Abolish Absolution

[Gnomistry 1115]

Spoiler

 

That None but GOD May Absolve 

A Meditation on the Vanity of Human Absolution

 “The priest is not the gate of the Skies but the herald of its ways.”

 

So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid My faithful this: You shall not raise a hand in wrath, nor in envy, nor in any kind of sin. 

(Scroll of Virtue, Canticle of Patience 9)

 

That wooden box. 

That wooden box which we enter into to be freed from the world of sin. 

What is it? 

It is not the confessional, it is the coffin.

 

The Scroll of Spirit proclaims the Lord GOD as “the Most Merciful, Singular, and Omnipotent.” Therefore, mercy proceeds directly from His nature, not through mediation. To bind mercy to human ordinance is to divide the indivisible, for “there are no partners to GOD,” nor any who may partake in His divine prerogatives. The forgiveness of sin belongs to GOD alone, who sees into every heart and judges without intercessor, as it is written: “There is no refuge from the sight of GOD, for He sees all things, and no sin is hidden before Him.” (Epistle to the Harrenites 19–20). Thus, to grant men authority to absolve what GOD alone can forgive is to set human power beside the divine which is a trespass against His singularity. 

The Scroll of Spirit teaches that sin is separation from GOD. Sin is not an infraction to be counted and annulled by priestly decree. The Epistle to the Orcs declares, “You suffer not in retribution, but in separation, and in the Skies all shall find solace.” Therefore, reconciliation with GOD is not the work of man but the return of the soul to its Maker through repentance and renewed obedience. The sacrament of confession as it stands presumes that sin may be remitted by another’s voice, yet the Scroll affirms that every man must “seek salvation in the One,” and none can bridge the soul’s division but GOD Himself (Epistle to the Godwinites 22). Hence, confession to priests is treated as a shadow of true repentance. Perhaps it is a comfort to men’s ears, but not a balm to remedy their self-imposed segregation. The prophets were called “servants of the Lord, called to prophetic vocation in His service,” not mediators of His forgiveness. Their charge was to admonish nations, not to bind or loose sins. The priesthood of the True Faith inherits the prophetic duty of instruction and example through Saints Evaristus and Clement. The faithful must confess before men for counsel, but absolution must come from GOD, for the priest is not the gate of the Skies but the herald of its ways. To engage in this form of sacramental expurgation is to conflate the servant with the Master and to mistake admonition for absolution.
 

The Epistle to the Jorenites warns that “there can be no laxity in faith for any reason, not war nor peace, not wealth nor poverty.” Yet confession, as ritualized absolution, tempts men to such laxity, for if forgiveness may be purchased in speech, repentance need not dwell in the heart. True penitence requires the transformation of the will. And since “the Lord GOD gives no compulsion in faith,” no ordinance can compel forgiveness nor constrain His mercy (Epistle to the Godwinites 3). Thus, ritual confession has been a vanity, born of men’s fear of silence rather than their love of truth. The mercy of GOD is infinite and immediate, unmediated by man, temple, or rite. The soul is reconciled through contrition, restitution, and obedience to the Virtue. The priest may guide the penitent, but cannot cleanse him. Therefore, the sacrament of confession as a means of absolution is rejected as false and unnecessary within the True Faith. For it is written: “GOD punishes not, but protects. And there is no pain with GOD, but without Him” (Epistle to the Jorenites, 4–5). So let the faithful confess not to men for remission, but to GOD for restoration, and let their repentance be proven by deeds.

 

When Exalted Owyn was called to prophetic service, the Lord did not bid him to listen to the sins of men, but to remove them. He was not given the ear, but the sword for his ministry was of purification. Where corruption had nested in the hearts of kings and priests alike, Owyn struck that the fire of righteousness might cleanse what the word alone could not. Thus was sin cast out by the justice of GOD working through His chosen hand. If the Lord had willed that sin be undone by speech, He would have sent a scribe; but He sent a prophet armed in flame, that repentance might burn away deceit. Thus, let the faithful confess not that they may be cleansed by the ordained, but that they may be taught by him; and let their penance not pretend to ransom sin, but to renew their obedience to GOD. The Scroll of Spirit declares that “the Lord lasts through all adversities, for He is their source and their remedy” (Jorenites 14). So penance is to be a walking again in the remedy,  the way of the Lord’s command. Therefore, let confession be retained as admonition, and penance as correction, but let no man say that through them sins are forgiven. Verily, we shall be judged by the All-Seeing; therefore, sin no more.

Shaulbert ♰

 

[HandsomeFloppa 722]

Spoiler

we got the reformation in minecraft before GTA VI 💀

 

[PrinceTheDM 275]

Elijah quietly reads the paper. "How curious"

[Nectorist 12869]

A reply is offered from His Royal Highness, Valentin of Avar, as orated to his tutor, Fr. Ramsey Muñiz:

 

It is a thing to be heartened by, that we still yet have those who would ponder our Faith. I have begun to embark on the path of ponderance, one that may lead me to err greatly in my endeavor, that being to respond in defense of the traditions of the Church, of which I have been born into, raised with, and accept with open mind. Think not of my response as a dagger but a palm revealed to hold only the laurel of peace and the quill of rational scholarship, which I believe we exercise presently.

 

The Lord is merciful, and waits for our penance. He saw the goodly rule of Godfrey, and the prosperity of his people. (Gospel 6: 45-46)

 

Alienation from one's state of innocence, and the necessity of ablution from the state of guilt that follows, is central to the journey of the life of virtue, undertaken in the aspiration of nearness to God. Contrition is a necessary quality for one's return from the state of guilt- even the Judites, as written in their thesis on the Sacrament of Penance, believed self-examination before God must be done (logically so, else the penitent would be unaware of what sins were necessary to confess)- but it cannot altogether be a sufficient substitute for repentance. It is a natural motion of the heart to rebuke one's ill-deeds when the weight of sin presses heavily upon the soul, yet the heart cannot be treated as a wholly rational actor, for it is reason that ensures the sinner will not simply repeat their actions when removed far enough from the pain of remorse. The Lord waits for our penance as the final step in our journey towards forgiveness, and it is through deed, undertaken with a heart turned towards His Will (else the penance would be avoided), that we are shown the light of mercy, from the unending font of His Love.

 

The Lord saw the penance of Owyn, which was the death of the unrepentant. And Owyn was made again as the light of his blade, and the great city was destroyed. (Gospel 5:19-20)

 

The admission of one's guilt has always been a crucial condition in the process of repentance, but it is insufficient without deed. The mercy of God, and the brief restoration of the state of innocence, thus, cannot be given to he who solely kneels before the altar and begs forgiveness. I would not interpret your argument so uncharitably, but the example of Exalted Owyn, charged to cleanse Edel for his crime of slaying his uncle, is not that of the meagre sinner receiving his instruction of penance through a personal communion with the Lord, but that of the Lord's Prophet, temporarily alienated from his grace, yet retaining his authority as he who speaks for the Lord and interprets His Will. It is a means that cannot simply be mirrored by us of the flock, not due to our status as adherents, but because of our inability to directly receive His instruction and, in substitute of that, act as impartial, knowledgeable exponents of the Word, who may see that one's admission of guilt is reasonably and wholesomely resolved through penance. It is in this capacity that the priest, authorized as confessor, may provide the course of penance, and through it the Lord's forgiveness; not granted by the confessor, as you charge, but confirmed, so that the soul may not be troubled.

 

And Owyn received the decree of GOD. He spoke with His voice, and Harren was commanded to free the pure and virtuous Harrenites of their bondage, and to go into the mountain and free the people of Edel. (Gospel 4:41-42)

----------------

But you remain my prophet. (Gospel 4: 56)

 

Would the even the wisest and most faithful among us be allowed to communicate his own confession, determine his own penance, and ascertain the removal of his guilt, then His Holiness would require no confessor, but it is understood that we must not allow, when his own sins are concerned, man to make his interpretation of the Will of God. Both the overeager flagellant and the avoidant rationalizer stand to make what they will of their prayers to the Lord, but the confessor, in the role as mediator, may see what is. It is through their wisdom that we may see the depth of our sin, which we, as fallible man, are prone to underestimate the gravity of, and from them deliver to the Lord a sufficient plea for forgiveness.

 

Godfrey wept at the sin of his people, and he took up his mace to purify them. But the Aengul Eshtael descended. (Gospel 6:13-14)

----------------

But Eshtael said “Lo, wickedness cannot undo what wickedness has done." (Gospel 6:17)

----------------

"He names the pure and the impure, the good and the evil. He names you His prophet, Godfrey of the line of Horen.” 22 And the northern winds carried the waters of Gamesh to Godfrey, and they poured down upon him. So Eshtael girded Godfrey in kingly finery, and gave him the horn and laurel, and Godfrey’s weapon became a scepter of rebuke and rulership. (Gospel 6:20-23)

----------------

Thus mankind was united in virtue, in the highlands and the heartlands, and in the farthest homes of the sons of Horen. And Godfrey pronounced the word of God into the hearts of men, proclaiming unto them “We are born from the ashes of the old kingdom of Oren. 35 We are the heirs to Horen and have continued him by this empire.” (Gospel 6:33-35)

 

Although it was the charge of Exalted Owyn that the sins of his time be cleansed through the sword (and indeed, it remains a necessity today at times), the example of Exalted Godfrey shows the second method by which the world was cleansed. While he hurried to take the sword, eager to repeat the actions taken by Owyn before him, the Aengul Eshtael turned him away from the action of violence, and instead provided to him another avenue of the purification of Man: rebuke, rulership, and proclamation. The repentance of man and union in virtue came not at the end of a sword, but through the direction of His Prophet, sent upon the world to shepherd and guide them. The sins of the many were settled peaceably, under the direction of Godfrey, who by his mandate, delivered them from their state of guilt and back into the graces of the Lord. Far from an aberration of the responsibilities of those who guide the Canonist flock, it can be reasonably inferred that stewardship of the faithful, and their redemption from sin, may be rendered by those empowered to teach us.

 

Yet I am only a humble student and accept that my understanding, while perhaps rational, may be further enlightened by those with a stronger grasp of our Faith. To you, Friar Shaulbert, I give my humblest and warmest gratitude for allowing my mind to be exercised with your words, and my investigation of my beliefs to grow deeper.

[Gnomistry 1115]

5 hours ago, Nectorist said:

A reply is offered from His Royal Highness, Valentin of Avar, as orated to his tutor, Fr. Ramsey Muñiz:

 

It is a thing to be heartened by, that we still yet have those who would ponder our Faith. I have begun to embark on the path of ponderance, one that may lead me to err greatly in my endeavor, that being to respond in defense of the traditions of the Church, of which I have been born into, raised with, and accept with open mind. Think not of my response as a dagger but a palm revealed to hold only the laurel of peace and the quill of rational scholarship, which I believe we exercise presently.

 

The Lord is merciful, and waits for our penance. He saw the goodly rule of Godfrey, and the prosperity of his people. (Gospel 6: 45-46)

 

Alienation from one's state of innocence, and the necessity of ablution from the state of guilt that follows, is central to the journey of the life of virtue, undertaken in the aspiration of nearness to God. Contrition is a necessary quality for one's return from the state of guilt- even the Judites, as written in their thesis on the Sacrament of Penance, believed self-examination before God must be done (logically so, else the penitent would be unaware of what sins were necessary to confess)- but it cannot altogether be a sufficient substitute for repentance. It is a natural motion of the heart to rebuke one's ill-deeds when the weight of sin presses heavily upon the soul, yet the heart cannot be treated as a wholly rational actor, for it is reason that ensures the sinner will not simply repeat their actions when removed far enough from the pain of remorse. The Lord waits for our penance as the final step in our journey towards forgiveness, and it is through deed, undertaken with a heart turned towards His Will (else the penance would be avoided), that we are shown the light of mercy, from the unending font of His Love.

 

The Lord saw the penance of Owyn, which was the death of the unrepentant. And Owyn was made again as the light of his blade, and the great city was destroyed. (Gospel 5:19-20)

 

The admission of one's guilt has always been a crucial condition in the process of repentance, but it is insufficient without deed. The mercy of God, and the brief restoration of the state of innocence, thus, cannot be given to he who solely kneels before the altar and begs forgiveness. I would not interpret your argument so uncharitably, but the example of Exalted Owyn, charged to cleanse Edel for his crime of slaying his uncle, is not that of the meagre sinner receiving his instruction of penance through a personal communion with the Lord, but that of the Lord's Prophet, temporarily alienated from his grace, yet retaining his authority as he who speaks for the Lord and interprets His Will. It is a means that cannot simply be mirrored by us of the flock, not due to our status as adherents, but because of our inability to directly receive His instruction and, in substitute of that, act as impartial, knowledgeable exponents of the Word, who may see that one's admission of guilt is reasonably and wholesomely resolved through penance. It is in this capacity that the priest, authorized as confessor, may provide the course of penance, and through it the Lord's forgiveness; not granted by the confessor, as you charge, but confirmed, so that the soul may not be troubled.

 

And Owyn received the decree of GOD. He spoke with His voice, and Harren was commanded to free the pure and virtuous Harrenites of their bondage, and to go into the mountain and free the people of Edel. (Gospel 4:41-42)

----------------

But you remain my prophet. (Gospel 4: 56)

 

Would the even the wisest and most faithful among us be allowed to communicate his own confession, determine his own penance, and ascertain the removal of his guilt, then His Holiness would require no confessor, but it is understood that we must not allow, when his own sins are concerned, man to make his interpretation of the Will of God. Both the overeager flagellant and the avoidant rationalizer stand to make what they will of their prayers to the Lord, but the confessor, in the role as mediator, may see what is. It is through their wisdom that we may see the depth of our sin, which we, as fallible man, are prone to underestimate the gravity of, and from them deliver to the Lord a sufficient plea for forgiveness.

 

Godfrey wept at the sin of his people, and he took up his mace to purify them. But the Aengul Eshtael descended. (Gospel 6:13-14)

----------------

But Eshtael said “Lo, wickedness cannot undo what wickedness has done." (Gospel 6:17)

----------------

"He names the pure and the impure, the good and the evil. He names you His prophet, Godfrey of the line of Horen.” 22 And the northern winds carried the waters of Gamesh to Godfrey, and they poured down upon him. So Eshtael girded Godfrey in kingly finery, and gave him the horn and laurel, and Godfrey’s weapon became a scepter of rebuke and rulership. (Gospel 6:20-23)

----------------

Thus mankind was united in virtue, in the highlands and the heartlands, and in the farthest homes of the sons of Horen. And Godfrey pronounced the word of God into the hearts of men, proclaiming unto them “We are born from the ashes of the old kingdom of Oren. 35 We are the heirs to Horen and have continued him by this empire.” (Gospel 6:33-35)

 

Although it was the charge of Exalted Owyn that the sins of his time be cleansed through the sword (and indeed, it remains a necessity today at times), the example of Exalted Godfrey shows the second method by which the world was cleansed. While he hurried to take the sword, eager to repeat the actions taken by Owyn before him, the Aengul Eshtael turned him away from the action of violence, and instead provided to him another avenue of the purification of Man: rebuke, rulership, and proclamation. The repentance of man and union in virtue came not at the end of a sword, but through the direction of His Prophet, sent upon the world to shepherd and guide them. The sins of the many were settled peaceably, under the direction of Godfrey, who by his mandate, delivered them from their state of guilt and back into the graces of the Lord. Far from an aberration of the responsibilities of those who guide the Canonist flock, it can be reasonably inferred that stewardship of the faithful, and their redemption from sin, may be rendered by those empowered to teach us.

 

Yet I am only a humble student and accept that my understanding, while perhaps rational, may be further enlightened by those with a stronger grasp of our Faith. To you, Friar Shaulbert, I give my humblest and warmest gratitude for allowing my mind to be exercised with your words, and my investigation of my beliefs to grow deeper.

 

Brother,

I extend my apostolic benediction to you and your priest, peace, and pray the fear of the Lord upon you both. I thank you for your gracious letter and the temperate spirit in which it was offered; your words display both humility and ardor for the Faith. Permit me now, in turn, to answer your pondering with a heart inclined to concord.

You rightly recall that “The Lord is merciful, and waits for our penance” (Gospel 6:45–46), and you draw from the history of our Exalted those patterns by which GOD cleansed the world: by Owyn’s sword and by Godfrey’s governance. They demonstrate two distinct modes of action: one of purging when corruption has triumphed, the other of rule where instruction may heal. From them, we must not hastily derive the power to bestow forgiveness to mortal hands.

Hear then this distinction I press upon: the minister of the Church is called to admonition, guidance, and the ordering of penance, not to be the font from which divine pardon flows. You have argued that the confessor “confirms” a penitent’s plea so the soul may not be troubled; I accept that the priest’s counsel gives assurance and direction. Yet confirmation must not be confused with making what only GOD may make. The Scroll of Spirit reminds us that “there is no refuge from the sight of GOD, for He sees all things, and no sin is hidden before Him” (Epistle to the Harrenites 19–20). If God alone sees the heart in fullness, then only GOD alone judges the interior and grants true reconciliation. A priest may discern and advise; he cannot know or remit what the Lord alone inspects.

You appeal to Owyn as one who bore a prophet’s authority even in his failure, and to that I grant weight: “The Lord saw the penance of Owyn, which was the death of the unrepentant. And Owyn was made again as the light of his blade, and the great city was destroyed” (Gospel 5:19–20). Owyn’s penance was indeed a work whereby the state of the world was reordered, and yet even Owyn cried out for forgiveness and found himself told that what was done could not be undone (Gospel Book of Owyn 51–56). His office was prophetic and executive, not sacerdotal in the sense of exercising exclusive dominion over mercy. The pattern is: GOD commands, the prophet executes; GOD alone restores the heart.

Consider further how the Scriptures you cite show Godfrey’s mode: the Aengul Eshtael turns the king from immediate violence and girds him with horn and laurel so that his weapon “became a scepter of rebuke and rulership” (Gospel 6:20–23). From Godfrey we learn the best of governance. These are the means of restoring communities by teaching and rule. His example supports the priest’s role as teacher and steward. Yet stewardship is not sovereignty over grace. The Church’s minister may speak of penances, propose works of reparation, and bind the conscience with counsel, but he must not declare himself the author of pardon. Where he does so, he risks making the confessional a substitute for the soul’s true turning.

You rightly warn of two extremes. I) The overeager flagellant and II) the avoidant rationalizer. You propose that a wise confessor prevents both. I accept that wisdom is needed to temper the heart’s excesses. Still, prudence in guidance does not require that we attribute to the confessor a metaphysical power to remit guilt. A confessor may order penance so that the penitent’s contrition bears fruit; he may confirm that outward acts have been performed; but the actual reconciliation being the inward return, the removal of separation, remains GOD’s alone. The Scroll of Spirit instructs us that sin is separation from GOD and that reconciliation is the soul’s return (Epistle to the Orcs: “You suffer not in retribution, but in separation, and in the Skies all shall find solace.”). This returning is an act of the Divine Mercy upon the contrite heart.

Therefore, let our practice be reformed in language and in devotion. Retain confession as the Church’s instrument of counsel, penitential discipline, and public correction where required. Let penance be real and demanding works that demonstrate the turning of the will. But let us remove from our formularies and our habit the posture that a mortal word or rite affects the metaphysical remission of sin. Confession is to retain a pastoral benediction and an exhortation to continue in obedience. I do not seek to strip the Church of its pastoral tools; I seek to defend the sovereignty of GOD’s mercy. You, a layman, have shown, in your defence of tradition, the prudence and order necessary to keep the flock from error. I ask only that we guard against granting our ministers the station of the Almighty. For as the Scroll affirms, GOD alone sees fully and judges rightly; penance reforms the will, and mercy in its pure and saving form is the free act of the Lord.

May the All-Seeing guide our judgments so that we sin no more.

Your servant,

Shaulbert ♰