This week in Father Hess’ bulletin article he talks about the second precept of the Church, which is the obligation to confess your sins at least once a year. In confession the penitent has several things to do. These acts are contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The catechism says that contrition is the most important of the penitent’s acts. Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation of the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.”(CCC., 1451)
There are two types of contrition perfect and imperfect. Perfect contrition is called contrition of charity, in other words it is contrition motivated solely by love of God. Imperfect contrition, also called attrition, is sorrow that comes as a result of seeing the ugliness of sin. It also comes from the fear of our sin’s negative consequences, and God’s punishment. The catechism says that contrition, even though imperfect, is a gift from God. It says, “The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift from God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit.”(CCC., 1453) The Holy Spirit moves us to have sorrow for the sins we have committed. We are not meant to remain in this state of sorrow but allow it lead us closer to Christ by helping us to know our sins, have sorrow at having committed them and be sincere in seeking forgiveness and conversion.
It is a good thing to ask the Holy Spirit to give us sorrow for our sins. The Church has even given us a special mass for the gift to be sorry for our sins. This specific mass is known, traditionally, as the “Mass for the Gift of Tears.” The prayers used for this particular mass asks the Holy Spirit to give people the gift of grace to shed tears for sorrow for their sins. The prayers for this mass are very beautiful! The Collect of the mass says, “Almighty and most gentle God, who brought forth from the rock a fountain of living water for your thirsty people, bring forth, we pray, from the hardness of our hearts, tears of sorrow, that we may lament our sins and merit forgiveness from your mercy.” From the Offertory Prayer we hear, “We pray, that the sacrifice from which forgiveness springs forth for the human race may bestow on us the grace of the Holy Spirit to shed tears for our offences.” And from the Post-Communion prayer, “May the reverent reception of your Sacrament, O Lord, lead us to wash away the stains of our sins with sighs and tears, and in your generosity grant that the pardon we seek may have its effects on us.”(Roman Missal: Third Typical Edition, Masses for Various Occasions # 38 b “For the Forgiveness of Sins”) We should ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to be truly sorry for our sins, even to the point of tears. This sorrow for sin is truly a gift from the Holy Spirit because it helps us to be contrite when we confess our sins. We should allow this sorrow to bring us closer to God. When we experience sorrow for our sins, we must also have great trust in God’s love and mercy for us. Our Lord knows the sins we have committed and is waiting, with open arms, for us to return to Him in the sacrament of Confession to ask for forgiveness and be reconciled to Him.
Fr. Jacquemin
