Council of Trent
Catholic
1545–1563
“…a sorrow of soul and a hatred of sin committed, with a firm purpose of not sinning in the future.”
Prayer of penance
The Act of Contrition
The penitent's prayer of sorrow for sin — the act of contrition the Church requires of the penitent, defined by the Council of Trent as a sorrow of soul and a hatred of sin, with a firm purpose of amendment.
The prayer
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, 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 thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Where it comes from
The dated sources the library holds, oldest first — in their own words.
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1,551
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1,551
Contrition and the Sacrament of Penance
The Council of Trent taught contrition to be required of the penitent for the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament of Penance; the Act of Contrition is the penitent's own expression of that sorrow, together with the resolve to confess, to do penance, and to amend.
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1,913
The Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic1907–1914
“Catholic teaching distinguishes a twofold hatred of sin; one, perfect contrition, rises from the love of God Who has been grievously offended; the other, imperfect contrition, arises principally from some other motives, such as loss of heaven, fear of hell, the heinousness of sin, etc.”