As I finished my confession with Father Bill tonight, I realized how so many things have changed within the Catholic Church since I was child. While the basic template of confession remains, the penance has certainly evolved--at least for me it has.
Years ago, when I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it was a pretty standard process. You entered the confessional and either chose to sit face-to-face with the priest or venture behind the screen of anonymity. You'd begin with the traditional phrase of, "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has be ____ since my last confession." You would then confess your sins and the Priest would prescribe your penance.
Back in the day, penance was standard--say ____ Our Fathers and ___ Hail Marys. You would make the Sign of the Cross, return to the pew, and begin your penance. The number of Our Fathers or Hail Marys was directly related to the severity of your sins--at least that's how I always thought of it.
Nowadays, however, the penance you are given is often directly related to the sins you confess. For example, if you confess to being unkind; your penance may be to be kind to someone.
In my opinion, this type of penance allows us all to be reminded that our sins not only affect us, but often those around us. It allows us to expand our personal bubble and look beyond our walls to see how we can become better people overall.
Although the goal of confession is to confess a sin and then hope to never do it again, we all know that is practically impossible. As Father Bill reminded us a few weeks ago, there are just some things that are part of us and that we confess to over and over again. But by receiving a penance that is tailored to our particular sins, it reminds us of those little things we may want to change or be more aware of.
While I'm sure some people are more fond of the traditional penance, I enjoy receiving my penance much more. It allows me to be reminded of who Jesus was and how we can aspire to be more like Him. Every week, mass ends with a reminder to "Go in peace and glorify the Lord." How better to glorify the Lord than to put into practice His teachings?