Medieval Penances for the Knight
"Thou are dust and to dust you shall return." Nothing reminds us of human frailty more than receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday.
In the age of chivalry, receiving ashes was a reminder to Christians to increase the penances in his daily life in preparation for the commemoration of Our Lord's Passion and Death on Good Friday.
If you haven't picked a Lenten penance yet, here are a few considerations that may help you pick the right one for you.
As penances go, it is good to remember that there is a right fit for everyone. There's an old anecdote that explains this.
One time a man complained to Jesus that his cross was too heavy. Jesus appeared to him and took him to a place full of crosses, some were large, others were small, some looked heavy, others light. Jesus told him to pick the cross that he thinks fits his shoulder just right. The man went to one end of the line of crosses. The crosses in this end were enormous and he could see that his shoulders were not big enough for them. He went to the opposite end. There he saw small crosses. But, when he picked up the smallest and placed it on his should, he found he was unable to carry it. Because it was so small, it cut into his shoulder. As he went from cross to cross, he found that one was too long, others too short, some to heavy, others were light but too awkward to carry. At length, he comes upon one cross that fit him just right. Jesus said to him; "That's the cross you already have."
Picking a penance is a similar process. It should be something that fits your shoulders perfectly.
When you are picking your Lenten penance, keep in mind that going on a crusades was a penance for the Medieval knights. It was penance for their sins. It wasn't intended to be a campaign of conquest of the Middle East. It was intended to protect the thousands of pilgrims going to the Holy Land every year who suffered abuse, torture, theft, kidnapping, ransoming and death from the Muslims.
This is a concept that liberals hate so much. The Crusades were essentially a protective army meant to defend the defenseless pilgrims who in turn were doing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a form of penance for their sins.
The Medieval people took doing penances for one's sins seriously. According to A Medieval Handbooks of Penance by John McNeil and Helena Gamer, doing penance was an integral part of medieval life. For example, according to this book, if you took God's name in vain or swore by Heaven, Hell, or any other creature, then the person must eat bread and water for 15 days. BREAD AND WATER FOR 15 DAYS!
Needless to say, it was a civilization that fostered and cultivated virtue. The medieval people took the practice of their faith seriously and the result was a civilization that loved virtue, honor and heroism. Their customs and habits were an organic expression of the spirit of the times, also expressing virtue.
By contrast, the modern world does everything to foster sin and vice, from the cradle to the grave. The world, for example, fosters vulgarity and profanity. How many times a day do people take God's name in vain? How many swear? How many times do people use vulgar and impure language? It is so prevalent today that mankind has lost the horror. As a result we no longer appreciate, and sometimes even despise, the customs of the Middle Ages. When the modern man hears of people doing penances for infractions like using foul language, they accuse it as being backwards. Under the same breath, if someone mentions the evil of abortion, liberals in colleges will cry and wail and demand their safe space, as if a great offense had been uttered.
Pope Urban II made the crusade into a penance that would wash away the temporal punishment that sin caused. He granted plenary indulgences to anyone who would bear the cross over their chest to protect the thousands of pilgrims. It wasn't enough to simply fast on bread and water or wear a hair shirt. It was necessary to channel all the energy the Christian warriors had into something more productive, something that served the needs of the Church.
This is the key point. A young man today, brimming with energy, needs to channel his energy to serve the needs of the Church, mainly defending the Church's teaching in public.
Here are a few simple suggestions for a Lenten sacrifice.
1) Do daily public acts of devotion to Our Lady. This can be as simple as going to the most prominent image of Our Lady at home to say your morning and evening prayers. Or, if you have a lawn statue of Our Lady, to go to the statue and make a daily act of reverence like saying the Hail Holy Queen.
2) Defending Catholic faith and morality even among your friends. Many times our friends or family members will say something that's against the teachings of the Catholic Church and we don't do anything. Peer pressure and the desire to liked by our friends is one of the most common causes why young Catholics abandon their faith. It's a great sacrifice to stand up and defend Church teachings. This is way harder than giving up desert for Lent.
3) Stop people from taking God's name in vain. It's common for people today to use God's name in vain. It's an offense against God. It says right so in the 10 Commandments. It takes courage to stand up to defend God's honor. We would do it if our mother's were insulted. Why not for God? Simply tell them, "Don't say that. Stop taking God's name in vain. It's offensive to God and to me."
4) Promote purity and chastity as manly and knightly virtues. Impurity is the downfall of many young people today. Take advantage of Lent to promote it among your friends and social circles. The modern world would like you to think that to be a real man you need to be as impure as a pig. It's not true. The real measure of manliness is Our Lord Jesus Christ and he practiced the purity of a virgin. Never be ashamed to be as pure as Our Lord.
5) Spend less time playing video games, watching TV or surfing online. Spend more time reading Catholic history of saints and heroes who fought in the service of Holy Mother Church. If you need a list of books, just write to this email:
6) Be more respectful to your parents and people of authority. Especially today when respect to our parents, elders and people of authority is rejected by the modern world. It is important to practice God's 4th Commandment to us. Make a point of respecting our parents, honoring them and doing things that please them.
7) Offer acts of reparation for the sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed Francisco Marto, one of the Fatima seers, was only 10 when he died but before then he offered as much penance and sacrifice to console Jesus and Mary. Many sins are offensive to Jesus and Mary. If we make acts of reparation, this turns us into modern day Veronica's. Veronica braved the anger of the crowed to do one act of kindness to Our Lord. He rewarded her with an imprint of his face on her cloth. If we offer acts of reparation to Jesus and Mary today, our hearts will become like unto theirs.
8) Engage in debate to defend Catholic teaching. You can pass out a TFP Student Action flyer against abortion, socialism or same-sex marriage. It's proven to convert many people. Beef up your defenses by studying Catholic arguments against the moral evils of today. You can just leave them in the library, put them up in public bulletin boards like in Panera Bread Co., or leave them in the back of the Church you attend.
9) Be active in your faith. The only necessary thing for evil to triumph is for the good not to do anything. A knight must always be doing something to promote good. Ask us for the closest TFP Student Action representative in your area and see if you can do something in your area. It's easier than you think and very spiritually rewarding.
