Catholic Prayer for Forgiveness of Sins and to Forgive Others

As Pope Francis often said, God never tires of forgiving us; it is we who grow tired of asking for his mercy. No sin is greater than his mercy, and every sincere prayer for forgiveness is heard. Below are Catholic prayers asking God to forgive our sins, from the Bible’s own prayers of repentance to a prayer before confession, prayers for the grace to forgive others, and Scripture to pray with. For serious sins, the ordinary way God forgives is the sacrament of confession.

A prayer for forgiveness of sins

Written for this page:

Merciful Father, I come to you as I am.
I have sinned in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do.
I am truly sorry, because I have offended you, who are all good,
and I have hurt others and myself.
Wash me, heal me, and give me a new heart.
With your grace I will try to sin no more,
and I will go to confession soon. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The publican’s prayer

Jesus praised the humble prayer of the tax collector in the Temple, who went home forgiven:

And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.

This short prayer, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner,” can be prayed many times a day. The Eastern Churches developed it into the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Psalm 50: the Miserere

King David’s prayer of repentance after his sin is the Church’s great psalm of sorrow, prayed every Friday at Morning Prayer:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

The prodigal son’s prayer

In Jesus’ parable, the son who had wasted everything decided to go home and say:

I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee:
I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

The father ran to meet him before he could finish (Luke 15:20). That is how God receives every sinner who turns back.

The Act of Contrition

The traditional Act of Contrition, from the Baltimore Catechism:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, 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 Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

See the Act of Contrition for other versions and the Confiteor.

A prayer before confession

Written for this page:

Holy Spirit, show me my sins as God sees them,
not to discourage me, but to set me free.
Give me true sorrow, the courage to confess honestly,
and trust in the mercy that is waiting for me.
Mary, Refuge of sinners, pray for me. Amen.

See how to go to confession and the examination of conscience.

A prayer to forgive someone who hurt you

Forgiving does not mean pretending the hurt did not happen, or trusting again someone who is still dangerous. It means choosing, with God’s help, to let go of revenge and to wish the other person good. It is often a decision we have to renew many times.

Written for this page:

Lord Jesus, on the Cross you prayed for those who crucified you.
You know how deeply (name) has hurt me.
I do not feel like forgiving, but I choose to forgive,
because you have forgiven me.
Heal my memories and my anger.
Bless (name), and do in his (her) heart what I cannot do.
Give me peace. Amen.

On the Cross Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). St. Paul teaches:

Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience:
Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.

A prayer to ask forgiveness from someone

Lord, I have hurt (name). Give me the humility to admit it,
the courage to ask for forgiveness,
and the wisdom to make things right as far as I can.
Whatever the answer, help me to accept it in peace. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page.

Scripture on God’s forgiveness

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.

And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool.

For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences.
But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.

How does God forgive sins?

In Baptism all sins are forgiven.
In the sacrament of Penance (confession), Christ forgives through the priest every sin we confess with sorrow. Mortal sins must be confessed. “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him” (CCC 1422).
Venial sins are also forgiven by sincere sorrow, prayer, the Eucharist and works of charity, though the Church warmly recommends confessing them too.
Perfect contrition, sorrow out of love for God, obtains forgiveness even of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to go to confession as soon as possible (CCC 1452).

See mortal and venial sin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Catholic prayer for forgiveness?

The best known is the Act of Contrition. The Bible’s own prayers of repentance, such as the publican’s “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” and Psalm 50, are also beautiful prayers for forgiveness.

Can God forgive me without confession?

God can forgive in many ways, and an act of perfect contrition forgives even grave sins when we intend to confess them. But Jesus gave the Church the sacrament of confession as the ordinary way to be forgiven of mortal sins, and it brings peace and certainty of forgiveness.

Is there a sin God cannot forgive?

No sin is too great for God’s mercy. The only thing that blocks forgiveness is refusing to repent and accept his mercy.

Who is the patron saint of forgiveness?

Catholics often turn to St. Maria Goretti, who forgave her murderer, to St. Peter, who denied Jesus and was forgiven, and to St. Mary Magdalene and St. Augustine, great examples of conversion. See the St. Maria Goretti prayer.

More prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Luke 18:13; Psalm 50:3–4, 12–14 (51:1–2, 10–12); Luke 15:18–20; Luke 23:34; Colossians 3:12–13; 1 John 1:9; Isaias (Isaiah) 1:18; Matthew 6:14–15, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Act of Contrition: Baltimore Catechism, public domain.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1422, 1452.
The other prayers were written for this page.