Certainly, as human beings, we can feel helpless to offer forgiveness, simply relying on our own merit. As you further your Lenten journey, reflect on any brokenness in your life or the lives of those you care about. Remember that it is in that same brokenness we are afforded the opportunity to transcend our human nature. By relying fully on the incarnate presence of Christ Jesus, within us and within those with whom we are in community, we will be empowered through grace to transform the relationship or event, and ultimately release and heal the hurt. In our brokenness He can make us whole.
Penance is simply another word for punishment.
The pre-reformation Church taught that it was better for a sinner to endure punishment in this world than the next. Penance for sins included fasting, flogging, imprisonment and pilgrimage while wearing sackcloth and ashes, depending on the severity of a person's sins. From the perspective of the current day and age such teaching seems outmoded, even barbaric. Our focus these days is much more upon the God of Love than the God of Judgment. However, in abandoning the idea of physical punishment for sin, we invariably make the mistake of abandoning the idea of sin itself.