"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.
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.”
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