Perfection Through Penance

Doing penance for one's sins is a first step towards obtaining forgiveness and winning eternal salvation. That is the clear and explicit teaching of Christ, and no one can fail to see how justified and how right the Catholic Church has always been in constantly insisting on this. She is the spokesman for her divine Redeemer. No individual Christian can grow in perfection, nor can Christianity gain in vigor, except it be on the basis of penance. - Pope John XXIII's encyclical, "Paenitentiam Agere ". Read more here.

Our Lady of Lourdes told Bernadette to “Pray to God for sinners!” Bernadette, as instructed by the Lady, also kissed the ground several times to do penance for sinners. What little act of penance can I make today in reparation for my sins and of others?

Here's my short list (in no particular order):

1. Abstaining from my usual round of soda pop (ouch...)

2. Being patient and agreeable even when I don't feel like it (ummph...)

3. Rising from bed on time (ugggh...)