Absolution in Holy Communion (1928 BCP)

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Absolution in Holy Communion (1928 BCP) is the priestly declaration of pardon appointed after the General Confession in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer order for Holy Communion. It stands between the kneeling confession of communicants and the Comfortable Words, so that the congregation moves toward the eucharistic prayer by repentance, faith, declared forgiveness, and scriptural consolation.

The Communion absolution is shorter than the Morning Prayer absolution, but it is not less theological. Its grammar is carefully ordered: God is the merciful Father; forgiveness is promised to those who turn with hearty repentance and true faith; the priest, or bishop when present, stands and turns to the people; and the petition joins pardon, deliverance, strengthening in goodness, and everlasting life through Jesus Christ.

Text in the 1928 Communion Office

The rubric gives the absolution a public and ministerial form. The communicants have just confessed while kneeling; the priest now stands, faces the people, and speaks the appointed form. When a bishop is present, the bishop takes this place in the rite.

Then shall the Priest (the Bishop if he be present) stand up, and turning to the People, say,

[1]

The absolution itself is declaratory and prayerful at once. It declares the divine promise to penitent believers, then asks God to have mercy, pardon, deliver, strengthen, and bring them to everlasting life.

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him; Have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness; and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[2]

The words immediately before the confession define the persons to whom this absolution is addressed: those who repent, are reconciled with neighbours, intend amendment of life, and draw near with faith.

YE who do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways; Draw near with faith, and take this holy Sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to Almighty God, devoutly kneeling.

[3]

The words immediately after the absolution keep the declaration from being isolated from Scripture. The priest next reads gospel promises to those who "truly turn" to Christ.

Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him.

[4]

Repentance, Faith, and Pardon

The opening clause names God as "our heavenly Father," not merely as judge. The same sentence, however, does not detach mercy from repentance and faith. The 1928 form promises forgiveness "to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him." This is classical Prayer Book theology: the ground of pardon is God's mercy in Christ, while the fitting reception of that promise is penitence and faith.

The risen Christ gives his apostles a ministry of peace and remission. The Communion absolution is one liturgical expression of that ministry: not a private power independent of the Gospel, but the Church's public application of Christ's promise to penitent communicants.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

[5]

The same promise is preached evangelically in St. Luke: repentance and remission of sins are proclaimed in Christ's name. The Communion absolution follows that pattern by addressing repentant communicants in the name and mercy of God.

Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

[6]

The absolution also answers the pastoral problem named by St. John. Communicants do not approach the Sacrament by claiming sinlessness; they confess sin and receive the faithful promise of forgiveness and cleansing.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[7]

Historical Continuity

The 1928 Communion absolution descends from the first Edwardian Communion material. The 1548 Order of the Communion already placed an invitation, general confession, absolution, and Comfortable Words around the reception of Communion. Its absolution is more explicit about the Church's authority to absolve penitent sinners, while the later 1549 and 1928 forms express the same pastoral act through the language of God's promised forgiveness.

OUR blessed Lord, who hath left power to his Church to absolve penitent sinners from their sins, and to restore to the grace of the heavenly Father such as truly believe in Christ; Have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all sins; confirm and, strength you in all goodness; and bring you to everlasting life.

[8]

In the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, the absolution took a form much closer to the 1928 American wording. The major clauses are already present: God's mercy, promised forgiveness, hearty repentance, true faith, pardon, deliverance, strengthening, and everlasting life.

ALMIGHTIE GOD, our heavenly father, who of his great mercie hath promysed forgevenesse of synnes to all them, whiche with hartye repentaunce and true fayth, turne unto him: have mercy upon you, pardon and delyver you from all youre sinnes, confirme and strengthen you in all goodnes, and bring you to everlasting lyfe: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[9]

The 1662 Church of England office preserves substantially the same form used in 1928, with the explicit heading that the priest "pronounce this Absolution." The 1928 American book keeps the same theological shape while changing the rubric to mention the bishop when present.

Then shall the Priest (or the Bishop, being present,) stand up, and turning himself to the people, pronounce this Absolution

[10]

Francis Procter and Walter Howard Frere explain the historical and theological significance of this sequence. They identify the absolution as derived from an older Latin form, but reshaped so that the need for repentance and faith is stated in the absolution itself.

The Absolution is from the old Latin form, with an additional clause prefixed which was probably taken also from the Consultation, and which makes the formulary to be also a declaration of the need of repentance and faith in order to forgiveness.

[11]

They also explain why the Comfortable Words follow the absolution. The Scripture sentences are not ornamental; they are the biblical promises on which the declaration rests.

The Comfortable Words that follow are the scriptural statements upon which the Absolution is grounded: the idea was taken from the Consultation, but altered and set after the Absolution instead of before it.

[12]

Clause-by-Clause Theology

"Almighty God, our heavenly Father" holds reverence and adoption together. The communicants have confessed before the Maker and Judge of all, but the absolution names the one who forgives as Father. It is therefore not a bare legal announcement; it is the Father's mercy toward those who turn to him through Christ.

"Who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins" places the source of pardon in God's promise, not in the minister's personality or in the communicants' emotional intensity. The priest says the appointed words because the Church has received a Gospel promise to declare.

"To all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him" prevents presumption. The absolution is not addressed indiscriminately to the impenitent. In the rite it follows an invitation requiring repentance, charity, amendment, obedience, and faith, and it follows a confession that asks forgiveness "For thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake."

"Have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins" answers both guilt and bondage. Pardon remits sin; deliverance asks release from sin's captivity. The absolution therefore points beyond acquittal alone toward a healed and freed Christian life.

"Confirm and strengthen you in all goodness" joins absolution to sanctification. The forgiven communicant is not merely relieved before receiving Communion, but strengthened for goodness. This is especially fitting before the eucharistic ascent into "Lift up your hearts" and thanksgiving.

"Bring you to everlasting life" gives the form an eschatological end. The communicants are about to receive the Sacrament as food for the pilgrim people of God; the absolution directs them toward the final life promised through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Relation to the Communion Rite

The 1928 Communion office places absolution in a disciplined pastoral sequence. The Decalogue or Summary of the Law has already exposed the shape of obedience; the Collect, Epistle, Gospel, Creed, sermon, offertory, and intercession have located the congregation within the Word and prayer of the Church; then communicants kneel, confess, and receive the priestly declaration of pardon.

The next words are the Comfortable Words from Matthew 11:28, John 3:16, 1 Timothy 1:15, and 1 John 2:1-2. That placement is one of the Prayer Book's clearest evangelical gestures. The absolution declares God's promise to the penitent, and Scripture immediately supplies the promise's own language: Christ invites the burdened, God gives his Son, Christ Jesus saves sinners, and Jesus Christ the righteous is Advocate and Propitiation.

For catechesis, the absolution can be taught in four movements: God has promised forgiveness; the promise is received by repentance and faith; the Church publicly ministers that promise in the Communion rite; and pardon is ordered toward strengthened goodness and everlasting life. For worship, it should not be rushed as a transition. It is the appointed answer to confession and the gateway to the Comfortable Words, the Sursum Corda, and the eucharistic thanksgiving.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, "The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion," rubric before the Absolution; Society of Archbishop Justus transcription, The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. Quotation compared with local source sources/justus1928/HC.htm, lines 395-397.
  2. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, "The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion," Absolution after the General Confession; Society of Archbishop Justus transcription, The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. Quotation compared word for word with local source sources/justus1928/HC.htm, lines 398-403; HTML drop-cap styling and italicized Amen normalized.
  3. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, "The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion," invitation before the General Confession; Society of Archbishop Justus transcription, The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. Quotation compared with local source sources/justus1928/HC.htm, lines 373-379.
  4. ↑ Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Book of Common Prayer, Standard Book accepted in 1928, "The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion," introduction to the Comfortable Words; Society of Archbishop Justus transcription, The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, or Holy Communion. Quotation compared with local source sources/justus1928/HC.htm, lines 404-408.
  5. ↑ The Holy Bible, Authorized Version, John 20:21-23; BibleGateway, John 20:21-23, King James Version. This citation supports the article's claim that Anglican absolution is rooted in the risen Christ's commission of peace and remission.
  6. ↑ The Holy Bible, Authorized Version, Luke 24:46-47; BibleGateway, Luke 24:46-47, King James Version. This citation supports the absolution's union of repentance, remission, and Christ's saving work.
  7. ↑ The Holy Bible, Authorized Version, 1 John 1:8-9; BibleGateway, 1 John 1:8-9, King James Version. This citation supports the Communion sequence of confession, forgiveness, and cleansing.
  8. ↑ Church of England, The Order of the Communion, 1548, text as reprinted in H. B. Walton and P. G. Medd, eds., The First Book of Common Prayer and The Ordinal of 1549 together with The Order of the Communion, 1548, London: Rivingtons, 1869, from a Bodleian Library original; Society of Archbishop Justus transcription, The Order of the Communion, 1548. Quotation checked against the resolving Justus HTML source on 2026-07-18; early modern capitalization and punctuation retained where clear, whitespace normalized.
  9. ↑ Church of England, The Book of Common Prayer (1549), "The Supper of the Lorde and the Holy Communion, commonly called the Masse," Absolution after the General Confession; Society of Archbishop Justus transcription, The Communion (1549). Quotation checked against the resolving Justus HTML source on 2026-07-18; early modern spelling retained, line wrapping normalized.
  10. ↑ Church of England, The Book of Common Prayer (1662), "The Lord's Supper or Holy Communion," rubric before the Absolution; official Church of England online text, The Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. Quotation checked against the resolving official text on 2026-07-18.
  11. ↑ Francis Procter and Walter Howard Frere, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer, with a Rationale of Its Offices, revised and rewritten edition, London: Macmillan and Co., 1902, chapter XII, "The Communion Service," comparison of "The Present Office" with "Order of Communion"; Society of Archbishop Justus/Project Canterbury transcription, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer: Chapter XII, Holy Communion. Quotation checked against the resolving Justus HTML source and the Internet Archive bibliographic record, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer.
  12. ↑ Francis Procter and Walter Howard Frere, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer, with a Rationale of Its Offices, revised and rewritten edition, London: Macmillan and Co., 1902, chapter XII, "The Communion Service," comparison of "The Present Office" with "Order of Communion"; Society of Archbishop Justus/Project Canterbury transcription, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer: Chapter XII, Holy Communion. Quotation checked against the resolving Justus HTML source and the Internet Archive bibliographic record, A New History of the Book of Common Prayer.
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