True Contrition vs. Fear: A Catholic Girl Explains!

If you're not Catholic, you probably don't hear the word contrition very much; but Catholics are fond of saying a prayer, called the Act of Contrition. It's a memorized prayer, like the Lord's Prayer. Since contrition means to be sorry, it's a prayer telling God we're sorry for our sins, so it's basically a prayer of repentance. We tell God we're sorry and ask for his forgiveness. So, even if you're not familiar with the word or the prayer, most Christians can identify with repentance and forgiveness. I wanted to write about this topic after seeing an interview that Oprah did with Joel Osteen, the smiling preacher. At one point, after mentioning Catholics, she says, people are just tired of doctrine, dogma, fear, and guilt. Many people think, this is what drives the Catholic Christian. Oprah's assessment, couldn't be more off target. What Catholic Christian's believe, is often misunderstood and misrepresented. For Catholic's, TRUE Contrition or Perfect Contrition, comes from our desire to please God. We don't repent because we fear God's punishment. We repent, because we don't want to hurt our Heavenly Father and subsequently, the Body of Christ, his Church. We are driven from Love, not fear! I'm not going to say sinning doesn't come with guilt, but there's a difference between healthy guilt and guilt that brings fear. God designed each person with an internal conscious, a desire to do what is right, and to know right, from wrong. This internal conscious is a gift from God, not a feeling to ignore. So, despite Oprah's interpretation of religious-based fear and guilt, I respectfully disagree. True contrition is not fear-based, but born from a clear conscious and a deep love of God!!http://www.thefreedictionary.com/contrition

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