equipped with permanent stands for the public penitents, such as the cuttie-stool in Scotland. Other common elements are humbling prescriptions to wear such distinguishing features as a white sheet (in England to be rented from the church warden!) and/or wand, being barefoot, bareheaded, even barelegged.
The practice is well reported from colonial Virginia and New England, where it was enforced by the officers of the law, sometimes even at pain of death. This way the morally repentant nature of true penance is changed to, or combined with, humiliation as a means of social coercion.
[edit] Private Penance
Private penance and secret confession was introduced by the Irish monks. Now it is done more commonly than public penance.
[edit] Roman Catholicism
In the Catholic Church, the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (formerly called Confession), consists of three parts: contritio, confessio and satisfactio.
Contritio is in fact repentance as Protestant theologians understand it, i.e. love of God causing sorrow for sins committed, and long before the Reformation the schoolmen debated the question whether complete "contrition" was or was not in itself sufficient to obtain the Divine pardon. The Council of Trent decided, however, that no reconciliation could follow such contrition without the other parts of the sacrament, which form part of it (sine sacramenti voto, quod in ilia indudatur). Contrition is also distinguished from "attrition" (attritio), i.e. amoral repentance due to fear of punishment. It was questioned whether a state of mind thus produced would suffice for obtaining the benefits of the sacrament; this point was also set at rest by the Council of Trent, which decided that attrition, though not in itself capable of obtaining the justification of the sinner, is also inspired by God and thus disposes the soul to benefit by the grace of the sacrament.
In this Sacrament, the penitent (repentant sinner, known as confessant) accuses himself of his sins to an ordained priest (known as confessor). The priest may then offer advice and imposes a particular penance to be performed. The penitent then prays an Act of Contrition, the priest administers absolution, thus formally forgiving the penitent of his sins, and finally sends him out with words of dismissal. Often, penitential acts consist simply of prayers, fasting, charitable work or giving, or a combination thereof. Such penance is frequently accompanied by a requirement for the penitent to be reconciled with anyone against whom he or she has sinned. The most common penances involve the recitation of standard prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary, meditation on particular scriptural passages, or praying the rosary with special penitential intentions.
[edit] Eastern Catholic Churches
In the Eastern Catholic churches there are no confessionals, but the penitent stands before either the Icon of Christ the Teacher (to the viewer's right of the Royal Doors) or in front of an Icon of the, or a, Crucifix. This is to show humility before one's community and before God. The penitent accuses himself, the priest places his epitrachelion over the penitent and says the prayers of absolution while blessing him with his hand-cross, may give advice if asked or if not asked, and the penitent departs in the Grace of God to further seek His Light. Penance in the Eastern Church is seen as a means to procure a better spiritual health, and does not always involve only the bad; the good one does is also expected to be said to the priest in one's own defence.
An exception to this is the Maronite Church, which has been extremely Latinised and may have confessionals and a Western mentality.
[edit] Eastern Orthodox Church
Penance, or Holy Confession as it is usually called, in the Eastern Orthodox Church has more in common with a psychiatric session than it does with the sacramental equivalents of other Christian Traditions. In Roman Catholicism, the goal of the sacrament of Penance is reconciliation with God, through means of justification. However, in Orthodoxy, the intention of the sacramental mystery of Holy Confession is to provide reconciliation with God, but through means of healing.
Similar to the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church there are no confessionals either. Traditionally the confessant also stands or knees before either the Icon of Christ the Teacher (to the viewers' right of the Royal Door) or in front of an Icon of Christ, or a, Crucifix. This is to show humility before the whole church and before Christ. Once they are ready to start, the priest then says, “Blessed is our God, always, now and for evermore,” reads the Trisagion Prayers and the 51st Psalm (50th Psalm in the Septuagint).
At this point, often the penitent and the priest, usually referred to as the Spiritual father, sit down together before the Icon. The priest then advises the penitent that Christ is invisibly present and that he or she should not be embarrassed or be afraid, but should open up his or her heart and reveal their sins so that Christ may forgive them. The penitent then accuses him or herself of his or her sins. The priest quietly, and patiently listens. After the confessant reveals all of his or her sins, the priest then offers advice and counsel. The priest may modify the prayer rule of the penitent, or even prescribe another rule, if needed to combat the sins that the penitent struggles most with. Penances are usually given with a therapeutic intent, so that they are opposite to the sin committed.
For a hypothetical example, if the Eight Commandment has been broken and the person has stolen something, then it could be prescribed that the he or she should return what was stolen (if possible) and give alms to the poor on a more regular basic. Opposites are to be treated with opposites. If the penitent suffers from gluttony, the confessant’s fasting rule is reviewed and perhaps increased. The intention of Holy Confession is never to punish, but to heal and purify. Holy Confession is also seen as like a “second baptism.”
In Orthodoxy, Holy Confession is seen as a means to procure a better spiritual health and purity. Confession often does not always involve only stating the sinful things the person does; the good things, a person does or is considering doing, is also discussed. The approach is holistic, examining the full life of the confessant. The good works are never considered to earn one his or her salvation, but as part of a psychotherapeutic treatment to preserve salvation and purity. Sin is treated as a spiritual illness, or wound, that can only cured through Jesus Christ. The Orthodox belief is that in Confession, the sinful wounds of the soul are to be exposed and treated in the "open air" (in this case, the Spirit of God. Note the fact that the Greek word for Spirit, πνευμα which can be translated as "air in motion" or wind).
Once the penitent has accepted the therapeutic advice and counsel freely given to him or her, by the priest then, placing his epitrachelion over the head of the confessant. The priest then prays the prayer of forgiveness over the penitent. In the prayer of forgiveness, the priests asks of God to forgive the sins committed. He then concludes by placing his hand on the head on the head of the penitent and says, “The Grace of the All-Holy Spirit, through my insignificance, has loosened and granted to you forgiveness.”
In condensed summary, the Priest then reminds the penitent that what he or she just received is a second baptism, through the Sacramental Mystery of Holy Confession. And that he or she should be careful not to defile this restored purity but also to do good and to hear the voice of the psalmist: “Turn from evil and do good.” But most of all, the priest urges the penitent to guard him or herself from sin and to commune as often as permitted. The priest then dismisses the repentant penitent in peace-- often with a fatherly, brief but warm and caring hug.
[edit] Anglican Church
The sacramental nature of confession and absolution is viewed variously in Anglicanism. Some argue that it is non-sacramental, since Article XXV of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion maintains it was not ordained by Christ (ie., that it is non-Dominical). However, citing the same Article, some hold that it is one of the five "lesser" sacraments or "sacramental rites," and may argue (contra the Article) that Christ did ordain it. Those who argue that it was ordained by Christ point to Gospel of John 20:23: "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Confession is generally performed corporately in response to an exhortation by the priest. After a period of silent confession, a spoken general confession is said by the congregation. The pronouncement of absolution follows. The form of these and other prayers are generally penitential in nature, and prayer has traditionally been the venue for the expression of penance in Anglicanism. Some Anglicans participate in private, aural confession during which time the priest may counsel penitential acts. Private penance and secret confession was introduced by the Irish monks, as well as the penitential books describing in detail all sins with the appropriate penance attached to each. Such penance is rarely a precondition to absolution, but is viewed today rather as a healing and prophylactic activity.
[edit] Symbol, Not Sacrament
Penance is also practiced in other Christian traditions, and is particularly stressed in traditions formed by a Calvinist or Zwinglian sensibility. The Reformers (e.g. Puritans), upholding the doctrine of justification by faith, held that repentance consisted in a change of the whole moral attitude of the mind and soul (Matthew 13:15; Luke 22:32), and that the divine forgiveness preceded true repentance and confession to God without any reparation of "works." As Calvin says in his piece Of Justification By Faith: "without forgiveness no man is pleasing to God." Rather, "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance" (Romans 2:4, ESV); nonetheless, there has traditionally been a stress on reconciliation as a precondition to fellowship.
[edit] Penance in non-Christian faith traditions
In eastern religions (Hinduism, etc.), acts of hardship committed on oneself (fasting, lying on rocks heated by the Sun, etc.), especially as part of an ascetic way of life (as monk or 'wise man') in order to attain a higher form of mental awareness (through detachment from the earthly, not punishing guilt) or favours from (the) god(s).
[edit] Penance in art and fiction
- Colin Kapp. 1972, 1973. Patterns of Chaos. New York: Award Books. No ISBN. Pp. 31-36.
Penance in movies:
- Penance (2004)
- Penance (1999)
- "I Confess". Warner Brothers, 1953. Alfred Hitchcock, Dir. Starring: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter
- Sadhna (1958) aka "The Penance"
- The Bell of Penance (1912)
- A Daughter of Penance (1916)
- Who Killed Brett Penance? (1995) (VG)
- Proper Penance (1992) (V)
- Veruntreute Himmel, Der (1958)
- The Reckoning (2003)
- Fatima (1997) (TV)
- Constantine (2005)
- "Nightmare Cafe" (1992)
- An optional superboss in the international version of Final Fantasy X (2001)
[edit] See also
- Order of Penance, an early name for the Friars Minor
[edit] Sources and references
(incomplete)
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Getchwood- Curious Punishments of Baygone days
- The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation(From the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
- IMDB
- John Calvin, Of JustificationFaith
