§ 1. On The Contrition Required In The Sacrament

1666. Principles. I. Contrition is absolutely NECESSARY, both for the VALIDITY and for the LICEITY of the Sacrament of Penance, as often as it is received. The reason is that contrition is the proximate matter and an essential part of the Sacrament; therefore a Sacrament received without contrition is null, and consequently illicit. - Hence, although diligent labor is to be placed in the examination of conscience, more diligent labor must nevertheless be placed in exciting sorrow of soul. And although a brief space of time can suffice for conceiving this sorrow, it is nevertheless safer to prolong a little, or to repeat, the act of contrition, lest by too much haste it be extinguished in its very beginning.

We said: As often as it is received, namely lest the confession of venial sin be excluded. "For it is certain that, although outside the Sacrament some motion of grace or charity suffices for its remission, as St. Thomas teaches, nevertheless in the Sacrament FORMAL sorrow is altogether required, nor does virtual sorrow suffice, as the Doctors commonly teach with Roncaglia, Concina, and Croix, against a few."¹ - But:

It is doubted, 1. Whether he sins mortally who confesses venials without sorrow? "Genettus, Juveninus, and Natalis Alexander deny it; they say that as often as the mind of profaning the Sacrament is absent, to frustrate it in light matter does not exceed a light irreverence. But other Doctors commonly and rightly affirm it, and Lugo calls the former opinion altogether false, saying that the gravity of the injury does not consist in the matter, but in the frustration of the Sacrament, by not placing suitable and essential matter, as sorrow is. Hence, whether it is frustrated on account of grave matter or on account of light matter, the irreverence is always grave."²

It is doubted, 2. Whether in the confession of venials it suffices to sorrow for one without another? - "Some deny this; but Suarez, Lugo, and others commonly and rightly affirm it. And the reason is clear, because venials are not necessary matter, but sufficient matter. But Castropalaus, Lugo, Sporer, Tamburini, etc., say that it suffices to repent of a multitude of venials, without repenting of any one in particular; but Arriaga and Dicastillo contradict them, saying that sorrow concerning at least one of them is necessary. But these opinions are easily reconciled, because it is impossible that he who repents of a multitude should not sorrow for the last things which constitute the multitude."³ Likewise, it suffices to sorrow for a certain species of venials, or for deliberate ones alone.

1667. II. Contrition, in order to obtain pardon, must be TRUE, SUPERNATURAL, APPRETIATIVELY SUPREME, UNIVERSAL at least with respect to mortal sins, EFFICACIOUS, and finally must have joined to itself CONFIDENCE of pardon. We say in order to obtain pardon, and this both in the Sacrament and outside the Sacrament; because the aforesaid qualities or CONDITIONS also pertain to the virtue of penance (cf. n. 1644 and 1645).

1. It must be TRUE. "It is necessary," says St. Alphonsus,⁴ "that the soul conceive true sorrow, true displeasure, true bitterness concerning sin committed, and that it detest and abhor it." For contrition is called sorrow of soul or of heart, that is, of the will. Therefore contrition, or attrition, which is only thought to exist, even inculpably, does not suffice; nor does the desire of absolution without affection concerning sins, as some wish against the common opinion. And the reason is that true sorrow of the will is an essential part of the Sacrament.⁵ - Nor does it suffice to sorrow that you do not sorrow, nor a mere wish of not sinning. Yet Bonacina rightly notes that with the act by which someone sorrows that he does not sorrow for sins, there is usually joined sorrow for the sins, even if the penitent does not discern it.⁶

2. It must be SUPERNATURAL, both by reason of the motive from which it is elicited, which must be proposed to the mind by faith, and also by reason of the principle from which it proceeds, which is divine grace, without which no one can repent as he ought. - Hence, if someone sorrowed even most intensely, or in good faith, because his sin is repugnant to reason, or because it deprives him of reputation, health, or some temporal good, he would have merely natural sorrow, of itself plainly inept for obtaining justification, which is of the supernatural order. Hence this 57th proposition was condemned by Innocent XI: "It is probable that natural contrition, provided it is honorable, suffices." Yet the occasion of penance can be natural, as is clear from the example of the Ninevites.

3. It must be APPRETIATIVELY SUPREME, namely so that the offense of God displeases more than any other evil which could have happened to us. The reason is that "as God is the supreme good among all things which are to be loved, so also sin is the supreme evil among all things which men ought to hate."⁷ And the same reason runs concerning VENIAL sin; wherefore one must also sorrow supremely for it, that pardon may be obtained from God. We say appretiatively supreme, not intensively; because although it is fitting and to be desired that no end or measure be placed in the detestation of sin, this nevertheless is not required, nor is it in the common power of men.⁸

4. It must be UNIVERSAL, at least with respect to mortal sins. For the Lord says (Ezek. 18:21-22): "If the wicked man shall do penance for all his sins... I will not remember all his iniquities." The reason is clear: for it cannot be that he who truly sorrows for his sins detests one and takes complacency in another, since he knows that divine friendship is altogether extinguished by every mortal sin. - Yet there are not required, as is more commonly held, individual acts of sorrow for individual sins, which would often be impossible; but it suffices to sorrow for all universally, from a motive common to all, because universal sorrow virtually extends itself to all sins.⁹ (cf. n. 1397, 3.)

5. It must be EFFICACIOUS, namely so that it turns the will away from sin and disposes it to doing all things by which relapse is avoided. And to this pertain the words of Ezekiel (18:31): "Cast away from you all your transgressions... and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit." (cf. n. 1680, on formal purpose.)

6. It must have joined to itself CONFIDENCE OF PARDON; otherwise it would be similar to the sorrow of the damned in hell, who also repent of their sins, but without hope of remission. But the sorrow of the truly penitent is filled with hope and consolation; because the more a man repents of having displeased God, the more he trusts in divine mercy, and the more his consolation is increased. Hence St. Bernard thus addressed the Lord: "Lord, if it is so sweet to weep concerning Thee, what will it be to rejoice concerning Thee?"¹⁰

But are EXPLICIT acts of faith and hope required for obtaining grace in the Sacrament of Penance? Some indeed affirm, because sinners are said by Trent to prepare themselves for justification by these acts. But others more commonly deny it, because the necessity of those acts cannot be demonstrated by any sufficient reason. - Yet these opinions can be reconciled very well; for the penitent, by eliciting an act of sorrow, also explicitly elicits, not now reflexively but exercitively, acts of faith and hope; because then without doubt he exercitively believes that his sins will be remitted to him by the power of the Sacrament, and explicitly hopes that pardon will be granted to him through the Sacrament and on account of the merits of Christ.¹¹

1668. III. Contrition, which is a part of the Sacrament of Penance, must be SENSIBLE in some way, and must be MORALLY UNITED to the other essential parts of the Sacrament. - This is clear from what was said concerning the Sacraments in general (n. 1402 and 1434).

1. It must be SENSIBLE, not indeed so that it redounds into sense or the sensitive appetite; for such sorrow, although it often arises from sadness of the will, is not necessary; but so that it is manifested by some sign, for example through sorrowful confession, through petition for pardon, etc.; otherwise the confessor could not rightly judge concerning the disposition of the penitent (cf. n. 1817, q. 1).

2. It must be MORALLY UNITED to confession and absolution, so that from the diverse parts there may be one Sacrament. Wherefore the following things come to be discussed.

1669. Questions. Q. 1. Whether contrition must PRECEDE absolution?

Resp. Yes; otherwise absolution, which is the form of the Sacrament, would not be applied to its matter and would be invalid. Indeed, neither is contrition altogether safe when it is put off to the point of absolution; because it can easily happen, especially in the confession of the rude, that the form of absolution ends before the act of contrition has been elicited.

Q. 2. Whether contrition must also PRECEDE the ACCUSATION of sins?

Resp. The first opinion affirms it, both because sorrow, as the matter of this Sacrament, must be sensible and is not made sensible except through confession, and because confession ought not to be a simple narration, but a sorrowful accusation. The second and more common opinion denies it, and the Ritual greatly favors this, saying: "The confession having been heard, he will try to lead him to sorrow by efficacious words," namely the confessor. To the first contrary reason it is answered that sorrow is made sensible not only through confession, but also by other signs and words; but to the second it is answered that only this is required: "that confession not be a mere narration of sins, but have the character of a sacramental accusation; and for this it suffices that the confession be made with the mind of obtaining absolution, and that afterward sorrow be manifested at least through petition for, or expectation of, absolution; for thus the confession becomes well sacramental." And the very defenders of the first opinion concede this; whence it is clear that the two opinions differ more in words than in reality, and that the second, understood in the way we have said, is altogether safe.¹² "To calm scruples, confessors are accustomed, if they doubt concerning the internal disposition of the penitent, to excite him to sorrow concerning the sins just explained. This is done if it is said: I sorrow for and accuse myself of the sins narrated."¹³

Q. 3. Whether the act of contrition must be elicited IN ORDER TO THE SACRAMENT?

Resp. No, from the more probable opinion; "both because from Trent attrition, however had, suffices, and because sorrow is ordered at least to absolution when it is manifested through confession."¹⁴ - Yet the opposite opinion, which says that an act of contrition, when it was not elicited in order to the Sacrament, must be renewed in confession, is also probable, and therefore is to be held in practice.¹⁵ (cf. n. 1659, end.)

Q. 4. For how much time does an act of sorrow morally ENDURE for receiving the Sacrament validly?

Resp. According to the various circumstances, a longer or shorter space of time must be assigned: 1. If confession is made solely from sorrow for sins, sorrow endures virtually at least for one, or even another, day. - 2. But if it is made from mere devotion, or from precept, from vow, or from the mandate of a rule, a shorter space, for example from morning to evening, ought to intervene. For the rest, in practice it is counseled that the act of contrition always be renewed before absolution.¹⁶

Q. 5. Whether he is bound again to elicit an act of sorrow who immediately after ABSOLUTION confesses a sin omitted through forgetfulness?

Resp. According to the more common opinion, he is not bound; because the prior sorrow, since it is universal, extends itself also to the forgotten sins and perseveres up to the second absolution. - But according to another opinion, still probable and therefore to be followed as safer, a new Sacrament must be confected; because through the first absolution the judgment has already been completed, and therefore a new act of sorrow must be elicited, a new penance imposed, and a new absolution imparted.¹⁷