138 THE MEANS OF GRACE 



Of course, this binds only those who have commit- 

 ted mortal sin. 8 No definite time is assigned for 

 the fulfillment of this obligation, but the Church 

 recommends that it be done in Lent. As a rule 

 the annual confession is made in connection with 

 the prescribed paschal Communiono Frequent 

 reception of the Sacrament of Penance may be 

 recommended as a most effective protection 

 against sin and a powerful means of perfection. 9 



3. Requisites of Worthy Reception. — Pen- 

 ance is described by the Fathers as "a laborious 

 Baptism." 10 As such it demands a larger mea- 

 sure of personal cooperation on the part of the re- 

 cipient than any other Sacrament. Whoever 

 wishes to receive this Sacrament worthily must 

 practice the virtue of penance or repentance 1J and 

 confess his mortal sins, or, as the case may be, 

 one or more venial sins. More specifically, he 

 must make an act of contrition coupled with a 

 firm purpose of amendment (contritio cordis), 

 confess his sins to a duly authorized priest (con- 

 fessio oris), and accept and perform the satisfac- 

 tion imposed (satisf actio opcris). Not all of 

 these conditions, however, are of equal import- 

 ance. Actual satisfaction belongs merely to the 

 integrity of the Sacrament, whereas contrition, 



8 Slater, Moral Theol., I, 576 sq. ; IV, dist. 18, qu. 1, art. 2. 



infra, p. 152. . 10 See Pohle-Preuss, The Sacra- 



9 Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 5, qu. 46. menls, Vol. Ill, p. 73. 



— Dom. Soto, Comment, in Sent., 11 Cfr. op. cit., pp. 1 sqq. 



