Act of Contrition
The Act of Contrition with a Catholic reflection on sorrow for sin, love of God, and the resolve to begin again.
The Act of Contrition is a basic Catholic prayer for repentance. It is often prayed during confession, but it also belongs in daily life whenever a person needs to admit sin honestly and ask for mercy.
Prayer
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.
Reflection
True contrition is not self-hatred or panic. It is sorrow born from seeing both the seriousness of sin and the goodness of God, together with a real desire to live differently.