How to Say an Act of Contrition
Saying an Act of Contrition is a necessary part of confession, the sacrament in which Catholics confess their sins to a priest. This prayer expresses your sorrow for your sins and your firm resolve to not commit them again.
An act of perfect contrition is sorrow for sin rooted in love, not just fear, the Catechism
1. Examine Your Conscience
An examination of conscience is a key element to an act of contrition. It helps you to remember all of the sins that you have committed and allows you to express to God your sorrow for them. It can be difficult to recall all of your sins, especially if it has been a long time since your last confession. That is why it’s a good idea to do an examination of conscience before going to confession, and also to keep track of your sins in the days leading up to your reconciliation.
The notion of conscience is often viewed as being something like a “gut feeling” or “sense” about right and wrong. This view, however, is mistaken, as conscience is actually an intellectual faculty that functions to identify what ought or must not be done in a given situation. The fact that it is an intellectual faculty rather than a physical sensation, or that it operates by identifying an abstract concept (“right”) or a concrete phenomenon (wrong), makes it susceptible to error. It can be erroneous in determining whether a particular action is morally good or bad, and it can be erroneous in its interpretation of the divine laws as they apply to real situations.
Consequently, the Catholic Church holds that conscience must be guided by the truths of the faith in order to avoid these errors. In addition, the Catholic Church also recognizes that certain sins, called mortal sins, are so serious that they must be confessed to a priest in the Sacrament of Confession in order to receive his forgiveness. The Sacrament of Confession is available to all believers, regardless of the circumstances in which they may find themselves. During the coronavirus pandemic, for example, it might be impossible for some Catholics to get to a confessional because of government-wide lockdowns or stay-at-home orders.
Therefore, even in times of limited access to the sacraments, an examination of conscience is still essential to help people determine whether they should seek forgiveness for venial or mortal sins. This can be done either at home before a trip to the confessional or, more often, in the privacy of one’s own mind during an act of contrition.
2. Be Sincere
A business apology must convey sincerity to be effective. It must express genuine sorrow for the misdeed and a willingness to prevent such a mistake from happening again. It must also demonstrate an understanding of the customer’s feelings. This is important because customers want to see that businesses care about them and will do what is necessary to make things right.
The act of contrition can be a powerful tool for any business to use when it needs to apologize for a service or product issue. By expressing genuine remorse and making a firm commitment to correct the problem, a business can restore trust with its customers and build loyalty.
For a business to be effective, the apology must be immediate and include concrete details about how the company will rectify the problem. For example, if a customer’s order is wrong or a shipment is damaged, the business should immediately contact the customer to provide an explanation and to offer compensation. This is especially important when the issue affects a large number of people.
In addition to a quick response, an effective business apology must be honest and heartfelt. This will show the customer that the company cares about their concerns and will do whatever is necessary to resolve the issue. It should also include a plan outlining steps to prevent a similar problem in the future.
Effective apologies must also be appropriate for the situation. For example, if a customer received a subpar product, an appropriate apology might involve offering a discount on a future purchase. In contrast, an inappropriate apology might include a gift card or other compensation that does not adequately address the problem.
A successful apology must demonstrate empathy for the customer’s feelings. This requires listening to the customer’s feedback and taking the time to understand their perspective. It is also important to be able to communicate this understanding back to the customer, which can help build rapport and enhance trust.
Businesses that display a sincere brand personality tend to be down-to-earth, honest, and wholesome. They are often responsible and oriented towards family or home, and they have a strong sense of community. This type of brand personality is well-suited for many different types of businesses, including online and brick-and-mortar retailers.
3. Make a Firm Commitment
A firm commitment is an irrevocable agreement to perform a specific act. Most commonly, it refers to commitments by lenders to provide financing. For example, a bank might make a firm commitment to finance a shopping center that has been preleased by a tenant.
When a Catholic makes an act of contrition, they must express a firm sorrow for their sins and a firm purpose to confess them and to avoid all occasions of sin in the future. This is what the Church calls perfect contrition.
The day before or morning of your planned confession, take the time to thoroughly examine your conscience. Begin by asking yourself how you have closed yourself off from God’s grace and chosen your will over His. Focus not only on the big sins – mortal sins – but also on the venial ones, including those that may be harder to recognize. Examine your conscience by comparing it to the Ten Commandments or Christ’s teaching on love, by examining your behavior in relation to the beatitudes, or by reviewing your sins of omission versus commission.
During this examination, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance to identify the root causes of your sins. Then, reflect on your intentions to confess them and to avoid all occasions of Sin in the future, with the resolve to persevere in your resolution. For example, if your examination revealed that you tend to sin by lust and anger, consider setting up pornography filters on your devices or making a plan with your spouse about boundaries and curfews to reduce temptation and increase accountability.
After your confession, listen attentively to the priest’s advice and carefully observe any assigned penance. If your priest gave you a particular prayer or action to repeat, write it down or set an alert on your phone to remind yourself until it is completed. Likewise, if your penance requires that you attend Mass regularly, schedule this in and commit to it as a priority for the duration of your assigned period. This will help you grow in your relationship with Christ and allow the Sacrament to become more fruitful for you.
4. Pray
When a person confesses their sins and prays an Act of Contrition, it is important that they speak from the heart. They need to be open and honest with their priest, even if the truth is difficult to admit. Being able to speak from the heart is one of the keys to a successful confession and helps a person find true absolution.
In addition to expressing sorrow for their sins, a person must make a firm commitment to not commit them again in the future. A good way to make this promise is to begin a practice of praying a nightly examination of conscience every day, looking at both where you failed to do the right thing (sins of omission) and where you committed actual sins (sins of commission). A daily examination of conscience can help a person identify any areas in their life that need improvement.
Once a person confesses their sins, the priest will give them penance to atone for them and cleanse their soul. This may include saying the Hail Mary or Our Father prayer a certain number of times, spending a particular amount of time in prayer, or engaging in other charitable acts. The type of penance will depend on the quantity and severity of the sins a person has shared with the priest.
During the penance, it is important that the person listen carefully to what the priest tells them. They should also be sure to follow through on their promises not to commit those sins again. A good way to ensure they will do this is to set a schedule for going to confession and doing their penance each week.
Perfect contrition is repentance that does not arise from a fear of hell or eternal punishment, but from the love for God who has been offended by their sins. This type of contrition remits venial sins and can obtain the forgiveness of mortal sins as well, if it is combined with a firm resolve to never commit them again in the future.
It is okay to forget a particular sin if they are not mortal, as long as the person sincerely confesses all of their sins and vows to lead a life of virtue in the future. However, a person should remember to mention that forgotten sin in their next confession so they can receive advice and a proper penance.
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Cascia Talbert is a Catholic mother of five special needs kids. In 2018 she published the book, "Taking Care of Your Family's Health and Well-Being, Saints to Turn to and the Catholic Faith," available anywhere books are sold. She is also a professional flutist and an Avon Independent Sales Representative. You can learn more about Cascia on the following websites, cjsfunandgames.com and avoncrystallake.com. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, children and Baby, the playful black kitty.
