Origin The
Council of Trent defined contrition as "a sorrow of mind, and a detestation for the sin committed, with the purpose of not sinning for the future." It is also known as (affliction of spirit) and (repentance of heart). The word "contrition" implies breaking something that has become hardened.
Thomas Aquinas, in his
Commentary on the Master of the Sentences, thus explains its peculiar use: "Since it is requisite for the remission of sin that a man cast away entirely the liking for sin, which implies a sort of continuity and solidity in his mind, the act which obtains forgiveness is termed by a figure of speech 'contrition'." This sorrow of soul is not merely speculative sorrow for wrong done, remorse of conscience, or a resolve to amend; it is a real pain and bitterness of soul together with a hatred and horror for the sin committed, and this hatred for sin leads to the resolve to sin no more. The early Christian writers in speaking of the nature of contrition sometimes insist on the feeling of sorrow, sometimes on the detestation of the wrong committed.
Augustine includes both when writing: According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia, Catholic writers have always insisted that such necessity arises (a) from the very nature of repentance as well as (b) from the positive command of God. From the very nature of repentance, they point out that the sentence of Christ in
Luke 13:5 is final: "Except you
repent", etc., and from the
Church Fathers they cite passages such as the following from
Cyprian, , no. 32: "Do penance in full, give proof of the sorrow that comes from a grieving and lamenting soul. ... They who do away with repentance for sin, close the door to satisfaction." Scholastic doctors laid down the satisfaction principle, "No one can begin a new life who does not repent him of the old" (
Bonaventure, In Lib. Sent. IV, dist. xvi, Pt. II, art. 1, Q. ii, also ex professo, ibid., Pt. I, art. I, Q. iii), and when asked the reason why, they point out the absolute incongruity of turning to God and clinging to sin, which is hostile to God's law. The Council of Trent, mindful of the tradition of the ages, defined (Sess. XlV. ch. iv ) that "contrition has always been necessary for obtaining forgiveness of sin". The positive command of God is also clear in the premises.
John the Baptist sounded the note of preparation for the coming of the
Messiah: "Make straight his paths"; and, as a consequence "they went out to him and were baptized confessing their sins". The first preaching of
Jesus is described in the words: "Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"; and the
Apostles, in their first
sermons to the people, warn them to "do penance and be baptized for the remission of their sins" (
Acts 2:38). The Fathers followed up with like exhortation (
Clement in P.G., I, 341;
Hermas iii P.G., II, 894;
Tertullian in P.L., II).
Perfect and imperfect contrition In Catholic terminology, contrition arising from the love of God, who is believed to have been grievously offended, is called
perfect contrition. Contrition arising from any other motive, such as loss of heaven, fear of hell, or the heinousness of guilt, is called
imperfect contrition, or attrition.
Perfect contrition Perfect contrition (also called contrition of charity) is a repentance for
sin that is motivated by faith and the love of God. It contrasts with imperfect contrition, which arises from a less pure motive, such as common decency or fear of
Hell. Catholicism teaches that perfect contrition removes the guilt and eternal punishment due to
mortal sin, even before the sinner has received
absolution in the
sacrament of penance, provided that the person has a firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible. An example of this theological precept is demonstrated in the
Code of Canon Law in canon 916, which states: "A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible." In the case of imminent death, in which sacramental confession may not be possible, an act of perfect contrition is held to remove the guilt and eternal punishment due to
mortal sin. In his 1537
Smalcald Articles, Martin Luther argued against the Catholic doctrine of imperfect contrition, arguing that "such contrition was certainly mere hypocrisy, and did not mortify the lust for sins; for they had to grieve, while they would rather have continued to sin, if it had been free to them." Instead he argued that "repentance is not piecemeal," and "In like manner confession, too, cannot be false, uncertain, or piecemeal."
Qualities In accord with Catholic tradition, contrition, whether perfect or imperfect, must be interior, supernatural, universal, and sovereign.
Perfect contrition without the Sacrament of Penance Early Church Fathers, including
Clement of Rome,
Hermas, and
Chrysostom, held that sorrow was effective for the remission of sins. Similarly,
Scholastics such as
Peter Lombard,
Thomas Aquinas, and
Bonaventure taught that perfect contrition, with the desire of receiving the Sacrament of Penance, restored a sinner to grace at once. Later theologians came to emphasize the desire for the sacrament of penance over the sorrow itself, with the Council of Trent declaring that "though contrition may sometimes be made perfect by charity and may reconcile men to God before the actual reception of this holy sacrament, still the reconciliation is not to be ascribed to the contrition apart from the desire for the sacrament which it includes." In Catholic theology, perfect contrition is held to forgive sins due to its connection with love.
Bede writes: "What is love but fire; what is sin but rust? Hence it is said, many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved much, as though to say, she hath burned away entirely the rust of sin, because she is inflamed with the fire of love." Accordingly,
Gregory XIII condemned
Baius's proposition 32, which asserted "that charity which is the fullness of the law is not always conjoined with forgiveness of sins". Catholic theologians argue that it was possible to recover grace after sinning under the
Old Covenant, citing Ezech. 33:11 ("As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.") They reason that the coming of Christ and the institution of the sacrament of penance could not have increased the difficulty of obtaining forgiveness. Therefore, equating this turning to God with perfect contrition, they conclude that the same method must still be effective. Several Catholic theologians have discussed what forms of love are sufficient to obtain justification. The general consensus is that pure, or disinterested, love ) is effective, and purely selfish love () is not. There is not a general consensus on what motives can constitute perfect love. Some theologians hold that perfect love requires loving God for his great goodness alone; others argue that the love of gratitude () suffices.
Obligation of eliciting the act of contrition In the very nature of things the sinner must repent before being reconciled with God (Sess. XIV, ch. iv, de Contritione, Fuit quovis tempore, etc.). Therefore, whoever falls into grievous sin must either make an act of perfect contrition or supplement the imperfect contrition by receiving the Sacrament of Penance; otherwise reconciliation with God is impossible. This obligation urges under pain of sin when there is danger of death. In danger of death, therefore, if a priest be not at hand to administer the sacrament, the sinner must make an effort to elicit an act of perfect contrition. The obligation of perfect contrition is also urgent whensoever one has to exercise some act for which a state of grace is necessary and the Sacrament of Penance is not accessible. Theologians have questions how long a person may remain in the state of sin, without making an effort to elicit an act of perfect contrition. They seem agreed that such neglect must have extended over considerable time, but what constitutes a considerable time they find it hard to determine (Schieler-Hauser, op. cit., pp. 83 sqq.). Probably the rule of
St. Alphonsus Liguori will aid the solution: "The duty of making an act of contrition is urgent when one is obliged to make an act of love" (Sabetti,
Theologia Moralis: de necess. contritionis, no. 731;
Ballerine,
Opus Morale: de contritione). == In other Christian theology ==