Penalty that one person imposes on another for committing an offense
The concept of penance presents a recurring use in our language to refer to that penalty or punishment that one person imposes on another as a consequence of having committed some offense. The mission of imposing this action on those who make a mistake or commit unexpected or deviant behavior is to chastise them, to make them aware that what they did is not right and to inhibit them from incurring the same action again later on, since they know they will get a simile penance.
educational mission
Normally penance is an action that parents and teachers use a lot when it comes to educating or teaching something to their children and students, respectively. In other words, it is a sanction that is intended to instruct the child or young person so that they understand that if they do something that is wrong or out of the norm, then they will be punished. It is a way of socializing the individual from an early age so that they know what is right or wrong and avoid developing behaviors contrary to what society proposes or expects of them.
Among the most common penances at home are not letting the child or young person go out to play or visit their friends, or preventing them from doing an activity they like for a few days. In the case of school, teachers usually choose to send an extra task to the student who misbehaves or to do some task that implies becoming aware of what he did wrong.
Christian sacrament that forgives sins
And on the other hand, it is in the field of the Christian religion where the concept is relevant since for Catholics penance is one of the seven sacraments that the faithful are obliged to comply with. It consists of the faithful confessing before a priest the errors or sins they have incurred, repenting of them of course, and then the religious before that voluntary repentance absolves him, he can apply the penance of performing a special prayer and after complying with it unforgiven sins.
Any act related to religion or not and that implies that the person performs an act of sacrifice or mortification to demonstrate their faith or repentance for something is also known as penance. Maria decided this year to walk on her knees to the Basilica as penance.
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