Some may ask: What’s the point of penance? Doesn’t each person set his or her own standard of behavior? That is what the current culture and the media tell us. But that is not how we, as Catholics, are supposed to conduct our lives. It is a given of Catholic life that there is a God, and it is not me — or you — or anyone on this earth. In other words, we don’t set the standards for our behavior. Instead, we seek to align our lives with the standards of our Creator, outlined for us in the deposit of the faith. Specifically, we look at the Ten Commandments and the five precepts of the Church. The sacrament of penance is a sacrament of healing and an experience of God’s great mercy. It also provides an increase in spiritual strength for the Christian battle, which is vital during a time when society continues to cast off traditional Christian beliefs and become more secular. Seeing the line-up for confession on a recent Saturday gave me hope that a remnant of society still strives to live as God would have us because we are grateful for His many gifts — the most important of which is the gift of his Son in the Eucharist. Everyone in that line had to examine his conscience and consider whether he had gossiped or coveted, cursed or lied, been impatient or angry, practiced chastity or given into lust. And the list goes on. With true contrition, we all had to list our sins for the priest, who was acting in persona Christi. Finally, we all had to make the act of contrition, receive absolution and do our penance. That sounds like a tall order for a Saturday afternoon. But I am so glad it is part f you want to see something really countercultural, of Catholic life, because being willing to see ourselves in all our human frailty is stop by a Roman Catholic church some Saturday the beginning of wisdom because it is around 3 p.m. There, you will see people of all ages lined the beginning of humility. The sacraments are available to help up to tell another human being all of their failings. And us grow in holiness and grow closer to they are interrupting a perfectly pleasant day off to do this. God. The rewards of the sacrament of penance are many: reconciliation with Of course, I am talking about the sacrament of penance. God, reconciliation with the Church, remission of the eternal punishment for mortal sins and partial remission of temporal punishOne sunny Saturday, the last time I went to confesment from sin. sion, I saw people from all walks of life waiting patiently And don’t forget hope. Participating in the sacrament of for their turn in the confessional. There were about 10 penance is an act of hope because we make our confession of us, including a young couple, a college student, an in the hope of God’s mercy. It also brings hope because evelderly lady, a young man with some interesting tattoos, ery time you go to confession, you will see a line of people a middle-aged businessman and myself — a middle-aged who are trying, too. People who are trying to live by God’s lady in my Saturday grocery-getting clothes. Who knows light, rather than their own. People who are trying to clean what fun activities they delayed or interrupted for the up any harm they have caused and live better lives. People privilege of participating in the sacrament of penance? who love God and seek to do His will. We are not alone. We My preferred Saturday activities include a nice morning are all sinners striving to be saints in a fallen world. run, coffee with friends or getting a pedicure.
ONE CATHOLIC FAMILY 24/7
Penance, mercy and hope
I
18
FAITH West Tennessee | ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 2021 | WWW.CDOM.ORG
LEIGH ANN ROMAN
is a professional writer, parishioner at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Memphis and avid reader of all things Catholic. She and her husband have two children. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT
