The prayer of supplication includes petition. As the Holy Spirit moves within us, the first impulse toward petition is repentance. As we draw closer to God, we realize who we are before him, how we have offended his love and majesty, where we have failed to live up to our status as his sons and daughters, and we readily and wholeheartedly confess our sinfulness before him.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable: ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’”
The image of the repentant tax collector strikes a chord in all people of goodwill. As we see and suffer from our own brokenness and sinfulness, we remove ourselves from others, keep our eyes downcast, and hope for a mercy that we do not deserve.
In his goodness, God abundantly lavishes his mercy upon us and raises us up. He calls us forward to himself and embraces us with his love and understanding.