ARTICLE I: ON CONTRITION PROPERLY SO CALLED

1346. - Contrition is distinguished as twofold:

1° Perfect, which is detestation of sin arising from the sole and proper motive of charity, appreciatively supreme; with the purpose, on account of the same motive, of not sinning further. - I said: a) from the SOLE motive of charity; i.e. perfect contrition ought to be elicited from a motive of charity so efficacious or predominant that by itself it suffices to excite in the sinner supreme sorrow and detestation concerning sin committed, and a firm purpose of sinning no more; not, however, so that therefore other motives, less noble than charity, must be excluded by the penitent, just as hope and charity, or faith and knowledge, do not exclude each other. - I said: b) from the PROPER motive of charity; or of divine goodness. See n. 275.¹ - I said: c) appreciatively supreme; see the same n. 275 and n. 1349. III. 1350. q. 1°. q. 2°.

2° Imperfect or attrition, which is detestation of sin arising from a supernatural motive which is inferior to charity - e.g. from consideration of the baseness of sin, or from fear of hell, or from love of eternal beatitude - with the purpose, on account of the same motive, of not sinning further. - Trent.¹ Besides, contrition is either formal or explicit, by which a man, thinking of the sin committed, directly and expressly detests it; or implicit or virtual, by which a man, not actually thinking of the sin committed, posits an act which indirectly and tacitly contains sorrow and detestation of sin, for example an act of perfect charity.

Three things must be explained here: 1° necessity; 2° qualities; 3° efficacy of contrition.