In this manner:
my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, 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 confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
§ 4. Confession.
48. What is Confession?
Confession is a sorrowful declaration of our sins to a Priest, in order to obtain Absolution from him.
49. What are the necessary Qualities of Confession?
Confession must be, 1. Entire; 2. Sincere; and 3. Clear.
50. When is Confession ' entire '?
When we confess, at least, all grievous sins which we remember, together with their number and necessary circumstances.
51. But what must we do, if we do not recollect the number rightly?
We must declare it as well as we are able, and say, for instance: I have committed this sin about .... times a day, week, or month.
52. What sort of circumstances must we confess?
We must, 1. Especially confess such circumstances as change the nature, or aggravate the guilt, of our sins; and 2. Mention in general everything by which the Confessor may be enabled to judge rightly of the state of our conscience, and to put us on our guard against relapsing into sin.
1. Should a person have stolen Church property, wished his parents dead, coveted his neighbor's wife, injured some one by telling a lie, etc., it would not be sufficient for him to confess merely that he has stolen, wished some persons dead, had an evil desire, told a lie. 2. Therefore, we must also declare
