LESSON EIGHTEENTH ON CONTRITION
195. Q. What is contrition, or sorrow for sin?
A. Contrition, or sorrow for sin, is a hatred of sin and a true grief of
the soul for having offended God, with a firm purpose of sinning no
more.
196. Q. What kind of sorrow should we have for our sins?
A. The sorrow we should have for our sins should be interior,
supernatural, universal, and sovereign.
197. Q. What do you mean by saying that our sorrow should be interior?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be interior, I mean that it should
come from the heart, and not merely from the lips.
198. Q. What do you mean by saying that our sorrow should be
supernatural?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be supernatural, I mean that it
should be prompted by the grace of God, and excited by motives which
spring from faith, and not by merely natural motives.
199. Q. What do you mean by saying that our sorrow should be universal?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be universal, I mean that we should
be sorry for all our mortal sins without exception.
200. Q. What do you mean when you say that our sorrow should be
sovereign?
A. When I say that our sorrow should be sovereign, I mean that we should
grieve more for having offended God than for any other evil that can
befall us.
201. Q. Why should we be sorry for our sins?
A. We should be sorry for our sins, because sin is the greatest of evils
and an offense against God our Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer, and
because it shuts us out of heaven and condemns us to the eternal pains
of hell.
202. Q. How many kinds of contrition are there?
A. There are two kinds of contrition: perfect contrition and imperfect
contrition.
203. Q. What is perfect contrition?
A. Perfect contrition is that which fills us with sorrow and hatred for
sin, because it offends God, who is infinitely good in Himself and
worthy of all love.
204. Q. What is imperfect contrition?
A. Imperfect contrition is that by which we hate what offends God,
because by it we lose heaven and deserve hell; or because sin is so
hateful in itself.
205. Q. Is imperfect contrition sufficient for a worthy confession?
A. Imperfect contrition is sufficient for a worthy confession, but we
should endeavor to have perfect contrition.
206. Q. What do you mean by a firm purpose of sinning no more?
A. By a firm purpose of sinning no more I mean a fixed resolve not only
to avoid all mortal sin, but also its near occasions.
207. Q. What do you mean by the near occasions of sin?
A. By the near occasions of sin I mean all the persons, places, and
things that may easily lead us into sin.
Next - Baltimore Catechism #2 - LESSON NINETEENTH ON CONFESSION
Please note that there are gaps in the numbering, and some questions are out of order, because the questions are numbered to agree with the 'Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism' (Baltimore Catechism #4)
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