How to Use penitential in a Sentence

penitential

adjective

• There is no Kingdom of God without the penitential turn of the soul to the grace and goodness of God.
  — Daniel J. Mahoney, National Review, 6 Feb. 2020
• Or could the dust be ash, akin to the penitential mark that some Christians wear on their brows on Ash Wednesday?
  — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2021
• Today is Ash Wednesday, which for Christians marks the start of the 40-day penitential season of Lent.
  — Editors, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2022
• Sitting through the longueurs of Simon’s book shouldn’t have to be the penitential price for our enjoyment of the musical portion of the show.
  — Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 23 June 2018
• By rare coincidence the first service of selichot, the penitential prayers recited for a month in the run up to the High Holidays, began on the first day of the solemn month of Muharram.
  — The Economist, 28 Jan. 2020
• The penitential practice is derived from Jesus Christ's 40-day fast in the desert and is intended to help the faithful prepare their minds and bodies for Easter.
  — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, 26 Feb. 2020
• The services during Yom Kippur are held continuously through the day and include readings from the Torah and the reciting of penitential prayers.
  — CNN, 2 Sep. 2021
• His answer helped us have a frank discussion about sin in the Catholic Church, the human need for penitential disciplines and devotions, and God’s way of helping man triumph over the wickedness of the Devil.
  — C.c. Pecknold, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2018
• The 40-day penitential period of Lent helps Christians prepare to appreciate the joy of Easter.
  — Greg Garrison, AL.com, 14 Feb. 2018
• This disciplinary practice of abstaining from meat on the Fridays in Lent is an important dimension of the penitential nature of the season.
  — Craig Lazzeretti, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2017
• The choir – split into two groups to accommodate social distancing – offers four works that touch on penitential themes.
  — oregonlive, 22 Mar. 2022
• This awareness of being part of a people and a shared history will enable us to acknowledge our past sins and mistakes with a penitential openness that can allow us to be renewed from within.
  — Paul Schemm, The Seattle Times, 20 Aug. 2018
• But there’s something penitential about her account, a purging of her regret and guilt about her co-workers (many of whom testify here) but also her stupidity, about business and men.
  — John Anderson, WSJ, 15 Mar. 2022
• March Madness is an essentially penitential affair, a series of physical and spiritual trials interrupted by familiar rhythms, not unlike the experience of a novice in a monastery.
  — Matthew Walther, WSJ, 1 Apr. 2021
• Graf said, referring to the definition of penitential communication under state law.
  — Dana Littlefield, sandiegouniontribune.com, 29 Apr. 2017
• McCarrick is currently facing an internal, ecclesiastical trial, and has been ordered by the Vatican to remain in penitential seclusion until that time.
  — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, 26 Aug. 2018

Last Updated: 24 Jul 2024