Penance

Contrition is the state of feeling remorseful, and can describe both the show of deepest regret and the firmest sorrow for one's wrongdoings.

Easier acts of self-discipline include devoting time to prayer or reading of the Bible or other spiritual books.

Examples of harder acts of self-discipline are fasting, sexual continence, abstaining from alcohol or tobacco, or other privations: self-flagellation and the wearing of a cilice are rarely encountered in modern times.

In some cultural traditions, Holy Week, which commemorates the Passion of Christ, may be marked by penances that include flagellantism or even voluntary pseudo-crucifixion which has been denounced by Philipino Catholics bishops as possible "spiritual vanity."

The New Testament does not codify a ritual for repentance and reconciliation: baptism was practised and confession of sins to one another for the sake of healing is mentioned in the Epistle of James.

[4] Penance is a moral virtue whereby the sinner is disposed to hatred of their sin as an offence against God and to a firm purpose of amendment and satisfaction.

It urges the individual to undergo punishment for the sake of repairing the order of justice; when motivated by even an ordinary measure of supernatural charity it infallibly obtains the forgiveness of venial sins and their temporal punishments; when motivated by that extraordinary measure which is called perfect charity (love of God for his own sake) it obtains the forgiveness of even mortal sins, when it desires simultaneously to seek out the Sacrament of penance as soon as possible, and of large quantities of temporal punishment.

[13] In locations or situations where priests are not available, people will make their own act of contrition direct to God in anticipation of the sacrament[note 1] and deathbed confessions may if necessary be prayed with any suitable religious or layperson.

[16] It is part of the healing that the sacrament brings: "Sin injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relations with God and neighbour.

[18] The rite of the sacrament requires that "the kind and extent of the satisfaction should be suited to the personal condition of each penitent so that each one may restore the order which he disturbed and through the corresponding remedy be cured of the sickness from which he suffered.

"[19] Penance may consist of prayer, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, "and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we all must bear.

"Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others.

They said, in part: "The bishops wish to re-establish the practice of Friday penance in the lives of the faithful as a clear and distinctive mark of their own Catholic identity. [...]

In Orthodoxy, the intention of the sacramental mystery of Holy Confession is to provide reconciliation with God through means of healing.

The priest quietly and patiently listens, gently asking questions to encourage the penitent not to withhold any sins out of fear or shame.

For example, if the penitent broke the Eighth Commandment by stealing something, the priest could prescribe they return what they stole (if possible) and give alms to the poor on a more regular basis.

The Orthodox belief is that in Confession, the sinful wounds of the soul are to be exposed and treated in the "open air" (in this case, the Spirit of God.

He then concludes by placing his hand on the head of the penitent and says, "The Grace of the All-Holy Spirit, through my insignificance, has loosened and granted to you forgiveness."

The Lutheran Church teaches two key parts in repentance (contrition and faith), and explicitly reject the need or practice of Catholic-style penance.

[1] Faith and trust in Jesus' complete active and passive satisfaction is what receives the forgiveness and salvation won by him and imparted to the penitent by the word of absolution.

[34] The Order of Worship in the Bible Presbyterian Church, for example, enjoins the following:[34] Each Sunday we have a corporate confession of sins with an announcement of assurance of pardon from sin—this is great news for all believers.

We strive to use the form of confession sincerely, to acknowledging our brokenness—in thought, word, and deed—and to receive God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ in thankfulness.

[34]John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, held "the validity of Anglican practice in his day as reflected in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer",[35] stating that "We grant confession to men to be in many cases of use: public, in case of public scandal; private, to a spiritual guide for disburdening of the conscience, and as a help to repentance.

), 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 god(s) are considered penance.

The Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba stated that "When penance is carefully nourished and practiced, it inevitably results in the mental revocation of undesirable modes of thought and conduct, and makes one amenable to a life of purity and service.