Contrition

Contrition or contriteness (from the Latin contritus 'ground to pieces', i.e. crushed by guilt) is sincere and complete remorse for sins one has committed. The remorseful person is said to be contrite.

It is a key concept to Christianity. Through Christ, who is the mediator between God and man in most Christian religions, contrition becomes the first step towards reconciliation with God. In the Catholic Church, ordinarily absolution of sins occurs in confession to a priest of the Church; however, Protestantism, a religious movement which formed in the 16th century after breaking away from the Catholic Church, does not see confession to a catholic priest as necessary for forgiveness, while both the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations see contrition as the first step of forgiveness of sins. It is regarded as a prerequisite to divine forgiveness (see regeneration and ordo salutis). Its elements are hatred and regret for ones sin, a desire for God over sin, and faith in Christ's atonement on the cross and its sufficiency for salvation.