Chapter 41

The Rite of Confession

The Spiritual Father leadeth the Person who desireth to con/ess before the holy image (ikdna) of our Lord Jesus Christ-Not-made-with-Hands. And he saith :

O Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy upon us. {Thrice.)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O all-holy Trinity, have mercy upon us. O Lord, wash away our sins. O Master, pardon our transgressions. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for thy Name’s sake.

Lord,, have mercy. ( Thrice.)

Glory . . . now, and ever, . . .

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation ; But deliver us from the Evil One :

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lord, have mercy. {Twelve times.)

O come, let us worship God our King. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God. O come, let us worship and fall down before the Very Christ, our King and our God. {Three reverences.)

Psalm li.

Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness ; according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences. Wash me throughly from my wickedness ; and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my faults, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight ; that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged. Behold, I was shapen in wickedness ; and in sin hath my mother conceived me. But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts ; and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness ; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Turn thy face from my sins, and put out all my misdeeds. Make me a clean heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence ; and take not thy holy Spirit from me. O give me the comfort of thy help again ; and stablish me

with thy free Spirit Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked ; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou that art the God of my health ; and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord ; and my mouth shall show thy praise. For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee : but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings. The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit : a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise. O be favourable and gracious unto Sion : build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations : then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.

And the following Hymns {Tropari), in Tom VI. :

Have mercy upon us, O God, have mercy upon us. For in that we sinners are devoid of all defence, we offer unto thee, as to our Master, this supplication : Have mercy upon us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for in thee have we trusted, and be not very wroth with us, neither call thou to remembrance, our iniquities; but look down even now upon us, inasmuch as thou art of tender compassion, and deliver us from our enemies ; for thou art our God, and we are thy people, we are all the works of thy hand, and we call upon thy Name.

Now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Open unto us the door of thy loving-kindness, O blessed Birth-giver of God. In that we set our hope on thee may we not fail, but through thee may we be delivered from all adversities ; for thou art the salvation of all Christian people.

Lord, have mercy. {Twelve times,)

Then the Priest saith :

Let us pray to the Lord.

O God our Saviour, who by thy Prophet Nathan didst grant unto repentant David pardon of his transgressions, and didst accept Manasses’ prayer of penitence : Do thou, with thy wonted love towards mankind, accept also thy servant, N., who repenteth him {her) of the sins which he {she) hath committed ; overlooking all that he {she) hath done, pardoning his {her) offences, and passing by his {her) iniquities. For thou hast said, O Lord : With desire have I desired not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from the wickedness which he hath committed, and live ; and that even unto seventy times seven, sins ought to be forgiven ; forasmuch as thy majesty is incomparable, and thy mercy is illimitable. For if thou shouldest regard iniquity, who should stand ? For thou art the God of the penitent, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Then another Prayer :

Let us pray to the Lord

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of thy living God, both Shepherd and Lamb, who takest away the sins of the world ; who didst remit the loan unto the two debtors, and didst vouchsafe to the woman who was a sinner the remission of her sins : Do thou, the same Lord, loose, remit, forgive the sins, transgressions and iniquities, whether voluntary or involuntary, whether of wilfulness or of ignorance, which have been committed unto guilt and disobedience by these thy servants. And if they, bearing flesh and dwelling in the world, in that they are men, have in any way been beguiled of the devil ; if in word or deed, whether wittingly or unwittingly, they have sinned, either contemning the word of a pnest, or falling under his anathema, or have broken their oath : Do thou, the same Master, in that thou art good and cherishest not ill-will, graciously grant unto these thy servants the word of absolution, remitting unto them their anathema and oath, according to thy great mercy. Yea, O Lord and Master, who lovest mankind, hear thou us who make our petitions unto thy goodness on behalf of these thy servants, and disregard thou all their errors, inasmuch as thou art exceedingly merciful ; and loose them from punishment eternal. For thou hast said, O Master : Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

For thou alone art without sin, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Then shall the Priest say to the Penitent :

Behold, my child, Christ standeth here invisibly, and receiveth thy confession : wherefore, be not ashamed, neither be afraid, and conceal thou nothing from me : but tell me, doubting not, all things which thou hast done ; and so shalt thou have pardon from our Lord Jesus Christ. Lo,his holy image is before us : and I am but a witness, bearing testimony before him of all things which thou dost say to me. But if thou shalt conceal anything from me, thou shalt have the greater sin. Take heed, therefore, lest, having come to the physician, thou depart unhealed.

And then shall he question him diligently, point by pointy and shall await his reply to every question. And first of all he shall inquire concerning his faith :

Tell me, my child, dost thou believe that which hath been transmitted and is taught by the Catholic, Apostolic Church, which was planted and nurtured in the East, and hath spread from the East throughout the world, and which abideth even unto this day, immovable and unchangeable ? And dost thou doubt any of her doctrines ?

And if he believeth rightly and undoubtingly he shall repeat The Symbol or the Faith :

I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible :

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of his Father before all worlds ; Light of Light, Very God of very God, Begotten, not made ; Being of one Essence with the Father; By whom all things were made ; Who, for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man. And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried And the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead ; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets. In one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

And when he hath finished, the Priest shall interrogate him in detail.

Note. The Priest doth not use the questions of olden days, which are still retained in the Ritual, but interrogated the Penitent discreetly ; and at the last, when he hath questioned him concerning the seven deadly stns, he saith the following Exhortation :

In all these points thou must henceforth be upon thy guard For thou hast received a second Baptism, according to the Christian Mystery. And thou must see to it that, God helping, thou make a good beginning. But, above all, thou must not bear thyself lightly towards these things, lest thou become a cause of scorn to men ; for these things do not befit a Christian. But may God, by his grace, aid thee to live honourably, uprightly and devoutly.

And when the Priest hath said all these things unto him; and when he hath revealed all things concerning himself concealing nothing, the Priest shall say to him :

Kneel down.

Then the Personrwho hath made his Confession boweth his head* and the Confessor reciteth this Prayer:

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord God of the salvation of thy servants, gracious, bountiful and long-suffering, who repentest thee concerning our evil deeds, and desirest not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live : Show thy mercy now upon thy servant, N., and grant

unto him {her) an image of repentance, forgiveness of sins, and deliverance, pardoning his (her) every transgression, whether voluntary or involuntary. Reconcile and unite him (Iter) unto thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom also are due unto thee dominion and majesty, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

After this Prayer the Priest pronounceth the Absolution over the Penitent \ who kneeleth humbly, saying as follows, in completion of the Holy Sacrament of Confession :

May our Lord and God Jesus Christ, through the grace and bounties of his love towards mankind, forgive thee, my child, N., all thy transgressions. And I, his unworthy Priest, through the power given unto me by him, do forgive and absolve thee from all thy sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

And having finished the Absolution, the Priest maketh with his hand over the Penitent the sign of the cross.