A Meditation on The Act of Contrition

This past Sunday, Archbishop Lucas asked all priests to lead their parishes through an examination of conscience in lieu of a homily. At St. Peter Parish in Omaha, that meant a grueling, but necessary, series of questions. Each one found my head bowed lower, and the weight of sin feeling increasingly oppressive.

When I was a child, my mother taught us to say the Act of Contrition every night before bed. It is a habit I’ve dropped several times, sometimes substituting another prayer, a rosary, or nothing at all. I am renewing it now, and teaching my son to do the same.

When I taught at Neumann Junior/Senior High School in Wahoo, NE, we said an Act of Contrition as a school at the end of each day. It really impacted my choices as a teacher to review, even briefly, the ways in which I may have sinned by failing my students in small ways. It made me a better teacher. I think it made my students work harder.

The first phrase, “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,” reminds us that we have a personal relationship with God. We cannot offend someone if we don’t have some kind of relationship. I think about the angry driver. I had some pretty nasty thoughts about her when she cut me off and then slowed down. Those thoughts offended God, just as they would have offended the woman if I had spoken them to her.

The second phrase, “and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments,” has always been a difficult one for me. Do I hate my sins because I’m afraid of the punishment? Do I really believe I’ll be punished for this one little white lie? I’ve heard so many priests talk about God’s Mercy, but few ever speak about “just punishments.” Presumption of forgiveness is a sin, as well as a scrupulosity that refuses forgiveness.

When I move to the third part, “but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love,” I am often moved to tears. God is so good. His gifts are so many. His love for each of us is so complete. How could I possibly offend the One who loves me so much?

Finally, we are asked to make a resolution to be holy. “I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.” If it weren’t for the help of God’s grace, the resolution would be impossible. But there it is. I offend Him. He loves me. He forgives me. I resolve to do better.

He gives us all His grace to make that resolution stick.

Until I offend Him again, and the process begins anew. Each time it is a little easier. That is why we need to do it every day.