Absolution is the prayer a priest says over you after you’ve confessed your sins, asking God to forgive you. That’s it. God does the forgiving. The priest asks Him to.
This happens at the end of the Mystery of Confession, which we also call Holy Repentance. You’ve just told the priest your sins. He’s listened, maybe asked a question or two, and given you some counsel or a small penance to help you grow. Now comes the moment when he places his epitrachelion, that’s the stole he wears, over your head and prays the Prayer of Absolution.
The prayer itself varies a bit depending on whether your parish uses a Greek, Russian, or Antiochian text, but the heart of it is always the same. The priest asks God to forgive your sins, both the ones you remembered to confess and the ones you forgot. He invokes Christ’s words to the apostles: “Whose sins you remit are remitted.” He acknowledges that he himself has no power to forgive anyone anything. Only God forgives.
That last part matters because it’s where we differ from how Catholics often talk about this. A Catholic priest typically says “I absolve you” directly. Our priests don’t say that. They pray that God will absolve you. It’s not just semantics. It reflects our understanding that the priest isn’t exercising his own authority but acting as the Church’s agent, the one who stands there and invokes God’s mercy on your behalf.
The Priest as Witness and Physician
Think of the priest as a spiritual doctor. You come to him sick with sin. You tell him your symptoms. He listens, diagnoses, prescribes treatment. Then he administers the medicine, which is Christ’s forgiveness given through the Church. The priest doesn’t manufacture the medicine. He dispenses what Christ provides.
This is why the priest stands slightly to the side during confession in most Orthodox churches. You’re not confessing to him personally. You’re confessing to God, and he’s the witness. The icon of Christ is right there in front of you as a reminder. But the priest’s presence isn’t optional or just for accountability. Christ gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins, and that authority has been passed down through apostolic succession. The priest exercises that authority sacramentally when he prays the absolution over you.
Without genuine repentance, though, the prayer does nothing. St. John Chrysostom said it sixteen centuries ago in Antioch: absolution is impossible where there’s no repentance. You can’t game the system. God knows your heart. If you’re not actually sorry, if you’re not trying to change, the words the priest says are just words. The Mystery requires your participation.
Why We Need This
I know what some of you are thinking, especially if you grew up Baptist or non-denominational here in Southeast Texas. Why can’t I just confess directly to God? Why do I need a priest involved?
You can confess directly to God. We do that all the time in our personal prayers. But the Church has always practiced sacramental confession because Christ instituted it. He breathed on the apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” That’s not just a nice metaphor. It’s a commission, a task He gave to the Church.
There’s also something deeply healing about saying your sins out loud to another human being. Shame lives in darkness and silence. When you speak your sins aloud, when another person hears them and doesn’t recoil in horror but offers you counsel and prays for your forgiveness, something breaks. The isolation ends. You’re not alone with your guilt anymore.
And you get guidance. The priest knows you. He knows your struggles. He can tell you, “Here’s where I see a pattern,” or “Try this prayer rule for a few weeks,” or “You need to reconcile with that person.” You don’t get that from private confession in your bedroom.
The absolution itself brings peace. I’ve seen people weep with relief when they hear those words prayed over them. The burden lifts. Your conscience is cleansed. You walk out of that confession feeling lighter, freer, ready to start again. That’s not just psychological. It’s grace, actual grace, given through the Mystery.
What Happens Next
After the priest prays the absolution, you kiss the cross and the Gospel book, and that’s it. You’re forgiven. You go back to your pew or head home. The priest remembers nothing, he hears so many confessions that they blur together, and he’s bound by the seal anyway. What you told him stays between you, him, and God.
You might have a small penance to work on. Maybe he told you to read Psalm 51 every day for a week, or to apologize to someone, or to give alms. That’s not punishment. It’s medicine, something to help you heal and grow. Do it.
And then you keep going. Confession isn’t a one-time thing. We’re not “saved” in one moment and done. We’re being saved, continually, and that means we’ll be back in confession again. Monthly is common for many Orthodox Christians. Some go more often, some less. Your priest will guide you.
If you’ve never been to confession and you’re thinking about it, talk to Fr. Michael. He’ll walk you through it. It’s not scary. It’s one of the most freeing things you’ll ever do.
