This month’s memory verse for grades 3-6 is likely to be very familiar to your kids.  No matter where you prepared for the sacrament of Reconciliation, learning an Act of Contrition was part of the program.

When you get to the part of confession where you pray an Act of Contrition, the Rite of Penance says:

“The priest then asks the penitent to express his sorrow, which the penitent may do in these or similar words:”              [followed by several choices]

There is no “official” version that is required to receive the Sacrament – you can even make up your own prayer to expresses your sorrow.  All versions of this prayer have several elements in common; you recognized you have sinned, that sin is wrong, you’re sorry for these sins, and you’ll try to do better in the future.

We’ve chosen to use a traditional version in Family Formation materials for a few different reasons:

• This one is time-tested and creates a bridge between children and their parents who likely learned a similar version when they were preparing for the sacrament of Reconciliation.
• The language is expressive.  Being heartily sorry, detesting your sins, and firmly resolving to do better are all phrases that beautifully capture the essence of repentance and conversion.
• Sin is serious business and it’s good to be reminded that it’s consequences are the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.  Of course we don’t want to frighten children with visions of hell, but we all need to be reminded from time to time that it’s a real place.
• In addition, the phrasing in the second sentence teaches about two important distinctions; perfect and imperfect contrition.  No matter what motivates your sorrow for sin (be it a fear of hell, or the more pure realization that you’ve offended your loving Savior), God will be glad to use it as a starting point on your journey to deeper conversion.

Repentance (also called contrition) must be inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from love of charity for God, it is called “perfect” contrition; if it is founded on other motives, it is called “imperfect.”  -CCC 1492

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You.

I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, O my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.

Amen.