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Offices of the Holy Eastern Church
tr. Littledale, 1863
11. Office of Confession
The Priest: Blessed be our God at all times, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.
In peace let us beseech the Lord.
The Choir: Lord have mercy.
For peace from above, and salvation.
For the remission of the sins, pardon of the faults of the servant of God (N.) and that every fault of his, voluntary and involuntary, may be forgiven him.
That the Lord God may grant him remission of sins and time for repentance.
That both he and we may be delivered &c.
Then the Priest says the following prayer:
Let us beseech the Lord.
O Lord JEsus Christ, Son of the Living God, Shepherd and Lamb, That takest away the sin of the world, Who forgavest the debt to the two debtors, and didst grant remission of her sins to the sinful woman, do Thou, O Lord, remit, forgive, pardon the sins, the iniquities, the faults voluntary and involuntary, done in knowledge and ignorance, through transgression and disobedience by these Thy servants. And if, as men clothed in flesh and dwelling in the world, they have erred through the devil, either in deed or in word, or have despised the word of the Priest, or have fallen under his ban, or under their own curse, or have bound themselves by an oath, do Thou, as a merciful Master Who rememberest not the evil, vouchsafe that these Thy servants may be loosed by Thy word, pardoning them their own curse and their oath, according to Thy great mercy. Yea, O Master and merciful Lord, hearken to us, beseeching Thy goodness for these Thy servants, and of Thy great pity overlook all their offences, free them from eternal punishment, for Thou, O Master, hast said: “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 only art sinless, and to Thee we ascribe glory &c.
And he sings the Trisagion, the O come, let us worship, and Psalm LI. Miserere mei. Then the following Troparia.
Second plagal tone.
Have mercy upon us. Glory. Lord have mercy upon us. Both now. The gate of loving - kindness. Lord have mercy (forty times).
The penitent says: O Lord, I have sinned, pardon me. And: God, be merciful to me a sinner.
The Priest: Let us beseech the Lord.
O God our Saviour, Who by Thy Prophet Nathan didst grant pardon to David on repentance of his faults, and didst accept the prayer of Manasseh unto repentance, receive now, with Thy wonted loving-kindness, Thy servant (N.) who repenteth of the deeds which he has done, overlooking all his acts, Thou that pardonest iniquity and passest by transgression. For Thou, O Lord, hast said, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that he turn from his way and live. For as Thy majesty hath no like, so is Thy mercy without bound. For if Thou art extreme to mark what is done amiss, who can abide it? For Thou art the God of the penitents, and to Thee we ascribe glory &c.
Then the penitent kneeling and lifting up his hands, says:
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I confess unto Thee all the hidden and manifest things of my heart and understanding, which I have done up to this day. Wherefore I ask remission from Thee the just and merciful Judge, and grace to sin no more.
Then the confessor says with a cheerful voice:
Brother, be not ashamed that thou hast come to God and to me, for it is not to me thou tellest it, but to God, before Whom thou standest.
And the confessor questions him on all his sins, and after questioning minutely, says as follows:
My spiritual child, who hast confessed to my humility, I, a humble sinner, have not the power to forgive sins on earth, but God alone can do it; but through that Divine voice which came to the Apostles after the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ and said: “Whosesoever sins ye remit etc.”, we trusting in it, say: Whatsoever thou hast confessed to my meanest humility, and whatsoever thou hast omitted to say either through ignorance or forgetfulness, whatever it. may be, God pardon thee in the world and in that which is to come.
And he subjoins this prayer:
God, Who by Nathan the Prophet pardoned David on the confession of his sins, and Peter for his denial, when he wept bitterly, and the harlot who shed tears at His feet, and the Publican, and the Prodigal, may the same God by me a sinner pardon thee for all thy sins in this world and in that which is to come, and place thee uncondemned before His awful judgment-seat, and having no more even one care for the offences thou hast confessed, go in peace. (32)