Originally published at National Catholic Register
Throughout the Christian way of life, and especially in Lent, believers are called to examine their consciences and repent of their sins. The deeper the repentance, the greater the conversion of heart, and the greater the resolution of amendment.
As Christians, we are confident to confess our sins and ask God for his mercy, since God always rallies our cause and is eager to accept our sorrow and give us a new beginning in Jesus Christ.
To aid us in our repentance, the Church provides us with the Act of Contrition. It is a pivotal and central prayer in the Church’s spiritual treasury. The prayer is known to many believers as a part of the sacrament of Confession, but the prayer should be prayed far more often, even daily.
The Act of Contrition is as simple as a wading pool and as deep as an ocean. Our task, therefore, is to plumb its depths as we mature in the Lord.
The first step in exploring the riches of the Act of Contrition is to learn and memorize the prayer and to pray it from our hearts. Regrettably, the memorization of prayers has seen a decline in recent decades, but the
