We Must Be Sorry for Our Sins 318. The most necessary part of our preparation for confession is contrition. We must be sorry for our sins because we have offended God by them. Contrition must be sincere, not in words only. Contrition must be universal, including all mortal sins.
Perfect contrition takes away sin even before confession.
1. when we have committed a mortal sin, 2. Perfect contrition does not excuse us from confession and it does not entitle us to receive Holy Communion. O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art 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 occasions of sin. We must be sorry at least for all our mortal sins.