How many sins do we think we commit in a day? When we know we committed a sin, how do we feel? Does it bother us, or do we easily brush it off?
As humans, we are imperfect and vulnerable to temptation. Thus, talking to the Lord through a daily repentance prayer can help us keep our faith strong and not get swept away by the evil that lurks just around the corner, waiting for the right moment to snatch us away from the faith.
Prayer for repentance
Our gracious and loving God,
I have found a Friend, a Father, and a Redeemer in You, and You mean everything to me. Your glory shines bright in my life, and it overpowers the evil that plagues the Earth.
Lord God, I offer You this prayer with nothing but thanksgiving and repentance in my heart. Thanksgiving for the second chance at redemption and salvation; for everything that makes my life worth living according to Your will and plans despite all the mistakes I’ve made. Repentance, too, because I know that while You’ve never failed in providing for my needs and listening to my prayers, I still continue to disobey Your Word and question the rules and plans You have set for me, even if they are for my own good.
Please forgive me, O Lord. Get rid of my impurities and protect me from all evil. Save me from eternal pain in Hell, and carry me in the palm of Your hand. I am Your humble servant, and while I cannot match You in righteousness, I lovingly dedicate my life to Your service.
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen.
Short daily repentance prayer
Heavenly Father,
I cry Your Precious Name in shame and humility, for I have sinned and disobeyed Your commandments. I kneel before Your glorious presence as a humble and imperfect sinner. I am asking for Your forgiveness on bended knee. Wash away my sin and guilt, and cleanse my soul. May You open the golden gates of Heaven to me so that I may rejoice in Your kingdom forevermore.
This is my heartfelt prayer that I beg You to hear. Amen.
The Word of God
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 NRSVUE
as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 NRSVUE
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
John 3:16 NRSVUE
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, but we have rebelled against himDaniel 9:9 NRSVUE
Intercessory prayer to Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine,
The story of how you met God and became one of His faithful believers has inspired the hearts of many. You were born into a pagan family, but you had a loving mother who brought you closer to Him. Throughout your childhood and education, you had been led astray by earthly temptations and sinful choices, but God used your guilt to make you realize what was right and what was wrong.
Saint Augustine, as I call upon your name, I beg you to carry this prayer of penitence to the Lord. May He forgive me for my trespasses, just as He forgave you for yours. May He change me to become a better person, just like how He transformed you from a sinner to a saint. I know that it matters not where I came from and who I was before, but what really matters to Him is the kind of person I choose to become and how earnestly I work to become that kind of person.
May you also bring Him my thanksgiving and gladness, which no words can fully express. I praise His Name and all the things that He has created: the life around me, the happiness I see in my loved ones, the wonder of nature, the blessings in my life and career, the personal and spiritual growth I get to experience in this journey called life, and many more.
May you help me pray that my sins will be washed away by the blood that Jesus Christ, my one and only Savior, shed on the cross. May His sacrifice cleanse my soul of the sins caused by the devil’s temptations. Instead of a life of eternal suffering in hell, may I instead taste the glory and beauty of heaven one day. Please carry my heartfelt repentance to the Lord so that He may look down on me with mercy in His eyes and grant me forgiveness instead of punishment. May He transform me into a better Christian servant and use me to help inspire other sinners to turn to Him, our Creator, for forgiveness. May I be the reason why many other people faithfully accept and follow Him as the only path towards salvation.
Saint Augustine, the Lord has heard your Catholic prayers of repentance and granted you not only forgiveness but everlasting life and the honor of sainthood. I know that with you praying for my own contrition, the Lord will hear my prayers. Saint Augustine, be my aid as I offer this repentance prayer to the Lord. Pray for me.
Further reflection
Although talking to the Lord through daily prayer can help us ease our burdens and draw us closer to the Lord, prayers alone will not save us from sin, no matter how often we pray or how long each prayer is. If we ask for forgiveness for every sin we commit in the Sacrament of Confession, it will be enough to wash away the guilt and impurity that our wrongdoings leave behind and cleanse us completely in God’s eyes.
The life of Saint Augustine is an inspiring story of spiritual change and repentance. His father was a pagan, but his mother was a devout Christian. Throughout his boyhood and adolescence, he committed many notable sins that he later reflected on in his books. He explored many religions and beliefs but eventually found the truth in God, and upon this realization, he built humble communities that worked not to attain riches but to spread God’s Word and live according to His principles.
There are also repentance stories concerning biblical figures like Saul and the criminal who accepted Jesus on the cross. Saul of Tarsus, who eventually came to be known as Paul the Apostle, was a cruel persecutor of Christians. On the road to Damascus, Saul was blinded by a bright light, and that was how he met the Lord. He once was blind, but now he could see the magnanimity of God’s forgiveness, even for someone who actively hurt his people. Even at the last moment, the criminal who was crucified alongside Jesus was redeemed and saved.
In order to be fully redeemed and saved, we need faith: faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior who can give us eternal life and escape a fiery death of eternal suffering and punishment. Take the time to offer a daily contrition prayer to Him in order to wash away the sins of the past and to keep our faith in Him ever stronger.
