Expert: Sal - 4/25/2004

Question
Sal, thanks for the response to my earlier question, it was rather informative and you used some great qoutes to cite your answer.  I was reflecting on Francis of Assisi and how he tried to live a life of penance after his conversion.  How would you describe this sort of "penance"...i started to say that he was "making up for His sins" but then caught myself knowing that Christ's sacrifice is final for atonement of our sins.  Do you have any feedback on sharing this practice with a non-catholic?

peace,  eric  

Answer
Hello Eric:

Nice to hear from you again.

The idea of living a life of penance, as did St. Francis, or even just the idea of penance in general upsets many Protestants. They think that it in some way takes away from the finished work of Christ. They may see acts of penance as “works salvation.” This idea known as Pelagianism was officially condemned by the Catholic Church at the Council of Orange in 529 AD. Penance does not lessen the work of Christ. The Catholic Church recognizes that without the work of Christ our penance would be meaningless. By acts of penance we show our love for God. We have been forgiven in Christ. “It is in Christ and through his blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven, so immeasurably generous is God's favor to us” (Ephesians 1:7). Now we can show our thankfulness for this generosity by acts of penance that are designed to make reparation. Reparation in the sense of acknowledging that we have done wrong and that we desire to make right what we have damaged, i.e. our relationship with God. To illustrate this point: let's say I broke someone's car window in a fit of anger. Then I calmed down and said I was sorry. The owner of the car then said that he forgave me. As I started to walk away, he said, “Hey, aren't you going to have the window repaired?” What if I said, “No. Why should I, you already forgave me?” That is how I see doing penance as reparation. Yes, we are forgiven by Christ's once for all Atonement. However, the Holy Spirit now has to apply the finished work of Christ to us. If we are truly sorry we will want to make things right. We will show the fruit of repentance in our lives.

We have the example of our first Pope, St. Peter. He was forgiven because he repented of the sin of denying Christ. “And Peter remembered the prediction Jesus had made: ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.' He went out and began to weep bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). Jesus knew that Peter would deny him. Even so he told him, “Simon, Simon! Remember that Satan has asked for you (all), to sift you all like wheat. But I have prayed for you (Peter) that your faith may never fail. You in turn must strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32). So we know that Jesus did not view Peter's denial as a lack of faith. Jesus, after the Resurrection, reaffirmed Peter's place in the Church. “Simon, son of John, do you love me? Feed my lambs” (see John 21:15-17). Although Peter was forgiven he still did penance throughout the rest of his life. He suffered great persecution as the head of the Church (see Acts 5:40-42); he was imprisoned and threatened with death (see Acts 12:1-4); he had to make, what must have been for him, very difficult decisions (see Acts 10:9-17, 27-28; 15:5-11). Yet Peter did this penance joyfully. “There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; and this is so that your faith…by its genuiness lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears” (I Peter 1:6-7). Further St. Peter called on Christians to do penance as Christ did. “It was for this you were called, since Christ suffered for you in just this way and left an example , to have you follow in his footstep” (I Peter 2:21).

St. Paul concurred with St. Peter on this, “But if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God, heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so as to be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17-18).These two great Apostles, the first Pope and the great convert-missionary, both felt that they were to do penance all their lives long even though Christ's Atonement was all-sufficient.

Explain to the non-Catholic that our acts of penance may be applied to help others because we are all one body in Christ Jesus (see Romans 12:4-5; I Corinthians 12:12,27). Living a life of penance is very helpful to the body of Christ. St. Paul made this fact very evident when he said, “Even now  I find my joy in the suffering I endure for you. In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, the Church” (Colossians 1:24). Like St Peter, St. Paul spent his life in penance because he had wronged God and the Church. “Saul (Paul) for his part, concurred in the act of killing…After that, Saul began to harass the Church. He entered house after house, dragged men and women out, and threw them into jail” (Acts 8:1, 3).

A life of penance means conversion from human ways of doing things to God's ways. We are often tested by suffering in this life. If we can embrace it we are Christ-like. “…he humbled himself, obediently accepting death,  even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). “My Father, if this cannot pass me by without drinking it, your will be done!” (Matthew 26:42).

“Jesus' call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works…but for interior conversion. Without this, such penance remains sterile and false” (Catechism, no. 1430).

Penance, properly done, is not prideful exaltation, but for interior conversion and transformation of life. “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning” (Joel 2:12). Notice Joel does not say to just turn to God, but to turn to God with acts of penance.

Jesus promoted the life of penance: prayer (see Matthew 17:21; Mark: 14:32-38), fasting (see Matthew 17:21; Mark 2:20), and almsgiving (see Matthew 6:24; 19:21; Luke 11:41). Jesus himself prayed and fasted before engaging in spiritual battle with Satan (see Luke 4:1-2). Likewise, we must prepare to do battle with the powers of evil (see Ephesians 6:10-20). As we grow in righteousness we become better able to intercede for others (see II Corinthians 1:4-7; cf. Colossians 1:24). So we see that the New Testament is full of examples of the validity of the life of penance. “Help carry one another's burdens; in that way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

St. Francis chose a life of penance because he had a great love of God. Consequently, he had a great love of God's people, the Church.

I hope that this was helpful to you.

God Bless You,
Sal