Great reflection! It reminds me of St Therese of Lisieux and her little way. I one time aspired to follow her little way, but lost the way for many years. Say a prayer that I find my way to her Little Way!
I don’t see why we need to inflict suffering on ourselves when we are in a natural state of suffering because of original sin (the law of sin). This is what motivated me towards a relationship with God. As a result of being fraught with frustration, I wanted God’s peace in my life. Our unconditional trust is God brings us His peace and strength. Acts of penance are better suited for when we pray.
It is very true that without an interior conversion and the right disposition of heart, our penances will not bear fruit (cf CCC, § 1430). The Church teaches that “every sincere act of worship or devotion” helps us achieve this conversion of heart and helps us atone for our sins (CCC, § 1437). Sin not only harms our relationship with God, but it also harms our spiritual health and our relationship with others. While absolution forgives our sin, we still must make satisfaction for our sins; this is what we mean when we speak about “penance” (CCC, § 1459). St. Thomas Aquinas said that we are bound to make satisfaction for our sins out of justice (ST, III, q. 85, a. 3).
The Catechism teaches that voluntary penance helps prepare us for liturgical feasts (such as Christmas and Easter, both of which are preceded by times of penance and preparation). The Catechism also teaches that through voluntary penance, we are able to “acquire mastery over our instincts and [thereby achieve] freedom of heart” (CCC, § 2043). If we never practice self-control and deny ourselves some good that we may lawfully enjoy (such as eating meat on Fridays, to use the example I gave in this article), it will be harder to resist temptations. While it is true that the daily sufferings we experience can make us stronger in many ways, it is important that we also strengthen our wills by practicing self-denial. If we never do penance, not only will we be failing to make the satisfaction for our sins that justice demands of us, but we will also be failing to strengthen our wills so that we may be better equipped to resist temptation.
This in turn leads to the “freedom of heart” about which the Catechism spoke in the quote above. When we work to master our instincts and control our wills, we are able to resist temptation and thereby fall into sin less frequently. The less we sin, the more we are able to experience the joy and peace that comes from God alone. We accomplish this through deliberate acts of self-denial, or penance.
Self-control or temperance is a fruit of the Spirit. It is the strength from the Holy Spirit that enables us to avoid acts of sin. Without this strength, our efforts at self-control will eventually fail, and we will revert back to sin. Living and walking in the Spirit enables us to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:16-25). This is what strengthens our wills to be able to effectively resist temptations. Our willpower efforts do not bring us this strength. We need the strength beforehand in order to make our willpower work effectively. Christ came to strengthen us (cf. Romans 5:6). This is my understanding.
Temperance is indeed a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and without God’s grace, we can do nothing, including practice virtue. Without grace, we can obtain no spiritual merit from our prayers or actions. The Holy Spirit offers us the grace to be temperate, but unless we accept this grace, it profits us nothing. By exercising our free wills and practicing self-denial, we are cooperating with the grace of the Holy Spirit and accepting the strength He offers us. Prayer must be accompanied by action (cf Jas 2:20). Penance, sacrifice, and self-denial are three important “works” that should accompany our prayer in order that we may better respond to the Holy Spirit’s grace to resist temptation.
Oct 1, 2023·edited Oct 1, 2023Liked by Chantal LaFortune
The method of accepting God’s grace is where there are differences of opinion. I recently heard a priest say that it all happens through the Eucharist. There are those who promote contemplation and other spiritual practices and exercises.
Thanks much!!!!!
Great reflection! It reminds me of St Therese of Lisieux and her little way. I one time aspired to follow her little way, but lost the way for many years. Say a prayer that I find my way to her Little Way!
I will pray for you especially today, since it is the feast of St. Therese! 🌹
I don’t see why we need to inflict suffering on ourselves when we are in a natural state of suffering because of original sin (the law of sin). This is what motivated me towards a relationship with God. As a result of being fraught with frustration, I wanted God’s peace in my life. Our unconditional trust is God brings us His peace and strength. Acts of penance are better suited for when we pray.
It is very true that without an interior conversion and the right disposition of heart, our penances will not bear fruit (cf CCC, § 1430). The Church teaches that “every sincere act of worship or devotion” helps us achieve this conversion of heart and helps us atone for our sins (CCC, § 1437). Sin not only harms our relationship with God, but it also harms our spiritual health and our relationship with others. While absolution forgives our sin, we still must make satisfaction for our sins; this is what we mean when we speak about “penance” (CCC, § 1459). St. Thomas Aquinas said that we are bound to make satisfaction for our sins out of justice (ST, III, q. 85, a. 3).
The Catechism teaches that voluntary penance helps prepare us for liturgical feasts (such as Christmas and Easter, both of which are preceded by times of penance and preparation). The Catechism also teaches that through voluntary penance, we are able to “acquire mastery over our instincts and [thereby achieve] freedom of heart” (CCC, § 2043). If we never practice self-control and deny ourselves some good that we may lawfully enjoy (such as eating meat on Fridays, to use the example I gave in this article), it will be harder to resist temptations. While it is true that the daily sufferings we experience can make us stronger in many ways, it is important that we also strengthen our wills by practicing self-denial. If we never do penance, not only will we be failing to make the satisfaction for our sins that justice demands of us, but we will also be failing to strengthen our wills so that we may be better equipped to resist temptation.
This in turn leads to the “freedom of heart” about which the Catechism spoke in the quote above. When we work to master our instincts and control our wills, we are able to resist temptation and thereby fall into sin less frequently. The less we sin, the more we are able to experience the joy and peace that comes from God alone. We accomplish this through deliberate acts of self-denial, or penance.
I hope that helps clarify for you! God bless!
Self-control or temperance is a fruit of the Spirit. It is the strength from the Holy Spirit that enables us to avoid acts of sin. Without this strength, our efforts at self-control will eventually fail, and we will revert back to sin. Living and walking in the Spirit enables us to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (cf. Galatians 5:16-25). This is what strengthens our wills to be able to effectively resist temptations. Our willpower efforts do not bring us this strength. We need the strength beforehand in order to make our willpower work effectively. Christ came to strengthen us (cf. Romans 5:6). This is my understanding.
Temperance is indeed a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and without God’s grace, we can do nothing, including practice virtue. Without grace, we can obtain no spiritual merit from our prayers or actions. The Holy Spirit offers us the grace to be temperate, but unless we accept this grace, it profits us nothing. By exercising our free wills and practicing self-denial, we are cooperating with the grace of the Holy Spirit and accepting the strength He offers us. Prayer must be accompanied by action (cf Jas 2:20). Penance, sacrifice, and self-denial are three important “works” that should accompany our prayer in order that we may better respond to the Holy Spirit’s grace to resist temptation.
The method of accepting God’s grace is where there are differences of opinion. I recently heard a priest say that it all happens through the Eucharist. There are those who promote contemplation and other spiritual practices and exercises.