“Penance – An Act of Love“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
November 26-27, 2020
Scripture: Mark 13: 33-37
Advent is called the Penitential Season. During the Penitential Season, the church is decorated in violet…not blue; blue is not a liturgical color. Violet symbolizes penance. It’s also why the vestments I wear during the Penitential Season are violet. During this season, we are supposed to do works of penance to prepare for the coming of our Savior. Saint Paul came to mind while I was meditating on what to say to you tonight. In his letters, Saint Paul reminds us that athletes deny themselves so many things in order to wear a passing crown of olive leafs. But, we can have a much greater prize in heaven if we deny ourselves for the sake of the eternal crown. Now, this crown is not a “what” but a “Who.” We don’t seek a “what” as in a halo; instead, we seek a “Who.” We seek Jesus, so that we can be in the presence of God. This is what we should strive for.
A lot of people think that penance is a bad word. “Oh, my goodness! I have to give up bacon!” I’ve done that, so I don’t want to hear you whine. So, what is penance? It’s an offering of love. “Oh, penance is a bad word.” No, penance is a good word. We choose or deny ourselves of something for a greater good. For example, sometimes fathers and mothers will deny themselves so that they can give their kids an extra treat. “I won’t buy lunch and save the money for something for the kids.” We may do more charity, we may pray more, or we may offer up our sufferings so that we can strip ourselves of things. We do this so that we may have a more perfect union in this life, and therefore in the life to come, to be with our good Lord. And, when the time of our death comes, He will see us and give Himself totally and unreservedly to us.
Sometimes, and act of penance is a small thing, but it may feel like a really BIG thing. Perhaps, we deny ourselves some bacon. I get a little teary at the thought. If I’m at a Spanish or Mexican restaurant and someone walks by with a plate of nachos, tears start running down my face. Come on! I can’t have nachos either. But, to offer that denial of self, to move away from selfishness and self-centeredness is a gift of love given so that I may love Him better. That’s what works of penance are. They are gifts of love. It’s the stripping ourselves of self-love so we may love God more.
Christ came to this world and He gives Himself totally in the Sacraments. We should strive to make ourselves more perfect for Him. We should strive each day, not just during Advent, but each day, to do even little things for Him. Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t do great things, do little things with great love.” We do works of love so that we can love Him better and without reservation. He gives Himself totally to us, a perfect example of love, so that we, by constant practice, can give ourselves more totally to Him and make our love a more perfect imitation of Him. And, by loving Him more, we can love each other better.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you do works of love to prepare for the coming of our Savior?