In Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

, the Penitential Rite is a form of general confession

Confession

This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...

 that takes place at the start of each Mass

Mass (liturgy)

"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...

.

Formulas of General Confession in the 2011 Roman Missal

• Formula A (A prayer often called the Confiteor
  Confiteor
  The Confiteor is one of the prayers that can be said during the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. It is also said in the Lutheran Church at the beginning of their Divine Service...
  
  , and less frequently the Mea Culpa
  Mea Culpa
  Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my mistake" or "my fault". To emphasize the message, the adjective "maxima" may be inserted, resulting in "mea maxima culpa," which would translate as "my most [grievous] fault."...
  
  ):

All: I confess to almighty God,

and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done,

and in what I have failed to do;

through my fault

through my fault

through my most grievous fault

Therefore, I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,

all the angels and saints,

and you, my brothers and sisters,

to pray for me to the Lord our God.



Priest:May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
.

• Formula B:

Priest: Have mercy on us, Lord

Congregation: For we have sinned against you.

Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.

Congregation: And grant us your salvation.

• Formula C (said or sung by the deacon or priest, or sung by a cantor):

Minister: You were sent to heal the contrite (or a similar invocation): Lord, have mercy.

Congregation: Lord, have mercy.

Minister: You came to call sinners (or a similar invocation): Christ, have mercy.

Congregation: Christ, have mercy.

Minister: You plead for us at the right hand of the Father (or a similar invocation): Lord, have mercy.

Congregation: Lord, have mercy.

In all cases, the formula of absolution that follows is:

Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

Congregation: Amen.

The Penitential Acts follows the entrance of the priest (ideally to the sound of the entrance antiphon or a hymn), and his greeting of the altar (which he kisses) and of the people (with a formula such as "The Lord be with you"). In turn it is followed by the Kyrie eleison (unless the third of the three formulas, which incorporates the Kyrie, has been chosen as the Penitential Act), the Gloria (if used), and the Collect

Collect

In Christian liturgy, a collect is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer. In the Middle Ages, the prayer was referred to in Latin as collectio, but in the more ancient sources, as oratio. In English, and in this usage, "collect" is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable...

, which concludes the Introductory Rites.

When certain celebrations are combined with Mass the Penitential Act, as well as other parts of the Introductory Rites, is omitted or performed in a different way. An example is the Mass of Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...

, in which the blessing and imposition of ashes, after the homily, replaces the Penitential Act at the beginning.

"On Sundays, especially in the Season of Easter, in place of the customary Penitential Act, from time to time the Blessing and Sprinkling of Water

Asperges

Asperges is a name given to the rite of sprinkling a congregation with holy water. The name comes from the first word in the 9th verse of Psalm 51 in the Latin translation, the Vulgate, which is sung during the Traditional form of the rite, except during Eastertide...

 to recall Baptism may take place."

Formulas of general confession in the 1962 Roman Missal

Unlike the 2011 Roman Missal used in the Ordinary Form, the Tridentine Mass adopts a longer version of the Confiteor prayer, which is pronounced as a part of the Prayers at the Feet of the Altar. The priest prays oriented to the altar:

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti, beátæ Maríæ semper Vírgini, beáto Michǽli Archángelo, beáto Ioánni Baptístæ, sanctis Apóstolis Petro et Páulo, ómnibus Sanctis, et vobis, fratres: quia peccávi nimis cogitatióne, verbo, et ópere: (si batte il petto per tre volte) mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. Ideo precor beátam Maríam semper Virginem, beátum Michǽlem Archángelum, beátum Ioánnem Baptístam, sanctos Apóstolos Petrum et Páulum, omnes Sanctos, et vos, fratres, oráre pro me ad Dóminum Deum nostrum.

The people answer:

Misereátur tui omnípotens Deus, et dimíssis peccátis tuis, perdúcat te ad vitam ætérnam.

At the end, the priest answers "Amen", then everyone confesses one's sins. The formula is the same as the priestly one, but "vobis fratres" and "vos fratres" are replaced by "tibi pater" and "te pater" respectively. The Misereatur is spoken by the priest replacing "tui", "tuis" and "te" with "vestri", "vestris" and "vos" respectively.

The rite ends with the Indulgentiam absolution prayer:
Indulgéntiam, + absolutiónem, et remissiónem peccatórum nostrórum, tríbuat nobis omnípotens et miséricors Dóminus.

Beliefs

Sometimes known as "general confession", the Lutheran Penitential Rite is done at the start of each Mass. The pastor and congregation say the Confiteor

Confiteor

The Confiteor is one of the prayers that can be said during the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. It is also said in the Lutheran Church at the beginning of their Divine Service...

 and the pastor says the Declaration of Grace

Declaration of Grace

In Lutheranism, the Declaration of Grace is the words that are said in the Divine Service by the priest, following the congregation reciting the Confiteor. It it not regarded as absolution, rather it is regarded as an "assurance of forgiveness".-Text:...

. The Declaration of Grace is not an absolution. In Lutheran practice, the sacramental rite of confession

Confession

This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...

is its own separate service, and private confession is expected before partaking of the Eucharist.

Formula

External links

• The Order of the Mass