- from CatholicCulture.org
Penance has different but related meanings. At its heart, penance is about a disposition of sorrow for your sins and a desire to become closer to God. This disposition is what causes us to seek out the second definition, the Sacrament of Penance. This is where, because of our sorrow and our desire to grow closer to God, we confess our sins and receive absolution from a priest. This sacrament is the outward expression of our inward desires. The final step in this is to receive a penance for our sins. This penance is a punishment or task which we complete as proof that we are truly sorry for our sins. It is usually designed to help us grow and repair the relationships, with both God and others, that were damaged by our sins. Thus, we see how the different definitions of penance all relate and flow from each other. Our sorrow leads us to the sacrament and the sacrament leads us to make amends and atone for our sins. It is a beautiful cycle of humility and mercy.