A Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
Last Sunday we discussed "perfect contrition" - what it is/why it's important - with the help of Rev. J Von Den Driesch's booklet Perfect Contrition: A Golden Key to Heaven. We learned that despite the adequacy of imperfect contrition in obtaining forgiveness of our sins, we should always strive for perfect contrition. It's all about the incredible love God has for each and every one of us:
When you as well as the whole human race were lost through original sin, God gave His Only-Begotten Son, and He, your Savior, redeemed you by His cruel death on the Cross. He thought of you with heartfelt love when He suffered the terrible agony in the Garden of Olives, the bloody scourging and crowning with thorns, and when He carried his heavy Cross up the long, bitter way of Calvary, and when He shed His blood in unutterable torments on the Cross – He was ever thinking of you with heartfelt love as if you were the only human being on earth. And what follows from this? ‘Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us.
So our expression of perfect contrition - based on our love for God - flows from God's love for us. It all sounds so, well, perfect - except for the way we typically respond to God's love:
‘What return have I made to God for His love and goodness?’ Answer: ‘I have repaid Him with ingratitude and sin!’
We can blame our fallen human nature for this. But having recognized our tendency to sin, we still have the choice to resist.
And are you sorry for this ingratitude? ‘Yes, certainly.’ Surely you will make amends for your past ingratitude by greater love towards your great and loving Benefactor? ‘Yes.’ Then you have perfect contrition, sorrow arising from the love of God. This repentance, this sorrow, from love of God, is called Perfect Contrition.
Of course, while recognizing our sinfulness should result in this perfect contrition, we know that what we should do and what we actually do don't always match. Still, there's no need for despair here. We also know that God will give us the grace we need to repent for our sins because of our love for Him.
Perfect contrition is a grace, a great grace of the love and mercy of God. You must earnestly ask for this grace, and not only when you are preparing yourself for confession. The sincere prayer – ‘Lord, give me the grace of true repentance, of true contrition for my sins’ – must be one of the chief exercises of your spiritual life. And then God’s grace will not be wanting, provided there is good will on your part. How can we easily dispose ourselves for contrition?
Note well that in order to obtain God's grace, we must ask for it. Our author calls this asking one of the chief exercises of our spiritual life:
‘Lord, give me the grace of true repentance, of true contrition for my sins’
Every one of us - and we are all sinners - have the ability to pray these words at any time. Even if we don't "feel" sorrow for our sins, we can, by an act of will, say the words sincerely. And if, for some reason, we doubt our ability to just go ahead and pray as we know we should, Father Von Den Driesch provides this exercise to assist us:
Place yourself really or in imagination before a crucifix in the church or in your room. Look with pity on the wounds of your Lord, and seriously think for a short time – Who is it that is hanging there and suffering on the Cross? Jesus, my God and Savior. What is He suffering? The most dreadful pain in His bloodstained body all covered with wounds, and in His soul overwhelmed with sorrow and shame. Why is He suffering so? For the sins of men, and for my sins. (He also in His bitter sufferings thought of me). He suffered for me, desired to atone for my sins. Thus let the warm saving blood of your Redeemer as it were, trickle down upon you; and with heartfelt love look upon your suffering, crucified Savior; forget heaven and hell in the thought of your sins; repent of them because they have been the cause of such suffering to your Savior; protest that you will never again crucify Him by new sins – and then with heart and lips, slowly and recollectedly repeat your act of contrition. An act of contrition may be made in various forms, and you may express it in your own words.
Two special points not to miss here:
1) "...protest that you will never again crucify Him by new sins..."
If you haven't already done so, it's time to take personal responsibility for Our Lord's crucifixion. Don't blame the Jews, or even the Romans. Put the blame where it belongs: on you.
2) "An act of contrition may be made in various forms, and you may express it in your own words."
Let's say you examine your conscience each day, followed by the classic Act of Contrition ("Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee," etc.). An admirable solid practice to be sure. But there's no reason that, in the moment you recognize a sin or sinful tendency you can't make an act of contrition right then and there. A simple "I'm sorry Jesus" can do the trick here. Father Von Den Driesch expands on this:
...you can often express the most ardent love and the most heartfelt sorrow in a few words, provided you have the proper intention and motive, namely, the love of God. For example by the aspirational prayers: ‘My God and my All!’ ‘O my Jesus, mercy!’ ‘O my God, I love thee above all things!’ ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!’ ‘Jesus, I live for Thee!’ Finally, perfect contrition cannot be beyond our reach because God has given it the power to produce such excellent effects; therefore, He desires us to excite ourselves to it, and He will help us to do so.
Next Sunday we'll get into the incredible and awesome effects of perfect contrition. Until then, consider checking in with us for our weekly posts, usually on Tuesday and Thursday.
When you as well as the whole human race were lost through original sin, God gave His Only-Begotten Son, and He, your Savior, redeemed you by His cruel death on the Cross. He thought of you with heartfelt love when He suffered the terrible agony in the Garden of Olives, the bloody scourging and crowning with thorns, and when He carried his heavy Cross up the long, bitter way of Calvary, and when He shed His blood in unutterable torments on the Cross – He was ever thinking of you with heartfelt love as if you were the only human being on earth. And what follows from this? ‘Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us.
So our expression of perfect contrition - based on our love for God - flows from God's love for us. It all sounds so, well, perfect - except for the way we typically respond to God's love:
‘What return have I made to God for His love and goodness?’ Answer: ‘I have repaid Him with ingratitude and sin!’
We can blame our fallen human nature for this. But having recognized our tendency to sin, we still have the choice to resist.
And are you sorry for this ingratitude? ‘Yes, certainly.’ Surely you will make amends for your past ingratitude by greater love towards your great and loving Benefactor? ‘Yes.’ Then you have perfect contrition, sorrow arising from the love of God. This repentance, this sorrow, from love of God, is called Perfect Contrition.
Of course, while recognizing our sinfulness should result in this perfect contrition, we know that what we should do and what we actually do don't always match. Still, there's no need for despair here. We also know that God will give us the grace we need to repent for our sins because of our love for Him.
Perfect contrition is a grace, a great grace of the love and mercy of God. You must earnestly ask for this grace, and not only when you are preparing yourself for confession. The sincere prayer – ‘Lord, give me the grace of true repentance, of true contrition for my sins’ – must be one of the chief exercises of your spiritual life. And then God’s grace will not be wanting, provided there is good will on your part. How can we easily dispose ourselves for contrition?
Note well that in order to obtain God's grace, we must ask for it. Our author calls this asking one of the chief exercises of our spiritual life:
‘Lord, give me the grace of true repentance, of true contrition for my sins’
Every one of us - and we are all sinners - have the ability to pray these words at any time. Even if we don't "feel" sorrow for our sins, we can, by an act of will, say the words sincerely. And if, for some reason, we doubt our ability to just go ahead and pray as we know we should, Father Von Den Driesch provides this exercise to assist us:
Place yourself really or in imagination before a crucifix in the church or in your room. Look with pity on the wounds of your Lord, and seriously think for a short time – Who is it that is hanging there and suffering on the Cross? Jesus, my God and Savior. What is He suffering? The most dreadful pain in His bloodstained body all covered with wounds, and in His soul overwhelmed with sorrow and shame. Why is He suffering so? For the sins of men, and for my sins. (He also in His bitter sufferings thought of me). He suffered for me, desired to atone for my sins. Thus let the warm saving blood of your Redeemer as it were, trickle down upon you; and with heartfelt love look upon your suffering, crucified Savior; forget heaven and hell in the thought of your sins; repent of them because they have been the cause of such suffering to your Savior; protest that you will never again crucify Him by new sins – and then with heart and lips, slowly and recollectedly repeat your act of contrition. An act of contrition may be made in various forms, and you may express it in your own words.
Two special points not to miss here:
1) "...protest that you will never again crucify Him by new sins..."
If you haven't already done so, it's time to take personal responsibility for Our Lord's crucifixion. Don't blame the Jews, or even the Romans. Put the blame where it belongs: on you.
2) "An act of contrition may be made in various forms, and you may express it in your own words."
Let's say you examine your conscience each day, followed by the classic Act of Contrition ("Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee," etc.). An admirable solid practice to be sure. But there's no reason that, in the moment you recognize a sin or sinful tendency you can't make an act of contrition right then and there. A simple "I'm sorry Jesus" can do the trick here. Father Von Den Driesch expands on this:
...you can often express the most ardent love and the most heartfelt sorrow in a few words, provided you have the proper intention and motive, namely, the love of God. For example by the aspirational prayers: ‘My God and my All!’ ‘O my Jesus, mercy!’ ‘O my God, I love thee above all things!’ ‘God be merciful to me a sinner!’ ‘Jesus, I live for Thee!’ Finally, perfect contrition cannot be beyond our reach because God has given it the power to produce such excellent effects; therefore, He desires us to excite ourselves to it, and He will help us to do so.
Next Sunday we'll get into the incredible and awesome effects of perfect contrition. Until then, consider checking in with us for our weekly posts, usually on Tuesday and Thursday.
Happy Sunday!
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