Perfect Contrition

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I have a question that I’m having trouble Googling an answer to. Any help would be appreciated. 🙂

Q. Is perfect contrition a sorrow for sin that is based **solely **on love of God, or may other motivations, such as fear of hell, be included?

I have heard sources that say yes,other motivations may be present, and I’ve seen others that say no, only love for God suffices. Some would say that perfect contrition is quite attainable, and others would say it’s incredibly rare, and that the other side treats perfect contrition like leaves that grow on trees.

Would anyone be able to provide documentation to help settle this question? I’m particularly interested in the side that would say that perfect contrition comes only from a love for God, with no other motivation mixed in. That particular side seems to be rather unrepresented on the internet, so citations to books or manuals would be welcome as well. I’m also especially interested in what the traditional understanding of the Church has been on this question.

Thanks, guys! 🙂
 
I can’t answer your specific question with any authoritative answer. But it would seem to me that it would be hard to ignore the fear of Hell. It might be helpful to think about altruism. Some argue there is no such thing. They would say that no one can truly be altruistic if doing something good were to say cause the actor to have good feelings. If true you are left with a perverse world where you could only be altruistic if the act made you feel bad. That seems pretty silly. Can a person love God and have no fear of Hell? That seems impossible. To love God is to want to be with Him for eternity and to not be in Hell.
 
Perfect contrition of sins must have love for God as it’s MAIN reason, but there may be other reasons too. I have read this many times, from different valid Catholic sources.
 
CCC

Contrition

1451 Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again."50

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.51

1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.52

Peace
 
Thank you all for your responses.
hazcompat said:
1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.51
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This is actually a good illustration of the problem.

The above does not say, in what I’ll call Option A:
When it arises chiefly] from a love by which God is loved above all else, amongst other motivations,] contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity).
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But neither does it say, in what I’ll call Option B:
When it arises solely] from a love by which God is loved above all else, without any other motivations,] contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity).
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Does anyone have any further documentation on whether the Church would agree with option A or option B?
 
exnihilo said:
To love God is to want to be with Him for eternity and to not be in Hell.
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This would be a love of God based on His goodness to us, and the benefits we receive from Him, rather than simply loving Him because He is goodness, for His own sake.

Some would argue that it’s only the latter type of love that constitutes perfect contrition, which is why they would also say it’s an incredibly rare grace, and scoff at those who seem to think anyone can make an act of perfect contrition any time they fall into mortal sin.

Of course, they would argue, to love God at all is a grace, and to love Him for His own sake is an especially singular grace.

My problem is just that it’s so hard to find good information on that perspective on the internet, and I’m not a scholar, so I have no idea where else to look. 🙂
 
O_Lumen said:
I have a question that I’m having trouble Googling an answer to. Any help would be appreciated. 🙂

Q. Is perfect contrition a sorrow for sin that is based **solely **on love of God, or may other motivations, such as fear of hell, be included?

I have heard sources that say yes,other motivations may be present, and I’ve seen others that say no, only love for God suffices. Some would say that perfect contrition is quite attainable, and others would say it’s incredibly rare, and that the other side treats perfect contrition like leaves that grow on trees.

Would anyone be able to provide documentation to help settle this question? I’m particularly interested in the side that would say that perfect contrition comes only from a love for God, with no other motivation mixed in. That particular side seems to be rather unrepresented on the internet, so citations to books or manuals would be welcome as well. I’m also especially interested in what the traditional understanding of the Church has been on this question.

Thanks, guys! 🙂
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I think the word “perfect” is the problem. It would be lovely if we could have “perfect” contrition but thanks be to the loving and gracious God, He knows us so well.
 
Just want to add a very simple thing.

Once, i prayed to be shown my wrong doing, so, i went to confession and i didn’t feel a great deal of remorse for my sin and of course, i didn’t feel the effect of the confession.

What i did, is that i prayed Mother Mary if she could obtain a grace of perfect contrition. I went back in confession and this time, i was crying like a baby, i was so remorseful and you bet that i felt the effect of the confession.

I think that perfect contrition can be obtain through prayer. Sharing my experience, i felt deeply sorry for hurting God like this and the Soul that were involved, i continue to pray for them to this day.

Nothing is impossible with God, perfection come from him. Truly, we are nothing without him.

When you love someone and you realize you have hurt them, you feel deeply sorry for this. I think this is a grace to feel remorseful.
 
O_Lumen said:
Thank you all for your responses.

This is actually a good illustration of the problem.

The above does not say, in what I’ll call Option A:

But neither does it say, in what I’ll call Option B:

Does anyone have any further documentation on whether the Church would agree with option A or option B?
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Actually CCC 1452 DOES answer your points if you read it carefully.
 
O_Lumen said:
I have a question that I’m having trouble Googling an answer to. Any help would be appreciated. 🙂

Q. Is perfect contrition a sorrow for sin that is based **solely **on love of God, or may other motivations, such as fear of hell, be included?
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YES lesser motives (such as fear of hell) can co-exist with perfect contrition.
 
Bookcat said:
YES lesser motives (such as fear of hell) can co-exist with perfect contrition.
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The confusion stems from quotes like this one, from Garrigou-Lagrange:
Cajetan’s description of attrition is based on a profound study of St. Thomas. It runs thus: “In the line of contrition comes first an imperfect contrition (not yet informed by charity) which is displeasure against sin as the most hateful of things, together with a proposal to avoid and shun sin as of all things most to be shunned, the displeasure and the proposal arising from a love of God as of all things the most lovable.” [974] This description tallies with that initial love of benevolence for God which we gave above from the Council of Trent. [975] God Himself, by actual grace, leads us to attrition, to this initial love of Himself, before He justifies us by sacramental absolution.
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In other words, when people say that lesser motives can coexist with perfect contrition, they seem to be describing what Cardinal Cajetan would call attrition. The bolded text above sure sounds like what many would consider perfect contrition, at any rate, when it is clearly not, in the opinion of two major Thomists.

I’m not arguing that position, incidentally, because I really don’t know what the answer is. I sense two schools of thought, and I kind of wonder if both of them are acceptable, in the absence of an infallible teaching closing the discussion once and for all.

I wonder what the dominant scholastic position was.
 
Bookcat said:
Such does not rise from “the love of God above all else” but is rather focused on the fear of hell. That is the motive.
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Yes, I realize that is the common opinion, especially these days, and especially when consulting popular apologetics material. (Although it is interesting that Fr. Robert Levis—of Web of Faith fame—seems to take a “stricter” position on perfect contrition.)

But as I showed above, it is perfectly acceptable to state that attrition also arises from “a love of God as of all things the most lovable.”
 
O_Lumen said:
Could you explain how?
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1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else.

Above all else does not mean solely.

It means:

An act of Perfect Contrition is motivated either only for love of God and having offended him or mainly for love of God but also fear of going to Hell.
 
O_Lumen said:
Yes, I realize that is the common opinion, especially these days, and especially when consulting popular apologetics material. (Although it is interesting that Fr. Robert Levis—of Web of Faith fame—)

But as I showed above, it is perfectly acceptable to state that attrition also arises from “a love of God as of all things the most lovable.”
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Fr. Levis is not a Theologian as far as I remember -but a parish Priest who yes contributes his time in answering questions. But not as a theologian.

As to attrition there in the second part - I think your confusing things. Such is NOT about the love that Perfect Contrition involves. It is not about “charity”. But is getting rather into the nitty gritty scholastic distinctions that is discussing something else…do not let the similar language confuse you - one would have to go deep into the scholastic arguments way back in the day of Cajetan…one has to understand that background to get what was being discussed there - suffice it to say that I do not take it as meaning what you thought there.
Garrigou Lagrange - the great Thomist - also notes in one of his works (Grace) -discussing how we hate sin differently in perfect contrition and imperfect contrition -

“perfect contrition if sin is hated chiefly as offensive to God, imperfect contrition if sin is hated *chiefly *as harmful to the sinner.”

Note the word “chiefly” there. Such means there can be other lesser motives present in perfect contrition …such as not wanting to goto hell…the nature of sin…etc.

And look too to the very text of the Act of Contrition that the Church provides (one does not have to use it but it is the “form” from the Church):

Act of Contrition

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 the near occasion of sin. Amen.

vatican.va/archive/compen…um-ccc_en.html (compendium issued by Pope Benedict XVI)

It is quite a mixture: because your just punishments - (hell etc) but most of all…

So the Church would give this as form of contrition -and it does what? It includes those lesser motives along side words seeking to express perfect contrition. Rather “admixed”.

Lex orandi lex credendi.

As the Church prays so she believes.
 
Bookcat said:
Fr. Levis is not a Theologian as far as I remember -but a parish Priest who yes contributes his time in answering questions. But not as a theologian.

As to attrition there in the second part - I think your confusing things. Such is NOT about the love that Perfect Contrition involves. It is not about “charity”. But is getting rather into the nitty gritty scholastic distinctions that is discussing something else…do not let the similar language confuse you - one would have to go deep into the scholastic arguments way back in the day of Cajetan…one has to understand that background to get what was being discussed there - suffice it to say that I do not take it as meaning what you thought there.
Garrigou Lagrange - the great Thomist - also notes in one of his works (Grace) -discussing how we hate sin differently in perfect contrition and imperfect contrition -

“perfect contrition if sin is hated chiefly as offensive to God, imperfect contrition if sin is hated *chiefly *as harmful to the sinner.”

Note the word “chiefly” there. Such means there can be other lesser motives present in perfect contrition …such as not wanting to goto hell…the nature of sin…etc.

And look too to the very text of the Act of Contrition that the Church provides (one does not have to use it but it is the “form” from the Church):

Act of Contrition

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 the near occasion of sin. Amen.

vatican.va/archive/compen…um-ccc_en.html (compendium issued by Pope Benedict XVI)

It is quite a mixture: because your just punishments - (hell etc) but most of all…

So the Church would give this as form of contrition -and it does what? It includes those lesser motives along side words seeking to express perfect contrition. Rather “admixed”.

Lex orandi lex credendi.

As the Church prays so she believes.
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Correction it was from his work Reality - the section on Grace…not from the book Grace.
 
I think the simplest understanding is that if you have perfect contrition is when you mainly hurt for God and your relationship him after your sin. In a loving relationship with anyone all else pales to that when you hurt them (not that God can be “hurt” but I don’t know what other word to use). The key is that its about relationship.

LT
 
  1. 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 amend my life. Amen
  2. 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 the near occasions of sin. Amen.
So yes to your questions. when we sin we offend God, and we are truly sorry for offending our loving God who is all good. . But also we are afraid of Hell and punishment.
 
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