What is an Act of Contrition?
Published August 2, 2022
According to Catholic teachings, a sin is an act of offense against God. It cuts us off from God’s grace and turns our hearts away from Him. That’s why if we sinned, we need to do penance to show our remorse and willingness to turn our back against sin and embrace God again. This is where the Act of Contrition enters the picture.
Understanding the Act of Contrition
For Catholics, the Act of Contrition is a prayer of repentance that’s part of the Sacrament of Penance (also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession). It is prayed after the penitent confesses their sins and the priest assigns a penance. After the Act of Contrition prayer, the priest will then give absolution to the penitent.
In some traditions, a prayer of contrition is also commonly prayed during bedtime or on certain occasions like Lent.
Though it’s an essential part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Act of Contrition itself is deeply personal. The Council of Trent defines it as:
“a sorrow of the soul and a hatred of sin committed, with a firm purpose of not sinning in the future“
Theologians also refer to contrition as an act of interior repentance. That’s because contrition is not just about showing your remorse or regret over something that you’ve done. It comes from the soul itself. It’s an expression of the soul’s lamentation and profound suffering for having sinned and its loathing for the sin committed. And along with that lamentation is a promise to yourself and to God that you will never sin again. This makes the act deeply personal.
Because of this, the Catholic Church does not confine the Act of Contrition to a single prayer. Although the Manual of Indulgences lists down some of the approved prayer formulas. This includes the Confiteor, Psalm de Profundis, Psalm Miserere, or any of the Gradual of Penitential Psalms.
Act of Contrition Prayers
Since there is no one standard act of contrition, the prayers tend to vary a lot. Here are some of the most commonly used ones:
Act of Contrition (Traditional)
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all, because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid in the near occasion of sin. Amen.
Act of Contrition (Modern Version)
Lord have mercy on me
Do not look upon my sins
But take away all my guilt
Create in me a clean heart
And renew within me an upright spirit
Amen.
Confiteor (Prayed During Mass)
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Act of Contrition (American Version)
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do what is good,
I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things,
I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance,
to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ, suffered and died for us.
In His name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
Short and Simple Act of Contrition
O my God, I am sorry for my sins because I have offended you. I know I should love you above all things. Help me to do penance, to do better, and to avoid anything that might lead me to sin. Amen.
What is a Perfect Act of Contrition in Catholicism?
The Catholic Church distinguishes two types of contrition – the perfect and imperfect.
Imperfect contrition is where a sinner prays the act of repentance because of fear of eternal damnation. Perfect contrition, on the other hand, is when a Christian repents not because of fear of hell. But because he or she loves God who has been offended by his/her sin.
Perfect contrition is based on the love of God, where the sinner chooses to be contrite based on the love of our forgiving Father. The sinner has a firm purpose of not sinning again in the future, not because of fear of eternal pains, but because he or she does not want the Father to be grievously offended.
One example of an Act of Perfect Contrition goes like this:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Can An Imperfectly Contrite Become A Perfectly Contrite?
Yes. An imperfectly contrite can become a perfect one.
A person that is afraid of eternal punishments because of their evil doings can surpass the compunction of fear. Once the fear is gone, a person can eventually find in themselves the urge to repent out of love. As this love grows, the sinner can become perfectly contrite when they choose to act rightly out of their pure love for God.
(Related: 7 Prayers To Pray Before the Blessed Sacrament)
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer for the Lay Cistercians blog and a devoted Catholic. She works hard to ensure her work uses accurate facts by cross checking reputable sources.
