1. What Does Penance Have to Do with Confession?

    by Fr. Mike Schmitz | JULY 21, 2014

    "I kind of get the idea of going to confession. Jesus forgives all our sins. But then why do we have to do penance afterward? It seems like we still have to 'pay' for forgiveness. Am I missing something?"
    That question is really insightful. I imagine that many of us have gone to confession and wondered where “for your penance, I would like you to ...” fits into the concept that God’s love and forgiveness is free.
    On the other hand, while confession might scare some people, others believe it is too easy. As a priest who hears confessions every day, some people will come into the confessional and confess sins for which they are genuinely sorry, and if I don’t give them a “big enough” penance, they get upset with me.
    I understand this. I really do. I know what it is to go to confession and receive a penance that does not seem to be as significant as my sin. I am sometimes tempted to ask the priest if he heard everything!
    What Penance Isn’t:
    But then I remember what the penance is for. It is absolutely not the “price” for my sin. The price of forgiveness for my sin is not praying a decade of the rosary or a few Our Fathers. My pride sometimes likes to think so (“I’m paying for this sin with my difficult penance!”), but that is not even remotely true.
    The price of my sin is the life, death and resurrection of God himself. In Jesus Christ, God has paid my debt. Nothing less than that would suffice, and no one less than him could accomplish this.
    Because of this, we know that the penance we do after confession is not connected to the price of forgiveness. But then why do we do it?
    Discipline & A Father's Love
    One place to start is the concept of “discipline” in the Bible. There are a number of places in the Scriptures where God has given his forgiveness to a person who cried out for mercy, but where there were still consequences that followed from the sin; there are “after-effects” to our choices. These after-effects require that we engage in some sort of discipline.
    There are a few things that we need to keep in mind when it comes to God’s discipline. The Letter to the Hebrews states that “whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges” (Hebrews 12). One of the key elements of this passage is that, when it comes to God, discipline is relational. It is not arbitrary, nor is it based off of God’s lack of concern for his children. Rather, discipline that comes from God flows out of a profound relationship with God as our Father.
    Reflect on this for a moment: Scripture goes on to describe the nature of this relationship and the discipline that flows from it. The author asks, “What father is there who does not discipline his son?”
    The answer is essentially: a father who doesn’t care. God’s discipline is intended to reveal his love, not detract from it. Biblical discipline has its source in God’s fatherly love for us.
    Nonetheless, I think that many of us might be tempted to prefer comfortable distance compared with demanding intimacy. Furthermore, this discipline is oriented towards growth. It is oriented towards the child being able to grow in strength and maturity.
    A father does not discipline his son so that the son can prove his own love or so that the son can earn his father’s love. The discipline is not about “earning” (the father already loves the son), nor is it an arbitrary punishment.
    The Good Coach
    So what is really good discipline for? Think about a really good coach. That person will rarely treat all of their athletes the same. More often than not, the truly great coach will know exactly where the athlete needs the most help.
    Now, there are many reasons why a coach might use one “discipline” for a particular athlete. Some coaches might use training or discipline in order to deter bad behavior (“If you show up late, you’ll be running three laps!”), or to punish bad behavior (“You dropped the ball, run three laps!), or to protect the other athletes (“Stop fighting, go clear your head and run three laps!”), or strengthen a weakness in a particular athlete (“You need to increase your endurance, go run three laps!”).
    These are four traditional reasons for discipline in many areas of life. It is true of the prison system. Some people imagine that prison works best as punishment (“You committed a crime and now you must be made to pay”). Others believe that prisons are there to deter potential criminals or to protect society or for rehabilitation.
    Penance after confession is not a punishment. It is not a deterrent. And it is typically not about isolating the individual from the group.
    Healing and Strength
    The best penances are those that are oriented towards healing and strengthening. They are meant to help the penitent become more whole. A penance is meant to provide a chance for the penitent to allow God’s grace to settle more deeply into the wound that the sin has caused, and bring about more thorough healing.
    In this sense, the priest stands in both as surgeon and physical therapist.
    As surgeon, he cuts out the cancerous sin so that it can no longer do damage. As physical therapist, he prescribes certain “exercises” to do in order to facilitate healing. With this in mind, the next time you go to confession, freely embrace your penance with gratitude, knowing that it is given by a Father who loves you and desires that you can walk in ever-growing strength.
      
    Fr. Mike Schmitz is the chaplain at University Of Minnesota-Duluth and is the director of Youth and Young Adult ministries for the diocese of Duluth. The posts on this page were originally published for The Northern Cross. You can email Fr. Mike your questions here.
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    Labels: Discipline Reconciliation Sacraments


  2. Last weekend, a friend of mine from our time with the National FFA Organization met me in downtown Olympia for a walk before finding a restaurant with sidewalk seating on a cool, breezy, 70-degree July evening in the Pacific Northwest.

    Over a conversation about prayer, running, and other things, my friend pointed out that the man we had seen sweeping the sidewalk and street had bucket had “TIPS” written in scraggly black letters, scratched up a bit by the banging and moving of street life in the city. I had thought he worked for the restaurant, since he was dressed nicely enough and was head-down, working very hard.

    I walked over to meet him.

    Jason, who seemed to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s, told me he has been homeless for a while. This past year, a police officer had stopped and asked him to move off of a corner where he was begging because he was making the city a dirtier place. Jason said he was really sad and kind of mad about that accusation. So, he found a push broom someone else had thrown out, picked up a white 5-gallon bucket and broken scoop shovel and has been sweeping for months.

    “I got more money when I was sitting on the corner asking for money for beer,” Jason told me. “But what’s the point? This way, I have something to do. I keep my streets clean, and some people really like that.”

    My streets, he said.

    I shook Jason’s grime-caked hand, blackened by the dirt of the state’s capitol city, looked him in the eye, thanked him and handed him a tip. He looked at the money, smiled and stood tall with the honest pride of a working man.

    Work gives us dignity. In Laborem Exercens, Saint John Paul II wrote that “man’s life is built up every day from work.” Jason knew that instinctively, and he was living it out even while living homeless on the street.

    That night, I knelt and said a prayer for Jason. I prayed in thanksgiving for the blessing of meeting him, and I asked Christ to sustain his loving service.

    Two days later, as my friend drove to gather with her church, she texted me an image. Sure enough, it was Jason, same clothes, same bucket and broom, a man who was humble and homeless, yet still keeping his streets clean.

    Originally published in the South Gibson Star Times
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    Labels: Dignity Do Hard Things Energizing Witness Humanity Newspaper Columns Personal Story Preferential Option for the Poor Work


  3. And there I was. Sitting in my room. I was about 7:30PM on a weeknight.

    And, all of a sudden, I had a choice.

    When I departed Haubstadt for Olympia this past May, I put in an audio book CD about how simplicity of life is becoming the new status symbol for businessmen and women. The book is entitled Essentialism, written by Greg McKeown.

    McKeown writes about simplifying one’s life in an age where a plethora of choices and 24/7 contact with work and friends overwhelm us to the point of never glimpsing a moment of down-time.  About a week ago, I decided to give disconnecting a try.

    I deleted a few social media apps from my phone, the ones that I usually only check when I don’t have something else to do, and moved the remaining social media apps to a group which I know I only use to find contact information or recall how I know this or that person.

    Bam! Within 48 hours, I found myself on my way to check my phone to see if I had anything from anyone. I realized there was nothing to check. I also realized all my work was done. I had nothing to do. The strangest thing happened next.

    I couldn’t decide what to do. My immediate reaction was to to see if there were any videos to watch, messages to respond to or notifications from others about posts I had shared. I had nothing to do. So, I sat down on the edge of my bed in my quiet room, and I asked myself a question I hadn’t consciously asked myself in some time: “What do you want to do right now?” It was only by removing what I had been doing out of compulsion that I actually had the choice to ask myself what I wanted to do at that moment.

    Human freedom is one of the greatest gifts God gave us. God freely chose to create and love us, and He lets us share in his own freedom by giving us freedom of choice: whom to marry, where to live, whether to be kind, and how to spend our time.


    What do you find yourself doing out of habit? Are those worthwhile things? Could you benefit from a little disconnecting? Stepping away from our technology—from time to time—might be a good start.

    Originally published in the South Gibson Star Times
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    Labels: Choose Freedom Habits Newspaper Columns Personal Story Silence The Modern Man


  4. I saw a television advertisement recently, showcasing a new series about the secret lives of the world’s wealthiest people. Boat parties at sea and on beaches flashed, captivating viewers to wonder “what it would be like.”

    In contrast, Pope Francis likewise captivates our 1 billion member Church, reminding us that Christ taught us to be poor. Even many non-Catholics have mentioned how attractive this poverty is in both the Holy Father’s preaching and in his way of life.

    On one hand, the commercial about the rich life is attractive.

    But so is Pope Francis’ simple way of life.

    So, which do we choose?

    Well, Pope Francis takes his lead from Jesus Christ. Read through the Gospels. Jesus is so often found teaching that poverty is the way to true joy. Jesus told parables about how a widow offered her last two coins to the Lord and about how the Good Samaritan became poor when he gave his coins so that a beaten man could be cared for until he could return with the rest of the bill. Jesus Christ even gave up the richness of doing his own will, offering “but not my own will but yours” in the garden before his Passion.

    Most of us have some good things, and I think that’s OK. There is a certain level of “riches” we need to survive and maintain human dignity. But when we give as much as we can, we will naturally and automatically focus less on ourselves and more fully on God and on others. It will only be a natural fruit of giving—that we’ll love others and God more.

    Poverty and richness are both endless pursuits. The rich will only want to become richer, and if one is constantly giving, there will always be more things one receives and can pass along to others. The world stands in awe of figures like Pope Francis who choose to pursue poverty rather than riches, and I think that’s because, if we’re all honest, we all wish we had the faith in God’s providence to choose the endless pursuit of poverty, too.


    Choosing to give rather than receive is not easy, and the Holy Father’s contemporary example of Christ’s call to poverty reminds us that it is the surest way to real joy.

    Originally published in the South Gibson Star Times
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    Labels: Culture and Current Events Discipleship Newspaper Columns Pope Francis Poverty Riches


  5. It was last week over supper at the hospital that I finally realized how talking about “what’s wrong with the world” kind of bothered me. Programmatic problems in businesses, economic problems in the government, and conflicts of interest in not-for-profit corporations... Some enjoy talking about all of these issues, but I began to wonder, what could we do about it?

    I’m a farm kid from a German town. Practical, productive, result-focused: any of these could be my middle name. Up here in an urban town with a different culture, I decided it was time to do something. So I did what any driven, compassionate young mind would do.   I went back to the parish rectory and turned on Netflix.

    No. I wasn’t hiding my sorrows with mindless movies. I was on a quest to find a documentary about these very two questions: What’s wrong with the world, and What can we do about it? The documentary is called “I AM,” and it was produced by Tom Shadyac, who directed “Bruce Almighty”, “Ace Ventura”, “Liar Liar”, “Patch Adams” and other Hollywood blockbuster comedies.

    But this film was hardly funny.

    From his meteoric success, this top-tier film director owned an enormous estate in Los Angeles and traveled in his own private jet. Tom had a private art collection in his mansion and enjoyed personal friendships with movie stars—many of whom he was “their boss”. Then, a biking accident opened his heart to ask whether he was actually happy.

    In creating this documentary, Tom set off with a small film crew, traveling the globe and asking religious, scientific, and psychological and business leaders those two questions: What is wrong with the world? And, What can we do about it?

    Throughout the 1hr, 17min film, the world’s top thinkers and movers speak simply about so much suffering. To cut to the chase, the former comedy director finds his answer to “what’s wrong” in two simple words written by the late Catholic author G.K. Chesterton. “I am.”

    It took traveling the globe to realize that what’s wrong ultimately lies within our own poor, blind or outright malicious actions. Selfishness begets selfishness. Likewise, love begets love. Each of us can, as Gandhi said, “Be the change we wish to see in the world.”


    The world’s problem can feel overwhelming, but our duty is simply to do what we can where we are. Be the change.

    Originally published in the South Gibson Star Times
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    Labels: Ask and You Shall Receive Culture and Current Events Energizing Witness Newspaper Columns Searching for Truth Suffering Universal Longing for God Use Your Gifts


  6. One of the most common questions I heard upon first entering seminary was something like “How did you know God was calling you to be a priest?”  It has become both one of my favorite questions and one of my least favorite questions.

    I find it to be a tough question because God is mysterious. His ways are not our ways. Trying to point out what lead me to talk with my pastor or family or friends about priesthood is a difficult task. Often, what we feel or see with the eyes of faith is nearly impossible to describe with words that convince others. So, it was one of my least favorite questions.

    On the other hand, what an exciting question! When someone asks me how I knew I was being called, their very question already tells me they believe that God does call us to a mission. We each have a purpose in this world, and their question shows they believe that.

    I think the question often indicates that the person asking is also a person who is searching for God’s will in his or her life, as well. What is more beautiful and worthwhile than that search?

    So, what do you do if you are still unsure where God wants you? While there is no formula that yields an easy answer, here are simple things have helped me.

    First, pray. Pray often. Leave your phone and work behind, and find a place where you can let down everything inside and out. Then, just talk to God. Without censoring, tell him what you are thinking, hoping for, or maybe fearing. Don’t hide the truth. He can take it.

    Second, go to those who know you best. Some of the toughest decisions I have made were made easier because of the support of a mentor or friend. Jesus gave us support in establishing the Church—a community of men and women who are here to help each other, especially with difficult moments and decisions. Use them.


    June is a month of vocations. Many marriages, wedding anniversaries, and priesthood ordination anniversaries dot our calendars. Teenagers will undoubtedly fall in and out of love at the Sommerfest and other summer events. While surrounded by vocations, maybe it’s time for you to take a moment and ask God where you are being called.



    Originally published in the South Gibson Star Times
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    Labels: Discernment Newspaper Columns Prayer Vocation Youth and Young Adult


  7. "Having spent the first 10 years of my life with an undiagnosed case of Tourette's syndrome -- a neurological disorder characterized by physical and verbal tics -- I did not experience a lot of peace.

    "But even though my life often seemed chaotic, I knew I could always count on at least one person to provide calm and stability: my grandmother.
    "Nana's sense of peace was so powerful because it came from her faith in the Lord.
    "Through her, God revealed His love for me as well. It wasn't long before I was following in her footsteps. I wanted the same kind of faith and peace she had, and that is exactly what God gave me. (Read Tim's article in Worldwide Challenge.)
    "That said; living with Tourette's is not easy. But God has blessed me with the gift of athleticism as well.
    "He has done some powerful things in my life through the combination of these 2 gifts. He also has shown me ways to use my position as a professional athlete to encourage others with Tourette's syndrome.
    "Today, I am blessed to be living a dream. And yet, if it all went away tomorrow, I know I would still have peace. That probably sounds crazy to most people, but that's the kind of peace Christ gives. It is rooted in His love, and it surpasses all understanding.
    "You can experience this same sense of love and peace, too. All you have to do is ask for it."

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    Labels: Culture and Current Events Energizing Witness The New Evangelization
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