Ignite the first holy desire this Lent: Enter the Mass with a contrite heart, humbly acknowledging your sins and craving God’s mercy. Reject the unholy illusion of sinlessness that bars grace. In this 90-minute session, led by David L. Gray, experience the transformative power of the Opening Rite, where penance disposes us for the Paschal Mystery.
Session Outcomes
By day’s end, you’ll:
- Hear profound teachings on perfect and imperfect contrition, drawn from Church tradition and the Council of Trent.
- Experience guided prayer with Psalm 51 and the Confiteor, fostering interior sorrow prompted by grace.
- Learn to distinguish holy contrition (sincere, supernatural hatred of sin) from unholy self-justification, understanding how penance opens us to justification.
- Apply insights through examen and a resolve for sacramental confession, preparing your soul for Lent’s journey to Easter.
“Contrition must be real and sincere sorrow of heart, and not merely an external manifestation of repentance… prompted by God’s grace and aroused by motives which spring from faith.” (Council of Trent, Sess. XIV, ch. iv de Contritione)
What You’ll Experience (90-Minute Breakdown)
- Opening Prayer (0-10 min): Immerse in Psalm 51 (“Create in me a clean heart”) and the Rite of Penance (Confiteor), invoking communal contrition as the liturgy’s gateway.
- Teaching Talk (10-40 min): Unpack the holy desire to “show up humbly, confess sins interiorly and supernaturally, desiring God’s mercy as essential for grace.” Contrast with the unholy desire to “act sinless, lacking awareness—blocking justification.” Explore how Lenten penance restores us for Christ’s Passion; even attrition suffices with the sacrament. “In accord with Catholic tradition, contrition… must be at once (a) interior, (b) supernatural, (c) universal, and (d) sovereign.” Key insights: Contrition’s necessity arises from repentance’s nature and God’s command; perfect contrition reconciles ante sacramentaliter but includes votum sacramenti.
- Silent Reflection (40-60 min):
- Examine personal sins; pray an Act of Contrition.
- Journal: “How does denial of sin hinder my salvation?”
- Group Sharing (60-80 min): In small breakouts, respond to: “What unholy self-justification blocks your contrition?” – moderated for vulnerability and charity.
- Closing & Commissioning (80-90 min): Receive an absolution-style prayer; homework: Daily Examen and schedule Confession.
Why This Matters for Lent
As the liturgy forms faith—”let the rule for prayer determine the rule of belief”—Day 1 equips you to approach every Mass with sovereign contrition, the “prime condition” for expiation and amendment. Emerge with a “contrite heart” God does not despise, ready for deeper Lenten conversion.
Included: Digital workbook page with Psalm 51, Act of Contrition, and examen guide. Prepare by recalling recent venials/mortals.
