Act of Contrition (revised)

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Lady_Love

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O my God, I am heartily sorry for having WOUNDED you and I detest all of my sins. Because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all, because I have WOUNDED you my Lord, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly intend with the help of You grace to confess my sins, do penance and amend my life.

I was thinking in bed the other day that God really is NOT offended by sin as though God has and ego, rather He is wounded by sin. Is this not really what Jesus showed us through His passion? The word “offend” implies anger but isn’t anger just deep deep sorrow? Jesus did not express anger on the cross but pain, sorrow and separation. His love poured out with His every breath and every drop of blood. His heart broken.

Does not our sin break His heart rather than offend Him? Love is wounded when we divorce ourselves from Him, when we choose a lesser good, when we like Judas value money more than Him or like Peter who valued his own hide and pride more than him. How about every time and any time we choose a lesser good over Jesus?

Is it not true that Jesus is truly deserving of only our love? But instead we inflict upon ourselves, who is intimately united to Him and therefore inflict on Him, the very shame, violence, and hatred toward ourselves?
 
According to my dictionary one of the meanings of “offend” is “to hurt or cause pain to”.
 
louisak said:
According to my dictionary one of the meanings of “offend” is “to hurt or cause pain to”.
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Yes. But with modern language and the way things are understood these days, and the contexts in which they are actually used, the word “offend” comes across more like angry. Mathew Kelly talks about this very thing in one of his books. Verbage.
 
As the laity I don’t think we are in a position to start changing traditional prayers. God is offended by our sins. Do you honestly think God does not get angry at our sins? He has wiped out the entire human species except for Noah over sin. He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah over sin. What do you think the Day of Wrath is? If it weren’t for Masses being offered, and religious making serious acts of reparation for our sins, we’d. E punished a lot more for our sins in this life than we are. Don’t forget, there’s also the sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance.
 
God shows anger toward unrepentant sinners but true love and true repentance is less afraid of God’s anger and punishment than of wounding His heart, that He has opened up to us with such vulnerability/trust.

When people are afraid of God’s anger or emphasize it it makes me wonder if they had an abusive father. What the scriptures say is that God is patient, kind, and merciful. Slow to anger and abounding in kindness…His mercies endure forever. He loved the world so much that He gave His only son in suffering and sacrifice to restore us and to bring us back home.

It says, ““But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”…and this is before his son has even had the opportunity to apologize. Never once in this scripture passage does it say the Father was angry with his son.
 
If you feel called to say “wounded” say wounded.

Obviously that term is speaking to you and I think that is great.

I am comfortable with the normative texts but there is nothing wrong with making them our own by altering them.
 
why not say this one then; i use it for my confessions:

O my God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins, and detest them above all things, because they deserve They dreadful punishments, because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ and, most of all, becuase they offend Thine infinite goodness; and I firmly resolve, by the help of Thy grace, never to offend Thee again, and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin. Amen
 
I don’t think our sins do anything to God. God is Eternally Unchanging, we can’t wound or offend Him really, it’s all just analogy. What it does do is turn us away from Him.
 
alokin123 said:
why not say this one then; i use it for my confessions:

O my God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins, and detest them above all things, because they deserve They dreadful punishments, because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ and, most of all, becuase they offend Thine infinite goodness; and I firmly resolve, by the help of Thy grace, never to offend Thee again, and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin. Amen
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Is this your modification or is this an actual pre-established prayer?
 
J_Peterson said:
I don’t think our sins do anything to God. God is Eternally Unchanging, we can’t wound or offend Him really, it’s all just analogy. What it does do is turn us away from Him.
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Are you sure about this? I used to feel the same way as you but Jesus, who is God, is human and was wounded and brokenhearted. I think He knows us so intimately that He has nothing but compassion for us. I don’t think He is wounded because He takes offense but wounded because we hurt. Like a mother who agonizes over her sick child.

I also think that because we are so closely united to Jesus, especially through the Eucharist, that our hurt IS His hurt. What we inflict on ourselves and each other is inflicted on Jesus.
 
Lady_Love said:
Are you sure about this? I used to feel the same way as you but Jesus, who is God, is human and was wounded and brokenhearted. I think He knows us so intimately that He has nothing but compassion for us. I don’t think He is wounded because He takes offense but wounded because we hurt. Like a mother who agonizes over her sick child.

I also think that because we are so closely united to Jesus, especially through the Eucharist, that our hurt IS His hurt. What we inflict on ourselves and each other is inflicted on Jesus.
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That though occured to me as I was typing it. Christ was capable of suffering while on earth so I guess He can in Heaven. But God is unchainging and Jesus is one with the Father so who knows except God and the maybe the saints :confused: . Probably something more for the philosophy forum than this one though.

Honestly, I say “offend” but see nothing wrong with someone saying “wounded”. It all kind of boils down to the same thing. I am all for making your spirituality your own (as long as it remains Catholic of course). Personally though I do think of it more as us turning away from Him. I see God as being present in our center from birth to death and beyond (even in Hell). Sinning is purposly looking at ourself instead of God. I need to flesh the idea out more but that’s how I’ve been thinking about it.
 
Lady_Love said:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having WOUNDED you and I detest all of my sins. Because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all, because I have WOUNDED you my Lord, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly intend with the help of You grace to confess my sins, do penance and amend my life.

I was thinking in bed the other day that God really is NOT offended by sin as though God has and ego, rather He is wounded by sin. Is this not really what Jesus showed us through His passion? The word “offend” implies anger but isn’t anger just deep deep sorrow? Jesus did not express anger on the cross but pain, sorrow and separation. His love poured out with His every breath and every drop of blood. His heart broken.

Does not our sin break His heart rather than offend Him? Love is wounded when we divorce ourselves from Him, when we choose a lesser good, when we like Judas value money more than Him or like Peter who valued his own hide and pride more than him. How about every time and any time we choose a lesser good over Jesus?

Is it not true that Jesus is truly deserving of only our love? But instead we inflict upon ourselves, who is intimately united to Him and therefore inflict on Him, the very shame, violence, and hatred toward ourselves?
Click to expand...
I agree with the others who disagree with your definition of “offended”.
However, it does not make any difference. We are not bound to make acts of contrition with a particular set of words. You can change any words of known acts of contrition or you can even make up your own complete act of contrition.
 
Lady_Love said:
God shows anger toward unrepentant sinners but true love and true repentance is less afraid of God’s anger and punishment than of wounding His heart, that He has opened up to us with such vulnerability/trust.

When people are afraid of God’s anger or emphasize it it makes me wonder if they had an abusive father. What the scriptures say is that God is patient, kind, and merciful. Slow to anger and abounding in kindness…His mercies endure forever. He loved the world so much that He gave His only son in suffering and sacrifice to restore us and to bring us back home.

It says, ““But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”…and this is before his son has even had the opportunity to apologize. Never once in this scripture passage does it say the Father was angry with his son.
Click to expand...
I went to Catholic school and was always taught to fear God’s anger and punishment, and I never understood that…even as a little kid I always thought you were supposed to apologize because God trusted you, not because you should be afraid of punishment… When I was in elementary school a teacher stepped on my nerves just enough and I screwed up and cursed at her and refused to leave the classroom. Later when I was calmer I went back to apologize and her response was to give me a lecture on hell and then have me expelled. I pretty much lost my faith that day.
 
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