Page 112 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Rich Spirituality 113

The confession starts with the following
introduction: "I have sinned against the most
Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit. I have sinned against God. I confess
before God and before the Holy Mother of God
and before you, Holy Father, all the sins that I
have committed; for I have sinned in thought, in
word, and in deed, willingly and unwillingly,
knowingly and unknowingly. I have sinned
against God."
After each section, the congregation
silently or loudly say, "God, forgive my sins,"
and the bishop or priest on behalf of God,
the Supreme Judge, responds, "May God
grant you forgiveness," and at the end of the
confession he pronounces the absolution:
"…May God the lover of humanity have mercy
upon you and grant you forgiveness of all your
sins, both those which you have confessed as well
as those you have forgotten... ."
The same confession is read during the
sunrise hours and by the celebrant before
the eucharistic celebration.

Holy Eucharist
The church is essentially a eucharistic
community. Through the celebration of the
eucharist, the church manifests its very
being as one church in each and in all places.
Holy Eucharist is communion with Christ; it
involves eating the consecrated bread as His
Body and drinking the wine as His Blood.