Confessions and Absolutions – A Collection of Prayers

Your Compassion is Boundless

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Almighty, merciful God, heavenly Father,
your compassion is boundless.
You are patient, gracious,
and are rich in love and faithfulness.
You forgive rebellion, trespasses and sin.
We have sinned and have become evil,
and have often angered you.
Against you alone have we sinned
and done evil in your sight.
But Lord,
do not think about our past misdeeds.
Let your great mercy be on us,
for we are miserable.
Help us, God of our Salvation.
Redeem us and forgive our sins
for the glory of your most holy name,
and for the sake of your beloved Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one true God, now and forever.

Source: Pomeranian Agenda, in Gebetbuch, enthaltend …, #591. Translated for A Collection of Prayers.

Original in German:

O allmächtiger, barmherziger Gott und himmlischer Vater, deß Barmherzigkeit kein Ende ist, der du langmüthig, gnädig und von großer Güte und Treue bist, und vergiebst die Missethat, Uebertretung und Sünde: wir haben mißgehandelt und sind gottlos gewesen, und haben dich oft erzürnet, an dir allein haben wir gefündiget und übel vor dir gethan; aber, Herr, gedenke nicht an unsre vergangene Missethat, laß bald deine Barmherzigkeit über uns größer fein, denn wir sind elend geworden. Hilf uns, Gott unsers Heils, errette uns und vergieb uns unsre Sünde um der
Ehre deines allerheiligsten Namens willen, und von wegen deines allerliebsten Sohnes, unsers Heilandes Jesu Christi, der mit dir lebet und regieret in Einigkeit des heiligen Geistes, ein wahrer Gott, immer und in Ewigkeit. Amen.

Pommersche Agende.

You Lay Bare our Sins

O God,
you lay bare our sins
when we cloak them with empty excuses,
and in your compassionate wisdom
you remove all doubt
from things uncertain,
and bring forth to light
what was hidden.
When our evil
has been brought home to our conscience,
sprinkle on us the dew of your mercy
and make us white as snow.
Help us amend our lives,
turn your face from our sins,
blot out all our iniquities
and renew our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that rejoicing in his indwelling,
we may continually open our lips
to declare your praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Source: Mozarabic
Source of this version: Freely modified from A Century of Collects, [27] selected and translated by Atwell M. Y. Baylay, 1913.

The Quiet Hour

Lord,
I offer to you all my sins and offences,
which I have committed before you,
from that day I first could sin, even to this hour;
that you may consume and burn them,
one and all,
with the fire of your love,
and do away all the stains of my sins,
and cleanse my conscience from all offences,
and restore to me your grace,
fully forgiving me all,
and admitting me mercifully to the kiss of peace.

I offer up also to you all that is good in me,
though it is very small and imperfect,
that you may amend and sanctify it,
that you may make it grateful and acceptable to you,
and always perfect it more and more.

Bring me also,
slothful and unprofitable poor creature as I am,
to a good and blessed end.

Source: Thomas à Kempis
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.

For Pardon, Purity and Grace

O Holy God,
in you is all goodness,
your pity and mercy made you to descend from the high throne
down into this world,
the valley of woe and weeping,
and here you took our nature,
and in that nature, you suffered pain and death
to bring our souls to your Kingdom.
Merciful Lord,
forgive us all our sins that we have done, thought, and said.
O glorious Trinity,
cleanse our hearts and purify our souls.
Restore us with your Holy Spirit,
and strengthen us with your might,
that we may always withstand evil temptations.
Comfort us with your Holy Spirit,
and fulfill us with grace and charity,
that we may live virtuously and love you with all our heart,
with all our might, and with all our soul,
so that we may never offend you,
but ever follow your pleasure in will, word, thought, and deed.
Now grant us this, good, infinite Lord,
you endure forever;
through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.

Source: Richard Rolle, d. 1349
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.

Confession and Prayer for Forgiveness

O Lord, O King,
magnificent in the stronghold of heaven,
always worthy of praise.
In your grace for your people:
have mercy.

Lord,
to whom the hosts of cherubim sing in endless praise:
have mercy.

Lord,
the heavenly armies sing high praise to you,
and the seraphim reply to them:
have mercy.

O Christ,
enthroned as King above,
whom all orders of angels in their beauty praise without ceasing,
on us, your servants, always:
have mercy.

O Christ,
your Church throughout the world sings to you.
The sun, the moon, and stars, the land and sea, always serve you:
have mercy.

O Christ,
your saints, the heirs of the eternal country,
one and all with utter joy proclaim you in a most worthy strain:
have mercy.

O Lord,
O gentle Son of Mary,
O King of Kings,
blessed Redeemer,
on those you have ransomed from the power of death
by your own blood:
have mercy.

O noblest unbegotten, yet begotten Son,
having no beginning of age,
yet excelling all things,
on this your congregation in your pity:
have mercy.

O Sun of Righteousness,
in all unclouded glory,
supreme dispenser of justice,
in that great day when you will come to be our judge,
on this your people, who here stand before your presence,
in your pity:
Lord, then have mercy on us. Amen.

Source: Dunstan of Canterbury
Source of this version: Freely modified from Prayers of the Middle Ages, edited by J. Manning Potts, 1954.

Adapted to be a Christmas Kyrie:

O Lord, O King,
magnificent in the stronghold of heaven,
always worthy of praise.
Be gracious to us, your people.
Lord, have mercy.

O Christ, enthroned as King above,
whom all orders of angels in their beauty praise without ceasing,
Be gracious to us, your servants.
Lord, have mercy.

O Christ, your Church throughout the world sings to you.
The sun, the moon, and stars, the land and sea, always serve you.
Be gracious to us, your creatures.
Lord, have mercy.

O Lord, gentle Son of Mary, King of Kings, blessed Redeemer,
be gracious to those you have ransomed from death by your own blood.
Lord, have mercy.

O noblest eternal, yet begotten Son,
having no beginning of age, yet excelling all things,
Be gracious to us, your congregation.
Lord, have mercy. Amen.

Service Builder element link: https://builder.christianworship.com/share/XFBI9d_b

Confession of Sins from the Book of Cerne

I come before your sight, O Lord,
as one accused with my conscience as witness.
I pray, not daring to ask what I am not worthy to receive.
But Lord, you know everything
that drives us to confess to you;
what we are ashamed of,
and the sins we were not afraid to commit.
With these words we yield to you our hearts and minds,
and commend to you what we say,
but not what we have done.
Spare us, O Lord, and forgive the sins we confess.
Have mercy on those who call to you.
And because my senses are weak
in comprehending your mysteries,
grant, Lord, the things we do not ask
because of the hardness of our hearts,
and grant us pardon;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Book of Cerne,

Ante oculos tuos domine reus conscientiae testis adsisto rogare non audeo quod impetrare non merear . Tu enim scis domine omnia quae aguntur in nobis erubescimus confitere quod per nos non timemus conmittere . Uerbis tibi tantum obsequimur corde autem mentimus . et quod uelle nos dicimus nolle nostris actibus adprobamus . parce domine confitentibus ignosce peccantibus . miserere te rogantibus . et quia in sacramentis tuis meus sensus infirmus est . praesta domine ut qui ex nobis duri cordis uerba non suscipis . per te nobis ueniam largiaris iesus christus dominus noster . Amen.

Prayer for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

O merciful God,
you justified the tax collector
who stood at a distance,
and while beating his breast,
confessed his sins to you.
As we acknowledge our unworthiness,
and ask for your mercy,
forgive all our sins;
through your mercy,
and for the sake of Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Savior.
Amen.

Source: Mozarabic Rite, from The New Mozarabic Collects, [63] (Trinity 11)

Sanctify, Calm, Cleanse, Strengthen

Lord God,
Father of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ,
your name is great,
your nature is wonderful,
your goodness is inexhaustible,
you are God and Master of all things,
and are blessed forever.
You sit between the cherubim,
and are glorified by the seraphim.
Before you stand thousands of thousands
and ten thousand times ten thousand,
the hosts of holy angels and archangels.
Sanctify our souls and bodies and spirits,
calm our fears
cleanse our consciences,
and drive out every evil thought,
every selfish desire,
envy, pride, hypocrisy,
falsehood, deceit, anxiety,
covetousness, arrogance, laziness,
malice, anger, grudges,
blasphemy, deeds or thoughts
that are contrary to your holy will.
O Lord, since you love us all,
give us the strength to boldly call on you
in the freedom of Christ,
without condemnation,
with a pure heart and a contrite soul,
with undivided attention
and with sanctified lips,
as our holy God and Father in heaven.

Source: Liturgy of St. James, from Ancient Collects, ed. William Bright, p. 1#1.

“…in the freedom of Christ” was an addition for doctrinal reasons and for emphasis.

“between the cherubim” may be a reference to Exodus 25:22

“glorified by the seraphim” may be a reference to Isaiah 6:2

“ten thousand times ten thousand” may be a reference to Jude 1:14 or Revelation 5:11

“drive out every evil thought…” and what follows resembles Galatians 5:19-21

“pure heart” may be a reference to Psalm 24:4, 2 Timothy 2:22 or Hebrews 10:22

“sanctified lips” may be a reference to Isaiah 6:7

You Are Life, Help, Hope and Cleansing

Coptic[1] — A Coptic Christian inscription.

O Lord our God,
you are great, eternal,
and wonderful in glory.

You keep your covenant and promises
for those who love you
with their whole heart.
You are the Life of all,
the Help of those who flee to you,
the Hope of those who cry to you.
Cleanse us from our sins,
secret and open,
and from every thought displeasing to your goodness.

Cleanse our bodies and souls,
our hearts and consciences,
that with a pure heart and a clear soul,
with perfect love and calm hope,
we may venture confidently
and fearlessly to pray to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Source: Coptic Liturgy of St. Basil, from Ancient Collects, ed. William Bright, p. 2#1.

Note:
“…through Jesus Christ our Lord” was added, both because it completes the prayer and it points to the source of the love, cleansing and fearlessness.

“You keep your covenant and promises” may be a reference to 1 Kings 8:23 or 2 Chronicles 6:14.

“Cleans us from our sins, secret…” may be a reference to Psalm 19:12.

“we may venture confidently” may be a reference to Ephesians 3:12.

A Prayer of Confession

O my dearest Lord Jesus Christ,
you know my poor soul
and my great transgressions,
and I cry out to you alone
with an open heart.
I am sorry
that I do not have
will or intentions as I should
and I fall behind daily,
for I am a poor, sick sinner.
You know
that I want to have good will and good intentions,
but my foe strikes
and leads me captive.
Redeem me,
a poor sinner,
according to your divine will.
Deliver me from all evil
and all afflictions.
Strengthen and
increase in me
true Christian faith.
Give me grace
to faithfully
love my neighbor
as myself
with all my heart,
and to love him as a brother.
Give me patience and perseverance
in all persecution and trouble.
You told St. Peter
not to forgive only seven times,
and you have called us to come to you
for consolation.
So I come with the assurance
of what you have pledged,
and I cry to you
as my true Pastor
and Bishop of my soul
in all my needs.
You alone know
how and when
I need your help.
Your will be done,
and your name be praised forever.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther, [Die Gebete Luthers, #31]

Ach meyn lieber HERRE Jesu Christe, du erkennest meyn arme seele, vnd meynen grossen gebrechen, den ich dyr alleyna mit offenem hertzen klage. Ich befinde leyder, das ich nicht habe eynen solchen willen vnd vorsatz, als ich yhn wol solt haben, vnd fall teglich dahyn als eyn kranckes sundiges mensch’, vnd du weyst, das ich yhe gerne eynen solchen willen vnd vorsatz wolthe haben vnd mich doch meyn feynd ym stricke furet gefangen, erlöse mich armen sunder nach deynem göttlichen willen von allem vbel vnd anfechtungen, Stercke vnd vormehre ynn myr den rechten waren Christlichen glawben, gib myr gnade, meynen nehisten aus gantz meynem hertzen getrewlich vnd als mich selbst brüderlichen zu belieben, vorleyhe myr gedult ynn vorfolgunge vnd aller widderwertickeyt, Du hast yhe zu Sancto Petro gesaget, Das er nicht alleyne sieben mal vorgeben solt’, Vnd vns heyssen tröstlichen von dyr bitten, so kome ich ynn zuuorsicht solches deynes zusagens vnd gepietens vnd klage dyr als meynem rechten pfarrer vnd ,Bischoffe meyner seelen’8 all meyne nott. Dann du alleyn weyst, wie vnd wenn myr zu helffen ist. Deyn wille der geschehe vnd sey gebenedeyet ewiglich.