righteousness, and make him finally to rejoice with the saints in Thy kingdom, by establishing in him the confidence of his faith in his adoption through the participation of Thy sinforgiving sacraments; and so strengthen him with the help of Thy mercy, that he may ever thank, worship, and praise Thy holy name, O Lord of all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
| ¶ | Whilst saying the above the Priest shall sign over the head of the penitent with the sign of the cross.
Then the Priest shall inquire of him whether he denied the faith willingly, and if so, he shall sign him with oil, and shall say, |
Let A. B. be signed, renewed, sealed, and sauctified, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
| ¶ | If the person denied the faith against his will no oil is required. And these penitents shall be admitted to the Holy Communion on Easter Eve. |
It is worthy of remark, that whilst the sacerdotal authority of the priest to absolve is most unquestionably maintained by the Nestorians, the direct form of absolution is not to be met with in any of their rituals. "With regard to these varieties of form," says Palmer, "it does not appear that they were formerly considered of any importance. A benediction seems to have been regarded as equally valid, whether it was conveyed in the form of a petition or a declaration, whether in the optative or the indicative mood, whether in the active or passive voice, whether in the first or third person. It is true that a direct prayer to God is a most ancient form of blessing; but the use of a precatory, or an optative form, by no means warrants the inference, that the person who uses it is devoid of any divinely instituted authority to bless and absolve in the congregation of God. Neither does the use of a direct indicative form of blessing or absolution imply anything but the exercise of an authority which God has given to such an extent, and under such limitations, as Divine Revelation has declared."[1]
The only penance imposed upon penitents by the Nestorian priesthood is the increased exercise of godliness, in prayer, reconciliation with those with whom they have been at variance,
- ↑ Origines Liturgicæ, Vol. II. chap. i. part i. § 5.
