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Dear Father Angelo,

I am writing to ask you for clarification regarding the sacrament of confession.

When the priest omits the act of contrition to be recited at the end of confession, can the confession still be considered valid? This happens to me more and more frequently and with an ever-increasing number of priests: it has also happened that I was asked to recite the act of contrition without saying the phrase “because by sinning I have deserved Your punishments”. A priest instead asks me to say “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy”.

When this happens to me, I recite the Act alone when I return to the pew, before penance, sometimes I recite it before entering the confessional. I would not like to be the victim of excesses of zeal, however I am not always confident of being validly absolved. I also wonder why it is often no longer requested.

I thank you for your invaluable work of apostolate, it is also thanks to it that years ago I began a journey of conversion: may the Lord reward you for it.

Warm regards.

Marco

Project’s answer

Dear Marco,

1. The Rite of Penance established by the Holy See provides that “after the accusation has been made and satisfaction has been received, the penitent manifests his contrition and the intention of a new life, reciting a prayer, with which he asks God the Father for forgiveness of his sins.

It is good to use a formula composed of expressions from Sacred Scripture”.

It also provides that “after the penitent’s prayer, the priest… pronounces the formula of absolution, in which the words: “And I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” are essential (RP, 19). T-N

2. It is therefore required to express one’s sorrow with a prayer.

While in the past the only prayer foreseen was that of the usual act of sorrow, now the rite foresees several. To be precise, it presents ten.

But the first is the traditional one that helps the penitent to pass from the imperfect sorrow of his sins (“because by sinning I have deserved your punishments”) to the perfect sorrow (“and much more because I have offended you, infinitely good and worthy of being loved above all things”).

It then continues by expressing the intention to avoid sin in the future, because if there is no intention there is no true repentance.

The intention is indicated with the following words: “I propose with your holy help never to offend you again and to flee the imminent occasions of sin”.

3. A note from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2015 entitled “to discover the rite of penance” regarding the act of contrition writes: “The priest continues the dialogue with the penitent by inviting him “to manifest his contrition” with a prayer (RP 45). T-N

This once again brings to the fore the liturgical dimension of the sacrament. The rite requires that contrition be clearly manifested in the form of a prayer, offering a vast possibility of formulas. In fact, the Ritual offers ten possible prayers (cf. RP 45). T-N

Even if, as with the biblical pericopes, only one is adopted in each celebration, meditating on all the individual texts proposed can help to discern the many faces of the precious stone set in this moment of the sacrament. Meditation will help people prepare for confession and to pronounce, with all their heart, these words during the sacramental celebration.

The first formula offered by RP 45 is a traditional prayer that many know as the “Act of Contrition.” It has stood the test of centuries and perhaps needs no comment. The Jubilee is, however, an opportunity to highlight the words and the theological depth with which this prayer ends in its Latin formulation.”

4. Moral theologians say that in certain cases one can be exempted from verbally pronouncing the act of contrition, because the penitent may have already manifested it amply by accusing his own sins or because of lack of strength. But in general it is precisely the nature of the sacrament that requires penitent prayer on the part of the faithful. The celebration of the sacrament is an act of worship and this is also expressed with prayer. Therefore it is not at the discretion of the priest to suppress the act of contrition.

5. However, the recitation of the act of contrition is not required for the validity of the sacrament.

If the priest does not have it said, he deprives the faithful of the merit and devotion of that prayer.

Sometimes it can happen that in speaking with the penitent at the end he forgets to say to recite the act of contrition.

But the faithful must not have doubts about the validity of the confession.

6. You write that in anticipation of the fact that the priest will not make you recite it, you make up for it on your own by doing it before or after the confession. And this is simply excellent.

7. The priest who made you omit the words “because by sinning I deserved your punishments” was wrong. Because these are not punishments inflicted by God, but punishments to which the sinful man, grave or mortal sin, has exposed himself by separating himself from God and placing himself under the dominion of his adversary.

We say “yours” because the devil could not do anything without divine permission.

8. Here is now the first of the various formulas of the act of contrition:

My God, I repent and grieve with all my heart for my sins, because by sinning I have deserved your punishments, and much more because I have offended you, infinitely good and worthy of being loved above all things.

I resolve with your holy help never to offend you again and to flee the imminent occasions of sin. Lord, have mercy, forgive me.

9. Here are others:

Remember, O Lord, your love, your faithfulness that has been from of old.

Do not remember my sins: remember me in your mercy,

for your goodness, O Lord.

Wash me, O Lord, from all my guilt, cleanse me from my sin.

I recognize my guilt, my sin is always before me.

Father, I have sinned against you, I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Have mercy on me, a sinner.

Holy Father, like the prodigal son I turn to your mercy: “I have sinned against you, I am no longer worthy of being called your son.”

Christ Jesus, Savior of the world, who opened the gates of paradise to the good thief, remember me in your kingdom.

Holy Spirit, source of peace and love, make me purified from all guilt and reconciled with the Father to always walk as a child of light.

Lord Jesus, who healed the sick and opened the eyes of the blind, you who absolved the sinful woman and confirmed Peter in your love, forgive all my sins, and create in me a new heart, so that I can live in perfect union with my brothers and announce salvation to all.

I bless you, I remember you in prayer and I wish you all the best.

Father Angelo