PENANCE
887
PENANCE
upon the sinner, not only to atone for the punishment due, but also to cure the bad effects left by sin. If pen- ance be not performed in this life, the penalties remain to be suffered in purgatory (q. v.), unless they are re- mitted by indulgence (q. v.). Besides fasting, alms, abstinence, which are the general conditions of penance in the Komish Church, there are others of a more par- ticular kind, such as the repeating of a certain number of Ave jMarias, paternosters, and credos, the wearing of hair shirts, self-flagellation, etc. The acts of the pen- itent are stated to be the matter, as it were (quasi ma- teria'), (if this sacrament, the form of which resides in the words of absolution {Ihid. sess. 14, cap. 3). The follow- ing is the manner in which public penance is inflicted in the Romish Church, according to (jratiau {Decret. pars i, Dist. 1, c. 64, p. 2'JO, Paris, 1612) :
"On the first day of Lent the penitents present them- selves before the bishop, chid in sackcloth, with nuked feet, and eyes cast down on the ground. This was to be done iu the presence of the priucipal clergy of the dio- cese, by whom the penitents were introduced into the clnnch, where the bishop, weeping, and the rest of the clergy repented the seven penitential psalms. Then, ris- ing from prayers, they threw ashes upon the peniteuts, and covered their heads with sackcloth, declaring to tliem, with mournful sighs, that as Adam was ejected from Par- adise, so must they he turned out of the Clmrch. The bishop then commanded the ofticers to turn them out of the church doors; aud all the clergy followed after, re- peating the curse pronounced upon Adam : ' Iu the sweat of thy face shall thou cat bread' (Gen. iii, 19). A similar penance was inflicted upon them the next time the sacra- ment was administered, which was the Sunday following. All this was done to the end that tlie peuitents, observing iu how great a disorder the Church was by reason of their crimes, should not lightly esteem of peuauce."
In the Roman Catholic so-called Douai version of the Scriptures the term penance is generally substituted for 7-epentanc''. Thus, e. g. " Except ye repent," etc., is ren- dered "Except ye do 2>enance;" and in Matt, ii, 2 we have not " Repent," but " Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and again in Mark i, 4: "John was in the desert baptizing and preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins." See Repent- ance.
Dens, in his Systeni of Dicinif/;, divides penances into three classes: vindictive, medicinal or curative, and preservative. All satisfactory works he regards as included under the three kinds — praj'er, fasting, and alms. "The following," says this Romish divine, "can be enjoined under the head of prayer once, or oftcner, either for many days or weeks, namelv: 1. To say five paternosters and five Ave Marias, in memorj' of the five wounds of Christ, either with bended knees or out- stretched arms, or before a crucifix. 2. To recite the rosary, or Litanies of the blessed Virgin Mary, or of the saints, etc. 3. To read the psalm Miserere, or the seven penitential psalms. 4. To hear mass, or praises, or preaching. 5. To read a chapter in Thomas a Kem- pis. G. To visit churches, to ]iray before the tabernacle. 7. At stated hours, in the morning, evening, during the day, or as often as thej' hear the sound of the clock, to renew orally or in the heart ejaculatory prayers, acts of contrition or charity, such as 'I love thee, O Lord, above all things;' 'I detest all my sins: I am resolved to sin no more ;' ' O Jesus, crucified for me, have mercy on nic,' etc. 8. At an appointed day to confess again, or, at any rate, to return to the confessor. To fasting n)ay be referred whatever pertains to the mortification of the body, -so that a perfect or partial fast can be en- joined. (1) Let him fast {feria sexta) on the sixth holy day, or oftener. (2) Let hira fast only to the middle of the day, (3) Let him not drink before noon, or in the afternoon, unless at dinner or supper, though he may be thirsty; let him abstain from wine and from cerevisia forii, (4) Let him cat less, and take in the evening only half the quantity. (5) Let him rise earlier from bed ; let him kneel frequently and for a long period; let him suffer cold, observe silence for a certain time, and abstain from sports and recreations,
etc. To alms is referred whatever may be expended for the benefit of our neighbor. (1) To give money, clothes, food, etc. (2) To furnish personal assistance, to wait on the sick, to pray for the conversion of sin- ners, etc., and other works of mercy, whether corporeal or spiritual."