Act of Contrition

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halleone

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Must my act of contrition be the old memorized one I learned as a first grader some 60+ years ago, or is it OK to just say what is in my heart, in my own words?
 
No, you do not have to use a single act of contrition. Some people use Psalm 51 (at least the first part) and others use something as simple as “Lord have mercy on me a sinner”. As long as it expresses sorrow for your sin it is fine. An ad hoc cry of sorrow from the heart is more meaningful than a rote recitation if you don’t feel contrite.
 
halleone said:
Must my act of contrition be the old memorized one I learned as a first grader some 60+ years ago, or is it OK to just say what is in my heart, in my own words?
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After the reform of the rite of confession following the council, there were a great number of possible acts of contrition introduced.

In any event the rite says:
*PRAYER OF THE PENITENT AND ABSOLUTION
  1. The priest then asks the penitent to express his sorrow, which the penitent may do in these or similar words*
    The essential elements in what you say should include an expression of sorrow for sin and a resolution to avoid sin or an expression of amendment of life for the future.
 
For Confession, you can use your own words for the act of contrition if you wish. I think it is a lot better, though, to use a traditional act of contrition, especially for Confession.
 
Don_Ruggero said:
After the reform of the rite of confession following the council, there were a great number of possible acts of contrition introduced.

In any event the rite says:
*PRAYER OF THE PENITENT AND ABSOLUTION
  1. The priest then asks the penitent to express his sorrow, which the penitent may do in these or similar words*
    The essential elements in what you say should include an expression of sorrow for sin and a resolution to avoid sin or an expression of amendment of life for the future.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this, Father. It’s times like this when I’m thankful that we have several ordained priests and deacons on this board.

As for the OP, the main point of having recited prayers for the Act of Contrition in Confession is primarily for the case that we are sorry but are unable to form the words due to nervousness, profound tears, etc. And if you need an Act of Contrition, priests usually have one available or will allow you to repeat after them. And no, you’re not the only one to ask this question.

To CAF - as this question comes up often, could you make a Confession FAQ/Sticky?
 
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