The confession and forgiveness of our sins and the reconciliation with God.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

John 20: 22-23.

We are called to live our lives without sin, but as imperfect beings, we inevitably sin and separate ourselves from God.  God is loving and forgiving.  If we confess our sins, He will forgive us.

We come to Church to confess our sins.  Christian confession and even confession in the Old Testament was always a public confession, which is how it is practiced in the Armenian Church today.

 Following the confession, the priest recites the words of absolution, which are the prayer of the Church to God for the sinner.  They reassure the sincere penitent that God’s forgiveness has definitely been granted.