A Thorough
Contritional Prayer
A NOTE TO HE WHO CONSIDERS HIMSELF CATHOLIC:
Without a Catholic priest you can’t have your mortal sins
forgiven. This is because God chooses to work through the priest, who stands in
His Stead. Yet today, during the Great Apostasy, we have no priests to absolve
us since each & every one of them either denies the Salvation Dogma (whether pretending that the infallible
statement of ‘no Salvation outside the Church’ doesn’t
plainly mean what it plainly says, or just straight-out ignoring the fact that
Roman Catholics of old never believed it to have any exceptions) or else
contradicts the Salvation Dogma (carelessly or willfully serving the Sacraments
to those who aren’t Catholic, apart from Baptism). Whichever, obstinacy
in such things reveals them to be not upholding the Catholic Faith whole
& undefiled, and thus shows them to be not actually Catholic. Church
Law commanding Catholics to avoid all religious association with non-Catholics (such as
praying in union with them, attending non-Catholic religious services, going to
Mass with them, or receiving the Sacraments from them, etc.), the real Catholic
today is in extremely serious danger of Hell, far more so than at other times.
For instance, sins of impurity --- which are
a breaking of the sixth & ninth commandments --- are always mortal, even
those sins of impurity that embrace mere thoughts of impurity. They are
also very easy for human beings, especially men, to commit, particularly during
the horribly filthy times we live in, when fornication is rampant, whores
celebrated everywhere, and women are blatantly immodest in public. It takes
extreme isolation or militant holiness to avoid giving in to such temptations,
if only in the privacy of one’s imagination. Most of us are not enough
like hermits or consistently virtuous. How, then, can we go a day or a week or a
month without soiling our souls in a way that will send us to Hell? And with no
priest to whom we may turn, how will we escape the damnation that awaits us,
receiving absolution for our deadly offenses?
Fortunately, the Church teaches us that in a time of emergency we
may confess alone before Heaven and have our mortal sins forgiven as long as we
have perfect contrition for them. This is in contrast to confession to a
priest, where only imperfect contrition
is necessary for forgiveness. Imperfect
contrition is sorrow for your sin because you are afraid of suffering hellfire
for it or because you are disgusted with the ugliness of your iniquity. Whereas
perfect contrition is sorrow for your sin because, more than anything
else, you love God above all things and are so very sorry to have offended Him,
losing His friendship as a result.
The catch is, perfect contrition is not as
easy to practice as imperfect contrition is. This is because most of us don’t
really love God that much. We may fear His punishment, but don’t really
care if He’s offended! So what are we to do?
First, realize that, however much harder it is to have perfect
contrition, it is not impossible. Nor
do you have to be a very great saint to achieve it. You simply have to freely
will to do the right thing, that’s all. A flood of tears and
passionate feelings of sorrow are good --- and wonderfully helpful! --- yet contrition is, to begin with, a free act of the will in conjunction with the mind. Which
means, when you get right down to it, that you simply have to know what to
do and actually do it. Racking sobs & plentiful tears are a big
plus… not an absolute necessity.
The emotion of sorrow is a beautiful tool… not the bare essence of what perfect contrition is. And I say this
because lots of poor souls will fall into despair if they don’t realize
it. Although, on the other hand, lots of arrogant & careless souls have
already fallen into presumption because they don’t think God truly cares
about our mortal sins since we don’t have priests to turn to. I mean, He
must not consider priests & confession to be very important if He hasn’t
bothered to keep them around… right?
So why sweat it?
Both positions are wrong. I repeat:
Both positions
are perilously mistaken!
God does very much care about our mortal sins and we are not
in any way off the hook for their deadly consequences just because we
don’t have priests to absolve us. Meanwhile, God does indeed give us a way to cleanse ourselves of our mortal sins
when priests aren’t readily available --- and even though it’s harder
to accomplish.
This is where the Thorough Contritional Prayer comes in. Other
prayers of contrition don’t address the specific circumstances we find
ourselves in during the Great Apostasy. This one does. Other prayers of
contrition don’t demand from us such a conscious act of mind & will
to have perfect contrition for
our mortal sins --- this one does repeatedly, and very explicitly so. As long
as you understand what you’re saying when you recite it, dear reader, and
as long as you freely will to mean what you’re saying as you say it, then
you are, as a real Catholic, necessarily
making a volitional & intelligent act of perfect contrition by doing
so.
Period.
But there is more. For having no priest to confess to, it is very
easy for a Catholic to become lazy & unvigilant, not diligently watching
over his soul or bothering to look carefully for the sins he is guilty of. The
Thorough Contritional Prayer not only requires
the one praying it to make a properly specific confession of all of his sins while
praying it, but compels the penitent
to organize his examination of conscience into a sensible fashion according to
the Ten Commandments (which are the absolute & unchanging gold standard by
which sin is objectively judged to be sin) and, as well, to seek to do that
which a Roman Catholic must try to do in confessing his mortal sins
alone before Heaven during an emergency. Namely, to confess these mortal sins
again to a lawful priest as soon as such a man is made available for him to do
so.
Finally, my dear soul, bear in mind that confession of mortal sins
--- whether with a priest or without a priest --- is entirely useless unless we carry out some form of
adequate satisfaction & penance for these sins immediately. I cannot
here explain what constitutes sufficient satisfaction & penance. That will
have to come somewhere else at another time, when I’ve the strength to do
so. I can, though, say that this prayer is, all by itself, a significant act of satisfaction & penance just by praying it.
We repeat:
The Thorough
Contritional Prayer, when said sincerely, is weighty penance & satisfaction
all by itself.
This is both because of the effort it takes to say it and because
of the passion its words express in remorse for the sins confessed. For further
means of satisfaction & penance seek the Holy Ghost’s guidance in the
matter and the saints’ intercession, especially the aid of your guardian
angel who, at your request, will sting your conscience into operation and will
suggest to you what you must do in order to atone for the temporal debt of your mortal sins (as opposed to the eternal debt, which only the Divine
Sacrifice of Jesus can pay). Don’t doubt that this is possible. I am
living proof that it is. I have witnessed it in action within my very own life
for several years now. If I can do it, so can you. But if you need more help, then let me know. You can find out how to reach me in the
Contact & Donations section. I will be more than happy to help you save
your precious, immortal soul.
The prayer starts below after the triple crosses and is divided
into twelve sections, each section numbered in sequence.
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(1) In the Name of the
Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
[This first section is the Sign of the Cross. For instruction on how
to perform this simple prayer, which is usually done at the beginning & end
of all other prayers by Roman Catholics, please see the article on the Sign of the Cross in the Prayers & Devotions section of The
Epistemologic Works website. The cross symbol, +, denotes
that the one praying is to make this sign over his upper torso, or in some
other suitable fashion, depending on the situation.]
(2) Dearest Lady,
Ever-Virgin Mary, I come before Thee, the Queen of Highest Heaven, and before
Thy Son, King Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and before Thy Heavenly Children, the
Saints, Angels, Virgins & Martyrs Above, to accuse myself of breaking the
commandment against…
[Here state the commandment broken, starting at the first of the
Ten Commandments that you have transgressed. Then go to section three of this
prayer and follow the directions there, repeating sections two & three
until you have accused yourself of all of the commandments you’ve broken
and of all of their accompanying sins which you’ve committed.]
(3) For I have most
willfully and rebelliously…
[Here specify each & every sin you are guilty of under the
category of a particular commandment of the Ten Commandments, either through commission
or omission, including the number of times for each & every specific sin
that you are guilty of, also including modifying circumstances as necessary.
Repeat these brief introductions when you switch to the next commandment under
consideration. E.g., “I accuse myself of breaking the commandment against
stealing. For I have most willfully and rebelliously…” and state
each & every specific sin perpetrated under the category of the commandment
against theft; then move on when done with that commandment by saying, “I
accuse myself of breaking the commandment against bearing false testimony
toward my neighbor. For I have most willfully and
rebelliously…” and state each & every specific sin
perpetrated under the category of the commandment against lying.
Continue until you have covered each commandment broken and every specific sin,
by commission or omission, that you are guilty of
under the category of a particular commandment broken.]
(4) I beg
Heaven’s forgiveness for these sins. And for any sin of which I am
ignorant, or that I have forgotten, I also beg Heaven’s absolution. For
the gifts of wisdom & memory I beg, too, that I might explicitly accuse
myself of these unknown sins as I ought to within the Sacrament of Penance. For
the gift of perfect contrition I beg as well, particularly for those sins that
are mortal.
(5) May I not mourn
my mortal iniquities most of all because I fear the dreadful punishments of Hell
(although I do fear them, for they are very dreadful); nor most of all because
I am repulsed by the ugliness of Sin (although I am repulsed, for it is
unspeakably ugly); but more than anything by far because I am anguished &
heartbroken for having offended & injured the Triune Catholic God, Who is
All-Good, All-Holy & All-Adorable. And because, by doing so, I lose the
hope of seeing Him Face-to-face in the Beatific Vision in Highest Heaven
forevermore in most intimate communion with Him, instead resigning myself to
the Flames of Neverending Hell if, before I die, I do not make proper confession
and adequate satisfaction for these sins, and if Heaven does not grant me time
and mercy to cooperate with their many & copious graces, and so work out my
salvation with fear & trembling, dying a good death in the state of grace.
May the abominable fate of everlasting hellfire not be mine to suffer.
(6) [For] I am
most heartily sorry for my sins --- help me in my lack of sorrow! I am penitent
for them --- help me in my lack of penance! I resolve to repudiate them ---
help me in my lack of resolution! May rivers of water course down my face in
remorse for what I have done wrong, breaking the Sacred & Suffering Heart
of King Jesus, crucifying Him upon the Cross all the more; and breaking Thy
Immaculate & Sorrowful Heart, Beloved Queen, driving the sword the more
deeply into Thy Soul.
(7) And I beg Thee,
Dear Lady, to implore Thy Son for His Grace, Mercy & Blood, that through
Thee, the Mediatrix of All His Graces, I might be cleansed and disciplined, and
so regain my baptismal innocence. I beg Thee, too, Dear Lady, to implore Thy
Spouse, the Holy Ghost, that He might convict my heart with utter &
complete contrition for these trespasses, and that He might inspire in me utter
& complete charity for the Adorable Triune Catholic God, for this One True
Most High God’s doctrines & commandments, for full faith and
obedience to the same, for His One & Only Roman Catholic Church, and for
His holy ones and holy things. I freely confess that it is through my fault, my
own fault, and my own most grievous fault alone that I have transgressed.
[During the last sentence of the paragraph above, you may strike
your breast penitentially in contrition for your
faults, once each time for each clause stated. For instance, “I freely
confess that it is through my fault” --- strike breast --- “my
own fault” --- strike breast --- “and my own most grievous
fault alone” --- strike breast --- “that I have
transgressed.” This is not strictly required, but is a long &
pious custom amongst Catholics which, when done out of humility, obtains much
merit & mercy in God’s Sight.]
(8) And, seeing as how
I dread the loss of Heaven and fear the pains of Hell, and knowing that my God
is All-Good, being the only Uncreated Creator and worthy of all of my love
above and beyond everything else that exists --- which things exist solely
created by Him out of nothing --- I firmly resolve, with Heaven’s help,
to repudiate these iniquities, to avoid their occasions in the future, and,
wherever I am able, to make amends for their spiritual debts. May Heaven do
everything possible in helping me to keep these resolutions, especially in
avoiding future occasions of sin.
(9) And may Heaven do
everything permissible, I plead, in helping me to stay upon the Narrow Path to
Eternal Life, deviating neither to the left nor to the right, but always and
ever believing and obeying everything that God through His One & Only Roman
Catholic Church teaches and commands, neither more nor less; in which alone may
a man escape from the Fire of Hell and enter into the Glory of Heaven; and
through which alone may such a man, who has adequate use of reason, via full
faith & obedience unblemished to this same Church, have any real hope of
attaining to the Gift of Everlasting Salvation.
[Here make additional requests if you wish.]
(10) I petition these things in the Name of Thy Precious Son, King
Jesus Christ of
[Here you may add other names, such as your guardian angel, your
baptismal name’s sake, or saints, angels, virgins & martyrs to whom
you have a strong devotion. For example: “And in the names of Ss.
Cecilia, Francis of Assisi, Catherine of Alexandria, Dominic the Preacher &
Marianna de Jesus Torres of Our Lady of Good Success.” You may add nothing or as
much as you like, as inspiration or personal custom might dictate.]
(11) I do also intend to confess again any mortal sin, of which I
have already accused myself privately, to a lawful & valid priest as soon
as such a man is made available to me. May Thy Heel, O Heavenly Queen, crush
the Serpent’s Head and so bring the horrors of the Great Apostasy to an
end. And may Thy Son, Jesus Christ, be exalted as King above all other kings
and Lord above all other lords, and may the Triune God of the Catholic Church
reign everywhere acknowledged as the Only True Creator of all that exists, the
Heavenly Father having commanded His children, Roman Catholics, to worship in
no other religion than that of the Catholic Faith. Amen.
(12) In the Name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen.
A NOTE TO HE WHO MIGHT USE THIS PRAYER:
This is not the only contritional prayer a Catholic may use. Others
exist, some of long & venerable lineage. This is merely one of the most
thorough. During the Great Apostasy, when licit (lawful) priests are
practically impossible to find and the Sacrament of Penance not able to be
received in a normal fashion, the Catholic who prays this prayer thus pleads
for the very thing needed in order to have his mortal sins remitted --- perfect
contrition allied with an intent to confess to a licit priest once such a man
is available. Please see Session 14 of the Council of
Whatever prayer of contrition employed, a Catholic should use it at
least once a week. Any longer and he risks forgetting sins. Should you fall
into mortal sin, then don’t wait an entire week.
Confess right away. On the other hand, should you bear venial sin only but
desire to confess more often --- say, twice a week or even daily --- then a
shorter form is adequate. E.g., one might pray sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10
& 12. You will note their bold type to make them stand out for use in just
such an abbreviated form. Retain the more thorough form for occasions of mortal
sin or a weekly ritual.
We value immaculate cleanliness of the flesh. How little thought
the Catholic takes for exquisite cleanliness of his soul! Cleansing from mortal
sin is like a laborious bath to wash our bodies. Cleansing from venial sin is
like rinsing off the dust from one’s feet. Which of us would walk into
town, our sandaled feet besmirched by even minor grime? Yet we think nothing of
walking on earth under the Sight of Heaven covered in veniality. Our Lord Jesus
washed His disciples’ feet. Out of humility Pope St. Peter objected,
“Thou shalt never wash my feet.” Whereupon Jesus answered him,
“If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me.” So Peter
says, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” And
Jesus responds, “He that is washed, needeth not
but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly.” (John 13:8-10 DRC) Dear
brothers, let us be clean wholly.
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Pilate’s
query met:
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© 2009 by
Paul Doughton.
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