punishment or suffering that you accept, especially because of your religious beliefs, to show that you are sorry for something bad that you have done (尤指出于宗教信仰表示悔过的)惩罚,惩戒
penance for:
He believed the death of his child was penance for his sins. 他认为孩子的死是对他罪过的惩罚。
do penance:
He did penance for the wrongs he had committed. 他为自己做过的坏事而自我惩罚。