PERFECT CONTRITION A GOLDEN KEY OF HEAVEN BY REV. J. VON DEN DRIESCH With Preface by REV. A. LEHMKUHL, S. J. Translated by REV. TH. SLATER, S.J. rHE PAULIST PRESS NEW YORK, N. Y. PREFACE TPHIS little work treats of an important truth, one which, however, is too little appreciated by the faithful, and it treats of it in so attractive and instructive a manner that these few pages are more valuable and prac­ Nihil Obstat: tical than many volumes. Sti Ludovici, die 8, Oct. 1904. St. Alphonsus Liguori, among many other F. G. HOLWECK, little books, wrote one on Prayer, which he Censor Librorutn. called—"The great means of salvation." He Imprimatur: desired to see the book in the hands of every Sti Ludovici, die 11, Oct. 1904. one, because it treated of so important and * JOANNES J. GLENNON, effective a means for enabling souls to gain Archiepiscopus Sti Ludovici. Heaven. In a slightly different, but not less true sense, may we call acts of perfect Charity and Contrition the great means of salvation; nay, they are more closely related to the attaining of salvation than prayer alone. And hence I desire that this little booklet PRINTED AND PUBLISHED rN THE U. S. A. may be in the hands of all—convinced that BY THE PAUXIST PRESS, NEW YORK, N. Y. by the attentive reading of it, and practicing its maxims, the gates of Heaven will be opened to many, very many for whom other­ wise they might have been closed forever; and that many more remaining in God's grace, will preserve their right to Heaven, REPRINTED BY PERMISSION and their eternal happiness will grow and be B. HERDER BOOK CO., ST. LOUIS, MO. increased immeasurably. All Christians should i 4 PERFECT CONTRITION be solidly instructed concerning the extent of the efficacy of an act of perfect Charity and INTRODUCTION of perfect Contrition. It is a matter of incal­ Dear Reader, the title of this little booklet culable importance for the time of their own has, no doubt, excited your curiosity and you death, and that of others at which they may wish to know what is meant by "A Golden be present. No one should forget this truth Key of Heaven." It may be that your sus­ while in health; in time of sickness or in picions have been aroused, and your pastor danger of death it is all the more important may have warned you in his Sunday instruc­ that the nature of perfect contrition should tions against superstitious pamphlets and be clearly and deeply impressed on those who leaflets of prayers found on the sepulchre of may have forgotten it or who only imper­ our Lord,—miraculous prayers that absolutely fectly understood it. For this reason I wish guarantee to protect you from sudden death this little booklet the widest circulation by lightning, drowning, etc., etc. "But" you possible, and I doubt not that it will bear may think "if the title of this little booklet fruit of innumerable graces. tells the truth, it suits me exactly. I could P. A. LEHMKUHL, SJ. make good use of a Key of Heaven, and it Valkenburg, College of St. Ignatius. is even a golden key which the author holds October 1903. up before my eyes and so it must be a valu­ able one; if the key fits and is not counterfeit, it is just the right thing for me." Yes, my dear friend, the Key of Heaven fits,—it is pure gold, and it is easily handled; it is nothing else than Perfect Contrition. It opens Heaven for you at will, on any day and at any moment, when mortal sin has barred Heaven against you. It may be that the priest, the bearer of the keys of God's mercy cannot be with you in the hour of death, then perfect contrition alone is your last and only 5 6 PERFECT CONTRITION key to Heaven, by which with God's grace, you can still open Heaven for yourself, if PERFECT CONTRITION during life you have learnt how to use it. You will have perceived that it is an import­ ant, a most important matter which is rec­ What is Perfect Contrition? ommended to you in this little booklet, for Contrition is a sorrow of the soul, a de­ innumerable souls are now in Heaven by testation of sin committed, to which is joined means of perfect contrition who would have the purpose, the sincere determination to lead been lost without it. Hence the learned and a better life, and to sin no more. pious Cardinal Franzelin said: "Could I To be of any avail, Contrition must be preach throughout the whole world of nothing interior, that is, it must be in the soul, and would I speak more frequently than of perfect not merely be uttered with the lips, without reflection; that would be merely a sorrow of contrition." the lips. It is not necessary that this interior You will learn further on how I came to contrition should manifest itself outwardly, write this little booklet, and, as it were, as for instance, by sighs or tears; these may preach throughout the country of perfect be signs of contrition, but they are not the Contrition. May the grace of our loving and essence of contrition. The essence of contri­ tion is in the soul, in the will, which sincerely merciful God help you to understand it turns away from sin, and, to God. rightly, and above all to practice it, for that Contrition must also be universal; that is, is the most important point. And now, in it must include all the sins committed, at least God's name, I begin. all the mortal sins. And finally, Contrition must be superna­ tural. Contrition, like all good things, must come from God, through God's grace, and with the help of God's grace it must produce its effect in the soul. But be not uneasy if you do not feel it, for God certainly will give you the necessary grace if you ask Him for it, if you have a good will, if you are contrite from a right, supernatural motive. If the motive for contrition is derived from nature, 7 8 PERFECT CONTRITION PERFECT CONTRITION from pure reason for example, if you are sorry sorry for our sins, because we fear God, only because you must suffer sickness, dis­ because by our sins we lose God's reward, grace, temporal loss, etc., then the contrition Heaven, and deserve God"s punishment, hell is merely natural and worthless; but if the or purgatory. motive for contrition is a doctrine of Faith, In imperfect contrition, or attrition we for example, if you are sorry because you think principally of ourselves, of how sin offended God, deserved hell, purgatory, lost makes us unhappy—according to the doc­ Heaven, etc., then it is true and supernatural trines of Faith. In perfect contrition we contrition. This true and supernatural con­ think principally of God, of His greatness, trition may be twofold, perfect and imperfect. beauty, love and goodness, of how sin is an What is perfect Contrition? Perfect Contri­ injury to Him, yea, how it has caused Him tion is a sorrow which comes from the love suffering and pain in the work of our salva­ of God; imperfect Contrition, or attrition is tion. In perfect contrition we desire God's sorrow which comes from the fear of God. good and not merely our own good. An ex­ Contrition is perfect if it comes from perfect ample will make this clear to you. Peter love of God. Our love of God is perfect when denied our Saviour: he went forth in the night we love God because He is infinitely perfect, and wept bitterly. Why does Peter weep? beautiful and good in Himself (this we may Not because he thinks—"Ah how ashamed I call love of benevolence), and because He must feel before my fellow Apostles!" His has shown His love and goodness to us in so sorrow in that case would have been merely effective a manner (or love of gratitude). natural and worthless. Nor because he fears Our love of God is imperfect if we love Him that his divine Master will deprive him as he because we hope for some benefit from Him. deserves of the apostleship, and of his office When our love is imperfect we are thinking of chief pastor, and will exclude him from principally of the gift; when it is perfect, on His kingdom; for then his contrition would the goodness of the giver. In imperfect love have been true, but imperfect. No, Peter is it is rather the gift that we love, in perfect sorry and weeps for his sin chiefly because he love it is the giver that we love not so much has offended his dear Master, who is so good, for the sake of his gift, as for the love and holy and worthy of love, and because he has goodness which are shown in the gift. repaid His exceeding love with ingratitude; Contrition is measured by love. According and thus he had true, perfect contrition. to this standard our contrition is perfect, if Have you, my brother, reason, as Peter we are sorry for our sins from perfect love of had, to be sorry for your sins through love,— God, from the love of benevolence or grati­ true, grateful love for God? Oh certainly! tude. Our contrition is imperfect if we are You could more easily count the hairs of 10 PERFECT CONTRITION PERFECT CONTRITION 11 your head than the benefits of God.