I am so frustrated--the priest changed up the words of absolution

  • Thread starter Thread starter timeandeternity
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

timeandeternity

Guest
I went to so much trouble this week calling the nearest parish (20 minutes away) and setting up a confession time after daily Mass, then working out my schedule and asking a Christian friend to drive me to the church. I got to the confessional, confessed all my sins–and, instead of the necessary “I absolve you from your sins,” the priest said something like, “From your sins I set you free in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” and dismissed me. I should have asked him to give me a valid absolution, but I felt rather bewildered.
I am so upset right now–I so wanted to finally be freed from my sins, and tried my best to get to confession, and then wasn’t even given a valid sacrament. I would like to go again this Sunday after Mass, but I don’t know how to explain to this same friend, who will also be going to Mass with me that day, why I’m going to confession again. Part of the difficulty is that she was formerly Catholic, and this seemingly “legalistic” concern will only confirm her reasons for leaving.
Please pray for me–I feel so lost right now.
 
Sounds probably valid, but your uncertainty underlines the reason why the Latin
“Ego te absolvo…”
should never have fallen into disuse.
 
I am so relieved! I just called the parish and spoke to the priest, asking him which words he had used to absolve me. He said, “The Church only allows one prayer–‘I absolve you from your sins.’ There are no other ways to give absolution.” I guess I must have just heard him wrong–he had a pretty thick African accent.
Praise be to God!
 
timeandeternity said:
…He said, “The Church only allows one prayer–‘I absolve you from your sins.’ There are no other ways to give absolution.” …
Click to expand...
I certainly hope that you misunderstood him. I had been led to believe that those exact words did not have to be used and that variations with the same meaning were acceptable.
If you are correct, the majority of absolutions I have received in the past forty years have been invalid.
 
If the priest makes a mistake, how could it be your fault? Why wouldn’t you be released from sins?

Just asking! Not arguing!
 
Since the meaning of the ‘absolvo’ is exactly ‘set you free’ the absolution is valid.

The rumbling of the original poster is illicit.

I somehow have a feeling that for a good confession it is more important to see the priest acting in the name of Jesus Christ from the part of the penitent; that to say the exact words from the part of the priest. The tru repentance requires humility.
 
roadsend said:
Sounds probably valid, but your uncertainty underlines the reason why the Latin
“Ego te absolvo…”
should never have fallen into disuse.
Click to expand...
Yes, the Latin had the virtue of consistency, and I can’t think of any time when a penitent second guessed the validity of a confession when the absolution was recited in Latin.
 
JimG said:
Yes, the Latin had the virtue of consistency, and I can’t think of any time when a penitent second guessed the validity of a confession when the absolution was recited in Latin.
Click to expand...
Yep, most of the time we couldn’t even understand what he was saying but took it for granted he was saying the right words. It wouldn’t have occurred to us that he wasn’t:rolleyes:
 
Claire_from_DE said:
Yep, most of the time we couldn’t even understand what he was saying but took it for granted he was saying the right words. It wouldn’t have occurred to us that he wasn’t:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Folks who didn’t understand “Ego te absolvo…” likely did not go to confession very often.
We were taught what the words meant early on, and if we didn’t recognize them we were not paying very close attention to what was going on.
 
Does it seriously have to be the exact words or can the words be changed to mean the same thing and still be valid? That would happen when translating it to a different language for example.
 
roadsend said:
Folks who didn’t understand “Ego te absolvo…” likely did not go to confession very often.
We were taught what the words meant early on, and if we didn’t recognize them we were not paying very close attention to what was going on.
Click to expand...
Oh, I knew the Latin pretty well, but my old priest recited it so fast that no one would have been able to make it out distinctly.
 
JimG said:
Oh, I knew the Latin pretty well, but my old priest recited it so fast that no one would have been able to make it out distinctly.
Click to expand...
That’s hilarious. Did many people go to confession at when your old priest was about? 😛
 
PiousTemplar said:
That’s hilarious. Did many people go to confession at when your old priest was about? 😛
Click to expand...
Yes, this was at a time when the lines for Saturday confessions were always long, and most priests recited absolution at a staccato tempo.
 
JimG said:
Yes, this was at a time when the lines for Saturday confessions were always long, and most priests recited absolution at a staccato tempo.
Click to expand...
Sometimes during the homily our priests complain that the Confession lines are short but the Communion lines are long.
 
thistle said:
Sometimes during the homily our priests complain that the Confession lines are short but the Communion lines are long.
Click to expand...
Yes, I suspect that confession lines should be longer. Still, in my own parish, confessions are heard 30 to 40 minutes before each weekday Mass (5 times a week) plus an hour on Saturdays, and often the lines are too long to hear everyone’s confession. That’s one reason I’m appreciative of penitents who get in, get to the point, and get out!
 
JimG said:
Yes, I suspect that confession lines should be longer. Still, in my own parish, confessions are heard 30 to 40 minutes before each weekday Mass (5 times a week) plus an hour on Saturdays, and often the lines are too long to hear everyone’s confession. That’s one reason I’m appreciative of penitents who get in, get to the point, and get out!
Click to expand...
Until last year we had Confession 3 times a week but that has since been increased to 6 days a week for one hour sessions.
Out of curiousity I have gone to Confession on each of the 6 days (not all in one week of course) and I have never seen more than 20 people. Yet we have a parish of 14,000 people, with 80% Mass attendence, and 10 Masses every Sunday and the vast majority of people going up to receive. This is why the priest from time to time mentions this and points out they have to be in a state of grace to receive. Its not for me to judge but in my opinion most or many of them are vincibly ignorant and have no clue if they have committed a mortal sin or not. I say this because all my family and friends here are filipino Catholics and I was really surprised to see how many were ignorant about the Catholic faith, despite being very devout Catholics.

Apologies to the OP for digressing.
 
That is not your jurisdiction. The absolution is valid, rejoice. 😉

Andy
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top