Page 30 - Lessons and Activities on Prayer

Catechist background
an act of contrition is a simple, humble prayer of apology. ere are three components necessary to all prayers of contrition. First, the person needs to acknowledge the infraction or how he or she has hurt another; next, the person shows remorse; - nally, the person makes the intention to try not to do the same action again. an act of contrition is prayed so an individual can express sorrow for sin and repair the relationship with God.
an act of contrition is prayed whenever a per- son receives the sacrament of reconciliation. e priest will ask that person to make an act of contri- tion after acknowledging his or her sins. e act of contrition may be a formal one (memorized) or the person may make up a spontaneous one as long as it contains the three previously discussed compo- nents. a person may also pray this prayer before going to bed each night in order to ask God’s for- giveness for anything that might have hurt the re- lationship with God throughout the day.
honesty is one of the virtues to focus on with students. in Proverbs 12:22 we read “lying lips are an abomination to the lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” another scripture refer- ence is 2 corinthians 8:21, where we nd “For we intend to do what is right not only in the lord’s sight but also in the sight of others.” in colossians 3:9 we nd “do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put o the old self with its practices.” all three of these quotes encourage students to be honest at all times.
(optional: ere are several wonderful chil- dren’s books that focus on honesty; any of these are great discussion starters. My favorites are 1) e Empty Pot by demi, 2) e Honest-to-Goodness Truth by Patricia McKissack, 3) Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire by diane deGroat, and 4) Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by laura rankin.)
Prayer
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against you whom I should love
above all things. I rmly intend, with your help,
to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ su ered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
ACt of Contrition LeSSon PLan
Objectives
□ To discuss times we need to apologize
□ To know the components necessary in an apology □ To learn the act of contrition
materials
□ Circle template (page 31) □ Construction paper □ Glue
□ Scissors
lesson
▪ Gather the students around you. ▪ Talk about times we need to apologize. ▪ how does it feel to make an apology?
how does it feel to receive an apology? ▪ using the background information, discuss the
three components necessary for an apology. ▪ Give directions to role-play making apologies,
using examples from students’ daily lives. ▪ introduce the act of contrition, and direct
the children to make contrition caterpillars. ▪ To conclude the lesson, pray the
act of contrition together.
traditional prayers
7
aCt of Contrition
30
Twenty-Third Publications Sample