Act of Contrition

The Act of Contrition is the penitent's personal prayer of sorrow for sin, prayed as an essential element of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). Catholic theology distinguishes between perfect contrition — sorrow motivated purely by love of God — and imperfect contrition (attrition) — sorrow arising from fear of punishment — and this prayer touches on both, moving from acknowledgment of God's justice to the higher motive of love. Many versions of this prayer exist across different eras and regions; the form presented here is one of the most common traditional English versions used in the United States. The prayer concludes with a "firm purpose of amendment" — a sincere resolve not merely to regret past sins but to avoid them and their near occasions in the future, which theologians hold as essential for valid reception of the sacrament. It is also prayed outside of Confession as a daily examination of conscience and act of humility before God.