I often come to church for confession to repent of my sins, cleanse my soul and receive God’s forgiveness. This sacred sacrament is more powerful and stronger than any other cleansing ritual, so I recommend regular confession in the temple to every person. In this article I will tell you everything a parishioner needs to know who has decided to perform this ritual for the first time or wants to better understand the spiritual meaning of confession.
You need to prepare for confession in advance. It is best to take a few days to prepare.
What to do:
- Write on a piece of paper a list of sins that you will repent of to the priest in church.
- Read church literature that describes all the features of the sacrament of confession.
- Admit your sins, that they exist and you have committed them. At the same time, there is no need to look for those to blame, try to justify yourself to yourself and shift responsibility. Repent first of all to yourself: “Yes, I did it, and only I am guilty of what I did.”
- A clue as to which sins to include on the list might be to keep a daily journal in which you note what you did during the day. Mark in it what good things you did and what bad things you did. Try to carefully monitor your thoughts, emotions and actions and “catch” yourself in negative states.
- Ask for forgiveness from those you have offended. Try to make peace with your enemies. Try to establish contact with those with whom you have been quarreling for a long time and have not communicated. Even if you do not resume communication, a sincere conversation will cleanse your soul and heart.
- Introduce prayer into your daily routine. In the evening, read the canons: Repentant and turned to the Mother of God.
It is important to understand that personal confession (when you admit your sins to yourself and repent) is different from church rite(its meaning is deep repentance and the desire to cleanse oneself from sins, so as not to repeat them in the future).
And confession to a priest is the next stage. Thanks to the fact that you have to overcome yourself by telling a stranger about your unpleasant actions, you can deeply understand them, overcome feelings of guilt and shame, and draw the right conclusions.
If you have difficulty listing the list of sins, buy a special booklet at the church store that contains Full description and the sacrament itself, and a detailed list of sins. It also has everything necessary materials about how to prepare for confession.
How to confess and behave in church correctly
As soon as you begin to feel heaviness in your soul, when the wrongdoings you have committed do not give you peace, and your thoughts are full of negativity, the time comes for confession in church.
The forgiveness you receive after sincere repentance gives you a feeling of relief and liberation. What rules of confession exist:
- You can go to confession up to three times a week. But it is not necessary to do this so often. It may well be that your sins are not so severe, and you will only need repentance from a priest once a month or less. Observe your feelings. If you feel that it’s worth speaking out again, come to another confession.
- To get rid of awkwardness and feelings of constraint, try to focus your thoughts on the sincere desire to cleanse your soul and consciousness of negativity, to receive forgiveness and the blessing of God.
- Prepare a list of sins committed before the sacrament itself, so as not to waste time trying to remember what you forgot.
- If the sins you have committed are serious enough, after confession the priest may impose penance - a punishment, by fulfilling which you will earn forgiveness. Please understand that you will need to follow the instructions.
The most best time for confession - this is either the time after the evening liturgy, or in the morning, before the start of the service.
How does confession go?
There are several options for confession:
- Common, when people pronounce their sins together during a special service.
- By agreement with the priest, you can get his personal audience and confess one-on-one.
- In exceptional situations (if a person is seriously ill, for example), the priest can be invited home. An exception is most often made only in cases where the “sinner” is dying.
You should be prepared for the fact that before the sacrament the priest will ask you several questions. They should be answered sincerely and without embarrassment. Usually he is interested in whether you pray often, come to church, whether you follow God’s commandments, and so on.
Thus, the sacrament takes place in several stages:
- Preliminary conversation with questions from the priest.
- Reading out your sins from a list, expressing your desire to repent and receive forgiveness.
- At the end, the priest will read a prayer and tear up the list of sins. This means that confession is over and you have received absolution.
- After this, an epitrachelion will be placed on your head, which symbolizes the blessing and mercy of God. At the end of the ceremony, place your lips on the Gospel and the cross, which are usually located at the end of the temple.
Watch a video about how to correctly name sins in confession:
What should you repent of in confession?
In order not to feel awkward when attending the sacrament for the first time, you should know what to say in confession. It often happens that people try to formulate their actions only with their heads, forgetting that repentance must come from the heart. I encourage you not to worry too much about the accuracy of the wording, but to say everything as your soul feels. You can even express yourself tongue-tied, what's the difference? God hears and understands you.
- Never try to justify yourself to the priest, do not blame your people for your failures, troubles and sins. Recognize that you alone are responsible for them.
- Long stories with a lot of details are also not required. You can speak out in this way to your mother or friend, and simply list all your sins to the priest. Only facts - without assessments, explanations or justifications. There is no need to think about why everything is so.
- You can repent: of the seven deadly sins, negative emotions, which you show to people, in wrongdoings that could cause harm to someone.
And remember: it doesn't matter whether you know the rules or not. The church will always give you advice and tell you, and help you if you forgot about something. Don't be afraid to look stupid and awkward, just be sincere and listen to your heart.
Once in our lives we receive Baptism and are anointed with Chrism. Ideally, we get married once. The Sacrament of the Priesthood is not all-encompassing; it is performed only on those whom the Lord has destined to be accepted into the clergy. In the Sacrament of Unction our participation is very small. But the Sacraments of Confession and Communion lead us through our entire lives to eternity, without them the existence of a Christian is unthinkable. We get to them time after time. So sooner or later we still have the opportunity to think: are we preparing for them correctly? And understand: no, most likely not entirely. Therefore, talking about these Sacraments seems very important to us. In this issue, in a conversation with the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Abbot Nektariy (Morozov), we decided to touch upon confession (because covering everything is an impossible task, too “boundless” a topic), and next time we will talk about Communion of the Holy Mysteries.
“I guess, or rather, I guess: nine out of ten who come to confession don’t know how to confess...
- Indeed, it is so. Even people who regularly go to church do not know how to do many things in it, but the worst thing is with confession. Very rarely does a parishioner confess correctly. You have to learn to confess. Of course, it would be better if an experienced confessor, a man of high spiritual life, spoke about the Sacrament of Confession and repentance. If I decide to talk about this here, it’s simply as a person who confesses, on the one hand, and on the other, as a priest who quite often has to accept confession. I will try to summarize my observations of my own soul and how others participate in the Sacrament of Repentance. But by no means do I consider my observations sufficient.
— Let's talk about the most common misconceptions, misconceptions and mistakes. The man is walking to confession for the first time; he heard that before receiving communion, one must confess. And that in confession you need to tell your sins. He immediately has a question: for what period should he “report”? Over your entire life, starting from childhood? But can you retell all this? Or do you not need to retell everything, but just say: “In childhood and youth I showed selfishness many times” or “In my youth I was very proud and vain, and even now, in fact, I remain the same”?
— If a person comes to confession for the first time, it is quite obvious that he needs to confess for his entire past life. Starting from the age when he could already distinguish good from evil - and until the moment he finally decided to confess.
How can you tell your whole life in a short time? In confession, we do not tell our whole life, but what is sin. Sins are specific events. However, there is no need to recount all the times when you sinned with anger, for example, or with lies. You must say that you committed this sin, and cite some of the brightest, most terrible manifestations of this sin - those that truly hurt your soul. There is one more pointer: what do you least want to tell about yourself? This is exactly what needs to be said first. If you are going to confession for the first time, it is best for you to set yourself the task of confessing your heaviest, most painful sins. Then the confession will become more complete, deeper. The first confession cannot be like this - for several reasons: this is a psychological barrier (coming for the first time in front of a priest, that is, in front of a witness, telling God about your sins is not easy) and other obstacles. A person does not always understand what sin is. Unfortunately, not even all people living church life know and understand the Gospel well. And except in the Gospel, the answer to the question of what is sin and what is virtue, perhaps, will not be found anywhere. In the life around us, many sins have become commonplace... But even when reading the Gospel to a person, his sins are not immediately revealed, they are gradually revealed by the grace of God. St. Peter of Damascus says that the beginning of the health of the soul is seeing one’s sins as countless as the sand of the sea. If the Lord had immediately revealed to a person his sinfulness in all its horror, not a single person could have endured it. That is why the Lord reveals his sins to a person gradually. This can be compared to peeling an onion - first they removed one skin, then the second - and finally they got to the onion itself. That is why it very often happens: a person goes to church, regularly confesses, takes communion - and finally realizes the need for the so-called general confession. It very rarely happens that a person is ready for it right away.
- What it is? How does general confession differ from ordinary confession?
— General confession, as a rule, is called confession for the entire life lived, and in a certain sense this is true. But a confession that is not so comprehensive can also be called general. We repent of our sins from week to week, from month to month, this is a simple confession. But from time to time you need to give yourself a general confession - a review of your entire life. Not the one that was lived, but the one that is now. We see that we repeat the same sins, and we cannot get rid of them - that’s why we need to understand ourselves. Review your entire life as it is now.
— How to treat the so-called questionnaires for general confession? They can be seen in church shops.
— If by general confession we mean precisely confession for the entire life lived, then here there really is a need for some kind of external aid. The best guide for confessors is the book by Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) “The Experience of Constructing a Confession”, it is about the spirit, in the right mood a repentant person, about what exactly needs to be repented. There is a book “Sin and Repentance of the Last Times. About the secret ailments of the soul" by Archimandrite Lazar (Abashidze). Useful excerpts from St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) - “To help the penitent.” As for the questionnaires - yes, there are confessors, there are priests who do not approve of these questionnaires. They say that you can read in them such sins that the reader has never even heard of, but if he reads it, he will be harmed... But, unfortunately, there are almost no such sins left that modern man I wouldn't know. Yes, there are questions there that are stupid, rude, there are questions that are clearly sinning with excessive physiology... But if you treat the questionnaire as a working tool, like a plow with which you need to plow yourself all over once, then, I think, you can use it. In the old days, such questionnaires were called “renewal,” which is so wonderful to modern ears. Indeed, with their help, man renewed himself as the image of God, just as an old, dilapidated and grimy icon is renewed. There is no need to think about whether these questionnaires are in good or bad literary form. TO serious shortcomings On some questionnaires, this is what needs to be said: the compilers include in them something that, in essence, is not a sin. Didn’t you wash your hands with scented soap, for example, or didn’t you do your laundry on Sunday... If you did the laundry during Sunday service, that’s a sin, but if you did the laundry after the service because there was no other time, I personally don’t see it as a sin.
“Unfortunately, you can sometimes buy this in our church shops...
- This is why it is necessary to consult a priest before using the questionnaire. I can recommend the book by Priest Alexy Moroz “I Confess Sin, Father” - it is a reasonable and very detailed questionnaire.
— Here it is necessary to clarify: what do we mean by the word “sin”? Most of those who confess, when they pronounce this word, mean a sinful act. That is, in essence, a manifestation of sin. For example: “Yesterday I was harsh and cruel to my mother.” But this is not a separate, not some random episode, this is a manifestation of the sin of dislike, intolerance, unforgiveness, selfishness. This means that you shouldn’t say that, not “yesterday I was cruel,” but simply “I’m cruel, there’s little love in me.” Or how should I say it?
— Sin is a manifestation of passion in action. We must repent of specific sins. Not in passions as such, because passions are always the same, you can write one confession to yourself for the rest of your life, but in those sins that were committed from confession to confession. Confession is the Sacrament that gives us the opportunity to start a new life. We repented of our sins, and from that moment our life began anew. This is the miracle that takes place in the Sacrament of Confession. That is why you always need to repent - in the past tense. You shouldn’t say: “I offend my neighbors,” I should say: “I offended my neighbors.” Because I have the intention, having said this, not to offend people in the future.Each sin in confession should be named so that it is clear what exactly it is. If we repent of idle talk, we do not need to retell all the episodes of our idle talk and repeat all our idle words. But if in some case there was so much idle talk that we tired someone with it or said something completely unnecessary, we probably need to talk about this in confession in a little more detail, more definitely. There are such words from the Gospel: For every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36). You need to look at your confession in advance from this point of view - whether there will be idle talk in it.
- And yet about passions. If I feel irritated by my neighbor’s request, but I don’t show this irritation in any way and provide him with the necessary help, should I repent of the irritation I experienced as a sin?
- If you, feeling this irritation within yourself, consciously fought against it - this is one situation. If you accepted this irritation of yours, developed it in yourself, reveled in it - this is a different situation. Everything depends on the direction of a person's will. If a person, experiencing a sinful passion, turns to God and says: “Lord, I don’t want this and I don’t want it, help me get rid of it,” there is practically no sin on the person. There is sin - to the extent that our heart participated in these tempting desires. And how much we allowed him to participate in this.
— Apparently, we need to dwell on the “disease of telling,” which stems from a certain cowardice during confession. For example, instead of saying “I behaved selfishly,” I begin to tell: “At work... my colleague says... and in response I say...”, etc. I eventually report my sin, but - just like that, within the frame of the story. This is not even a frame, these stories play, if you look at it, the role of clothing - we dress in words, in the plot, so as not to feel naked in confession.
- Indeed, it’s easier this way. But you don’t need to make it easy for yourself to confess. Confession should not contain unnecessary details. There shouldn't be any other people with their actions. Because when we talk about other people, we most often justify ourselves at the expense of these people. We also make excuses due to some of our circumstances. On the other hand, sometimes the extent of the sin depends on the circumstances of the sin. Beating a person out of drunken anger is one thing, stopping a criminal while protecting the victim is quite another. To refuse to help one's neighbor because of laziness and selfishness is one thing, to refuse because the temperature that day was forty is another. If a person who knows how to confess confesses in detail, it is easier for the priest to see what is happening to this person and why. Thus, the circumstances of the sin need to be reported only if the sin you committed is not clear without these circumstances. This is also learned through experience.
Excessive telling during confession may also have another reason: a person’s need for participation, spiritual help and warmth. Here, perhaps, a conversation with a priest is appropriate, but it should be at a different time, certainly not at the time of confession. Confession is a Sacrament, not a conversation.
— Priest Alexander Elchaninov in one of his entries thanks God for helping him every time experience confession as a catastrophe. What should we do to ensure that our confession, at least, is not dry, cold, formal?
“We must remember that the confession that we say in church is the tip of the iceberg. If this confession is everything, and everything is limited to it, we can say that we have nothing. There was no actual confession. There is only the grace of God, which, despite our foolishness and recklessness, still acts. We have the intention to repent, but it is formal, it is dry and lifeless. It’s like that fig tree, which if it bears any fruit, it will be with great difficulty.Our confession is performed at another time and prepared at another time. When we, knowing that tomorrow we will go to church, confess, sit down and sort out our lives. When I think: why have I judged people so many times during this time? But because, judging them, I myself look better in my own eyes. Instead of dealing with my own sins, I condemn others and justify myself. Or I find some kind of pleasure in condemnation. When I understand that as long as I judge others, I will not have the grace of God. And when I say: “Lord, help me, otherwise, how long will I kill my soul with this?” After this, I will come to confession and say: “I condemned people countless times, I exalted myself over them, I found sweetness in this for myself.” My repentance lies not only in the fact that I said it, but in the fact that I decided not to do it again. When a person repents in this way, he receives very great grace-filled consolation from confession and confesses in a completely different way. Repentance is a change in a person. If no change occurred, confession remained to a certain extent a formality. “Fulfillment of Christian duty,” as for some reason it was customary to express it before the revolution.
There are examples of saints who brought repentance to God in their hearts, changed their lives, and the Lord accepted this repentance, although there was no stole over them, and the prayer for the remission of sins was not read. But there was repentance! But with us it’s different - the prayer is read, and the person receives communion, but repentance as such has not occurred, there is no break in the chain of sinful life.
There are people who come to confession and, having already stood in front of the lectern with the cross and the Gospel, begin to remember what they sinned. This is always a real torment - both for the priest, and for those who are waiting for their turn, and for the man himself, of course. How to prepare for confession? Firstly, an attentive, sober life. Secondly - there is good rule, in place of which you can’t think of anything: every day in the evening, devote five to ten minutes not even to thinking about what happened during the day, but to repentance before God for what a person considers himself to have sinned. Sit down and mentally go through the day - from the morning hours to the evening hours. And realize every sin for yourself. A big sin or a small one - you need to understand it, feel it and, as Anthony the Great says, put it between yourself and God. See it as an obstacle between yourself and the Creator. Feel this terrible metaphysical essence of sin. And for every sin ask God for forgiveness. And put in your heart the desire to leave these sins in the past. It is advisable to write down these sins in some kind of notebook. This helps to put a limit on sin. We did not write down this sin, we did not do such a purely mechanical action, and it “passed on” to the next day. And then it will be easier to prepare for confession. There is no need to “suddenly” remember everything.
— Some parishioners prefer confession in this form: “I sinned against such and such a commandment.” This is convenient: “I sinned against the seventh” - and there is no need to say anything more.
“I believe this is completely unacceptable.” Any formalization of spiritual life kills this life. Sin is the pain of the human soul. If there is no pain, then there is no repentance. St. John Climacus says that the forgiveness of our sins is evidenced by the pain that we feel when we repent of them. If we do not experience pain, we have every reason to doubt that our sins have been forgiven. And the Monk Barsanuphius the Great, answering questions from various people, repeatedly said that a sign of forgiveness is a loss of sympathy for previously committed sins. This is the change that must happen to a person, an internal turn.
- Another common opinion: why would I repent if I know that I won’t change anyway - it will be hypocrisy and hypocrisy on my part.
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But here is a situation known to me personally: a girl regularly came to one of the Moscow churches and confessed that she earned her living by what is, as they say, the most ancient profession. No one allowed her to receive Communion, of course, but she continued to walk, prayed, and tried to somehow participate in the life of the parish. I don’t know if she managed to leave this craft, but I know for sure that the Lord protects her and does not leave her, waiting for the necessary change.
It is very important to believe in the forgiveness of sins, in the power of the Sacrament. Those who do not believe complain that after confession there is no relief, that they leave the church with a heavy soul. This comes from a lack of faith, even from a lack of faith in forgiveness. Faith should give a person joy, and if there is no faith, there is no need to hope for any spiritual experiences and emotions.
- Sometimes it happens that some long-standing (usually) action of ours evokes in us a reaction that is more humorous than repentant, and it seems to us that talking about this action in confession is excessive zeal, bordering on hypocrisy or coquetry. Example: I suddenly remember that once in my youth I stole a book from the library of a holiday home. I think that we need to say this in confession: no matter how you look at it, the eighth commandment has been broken. And then it becomes funny...
“I wouldn’t take it so lightly.” There are actions that cannot even be formally committed, because they destroy us - not even as people of faith, but simply as people of conscience. There are certain barriers that we must set for ourselves. These saints could have spiritual freedom, which allows them to do things that are formally condemned, but they did them only when these actions were for the good.
— Is it true that you do not need to repent of sins committed before Baptism if you were baptized in adulthood?
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— We have talked quite a lot here about how to prepare for confession, but what should we read or, as they say, proofread at home the day before, what prayers? The prayer book contains the Follow-up to Holy Communion. Do I need to proofread it in its entirety and is that enough? In addition, Communion may not follow confession. What to read before confession?
— It is very good if a person reads the Canon of Repentance to the Savior before confession. There is also a very good Penitential Canon of the Mother of God. This could be simply a prayer with the repentant feeling “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And it is very important, remembering every sin committed, bringing to the heart the awareness of its disastrousness for us, from the heart, in your own words, ask God for forgiveness for it, simply standing in front of icons or making bows. To come to what St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountainer calls the feeling of being “guilty.” That is, to feel: I am dying, and I am aware of it, and I am not justifying myself. I recognize myself as worthy of this death. But with this I go to God, surrender myself before His love and hope for His mercy, believing in it.
Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) has a wonderful letter to a certain woman, no longer young, who, due to age and illness, had to prepare for the transition to Eternity. He writes to her: “Remember all your sins and repent of each one - even the one you confessed - before God until you feel that the Lord forgives you. It’s not a charm to feel that the Lord forgives; this is what the holy fathers called joyful crying—repentance that brings joy.” This is the most necessary thing - to feel peace with God.
Interviewed by Marina Biryukova
Confession is one of the seven sacraments established in christian church. “Confess your sins to one another,” says the Apostle James in one of his letters.
Among the early Christians, each person openly spoke about his misdeeds in the presence of the entire church congregation. This practice continues to this day in some Protestant denominations. In the Orthodox Christian Church, repentance for sins is accepted by the clergyman.
How to confess correctly, what to say to the priest? An example of confession, what this sacrament is and why believers need it - we’ll talk about everything below.
To carry out the sacrament, the Cross and the Gospel are necessary. What to talk about in a personal conversation with the priest? A man talks about his misdeeds.
It is most convenient to do this in a church or a special confession room. But how can one confess in church if a person, for example, cannot walk?
The sacrament can take place anywhere - in a church, home or other premises. If necessary, you can confess in a letter or by telephone.
An example of confession is in the life of Macarius the Great: it tells about a woman who brought the elder a scroll with a list of her sins, and he, without opening it, was able to pray for them all. People confess Orthodox tradition, at least four times a year. IN catholic church It is customary to resort to this sacrament much more often, almost every day.
Confession can be complete or incomplete, individual or joint:
- Full confession can only be individual. During it, a person talks about his sins throughout his life, starting from birth. The sacrament can last a very long time. This helped many to cope with an illness or overcome a serious life situation. You need to confess like this at least once every five years. For example, one elderly woman diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Doctors said that I had no more than a month to live. When she confessed to the priest and took communion, she felt much better. She didn’t die in a month or two. And examinations showed that she is absolutely healthy.
- An incomplete confession is one in which they talk about sins committed since the last confession.
- Individual is the one during which a person is alone with the priest.
- Joint is accepted from several people at once. As a rule, the priest reads the sins, and people say whether they have sinned or not.
According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, the sacrament of confession is performed only through specially appointed persons - a priest (father, priest) or a bishop.
The rationale for this exclusive role of the clergy is found in the Gospel of John: “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; on whom you leave it, it will remain on him,” Christ said to his disciples – the apostles.
You need to understand! Only God forgives sins, and the priest plays the role of witness and mentor.
Of course, not every person can confess. To perform the sacrament of confession you must:
- Be a member of the Church. Membership is achieved by faith and baptism. Faith is an internal component of every Christian, but it inevitably manifests itself in external deeds (almsgiving, kindness, love for one’s neighbor). And baptism acts as a “seal” of a person who has believed, a symbol of his inclusion in the Church of Christ.
- Recognize your wrongdoings and have a firm intention to eradicate them. Without these two components, confession can turn into a mere formality. Such an example of confession is presented in the Gospel of Matthew, which describes the repentance of a Pharisee - a supposedly righteous man. The evangelist and apostle makes it clear that God is disgusted by empty words.
What to say in confession?
First of all, you need to remember, or better yet, write down what sins have been committed. This entire list is announced to the clergyman.
There is no need to go into detail here about why the sin was committed and how. It will be enough to name it briefly.
If a Christian does not know how to correctly name sins in confession, and finds it difficult to answer whether he did the right thing, there is a list of questions that the priest can ask during the process:
- Are you involved in witchcraft or fortune telling?
- Aren't you stealing?
- Did you miss morning and evening prayers, as well as prayers before and after meals?
- Don't you wear different amulets and talismans?
- Do you attend Church on the prescribed days - Sundays and holidays?
- Did you hide any sins during confession?
- Do you play gambling and for money?
- Didn't you use foul language?
- Did you eat fast foods on fasting days?
- Don't you have envy of other people's things?
- Aren't you ashamed of your faith?
- Do you honor your father and mother? Do you treat them with due respect and do not offend them?
- Didn't you gossip?
- Didn’t you use God’s name in vain, in vain?
- Didn't you fight?
Is not full list possible questions, and not all of them may be asked. During the process of the sacrament, the priest himself understands what sins prevail over his spiritual child, and selects questions individually, based on age, gender, marital status, and mental state.
How to confess in church?
Usually the sacrament begins in the morning or evening during the service. But by special agreement with the priest or with special urgency, the time may change.
You need to arrive on time, without being late, enter quietly and not disturb other confessors.
Before the sacrament itself there follows a certain order of prayers, and after this everyone comes to the priest one by one for repentance and absolution.
What do they say to the priest in confession? First, a prayer is said together and all sins committed and not repented from the previous confession are named.
It is important to know the full range of sins that any person can commit. As a rule, they are divided into three main groups:
- Sins against God. Here the first commandment is violated - love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength. This is blasphemy and murmuring, prolonged unrepentance, skipping church services, absent-mindedness during prayer or liturgy, blasphemy of sacred objects (books, cross, etc.), belief in dreams, fortune telling and divination.
- Sins against one's neighbor. The second commandment to love your neighbor is trampled upon by these vices. Lack of love for one's neighbor and the deeds accompanying it, disrespect for parents and elders, lack of desire to raise one's children in the Orthodox Christian faith, voluntary or involuntary murder, insult, desire to have someone else's property as one's own, cruelty to animals, anger, curses, hatred, slander, lies, slander, condemnation, hypocrisy.
- Sins against yourself. Neglect of the values that God has given. Talents, time, health. Addiction to various entertainments and passion for useless activities. Gluttony is excessive consumption of food, leading to relaxation and laziness. The love of money is the desire for endless enrichment and the use of wealth not for good.
How to confess for the first time? For those who are going to the sacrament for the first time or have not been a participant for a long time, we can give an example. The course of confession largely depends on the priest himself, but the spiritual state of the confessor himself is also important.
After a certain ceremony there will be a dialogue between the priest and the confessor. As a rule, it begins with a question from the priest, “What have you sinned?”, and in response, the sins are listed. To each of them the priest answers “God will forgive.”
Then spiritual father may begin to ask questions that will help find forgotten vices and make repentance deeper. Afterwards, according to church rules, the priest can impose penance - punishment for serious offenses committed. The Church establishes excommunication for:
- intentional murder - 20 years;
- reckless homicide - 10 years;
- adultery for 15 years;
- fornication for 7 years;
- theft for 1 year;
- perjury for 10 years;
- magic or poisoning for 20 years;
- incest for 20 years;
- visiting wizards and fortune tellers for 20 years.
Important! One who has renounced Christ can receive communion only before death.
The role of confession for the believer
Repentance for sins is one of the necessary components for a full Christian life.
The Holy Fathers call this sacrament the second baptism, based on a similar property of cleansing from sin. The Lord forgives any sin here, provided there is sincere repentance.
Usually, after confession, it is determined whether a Christian will be able to participate in one of the main events in his life - union with Jesus Christ in the sacrament of communion.
From the Gospel it follows that the Lord commanded us to perform this sacrament: “And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and giving it to the disciples, said, Take, eat: this is My Body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
And today Orthodox Christians keep this covenant, each liturgy ends with the embodiment of the Gospel lines in life. Ordinary bread becomes the body of Christ, and simple wine becomes the blood of Christ.
Useful video: How to prepare for confession for the first time?
Let's sum it up
Confession is the most important sacrament Orthodox Church. Purification of a fallen person after baptism is possible only with its help. But how will it take place formally and superficially or thoughtfully and deeply? Depends to a large extent separately on each Christian.
We must always remember that this practice was established by the Son of God himself - Jesus Christ, and only He is able to cleanse and save all of humanity and everyone personally, which will serve the general well-being.
It is probably difficult to find a person now who has not heard anything about confession. Even those who do not have the habit of going to temple have some idea about this action. Nevertheless, it is necessary to know firmly what confession is.
What is confession?
Confession is a church sacrament, that is, a secret. Why a secret? First of all, because in a secret and incomprehensible way for us, the cleansing of our sins occurs. All those actions that diverge from the commandments given to us by God, which we did after baptism, are washed away from the soul, and it again becomes pure and sinless. Of course, it is unlikely that all sins can be remembered in one confession, so it is advisable to confess regularly.
How to confess for the first time
The first confession is like a first date, it is so mysterious and difficult to predict. Most people who are not active parishioners of the church have the same question: “How to approach this sacrament for the first time?” Indeed, the first confession frightens people; they don’t know how it will go, or what to expect from it. There are many books and small brochures on how to go to confession for the first time, where everything is described in great detail. Nevertheless, it is worth dwelling in more detail on this sacrament.
First of all, do not be afraid of this action. A priest is, first of all, a person who acts not on his own behalf, but on behalf of God. And God is love, as the Holy Scripture tells us, so you should not expect that someone will scold or condemn you. On the contrary, the priest will perfectly understand your condition, especially since he will see that this is your first participation in this sacrament. Most often, clergy are friendly and taciturn. They will never express their personal attitude towards a person and his actions. This is how they were taught, and this is correct. In addition, probably every priest remembers his first confession, which is why there is no need to be afraid.
Don’t be afraid to ask experienced parishioners about how to confess for the first time. Mostly people are willing to tell you how to do it, what to say, and even how to pray. It’s especially good if you find such parishioners among your acquaintances, then in this case they will answer all the questions that torment you, and most importantly, the very frightening one: “How to confess for the first time?” Well, we will pay attention to the main points right now.
How to confess to the priest - main points
Confession usually takes place during or after the service at the side of the lectern, which represents wooden stand under the cross or the Gospel. Usually there is a line of people wanting to confess. Each such conversation does not last long, because very often there are many people, but only one priest.
Before going to the priest, they usually fold their arms crosswise on their chest and bow to the one standing behind, thereby asking for his mercy and permission to walk in front of him. After this, you need to go behind the lectern to the priest. Father never shows his emotions, speaks in a low voice and very little. You can ask him the question of how to confess, what to say, and he will certainly answer, but it would be better to prepare for this conversation in advance.
Many people prefer not to say anything, but to entrust their sins to paper. This is also possible, it is not forbidden. In this case, the priest himself will read the note, and therefore read the prayer of permission. However, it is better to talk about your sins. After confession, the priest covers the person with an epitrachelion, which is a long yellow apron, and reads a prayer, which has a cleansing effect.
Composition of a confession: what to say
To know how to confess and what to say, you can purchase the appropriate literature in church shops. Everything is described there in great detail.
Some people begin to complain about life, about others during the process of confession. Of course this is wrong. You only need to talk about yourself. It is advisable to confess according to the order given in the preparation books. It says how to confess and receive communion.
Sacrament of Communion
Communion is another of the sacraments of the church. It occurs after confession, and only those people who confessed take part in it. Communion is an equally mysterious and mysterious phenomenon in the church. During it, people become part of God through the fact that they eat the bread and wine that were consecrated at the altar before communion.
Only those who confessed the day before and children under seven years of age are allowed to receive communion. From the age of seven, children, like adults, must also come to confession.
Sometimes a priest does not allow you to receive communion when he sees that a person does not understand the meaning of the sacraments, is confused, or does not believe that he should repent. It is also rare that he imposes penance, which is a form of punishment. However, as a rule, penances are not very strict, as for monks or priests. Therefore, you should not be afraid of them, but you just need to obediently do what the priest says.
After several cases of participation in church sacraments, the question of how to confess and receive communion will no longer be so pressing, because everything will become familiar and familiar, and you will even be able to advise other people who have crossed the threshold of the temple for the first time.
Children's confession
As mentioned above, children begin confession starting at the age of 7. Before this, it is believed that they are sinless and do not need this sacrament. Consequently, they can receive communion without confessing.
Many parents are faced with the question of how to confess to their children. The first time is difficult and scary even for adults, but a child is a child. He has a completely different perception of the world, a different idea of sins. Therefore, you should not impose your wishes regarding confession on him. The child must formulate in his own words those thoughts and actions that, in his opinion, are sinful. If the child misunderstands confession, the priest will teach and explain to him how to confess and tell about his sins.
Confession in Lent
Lent is a time of special repentance for Orthodox Christians. During this time, people abstain from large meals, including meat and dairy products. By this they accustom themselves to abstinence, which is especially necessary for the perfection of the soul.
Confession during Lent is very desirable, because it is necessary to cleanse not only the body, but also the soul. The question of how to confess during Lent should not cause confusion. Confession occurs in exactly the same way as on other non-fast days. There are no differences. On the contrary, confession during Lent is even easier. The fact is that before any confession it is advisable to fast, and during fasting such additional training is not required, because the person will already be ready for the sacrament. Confession during fasting is its result, its completion, which is why you should not neglect it.
How often do you go to confession?
Do you need to go to confession every week? Or once a month? This question is asked by everyone who is just starting to visit the temple, and by those who have been its parishioners for a long time. In fact, there is no single rule regarding the frequency of confession; it all depends on the desire of the person, on his internal state. It is still advisable to go to confession at least once a year, and the rest - as desired and necessary.
Confession leaves vivid memories in the soul of every person. Probably everyone remembers their first confession. Many people call it a “soul bath”, and this has its own logic. The soul is relieved from the weight of the sins and passions that have covered it, and this is important!
Repentance or confession is a sacrament in which a person confessing his sins to a priest, through his forgiveness, is absolved from sins by the Lord Himself. This question, Father, is asked by many people who join church life. Preliminary confession prepares the soul of the penitent for the Great Meal - the Sacrament of Communion.
The essence of confession
The Holy Fathers call the Sacrament of Repentance the second baptism. In the first case, at Baptism, a person receives cleansing from the original sin of the ancestors Adam and Eve, and in the second, the repentant is washed from his sins committed after baptism. However, due to the weakness of their human nature, people continue to sin, and these sins separate them from God, standing between them as a barrier. They are unable to overcome this barrier on their own. But the Sacrament of Repentance helps to be saved and to acquire that unity with God acquired at Baptism.
The Gospel says about repentance that it is a necessary condition for the salvation of the soul. A person must continuously struggle with his sins throughout his life. And, despite any defeats and falls, he should not become discouraged, despair and grumble, but repent all the time and continue to carry his life’s cross, which the Lord Jesus Christ laid on him.
Awareness of your sins
In this matter, the main thing is to understand that in the Sacrament of Confession, a repentant person is forgiven all his sins, and the soul is freed from sinful bonds. The ten commandments received by Moses from God, and the nine received from the Lord Jesus Christ, contain the entire moral and spiritual law of life.
Therefore, before confessing, you need to turn to your conscience and remember all your sins since childhood in order to prepare a real confession. Not everyone knows how it goes, and even rejects it, but a true Orthodox Christian, overcoming his pride and false shame, begins to spiritually crucify himself, honestly and sincerely admit his spiritual imperfection. And here it is important to understand that unconfessed sins will lead to eternal condemnation for a person, and repentance means victory over oneself.
What is real confession? How does this sacrament work?
Before confessing to a priest, you need to seriously prepare and understand the necessity of cleansing your soul from sins. To do this, you need to reconcile with all the offenders and with those who were offended, refrain from gossip and condemnation, any indecent thoughts, viewing numerous entertainment programs and reading light literature. Better free time devote to reading Holy Scripture and other spiritual literature. It is advisable to confess a little in advance at the evening service, so that during the morning Liturgy you will no longer be distracted from the service and devote time to prayerful preparation for Holy Communion. But, as a last resort, you can confess in the morning (mostly everyone does this).
For the first time, not everyone knows how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest, etc. In this case, you need to warn the priest about this, and he will direct everything in the right direction. Confession, first of all, presupposes the ability to see and realize one’s sins; at the moment of expressing them, the priest should not justify himself and shift the blame onto another.
Children under 7 years of age and all newly baptized people receive communion on this day without confession; only women who are in purification (when they are menstruating or after childbirth until the 40th day) cannot do this. The text of the confession can be written on a piece of paper so that you don’t get lost later and remember everything.
Confession procedure
In church, a lot of people usually gather for confession, and before approaching the priest, you need to turn your face to the people and say out loud: “Forgive me, a sinner,” and they will answer: “God will forgive, and we forgive.” And then it is necessary to go to the confessor. Having approached the lectern (a high stand for a book), crossed yourself and bowed at the waist, without kissing the Cross and the Gospel, bowing your head, you can begin confession.
There is no need to repeat previously confessed sins, because, as the Church teaches, they have already been forgiven, but if they were repeated again, then they must be repented of again. At the end of your confession, you must listen to the words of the priest and when he finishes, cross yourself twice, bow at the waist, kiss the Cross and the Gospel, and then, having crossed yourself and bowed again, accept the blessing of your priest and go to your place.
What do you need to repent about?
Summing up the topic “Confession. How does this sacrament work?” it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the most common sins in our modern world.
Sins against God - pride, lack of faith or unbelief, renunciation of God and the Church, careless performance of the sign of the cross, failure to wear a cross, violation of the commandments of God, taking the name of the Lord in vain, careless performance, failure to attend church, prayer without zeal, talking and going to church on time services, belief in superstitions, turning to psychics and fortune tellers, thoughts of suicide, etc.
Sins against one's neighbor - grief of parents, robbery and extortion, stinginess in alms, hard-heartedness, slander, bribery, insults, barbs and evil jokes, irritation, anger, gossip, gossip, greed, scandals, hysteria, resentment, betrayal, treason, etc. d.
Sins against oneself - vanity, arrogance, anxiety, envy, vindictiveness, desire for earthly glory and honors, addiction to money, gluttony, smoking, drunkenness, gambling, masturbation, fornication, excessive attention to one's flesh, despondency, melancholy, sadness etc.
God will forgive any sin, nothing is impossible for him, a person only needs to truly realize his sinful deeds and sincerely repent of them.
Participle
They usually confess in order to receive communion, and for this they need to pray for several days, which means prayer and fasting, attending evening services and reading at home, in addition to evening and morning prayers, the canons: Theotokos, Guardian Angel, Repentant, for Communion, and, if possible , or rather, at will - Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus. After midnight they no longer eat or drink; they begin the sacrament on an empty stomach. After receiving the Sacrament of Communion, you must read prayers for Holy Communion.
Don't be afraid to go to confession. How is it going? You can read accurate information about this in special brochures that are sold in every church; everything is described in great detail in them. And then the main thing is to tune in to this true and saving work, because an Orthodox Christian always needs to think about death so that it does not take him by surprise - without even communion.
