So, “to forgive sin” – is to transplant an organ into the body; to graft a scion onto a tree; to add leaven to the dough; to give a talent, to cast a seed of grace into the soil of the heart…, and not at all what the legalists-letterists talk about. I cannot enter the Church, be baptized – it is a gift from God. Therefore, it is said that the apostles (priests as legal successors) have the power to forgive sins – in baptism to incorporate new members into the Church, and in confession to accept those who have fallen away from the Church. And once I am in the body – it is up to me, a free, godlike being, whether I accept the Gift of adoption or not.
Now let’s consider two prayers from the rite of the sacrament of confession.
The Orthodox so-called “absolution” prayer in spirit and content sounds like this:
Lord God of the salvation of Thy servants, Merciful, Generous, and Long-suffering, who grieves over our wickedness, You do not wish the death of a sinner, but that he should turn and live. Do Thou now have mercy on Thy servant (servantess) (name), show him (her) a model of repentance, grant forgiveness and remission of sins, forgiving him (her) every sin voluntary and involuntary; reconcile and unite him (her) with Thy holy Church through Jesus Christ, our Lord, to Whom with Thee belongs dominion and majesty now, always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Comments are not needed here, only to emphasize that this is a humble, supplicatory prayer: have mercy… show… grant forgiveness… reconcile… That is, it is the beginning of a long process of healing!!!
And here is the Catholic-pagan in spirit and content so-called “prayer of absolution”:
Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, by the grace and bounties of His man-loving kindness, may He forgive you, child (name), all your sins. And I, an unworthy priest, by His authority, given to me, forgive and absolve you of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I think, after what has been said above, comments are not needed, only to note that where the Orthodox have a beginning, in pagans – the end. A fracture cannot be forgiven – it needs to be treated!!! When can the Catholic absolution “prayer of forgiveness” sound over the head of the confessor? Only when the one who repents has promised not to do it anymore, that is, not to sin. This is absurd (how can a cripple, paralyzed, promise that he will walk tomorrow?!), but it is a fact. Let’s theologize a bit more. Legal, bilateral relations of a person with God imply guarantees of fidelity from both sides. In baptism and confession, the one who is baptized or repents always promises something from his side: in baptism – “a good conscience”, and in confession – not to sin anymore. And as an argument for such an understanding of relations with God (buy – sell; I give you – you give me) is cited the Scripture quote: “baptism – not the washing away of the filth of the flesh, but the promise to God of a good conscience, saves by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21). But this argument, like all others with which Catholicism tries to justify its ideology, is built on an incorrect translation or interpretation of Scripture. In many classic translations into Ukrainian and Russian at this place, there is an error. Closer to the original is the Church Slavonic translation: baptism is not a promise to God of a good conscience, but “asking from God for a good conscience”. Here baptism turns out not to be an offering, not a promise, but a request… St. Gregory the Theologian in Sermon 40 (On Holy Baptism) confirms that the apostle Peter is talking about granting a conscience in baptism .
Moreover, the context of St. Gregory’s theology does not allow interpreting baptism as a promise. Referring to Eccles. 5:4, Gregory the Theologian writes: “Promise nothing to God, even the smallest. For everything is God’s, before it is accepted from you”. Apostle Paul also tells us all: “What do you have that you did not receive from God?” The verb in classical Greek can mean a promise. But in the New Testament it has the meaning of a request, entreaty. For example, Mt. 16,1: the Pharisees – “asked” Christ. This verb also occurs in Mt. 22,46; Mk. 9,32; 11,29; Lk. 2,46; 6,9; Rom. 10,20; 1Cor. 14,35. And there is no case of the use of this Greek word in the corpus of New Testament texts in the sense of a promise, offering. About what, or what do we ask? The continuation of the phrase of St. Peter explains: Baptism… saves by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism gives a gift from God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not a gift is offered to God, but we expect help from God. Baptism saves not because in it we promise something to God, but because the Savior grants us the fruit of His resurrection. Therefore, in baptism we ask God to grant us a good, renewed conscience.
What can a drowning, dying person promise? What can a mortally ill person promise? What can a blind, deaf, mute, paralyzed person promise?.. In such blessed people (oh, if we all felt our destructive, hellish, deadly-dangerous state!) only one thing is on their heart, mind, and tongue: “Save! Help! Have mercy!”. Christ – Savior, not a businessman, with whom you can bargain…