Shortened Absolution Prayer...what to do?

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Our priests “shorten” the prayer of absolution during confession. They shorten it to just “And I absolve you from all your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Are these sins absolved?

Am I allowed to continue seeing these priests for confession?
 
Convert_in_99 said:
Our priests “shorten” the prayer of absolution during confession. They shorten it to just “And I absolve you from all your sins, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Are these sins absolved?

Am I allowed to continue seeing these priests for confession?
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Yes, your sins have been forgiven. The only necessary words are the words he said. However the priest is asked by the church to say the entire act of absolution. What he is doing is highly UNadvisable. You may want to write a letter to the bishop or if there is a another priest in the parish that can give him a fraternal correction, that would be a better idea.
 
Yes, it was valid.

“I absolve you from your sins” is generally considered the necessary part of the form of absolution (in the Latin Church) to be validly absolved. Though the Council of Trent (and St Thomas Aquinas) seem to suggest that “I absolve you” is all that is actually necessary for correct form:

“The holy synod doth furthermore teach, that the form of the sacrament of penance, wherein its force principally consists, is placed in those words of the minister, I absolve thee, &c: to which words indeed certain prayers are, according to the custom of holy Church, laudably joined, which nevertheless by no means regard the essence of that form, neither are they necessary for the administration of the sacrament itself.” - The Council of Trent, Session XIV, Ch 3
Source: thecounciloftrent.com/ch14.htm

“Pastors should not neglect to explain the form of the Sacrament of Penance. A knowledge of it will excite the faithful to receive the grace of this Sacrament with the greatest possible devotion. Now the form is: I absolve thee, as may be inferred not only from the words, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven, but also from the teaching of Christ our Lord, handed down to us by the Apostles.” Catechism of the Council of Trent, The Sacrament of Penance
Source: cin.org/users/james/ebooks/master/trent/tsacr-p.htm
 
Uh oh, I’m in trouble now. Not one priest ever used ‘thee’ during absolution. 🙂

I was rather disappointed to find out that I’d been saying the rosary wrong by using the Profession of Faith instead of the Apostles’ Creed. Somehow, I don’t think that it’s a problem. Or did I miss something in my reading of my Bible or Catechism?

Love and Happiness to all.
 
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Father Serpa on CA or any one of our Apologetics Brother and Sisters in Christ are able to answer this question.

In my layman’s opinion as a sinner who attends Reconciliation; The Priests say prayers in their minds (and out loud) to God our Heavenly Father while His Children are confessing sins. For instance, observe Father while you are confessing your sins (it is either a piercing stare or a distracted expression or looking down at the ground or up). I have observed this and ‘listened’ while confessing one on one.

Therefore, confess your sins and do your Penance and if still concerned, pray The Holy Rosary as Penance after God has given you Penance through Father.

Love and best wishes
 
Abbigaelann said:
Uh oh, I’m in trouble now. Not one priest ever used ‘thee’ during absolution. 🙂

I was rather disappointed to find out that I’d been saying the rosary wrong by using the Profession of Faith instead of the Apostles’ Creed. Somehow, I don’t think that it’s a problem. Or did I miss something in my reading of my Bible or Catechism?

Love and Happiness to all.
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There is no comparison between the required form for the validity of a Sacrament and the manner in which you pray a devotional prayer.
 
Abbigaelann said:
Uh oh, I’m in trouble now. Not one priest ever used ‘thee’ during absolution. 🙂

I was rather disappointed to find out that I’d been saying the rosary wrong by using the Profession of Faith instead of the Apostles’ Creed. Somehow, I don’t think that it’s a problem. Or did I miss something in my reading of my Bible or Catechism?

Love and Happiness to all.
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Thee and you are the same thing. The quotes that I provided used King James English. That is why it said thee. Priests that absolve in English today say, “you”.
 
Zekariya said:
Thee and you are the same thing. The quotes that I provided used King James English. That is why it said thee. Priests that absolve in English today say, “you”.
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NOT.

Shakesphere’s English 🙂
 
While the form (the words of a sacrament) is crucial, we have to be careful not to look at them as some kind of incantation either. And NOW THE MAGIC WORDS…ooops, I misread them! No grace happened!!!
 
TheAdvocate said:
While the form (the words of a sacrament) is crucial, we have to be careful not to look at them as some kind of incantation either. And NOW THE MAGIC WORDS…ooops, I misread them! No grace happened!!!
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The form of each Sacrament is absolutely essential. If the priest doesn’t say, “I absolve you”, then there is no Sacrament.
 
TheAdvocate said:
While the form (the words of a sacrament) is crucial, we have to be careful not to look at them as some kind of incantation either. And NOW THE MAGIC WORDS…ooops, I misread them! No grace happened!!!
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Do you consider, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, to be a magical incantation?

Would you consider it valid if they said, “I baptize you in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier”?
 
I get this frequently at my parish, too. 🤷

Yes, it’s still a valid absolution, though not necessarily licit. You can continue to go to this priest if you like; now you just know what to expect. If it bothers you that much, you can always go to another parish, and that’s still ok.
 
The parochial vicar at my family’s parish recites the prayer of absolution in a low voice once the penitent has reached a certain point in the Act of Contrition. This really threw me for a loop the first time he did that…but it is licit and it allows for more confessions in the allotted time slot, so I’m good with it 😃

My point is…perhaps the priest in this situation starts the formula “God the Father of mercies…” in the low voice and then says “I absolve you… Amen.” in vox clara once the penitent completes the Act of Contrition.

Did that all make sense?

👍
 
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