Penance vs. Punishment — What's the Difference?

Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It also plays a part in confession among Anglicans and Methodists, in which it is a rite, as well as among other Protestants.

Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular action or behavior that is deemed undesirable or unacceptable. It is, however, possible to distinguish between various different understandings of what punishment is.The reasoning for punishment may be to condition a child to avoid self-endangerment, to impose social conformity (in particular, in the contexts of compulsory education or military discipline), to defend norms, to protect against future harms (in particular, those from violent crime), and to maintain the law—and respect for rule of law—under which the social group is governed.

Punishment inflicted on oneself as an outward expression of repentance for wrongdoing

The imposition of a penalty or deprivation for wrongdoing

A sacrament in which a member of the Church confesses sins to a priest and is given absolution.

A penalty imposed for wrongdoing

Impose a penance on

Rough treatment or use

An act of self-mortification or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin or other wrongdoing.

The act or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction.

Penance A sacrament in some Christian churches that includes contrition, confession to a priest, acceptance of punishment, and absolution. Also called reconciliation.

A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.

To impose penance upon.

A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution

A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.

(figuratively) Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.

A sacrament in some Christian churches.

The act of punishing.

Any instrument of self-punishment.

Any pain, suffering, or loss inflicted on a person because of a crime or offense.

(obsolete) repentance

A penalty inflicted by a court of justice on a convicted offender as a just retribution, and incidentally for the purposes of reformation and prevention.

(obsolete) pain; sorrow; suffering

Severe, rough, or disastrous treatment.

To impose penance; to punish.

The act of punishing

Repentance.

Pain; sorrow; suffering.

A means of repairing a sin committed, and obtaining pardon for it, consisting partly in the performance of expiatory rites, partly in voluntary submission to a punishment corresponding to the transgression, imposed by a confessor or other ecclesiastical authority. Penance is the fourth of seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church.

Any act performed by a person to atone for an offense to another; an act of atonement.

To impose penance; to punish.

Remorse for your past conduct

A Catholic sacrament; repentance and confession and satisfaction and absolution

Voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing