Posted on 03/07/2011 12:42:09 PM PST by marshmallow
"And in those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea. And saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."..........etc. etc.
Thanx
So, what is meant by “penance”. I mean, after confession I would gladly say some Our Fathers and Hail Marys as instructed, but I understand from reading above we are talking about way more than that. Besides living right in a Christian way that Jesus instructed - a way that I am falling FAR short of right now — what is meant by penance and doing penance?
Can somebody define this and give day to day examples. Helping the homeless? Denying yourself dessert? Not losing your temper? Thinking about Christ? Just feeling guilty in general for being scum? What?
I am thankful that God saved me by:
(1) the CROSS alone;
(2) the BLOOD of Jesus ALONE.
There is NO NEED to “do penance”. It is an insult to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
...fishtank a.k.a. forgiven sinner
A contrite and penitent heart is the mark of a servant of Christ.
All year long, not just for a few weeks.
Obeying Jesus' commands is an insult to his sacrifice? Do your children insult you or your work when they obey you?
Catholics believe that Jesus redeemed fallen man by His death on the cross and in so doing became the Mediator between God and man. The grace of redemption was therefore merited by Christ. However, Catholics believe that if these graces are to be applied to man, certain conditions must apply.
Firstly, faith must be present. Secondly, there must exist a genuine sorrow for our sins. Not just the sin of Adam and Eve but our ongoing, daily sins. That sorrow is expressed in works of penance.
In Colossians, Paul says "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church".
Nothing is actually lacking in Christ's afflictions in one sense. However, Jesus has made suffering redemptive and our sufferings likewise have a redemptive quality when offered to God. This is what Paul is referring to. This is why Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses and follow Him.
Ping
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments ... John 14:15
Thanks
Jesus said to his disciples:
Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.
Making a spectacle of Jerome’s mistranslation? In every verse cited the proper translation of the Greek is “repentence.”
“However, Jesus has made suffering redemptive and our sufferings likewise have a redemptive quality when offered to God. This is what Paul is referring to. This is why Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses and follow Him. “
... reading God’s Word through a few times made me realize that your formula here is flawed.
Two facts: Christ suffered the whole pain, paid the whole price, endured the whole penalty for sin; and we live of sufferings and of the Cross, not "despite" Him but "with" Him.
That's why He says, "take up the Cross and follow me," (He never says "Don't take up th cross, that would insult Me: I did it all) --- because we are WITH Him, in His sufferings, death, and resurrection.
Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:8
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Romans 8:17
Now if we are children, then we are heirsheirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 13:14
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
1 Corinthians 6:15
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?
1 Corinthians 12:12
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Hence, penance: not substituing for Christ, but being intimately united with Him.
Please pray for me during this Holy Lent, as I will pray for you!
Thanks
I just saw a huge typo in the second paragraph, in which I evidently deleted a whole line by accident. It should read like this:
Two facts: Christ suffered the whole pain, paid the whole price, endured the whole penalty for sin; and we live in Christ, and accept our share of sufferings and of the Cross, not "despite" Him but "with" Him. |
I pray God's blessings for you and yours. Thank you, "in Christ," for your good will.
:)
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