Fly, fly then, little book, like a butterfly with golden wings, enter into the houses of the rich and of the poor; go into the schools and workshops; fly over mountains and plains, over land and sea; find your way into the steamers and trains; penetrate the mines; ascend to the aeroplane in the clouds; where ever sin and death may be, there bring the light and consolation that are contained in your modest pages.
FIRST of all, what is contrition? Later on we will see about that word 'perfect. It must be accompanied by a firm resolution of amending one's life and of sinning no more. Now, for real contrition, three conditions are necessary-it must he internal, universal, and supernatural. It must come from the depths of the heart, and does not consist of acts pronounced. It is not necessary to manifest our sorrow by sighs and tears. These may be signs of contrition, but they are not essential or necessary parts of it. Contrition rests in the soul and in the firm resolution of leaving our sin and returning to God.
Our contrition would be natural, and thereby useless, if it were founded on some purely natural motive of interest or reason-as, for example, if we were sorry because our sins brought us some illness or dishonour or pecuniary loss. But if our sorrow is founded on some truth of our Faith-for example, the loss of Heaven or the fear of Hell-it is supernatural and meritorious. Now, supernatural contrition may be either imperfect or perfect; and here we return to Perfect Contrition.
Contrition is imperfect when we are sorry through fear of God. It is perfect when we are sorry through love of Him. In the first case we are sorry for having offended God because we fear His just anger and punishment; in the second case, we are sorry because sin offends God, Who is so infinitely good and lovable. Perfect Contrition springs from the perfect love of God, and our love for God is perfect when we love Him because He is infinitely perfect, infinitely beautiful, infinitely good in Himself, or because, by His innumerable gifts to us, He has shown His love for us.
On the other hand, our love for God is imperfect when we love Him because we hope for some benefit from Him. But should this something be Himself in so much as He is our Supreme Good, then this would be perfect love. From this you will clearly see that when our love is imperfect we think principally of ourselves, of the benefits we have received; whereas, if it is perfect, we think principally of God- of the goodness of Him Who enriches us with His benefits. When our love is imperfect we love the gifts we have received; when it is perfect we love the Giver of these gifts, not so much for the gifts He gives as for the love and goodness that these gifts manifest in Him.
Now, sorrow or contrition springs from love, and so it follows that our contrition will be perfect when we repent of our sins through the perfect love of God-i. Our contrition will be imperfect if we repent through fear of God, because by sinning we have lost Heaven or merited the pains of Purgatory or Hell.
When our sorrow is imperfect we think above all about ourselves, and of the punishment that our sins will bring on us in the next life in much the same way as a child is sorry for some fault because it fears a thrashing. With perfect contrition we think principally about God, about His greatness, His goodness, His beauty, His Love, all of which attributes we offend in sinning, and for which sins the God-Man, our Adorable Saviour, suffered so much.
It is like a child repenting of a fault because it has grieved its parents, who are so good and loving, and have done so much for it. One other little example will help to explain all this much better. Peter denied his Divine Master he thought of his sin, and, 'going out, wept bitterly. Perhaps for the shame he would feel in front of the other Apostles? If this was the reason, then his sorrow was purely natural and without merit for Heaven.
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Perhaps he feared being deprived of his dignity as an Apostle and Prince of the Apostles, or perhaps he feared losing Heaven. These certainly would be worthy motives, but still his sorrow would be imperfect. Peter wept and repented because he had offended his beloved Master, Who was so good, so holy, so worthy of his love; he wept because he had repaid that love with the blackest ingratitude, and, as a consequence, his contrition was perfect, his sin was forgiven.
With this golden key he had again reopened the doors of Heaven, which he had closed a moment before by his triple denial. And, dear reader, have you not as much reason to detest your own sins? The benefits you have received are more numerous than the hairs on your head, and for each of these gifts you should exclaim with St. John, 'Let us love God Who has first loved us. And how has God loved us? I have had pity on you and drawn you to Myself.
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So He has loved us with an eternal love. Right from eternity, before you were born-aye, even before this world was made or the angels themselves were created. He turned towards you one of those loving looks that pierce the very heart; for you He created the heavens and the earth, for you He prepared a body and a soul with all the tenderness of a mother preparing for the coming of her child. It is God Who gave you life and keeps you in life; it is He Who from day to day gives you all those natural goods that you enjoy.
Such a thought should be sufficient to induce the very pagans to the perfect love of God. But how much more reason have not you, a Christian, a Catholic, to love Him with a perfect love- you who experience a signal proof of His goodness and love, for 'He has pity on you'?
You, in consequence of the fall of our First Parents, were condemned with the rest of mankind, but your Heavenly Father sent His only Son to be your Saviour and to redeem you with His Precious Blood. During His Agony in the Garden He thought of you. He thought of you as His Blood flowed from the wounds caused by the cruel scourges and crown of thorns. It was of you He thought as He laboured under the heavy Cross up the hill of Calvary.
It was of you He thought and for you He suffered as He expired in shame and agony on the Cross. Yes, He thought of you with as tender a love as if you were the only person in the world, so that youcan truly say with St. Paul, 'He loved me and gave Himself up to death for me. This, and this only-'Let us love God who has first loved us. Besides, God drew you to Himself by Baptism, the first and most important grace in this life, and by the Church into whose bosom you were then admitted.
How many there are who find the True Church only after trials and sacrifices of every kind! How many, again, who never know it! But through the love and mercy of Almighty God you were endowed with the gift of the True Faith in your cradle. He continues to draw you to Himself by means of the Sacraments and of innumerable other graces, both internal and external. You are, as it were, submerged in an ocean-in the ocean of divine love and mercy.
Not satisfied with all these proofs of His love, He wishes to crown all these favours by placing you in Heaven, near to Himself, where you will be eternally happy. What return can you make for all this love? Nothing but love can repay love, and so do not all these proofs of His infinite love force us to love Him and to exclaim with St. Paul, 'Caritas Christi urget nos'? The love of Christ constrains us to love Him in return.
Now, let us examine a little. How have you corresponded to the love of a God so loving and so lovable?
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Undoubtedly, with ingratitude and sin. But do you not now repent of such ingratitude? I have no doubt but that at this moment your heart burns with a desire of repairing such ingratitude by means of a whole-hearted love. If such is the case, then at this very moment you have Perfect Contrition-that contrition, viz. But this contrition may be of a still higher degree and consist in loving God simply because He is infinitely perfect, infinitely glorious, and worthy of being loved above every other thing, independent of His mercies towards us.
Let us make a comparison. Astronomers tell us that in the firmament there are stars as large and as brilliant as the sun, but so far away that they are invisible to the naked eye. Now, though these stars give us neither light nor warmth, are they not as worthy of our admiration as the sun itself? And suppose, now, that man had never experienced any benefits from that eternal Star-the Love of God; suppose that Almighty God had not created the earth or any living creature; He would not on this account be any less wise, less grand, less beautiful, less glorious, less worthy of love, because in Himself and through Himself He is the Supreme Good.
This is what we mean when we recite the words, 'I detest my sins above every other evil because they displease Thee, my God, Who for Thine infinite goodness art so deserving of all my love.
By this means you will easily understand it, and, like a fiery dart, it will pierce and inflame your heart. Behold the practical way of exciting yourself to Perfect Contrition. In return Our Blessed Lady obtained for him the grace to make an act of Perfect Contrition before dying, and he is saved. Our Lady, in return for that very small token of love he showed her, placed in his hands at that supreme moment the Golden Key of Paradise.
First of all, we must bear in mind that Perfect Contrition is a grace-a great grace- from God. We should therefore constantly pray for it. Ask for it, not only when you wish to make an Act of Contrition, but often during the day. It should be the object of your most ardent desires. Repeat often, 'My God! Besides this, here is an easy way of making an Act of Contrition.
Kneel down before a crucifix in a church or in your room, or, if you cannot do this, imagine yourself to be in the presence of Jesus Christ, and, while looking at His wounds, think for a few moments, and then repeat these or similar words, 'Who is This nailed to a Cross? It is Jesus-my God and Saviour. And see how He suffers! His Body covered with wounds and blood; His Soul submerged in anguish and humiliations. Why does He suffer?
For the sins of mankind, and so for mine also. In the abyss of His torments He is thinking of me. He is suffering for me. He is making reparation for my sins. Ask yourself how you have corresponded with these proofs of love. Call to mind your past sins, and, forgetting for a moment both Heaven and Hell, repent because your sins have reduced your Saviour to so pitiable a state.
Promise Him that you will not crucify Him again, and then slowly and fervently repeat the Act of Contrition. Better still, repeat those wards of sorrow that will spontaneously rise up in your heart, now softened by grace and filled with a holy bitterness. It will not be out of place to call to mind here what St.
Charles Borromeo taught his penitents when they went to Confession. Make three little visits-the first above, the second below, the third in the middle. Your visit up above will show you Paradise, which you have renounced for some empty pleasure, for some sinful thought, or word or act. The displeasure that will arise in your heart at the thought of this loss will be good attrition, or imperfect contrition, and in Confession will suffice to wash away your sins.
The sorrow arising from this consideration is also excellent, and sufficient in Confession. The knowledge that the Crucified One is Infinite Goodness Itself, your greatest Benefactor, Whom, instead of loving, you have insulted and crucified, will awaken in your heart sentiments of love and sorrow that will wipe away your sins even before you enter the confessional.
Dear reader, remember these three visits of St. Charles, not only when you go to Confession, but each time you wish to excite yourself to Perfect Contrition. No doubt, it is more difficult to make an act of Perfect Contrition than an Imperfect one, which suffices when we go to Confession.
But still, there is no one who, if he sincerely wishes it, cannot, with the grace of God, make an act of Perfect Contrition. Sorrow is in the will, not in the senses or feelings. All that is needed is that we repent because we love God above everything else; that is all. True it is that Perfect Contrition has its degrees, but it is none the less perfect because it does not reach the intensity and sublimity of the sorrow of St. Mary Magdalene, or of St. Such a degree is very desirable, but is by no means necessary.
A lesser degree, but, provided it proceeds from the love of God, and not through fear of His punishments, is quite sufficient. And it is very consoling to remember that for the years before the coming of Christ the only means sinners had of obtaining pardon was this same Perfect Contrition. There was no Sacrament of Penance in those days. Even today for thousands-aye, for millions-of pagans, of non-Catholics, and of Catholics, too, who have no time to call a priest to their bedside, the only means of pardon and salvation is an act of Perfect Contrition. Now, if it is true that God does not wish the death of a sinner, it follows that He does not wish to impose on His creatures a contrition or sorrow beyond their powers, but one that is within the reach of everyone.
And so, if millions of poor creatures who, through no fault of their own, live and die outside the True Fold, if these can obtain the grace of Perfect Contrition, do you imagine, dear reader, that it will be difficult for you-you who enjoy the happiness of being a Christian and a Catholic, and so are capable of receiving much greater graces than they-you who are far better instructed in things divine than the poor infidels are?
But I dare to go even further. Often, very often, without even thinking of it, you have Perfect Contrition for your sins. For example, when you hear Mass devoutly or make the Stations of the Cross properly; when you reflect before your crucifix or an image of the Sacred Heart.
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What is more, every time you say the 'Our Father,' in the first three petitions you make three acts of perfect charity, each of which is sufficient to cancel every sin from your soul. Very often, a few words suffice to express the most ardent love and the most profound sorrow -for instance, the little ejaculations, 'My Jesus, mercy,' 'My God and my All,' 'My God, I love Thee above all things,' 'My God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.
Take the case of David, who for one curious look fell into the sin of adultery, and then of murder. Having committed these sins, he lived on quite unconcerned about the state of his soul till the prophet Nathan came to reprove him. And this reproach induced David to make an act of Perfect Contrition in a few words, 'Pec- cavi Domino' 'I have sinned against the Lord'.
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So efficacious was his contrition that the prophet, inspired by God, exclaimed, 'The Lord has forgiven you. She did not even say one word, but simply wept at the Feet of Jesus. Jesus saw the sorrow in her heart, and, turning to her, said: And love demands neither time nor trouble; it suffices to think of Jesus crucified, for it is impossible then not to love Him, and to be sorry for the sins by which we have crucified Him.
Remember the good thief -a robber condemned to death-and yet for those few words spoken from his heart, 'Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy Kingdom,' he was immediately promised Heaven by Christ Himself: Lastly, look at St. Peter, who denied his Master three times. Jesus looked at him; Peter said not a single word, but, 'going out, wept bitterly.
Dear readers, should we ever have the misfortune to offend God, let us give a look at the tabernacle where Jesus is palpitating with love for us, or let us think of Calvary. Our hearts will be touched. We shall be forgiven and saved. Suppose the person before he makes an act of Perfect Contrition is in the state of mortal sin. Immediately, before even he goes to Confession-so long as he has the intention of going when opportunity offers- all his sins are forgiven. Not only is the eternal punishment of Hell remitted, but all his merits, which he had lost by sinning, are again restored to him.
And if the person making this Act of Contrition is in the state of grace, his soul is strengthened against future temptations, his venial sins are forgiven, his purgatory is lessened, and the love of God increases in his soul. Behold the wonderful effects of the mercy of God produced in the soul of the Christian, and even in that of the pagan in good faith, by an act of Perfect Contrition. Perhaps in reading this you will be surprised and inclined to say, 'I can well understand that at the moment of death we should ask for the grace of Perfect Contrition, and that at that supreme moment it produces these wonderful effects, but I can scarcely credit that it has this power at all times, and when we are well and strong.
In short, it is as certain as the Word of God. Now, the Council of Trent says nothing about the moment of death-it makes no distinction of time or circumstances, and so always and at any moment during life this golden key opens the gates of Paradise. This declaration of Holy Church is simply the explanation of those words of Our Divine Saviour, 'If anyone loves Me' and no one can love Him without being sorry for having offended Him -'if anyone loves Me, My Father will love Him, and We will come and dwell in him. Such has always been the teaching of the Church, and when a heretic denied it he was condemned by Rome.
But, seeing how efficacious Perfect Contrition is, seeing how it cleanses the soul even before Confession, you may be inclined to say, 'Why, then, go to Confession at all? Was not Confession instituted by Jesus Christ for the remission of sins? And if Perfect Contrition remits sin even before Confession, where is the necessity of Confession? Confession is the ordinary means instituted by Christ for the forgiveness of sin, and Perfect Contrition supposes the intention of confessing those sins already for given by this Act of Contrition.
Without this intention an Act of Contrition would not remit a single mortal sin. If there existed a cure to cancer, who among us would not be thankful?! Well, Perfect Contrition provides us with much more than that; it frees us from eternal death and opens to us eternal life and joy! Before explaining this beautiful gift of God, it must be known that we can only profit from it if we are sincerely sorrow for all mortal sins, such as those listed by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6: Other sins could be added to this list, such as those found in this online Catechism: Reading this Catechism makes one more aware of sin, which is deadly.
Read the Catechism, dear friend! Sorrow is in the will, not in the senses or feelings. All that is needed is that we repent because we love God above everything else; that is all. True it is that perfect contrition has its degrees, but it is none the less perfect because it does not reach the intensity and the sublimity of the sorrow of St.
Mary Magdalene, or of St. Such a degree is desirable, but it is by no means necessary.
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A lesser degree, but, provided it proceeds from the love of God, and not through fear of His punishments is quite sufficient. We should therefore constantly pray for it. Ask for it, not only when you wish to make an Act of Contrition, but often during the day. It should be the object of your most ardent desires. Ask yourself how you have corresponded with these proofs of love. Call to mind your past sins, and forgetting for a moment both Heaven and Hell, repent because your sins have reduced your Saviour to so pitiable a state.
Promise Him that you will not crucify Him again, and then slowly and fervently repeat the Act of Contrition. Better still, repeat those wards of sorrow that will spontaneously rise up in your heart, now softened by grace and filled with a holy bitterness. Make three little visits- the first above Heaven , the second below Hell , the third in the middle Calvary. After the distractions of the day, when you are at home in the quiet of the evening, your conscience will begin to trouble you, you will begin to feel ill at ease, and perhaps frightened, and with very good reason, too. What are you to do?