An act of contrition is a Catholic prayer that expresses sorrow for sin

Sin

In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...

s. It may be used in a liturgical

Liturgy

Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...

 service or be used privately, especially in connection with an examination of conscience

Examination of conscience

Examination of conscience is a review of one's past thoughts, words, actions, and omissions for the purpose of ascertaining their conformity with, or deviation from, the moral law. Among Christians, this is generally a private review; secular intellectuals have, on occasion, published autocritiques...

.

Special formulas for acts of contrition are in use in the Catholic, Lutheran

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

 and Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...

 Churches.

The Catholic Church does not restrict the term "act of contrition" to any one formula. Its Handbook on Indulgences mentions as examples of approved formulas for an act of contrition the Confiteor

Confiteor

The Confiteor is one of the prayers that can be said during the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. It is also said in the Lutheran Church at the beginning of their Divine Service...

, the Psalm De Profundis

Psalm 130

Psalm 130 , traditionally De profundis from its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential psalms.-Commentary:...

, the Psalm Miserere

Psalm 51

Psalm 51 , traditionally referred to as the Miserere, its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential Psalms. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God....

, the Gradual Psalms and the Penitential Psalms

Penitential Psalms

The Penitential Psalms or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th century AD, are the Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 . These are specially expressive of sorrow for sin. Four were known as 'penitential psalms' by St. Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century...

.

Absence from Missale Romanum of common translation

According to Father Timothy Johnson, a Roman Catholic Priest in the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota (USA), "the Act of Contrition," strictly speaking, is not part of the Roman Missal

Roman Missal

The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...

 itself," while translations of certain snippets or segments of the latin text (see below) exist in wide variation, as published in the numerous distinct handheld missals that are distributed for reading and recitation by parishioners of Roman Catholic Churches throughout the English-speaking world. Discrepancies between certain lines of text in differing American & British English translations, such as relating to various reasons for detesting all one's sins: a.) "because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell," b.) "because of thy just punishments," etc., cause for great confusion amongst contemporary young Roman Catholic parishioners studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 — "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" — with his apostolic...

 (CCC).

A particular Latin formula and its English translations

Within the Catholic Church, the term "act of contrition" is often applied to one particular formula, which is not given expressly in the handbook of Indulgences. The Latin text and a number of English versions that approximate to the Latin text are given here.

Latin text

Deus meus, ex toto corde paenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum,

eaque detestor, quia peccando,

non solum poenas a te iuste statutas promeritus sum,

sed praesertim quia offendi te,

summum bonum, ac dignum qui super omnia diligaris.

Ideo firmiter propono,

adiuvante gratia tua,

de cetero me non peccatorum peccandique occasiones proximas fugiturum.

Amen.

Popular American English version

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You 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 you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.

Another popular American English version

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.

Popular Canadian English version

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.

In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,

I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things.

I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.

Our Saviour Jesus Christ, suffered and died for us.

In His name, my God, have mercy.

Popular British English version

Oh My God, I am sorry very sorry for all my sins.

because they are despising oh lord, oh are.

I firmly intend, with your help of your son,

to make up for my sins and to love as I should.

Amen.

Irish version in use in 1960s

O my God, I am heartily sorry

for having offended Thee

and I detest my sins

above every other evil

because they displease Thee, my God,

Who, in Thy infinite wisdom,

art so deserving of all my love

and I firmly resolve

with the help of Thy grace

never more to offend Thee

and to amend my life.

Amen.

Other formulas for acts of contrition

The following are some formulas for acts of contrition that differ more considerably from the Latin text given above.

My Lord, I am heartily sorry for all my sins,

help me to live like Jesus and not sin again.

Amen.

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.

In choosing to do wrong, and failing to do good, I have sinned against You,

whom I should love above all things.

I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more,

and avoid whatever leads me to sin.

Amen.

Oh God, I am sorry that I have sinned against you.

Because you are so good, and with your help,

I will try not to sin again.

Amen.

Oh My God, because you are so good,

I am very sorry that I have sinned against you,

and by the help of your grace, I will try not sin again.

Amen.

O my God, I am sorry for my sins. In choosing to sin, and failing to do good, I have sinned against You and Your Church. I firmly intend, with the help of Your Son, to do good and to sin no more. Amen.

O my God, I am very sorry for all my sins because they offend You, Who are so good, and with Your help, I will not sin again. Amen.

Anglican General Confession

The Anglican Communion

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...

, which includes the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

, The Episcopal Church (in the United States) and other member churches, has its own act of contrition, referred to in the Prayer Book as the General Confession. This is said by the Congregation en masse during regular worship services. The original form in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...

 is:

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father;

We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.

We have offended against thy holy laws.

We have left undone those things which we ought to have done;

And we have done those things which we ought not to have done;

And there is no health in us.

But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.

Spare thou them, O God, who confess their faults.

Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

Modernized forms can be found in other Anglican Prayer Books.

Lutheran formula

The Lutheran

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

 Church also has its own act of contrition, which is said during Holy Absolution. The following version, taken from the Lutheran Service Book

Lutheran Service Book

Lutheran Service Book is the newest official hymnal of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the Lutheran Church–Canada . It was prepared by the LCMS Commission on Worship and published by Concordia Publishing House, the official publisher of the LCMS...

(2006), says:

O Almighty God, merciful Father,

I a poor, miserable sinner, confess to you all my sins and iniquities,

with which I have ever offended you and justly deserved your punishment now and forever.

But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them,

and I pray you of your boundless mercy,

and for the sake of the holy, innocent,

bitter sufferings and death of your beloved son, Jesus Christ,

to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being.

External links

• Common Catholic Prayers
• An Act of Contrition