What is penance? 

   Penance is the conscious choice to respond to God's immense love discovered after a time of searching, by conforming to and committing yourself to Christ on a perpetual basis. It is important to mention that you can do penitential acts; such as fasting, reparations, charitable giving and abstinences on a regular basis, not just during the season of Lent. Please remember that before proceeding with a penitential act (example: fasting) during the season of Lent; and outside of this season, you should first talk to your spiritual director (e.g., a priest) in order to make sure that your penitential act will not be too extreme.

[Note to Viewers: According to the USCCB, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are mandatory days of fasting and abstinences from food, and Fridays in Lent are mandatory days of abstaining from meat. Also, the USCCB still holds the tradition of Fridays outside of Lent as days of abstaining from meat as an act of penance, but will allow you to eat meat as long as you substitute it with another penitential act. Each national conference of bishops and Catholic rite has its own rules for penitential acts. This site focuses on the USA and Roman Catholics. To understand the regulations and the traditions for the Eastern Rites on penitential acts throughout the Church seasons, check out the LPCA mini site, Eastern Christianity.]

Here is some resources about some of the different types of penitential acts and the regulations:

• PENITENTIAL FASTING IS THERAPY FOR THE SOUL
• APPETENTE SACRO (On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting)
• CCC-1434 (Fasting)
• CCC-1438 (Fasting)
• CCC-2043 (Fasting)
• Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence by the USCCB
• Code of Canon Law 1249-1253
• Why No Chicken on Days of Abstinence
• The Difference Between Dieting and Fasting: Christ
• Father Cantalamessa's on the Usefulness of True Fast
• EUCHARISTIC FASTING: PREPARATION AND PENANCE
• CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Abstinence
• CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Physical Effects of Abstinence
• EWTN's Mini Site-Fasting
• Catechesis of fasting
• Fr. Cantalamessa on Fasting
• CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Reparation
• e5men.org (a site about Fasting)
• The Best Kind of Fasting - Fr. Miguel Marie Soeherman, MFVA
• With charitable giving, you can do something simple like praying for someone, or complicated as giving a donation to a Catholic charity. (Check out Message for Lent 2003 to understand more abut charitable giving)

    It is important to mention that when you (the giver) do a penitential act for an individual's (the receiver) continued holiness, Jesus will use your penitential act as a means to shower spiritual graces to the person whom you are doing the penitential act for. Also, Jesus will reward you with special graces for unselfishly doing a penitential act. This is a win-win situation where EVERYONE (giver and receiver) benefits spiritually!

    Lastly, please remember that the deed of doing penitential acts; such as fasting, reparations, charitable giving and abstinences, can be offered as an offering (words and actions) during Mass for the continued holiness of souls.