Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for
 having offended thee, and I detest
 all my sins, because of your just
 punishments, but most of all because
 they offend you, my Lord, who are
 all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of
 thy grace, to sin no more and to
 avoid the near occasion of sin amen.  

I used to utter this prayer just before I exited the small-enclosed booth called the confessional after  taking the sacrament of penance or reconciliation as it is referred to now in modern times. The act of penance was the admission of the sins I had committed  (both Mortal and Venial) to my parish priest.  The opening line went something like this: Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been 6 weeks since my last confession. Anything longer made me feel uncomfortable as if I was living a graceful life, which I surely was not.  

At first I was able to rattle off the venial sins, which I used as filler to help masquerade the more egregious ones like missing church, lying or the ultimate sin having impure thoughts. It was a relief that my father confessor never pressed me for more detail on those mental excursions and for that I was grateful. Usually those prurient cognitions paled by comparison to the adult sins of sex I would be guilty of in my 20s and 30s.  

The fine or penance was usually a rosary of 10 Hail Mary’s topped off by the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. And as the priest made the sign of the cross from behind the grilled partition I knew that the sacrament was coming to a close and as he whispered his blessings he told me to say the Act of Contrition and I was dismissed.  Taking the sacrament penance gave me the gift of a clean soul and I could therefore receive communion the next day and receive a double helping of Sanctifying Grace. Sanctifying Grace? That can be another story for Jack Briant Reporter.