PENANCE VOLUNTARY & INVOLUNTARY

A REFLECTION FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

Lent is, of course, a time of penance.  We know all the reasons why we should do penance—in reparation for our sins and those of others, to show our Blessed Saviour that we are ready and willing to take up our cross and follow him, and most importantly of all, so that by our sacrifices we can return to Almighty God some of the love he has shown us.  So we know the “why”, but surely, these reasons apply to the whole year and not just Lent.

In this season that leads up to the greatest sacrifice of all, that of the Son of God on the Cross, we devote ourselves with renewed vigor to the notion and practice of penance.  We are encouraged, and indeed commanded, by the traditional laws of the Church to fast, pray and give alms during Lent.  As such, when we obey these laws, we are doing penance, not by our own free will but out of respect for the laws instituted by God through his Church on earth.

We see from this, that there are two types of penance, voluntary and involuntary.  When we observe the fast, we are doing penance involuntarily (although of course, our free will still lets us disobey and sin if we so choose).  There is, though, another type of involuntary penance which has no such possibility of disobeying.  This penance is the type that is dealt out to us by acts of nature, such as pain, illness and death, persecution, poverty, and so on.  We do not choose to experience such things, but as they say, “bad things happen.”  While we earn merit and graces from obeying the rules of fast, we earn none whatsoever from these other kinds of penance, unless of course, we suffer them in the right way.  So many of us, unfortunately, waste the opportunity these involuntary penances provide, of offering up to the Sacred Heart our sufferings in reparation for our sins, for the poor souls in Purgatory, for the conversion of sinners, or some other pious intention.  So let’s not ignore these opportunities—if you have a headache, by all means, take a Tylenol, but until the pill kicks in, offer up that pain in your head and God will reward you.

Then there are the voluntary penances we choose to do.  Whether we give up sugar in our coffee, or say an extra Rosary, whatever we choose, these penances are the most pleasing of all to God.  They are made entirely by free will, and hopefully out of simple love for God rather than the desire to lose weight or gain materially from prayers answered.  As such, the more we love God, the more we will want to sacrifice for him.  Lent is a good chance, therefore, to measure how much we do love God.  It can never be enough.