Penance

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For the Marvel Comics character, see Penance (comics).

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 (formerly called 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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Catholicism

It is the actual name of the Catholic Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (formerly called Confession), which consists of three parts: contritio, confessio, satisfactio.

Contritio is in fact repentance as Protestant theologians understand it, i.e. sorrow for sin arising from love of God, 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, however, decided 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.

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Elsewhere

Penance has also been practiced by various branches of Protestantism, such as Anglicanism and especially Puritanism. The Reformers, upholding the doctrine of justification by faith, held that repentance consisted in a change of the whole moral attitude of the mind and soul (Matt. xiii. 15; Luke xxii. 32), and that the Divine forgiveness followed true repentance and confession to God without any reparation of " works." This is the view generally held by Protestants.

  • 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).
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Penance for confessed sins

The word penance applies to the whole sacrament, but is also used of the works of satisfaction imposed by the priest on the penitent, i.e. the temporal punishment (Latin poena, the root of pen(it)ance). This varies with the character and heinousness of the offences committed. In the middle ages "doing penance" was often a process as terrible and humiliating to the penitent as it was possibly edifying to the Church. Public penances have, however, long been abolished.

Penance, as imposed during the Catholic Sacrament, may consist in prayers, fasting, or the giving of alms. The most common penances are prayers, such as the Our Father and Hail Mary, while corporal punishments such as the wearing of a cilice and public humiliations have become rare, even in monastic practice.

Penance also may be self-imposed, especially during the Lenten fast (mainly the Passion week, inspired by Christ's suffering; hence also flagellantism or even voluntary crucifixion) and Advent. Self-imposed penance, also called mortification of the flesh (because its natural weakness endangers the salvation of the soul unless duly controlled by the devout spirit), serves to detach the penitent of his worldly passions, as to draw him into closer union with God.

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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' then the intrinsic pain or discomfort of the deed.

In societies without separation of church and state, this can actually be a mode of judicial punishment, as the state religion is imposed by law and even submission to clerical imposition of penance can be. The common place for the humiliation is then the church, preferably during Sunday service, or altenatively the market, so the whole community can witness it, and hopefully be disuaded form sinning similarly. Thus certain churches were actually equipped with permanent stands for the public penitents, such as the cuttie-stool in Scotland.

Another common elements are humbling prescriptions to wear such distinguising features as a white sheet (in England to be rented from the church warden!) and/or wand, being barefoot, barehead, 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- in fact the morally repentent nature of true penance is thus perverted to humiliation as a means of social coercion.

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Penance in art and fiction

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)
  • Confession (2005)
  • "Nightmare Cafe" (1992)
  • An optional superboss in the international version of Final Fantasy X (2001)
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Sources and references

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de:Buße

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