Faith and Penance

Is Penance a sign of how you deep one’s faith in God is measured?

Faith - is one's belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of a religion.

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

We all have different beliefs on how to interpret God's will and God's word. 

Majority of people living here in the Philippines are Roman Catholic. We have so many celebrations including   Black Nazarene Feast. I belongs to that majority part, I'm also  a Catholic.

I was raised by my parents that every Sunday, we always go to Quaipo Church. Sadly, I hardly go to church these days :( I believed that I can communicate with my Creator any where, any time. I include in my prayers my penance and I believe in Him. 

I am a Black Nazarene devotee. Every January 9 (Black Nazarene Feast), I always tries to go to Quaipo, if my schedule permits. I guess praying on the church serves as my devotion.  Some, including my late father, shows their devotion by being a part of the Black Nazarene procession which starts on Quirino Grandstand and ends on Quiapo Church. Millions of Filipinos participates on this annual event.

This annual Black Nazarene feast have been copied by Catholics here. They make replica of Nazarene visits one place or another. Showing one's devotion by participating on those things is not wrong but what makes it  wrong is the participation of children.

A kid doing what the adult is doing made me mad, because that is practically child abuse.

Children should go to school instead of walking for hours... do they know what it means? do they know the meaning of faith? penance? NO.

They have no idea on those things, they just participate because it is IN, because that was what their parents is doing.

i just hope that parents will make their children understand everything they need to know before letting them participate on that kind of tradition.