Byzantine Catholic Prayers of Absolution

The Byzantine tradition has some beautiful prayers for absolution at the end of the Mystery of Confession or Penance, but I have had trouble finding them online, so I have copied them out here.

The simplest, and probably most common, prayer is the following:

May our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, through the grace and mercies of His love for us all, forgive you all your transgressions.  And I, an unworthy priest, by His power given to me, forgive and absolve you from all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

However, the original Byzantine prayer of absolution is the following:

God, who forgave David the evil deeds he confessed through Nathan the prophet, who forgave Peter his denial when he wept bitterly, who forgave the sinful woman who shed tears on his feet, and who forgave the publican and the prodigal, may this same God, through me, a sinner, forgive you (Name) both in this age and in the age to come, and make you stand uncondemned before his fearsome judgment seat.  May the One who is be blessed forever and ever.  Amen.

Tradition also gives a few other options:

Lord, God of the salvation of your servants, merciful, good and long-suffering, who grieve at our evil deeds and do not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that (he-she) should have a change of heart, turn from (his-her) wickedness and live.  Show your mercy now to your servant (Name), and grant (him-her) an image of repentance, forgiveness of sins and deliverance, pardoning (his-her) every transgression, whether voluntary or involuntary.  Reconcile and unite (him-her) to your holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom all power and majesty are due to you, now and ever and forever.  Amen.

Lord our God, you bestowed the forgiveness of sins upon Peter and the harlot because of their tears, and you justified the publican who recognized his faults.  Accept also the confession of your servant (Name) and, in your goodness, forgive any sin, voluntary and involuntary, in word, deed or thought, for you alone have the power to forgive sins.  You are a God of mercy and compassion and loving-kindness and we give glory to you, with your eternal Father, and your good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever.  Amen. 

 

Source: The Office of Repentance and Guide to Confession in the Byzantine Catholic Tradition (Horizons Press, 2017), 20-21.  The source texts this booklet draws on are the Maliyj Trebnik (Rome, 1952) and the Trebnik, Vol. I (Rome, 1946).

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