Penance

Spiritual fathers will often give penance (canon, epitimia) to their spiritual children at the time of confession. This usually consists of certain prayers, fasting, readings, charitable acts, prostrations or sometimes acts of reparation. The spiritual father may instruct the penitent to refrain from receiving Holy Communion for a period of time, as the instructions above require of spiritual fathers. These are not punishments as such but rather soul-saving obediences (podvigs), ways of establishing the penitent in the new life given through this holy mystery. Fulfilling the penance is meant to be a sign of true repentance, that condition which is absolutely essential to receiving forgiveness for our sins. In the case of penance which separates the penitent from Holy Communion for a time, the purpose is also to force the penitent to choose between Christ and sin, between life and death. It allows for the necessary time to repent: to turn from sin and to turn again toward God. The spiritual father has as guides the Holy Canons which establish suitable penances for particular sins.

Penance should always be taken with humility and a spirit of joy. It is the journey home, and this journey is made with the sure knowledge of God's mercy and His forgiveness along with the assurance of His power to live the new life, the life in Christ. Penance should be fulfilled diligently and cheerfully. It is essential that the penance be fulfilled just as the spiritual father instructed. If for any reason one does not fulfill the penance, he should refrain from Holy Communion and confess his negligence to his spiritual father at his next confession.

Penance may be given with absolution or without absolution. Penance with absolution is given as a support on the way to salvation for the Christian who has just confessed his sins. The penance is imposed to secure him against a relapse into sin. Penance without absolution is imposed in order to bring the sinner to a realization of the gravity of the sin he has committed, to help insure that he will not repeat the sin, to inspire his soul with the desire for true repentance, and to instill a longing for salvation. After due time, if the penitent has not fallen again into the sin and if the father confessor believes that the penitent has come to a realization of its severity and that he truly desires repentance and longs for salvation, he will then grant absolution. The penitent may not receive Holy Communion until the father confessor has granted absolution and blessed him to commune.

Penance must be accompanied with a spirit of true repentance for sins. Fasting, prayer and care for others are, as always, essential conditions for its success. We see from the instructions to spiritual fathers above that the time of penance may be shortened if the penitent shows true repentance by these acts. Reading the Holy Scriptures and other works which nourish the soul are also most important. Penance helps us to bring together once again all aspects of the life into which we have been baptized. It is an essential part of this "second baptism" we are given in the Holy Mystery of Repentance.

St. Theophan the Recluse has the following to say about the giving of penance by the spiritual father:

If the spiritual father gives you a penance, accept it with joy. If the spiritual father does not give you one, then ask him to. This will be not only a sendoff to you as you depart on your good path, but also a shield and protection from outside enemy attacks on your new way of life. Here is what the Patriarch of Constantinople (Jeremiah II) wrote in answer to the Lutherans: "We accompany the absolution of sins with penances for many respectable reasons. First of all, so that through voluntary suffering the sinner will be free here from onerous involuntary punishment there, in the next life, for the Lord grants mercy to nothing more than He does suffering, especially voluntary suffering. Therefore St. Gregory also says that God's love is granted for tears. Secondly, it is in order to destroy in the sinner those passionate desires of the flesh which give birth to sin, for we know that opposites cure. Thirdly, it is so that the penance would serve a bond or bridle for the soul, and not allow it to take up again those same vices from which it is still being cleansed. Fourthly, in order to accustom it to labor and patience, for virtue is a matter of labor. Fifthly, it is so that we will see and know whether or not the penitent has truly come to hate sin."

Whoever finishes this course of spiritual treatment as given and, most importantly, confesses his sins without hiding anything, returns from the house of God the way criminals return from court who have received mercy and acquittal of their crimes instead of a death sentence. He returns with a deep feeling of thankfulness to the Savior of our souls, with the firm resolve to dedicate himself to Him and to the fulfillment of His commandments all the rest of his life ....