The Catechism distinguishes two kinds of contrition. Imperfect contrition, or attrition, is sorrow born of the ugliness of sin or the fear of punishment; it is a gift of God and enough to receive absolution in confession. Perfect contrition is sorrow that arises from love of God above all things. Such contrition, the Catechism teaches, forgives venial sins, and also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible. It is not a substitute for confession but a bridge to it, for the sick, the isolated, the person in danger of death, or anyone who has fallen and cannot reach a priest tonight.

What you need

• A few minutes of quiet, and a crucifix or an image of Christ if one is at hand
• The Act of Contrition and the Act of Love, or your own words
• The honest intention to go to confession at the first real opportunity

When to pray it

Whenever you are conscious of mortal sin and cannot confess soon; every night as part of your evening prayer; and in danger of death, for yourself or with someone who is dying.

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand what perfect contrition is

   Perfect contrition is sorrow for sin because it offends God, who is infinitely good and loves us, rather than chiefly because of the punishment sin deserves. It is a grace to be asked for, not a mood to be manufactured. When it is joined to the firm intention to confess as soon as one can, the Church teaches that it restores a person in mortal sin to God's friendship even before absolution; the confession that follows completes and seals what God has already begun.

2. 2

   Step 2: Know when it applies

   Make an act of perfect contrition whenever you have sinned gravely and cannot get to confession at once: late at night, when ill, when travelling, or in a place with no priest. Make it with the dying, aloud if they can no longer speak. Make it too as a daily habit, since it deepens sorrow for venial sin. It never replaces confession where confession is possible, and it does not by itself permit Holy Communion.

3. 3

   Step 3: Recall God's goodness

   Look at a crucifix, or simply call to mind who God is: the Father who made you and keeps you in being, the Son who died for the very sin you have just committed, the Spirit who has never stopped drawing you back. Let sorrow come from that, from love answering love, and not first from fear. The Act of Love▾ may be prayed here: 'O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all my love.'

4. 4

   Step 4: Pray the act, with the resolve to confess

   Pray the Act of Contrition▾ slowly, giving weight to its central words: '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.' Add explicitly: 'I will go to confession as soon as I can.' That resolve is what makes the act complete.

5. 5

   Step 5: Avoid the occasion of sin

   Sorrow that is real changes something at once. Close the app, leave the place, end the conversation, pour out the drink, make the phone call you have been avoiding. Decide what you will do differently tomorrow so that the sin is not simply repeated. Ask God, in a sentence, for the help you will need.

6. 6

   Step 6: Go to confession at the first opportunity

   Look up the next confession time tonight and plan to go. When you do, confess the sin as you would any other, by kind and number; the act of perfect contrition does not remove the obligation to confess mortal sins, it prepares for it. Then thank God that his mercy reached you before you could reach a priest.

Tips

• Perfect contrition is about the motive, not the feeling. You need not weep; you need to be sorry because God is good and you love him.
• It does not permit you to receive Holy Communion in place of confession. Someone conscious of grave sin may receive only when there is a grave reason and no opportunity to confess, and even then must resolve to confess as soon as possible.
• Do not use it to postpone confession indefinitely. The resolve to confess is part of the act itself.