Catholics' Guide To Absolution: Seeking Forgiveness And Redemption

The Catholic Church teaches that only God forgives sin, and that Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, willed his ministry of forgiveness of sins to continue through the ministry of his Church. In the Catholic Church, absolution is conferred by a priest, who acts in the place of Christ. The priest does not have the power to forgive sins by his own power but by the power that Christ conferred on his apostles, as recorded in John 20:19–23. The formula of absolution used in the Catholic Church is: God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The priest absolves sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Catholic Church teaches that only God can forgive sins. However, it is believed that Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, willed for his ministry of forgiveness of sins to continue through the ministry of his Church. In John 20:19-23, Jesus says to his disciples, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained". This is interpreted as Jesus giving his apostles the authority to forgive sins.

> God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The formula of absolution is based on Jesus' words in John 20:19-23. It highlights the priest's God-given authority and role as a mediator of Christ's forgiveness. The priest's authority to convey forgiveness comes from Christ and not from himself.

The formula of absolution has two parts. The first part is in the third person subjunctive, and the second part is in the first person indicative declarative. The first part highlights that it is God who primarily forgives through the priest. The second part, which uses the pronoun "I", indicates that Christ is speaking through the human priest.

The formula of absolution is an integral part of the Sacrament of Penance in Catholicism. To validly receive absolution, the penitent must make a sincere sacramental confession of all known mortal sins not yet confessed to a priest and pray an act of contrition expressing both motives for sorrow and the resolve to not sin again. The priest then assigns a penance and imparts absolution in the name of the Trinity.

You must be repentant to receive absolution

Repentance is a prerequisite for absolution in the Catholic Church. While God's mercy is always present within the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there is a need for sorrowful repentance and the desire to not sin again. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that contrition, or sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, along with the resolution to not sin again, is necessary for absolution. This is further supported by the Code of Canon Law, which states that penitents must repudiate their sins and have the purpose of amending their lives to receive absolution.

The Scriptures also bear witness to the obligatory relationship between repentance and forgiveness. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus proclaimed, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." Repentance is requisite for entering God's kingdom, as it is a kingdom of God's merciful forgiveness and the source of a holy life.

The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke's Gospel further illustrates the importance of repentance. The younger son asks for his share of his father's inheritance and spends it on a profligate and sinful life. When he comes to his senses, he repents and returns to his father, who lovingly takes him back. The father's mercy could only be enacted when the son returned in repentance.

Similarly, God's merciful forgiveness can only be received through the Sacrament of Reconciliation if one is repentant for their sins. While God's forgiveness is ever-present, it is sacramentally impossible to obtain it without repentance. Repentance is, therefore, an essential condition for receiving absolution and God's merciful pardon.

Absolution is part of the Sacrament of Penance

Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the practice of absolution vary between Christian denominations.

Some Christian traditions see absolution as a sacrament—the Sacrament of Penance. This concept is found in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Assyrian Church of the East and the Lutheran Church.

The Catholic Church teaches that absolution is one of the acts of the Church's ordained minister in the sacrament of Penance wherein a baptized penitent with the proper dispositions can be assured of being forgiven. To validly receive absolution, the penitent must make a sincere sacramental confession of all known mortal sins not yet confessed to a priest and pray an act of contrition (a genre of prayers) which expresses both motives for sorrow and the resolve to not sin again.

The priest then assigns a penance and imparts absolution in the name of the Trinity, on behalf of Jesus Christ, using a fixed sacramental formula. The penitent resolves to not sin again and performs an act of satisfaction, usually called a penance, and which could take the form of three Hail Marys, for example. Through the priest, God grants his pardon and peace, and the penitent is reconciled to God.

The formula of absolution used in the Pauline Missal, the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, is as follows:

> God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

During a Spring 2021 meeting, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops made some adjustments to the text to make it a more accurate translation of the original Latin. The new text is as follows:

> God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God grant you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Absolution of sins most importantly forgives mortal sins and, if one does not commit a mortal sin after having been validly absolved, enables one to die in the "state of grace", able to eventually enter heaven. Absolution also allows the valid and non-sinful reception of the sacraments, the lawful exercise of ecclesiastical offices and ministries by laity or clerics, and full participation in the life of the Church.

Only God forgives sins, but Jesus gave his ministry of forgiveness to the Church

The Catholic Church teaches that only God forgives sin. However, Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, willed that his ministry of forgiveness of sins be continued through the ministry of his Church. In John 20:21-23, Jesus says to his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you... Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Here, Jesus gives his disciples the authority to forgive sins.

This authority to forgive sins was first given to the apostles, and it was a power that could be passed on to their successors and agents. The apostles were to carry Christ's message and forgiveness to the whole world. As Jesus says in Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."

The Catholic Church teaches that absolution is one of the acts of the Church's ordained minister in the sacrament of Penance wherein a baptized penitent with the proper dispositions can be assured of being forgiven. Absolution is a theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and practice of absolution vary between Christian denominations.

The formula of absolution used in the Catholic Church is as follows:

> God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This formula of absolution is based directly on Jesus' words in John 20:19-23. It reminds us that reconciliation is the plan of the Father in heaven and that the Church only proclaims what God has done.

The priest's authority to convey forgiveness does not come from himself but from Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the priest stands in the place of Christ to declare the sinner forgiven.

You can receive absolution for all your sins, even if you can't remember them all

As a Catholic, you can receive absolution for all your sins, even if you can't remember them all. However, the Church requires that you make a sincere sacramental confession of all known mortal sins not yet confessed to a priest. This means that you must confess all the mortal sins that you can remember.

If you are unable to remember all your mortal sins, you can still receive absolution. The Church understands that it is impossible to remember every sin, and you will not be penalised for this. However, if you do remember a mortal sin after receiving absolution, you must confess it in your next confession.

The priest will then ask you to express contrition for your sins and pray an act of contrition. The priest will then impart absolution, using a fixed sacramental formula.

The formula of absolution used in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is:

> God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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