Full Question
There
is no Catholic Church in my country as the government is very hostile
to the Vatican. As a result, I'm not baptized nor can I receive any
sacrament. But I hold the Catholic faith and have repented of my sins.
Can I baptize myself? And can I confess my sins directly to God? Or am I
going to hell?
Answer
While
you cannot baptize yourself, rest assured that if you should die with
no opportunity for baptism, your desire for it will suffice. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
explains in such cases, "the desire for Baptism… brings about the
fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament" (CCC 1258). Similarly, your
lack of access to the Sacrament of Penance need not exclude you from
God’s forgiveness. The Catechism explains:
Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first
place. Contrition is sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin
committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.
When it
arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is
called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial
sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm
resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as
possible. (CCC 1451-1452)
Never underestimate God’s desire for everyone’s salvation and His
willingness to forgive the truly repentant! You are in our prayers
Full Question
How does one make an act of contrition?
Answer
Contrition
may be either perfect or imperfect. While perfect contrition forgives
all sins, it does not relieve us of the obligation to go to confession.
The Catechism explains:
The contrition called "imperfect" (or "attrition") is also a gift of
God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of
sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties
threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of
conscience can initiate an interior process that, under the prompting of
grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By
itself, however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of
grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament
of penance. (CCC 1452–53)
An act of contrition is an expression to God of the sorrow of the
penitent. There is no required formula for this and it may be very
simple such as "Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The
Handbook of Prayers offers the following prayer:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you,
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 you, my God, who are
all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help
of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen. (p. 62)