Penances And Mortifications

[Gabriela]

I don't get these things. Christ's sacrifice covered all our sins, right? So, as long as I try my best, ask God for help, and go to Confession, why should I "punish myself" for my sins?

 

And if the point of penances and mortifications isn't to garner forgiveness for sins, but to help form one's character for the better, then how is it possible to do penance for another? Christ's sacrifice covered their sins, too, so what can my measly abstention from food and the like do for them? It doesn't even set an example for them, if I keep it secret like I'm supposed to.

 

Is there some great balance of evil in the world that we're trying to offset with good? But self-imposed suffering isn't good even according to the Church, is it? There are loads of religious out there trying to put an end to suffering...

 

Maybe it's all just for the sake of imitating Christ? But didn't Christ die to alleviate our suffering for our sins? Why, then, should we cause ourselves to suffer for our sins?

 

Am I being residually Jewish or quasi-Protestant for not seeing the point of these things?

 

I don't understand.

Edited January 30, 2013 by curiousing

[CatherineM]

When one of my boys put a ball through a window, I made them say they were sorry. Asking for forgiveness is important, but only the first step. They also had to pay for the window even if it meant working the debt off. Forgiveness and atonement are two different things.

Can you atone for something you didn't do? Sure. Had the younger boy help the older boy work off the window because he had made him mad in the first place causing him to throw the ball. I helped a woman get an important scholarship. I hadn't done anything to her, and didn't owe her anything. However one of my ancestors owned one of her ancestors as a slave. I wanted to atone for my family's sin.

My Dad had lots of issues because of his experiences in the War. He made a bunch of mistakes. Some he might not have been capable of asking forgiveness for. When I pray for him, it makes me feel like he is closer to me. It could also mean that I'm helping him atone for his sins by increasing my faith. I pray, therefore it means I believe in God. I pray for my Dad, proving that I believe in eternal life. Even though my Dad is gone, he is increasing my faith, thereby paying his debt to God and those he harmed in life.