Penance is a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ, in which, by the ministry of the priest, actual sins are forgiven, and the conscience is released from the bonds by which it may be bound. In this Sacrament, also, the eternal punishment due to sin is remitted, and a part or the whole of the temporal punishment, according to the disposition of the penitent.
This holy and salutary institution is grounded on the words of Jesus Christ: Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven (Matt. xviii. 18), and, As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them, and He said to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained (John xx. 21). In these words Jesus Christ gave to His Apostles, and to their lawful successors, power and authority to absolve from all sin those who sincerely repent of their offences. Hence we see the great necessity of this Sacrament; and the Council of Trent has decreed that it is not less necessary for salvation to those who have fallen into mortal sin after Baptism, than Baptism to those who have never been baptized. And although Penance may, at first sight, and in itself, seem to be a bitter and painful thing, yet, viewed in its fruits and consequences, it is full of consolation; and every Christian, as soon as he is conscious that he has fallen into a mortal sin, ought at once to have recourse to this fount of divine mercy.
The evil consequences of delay are manifold. Firstly, in the state of mortal sin, every other mortal sin committed renders our hearts still more hardened. Secondly, the commission of one mortal sin makes a second easier, and this leads to a third, and so on. Thirdly, in the state of mortal sin we lose the value of all the good works that we may do. They avail nothing for everlasting life. Neither alms, nor prayers, nor fasts, nor even martyrdom itself, can profit us, if we have not repented of our sins. Next, persistence in sin shuts by degrees the door of divine mercy. Lastly, just as the longer a stain remains upon a garment, the more difficult it is to remove, so the longer the soul neglects to purify itself by Confession, the more difficult and intricate the work becomes on account of the number of sins and anxiety of mind.
After Confession, as soon as you conveniently can, perform your penance and renew your resolutions of avoiding all sin and of taking all the means for so doing, by avoiding the occasions and temptations of sin, and then you may have a perfect confidence, with devout thankfulness, that all your sins, through the mercy of God, are forgiven.
Consider also how you can amend your life. This will be best done by fixing your attention on one or two of your more prominent defects of character, and directing your chief efforts to overcome these by such means as the following: 1. Conceive a strong desire to overcome these faults, frequently renew your resolution, and examine yourself particularly upon them. 2. When you commit them, hold yourself accountable in some way for it by performing an appropriate penance. 3. Endeavor always to have the thought of Christ present in your mind, and direct short prayers to Him, especially when you are attacked by temptation, or when you are necessarily exposed to the dangers of sinning. 4. Meditate frequently on those subjects most calculated to excite your fears, hopes, and affections, as Death and Judgment, the Love of God, His kindnesses to you, His promises, etc. Be earnest and persevere with a good hope of victory, through the grace of Jesus Christ.
