What does confession in church mean? When can I go to confession? Confession of prodigal sins

The sacrament of confession is a test for the soul. It consists of a desire to repent, verbal confession, repentance for sins. When a person goes against the laws of God, he gradually destroys his spiritual and physical shell. Repentance helps to cleanse yourself. It reconciles a person with God. The soul is healed and receives strength to fight sin.

Confession allows you to talk about your wrongdoings and receive forgiveness. In excitement and fear, you can forget what you wanted to repent of. The list of sins for confession serves as a reminder, a hint. It can be read in full or used as an outline. The main thing is that the confession is sincere and truthful.

Sacrament

Confession is the main component of repentance. This is an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for your sins and to be cleansed of them. Confession gives spiritual strength to resist evil. Sin is a discrepancy in thoughts, words, and actions with God's permission.

Confession is a sincere awareness of wicked actions, a desire to get rid of them. No matter how difficult and unpleasant it may be to remember them, you should tell the clergyman in detail about your sins.

This sacrament requires a complete relationship between feelings and words, because the everyday listing of one’s sins will not bring true cleansing. Feelings without words are as ineffective as words without feelings.

There is a list of sins for confession. This is a large list of all obscene actions or words. It is based on the 7 deadly sins and 10 commandments. Human life is too diverse to be absolutely righteous. Therefore, confession is an opportunity to repent of sins and try to prevent them in the future.

How to prepare for confession?

Preparation for confession must take place several days in advance. A list of sins can be written on a piece of paper. You should read special literature about the sacraments of confession and communion.

One should not look for excuses for sins, one must recognize their wickedness. It is best to analyze your every day, analyzing what was good and what was bad. This daily habit will help you be more attentive to your thoughts and actions.

Before confession, you should make peace with everyone who was offended. Forgive those who offended. Before confession, it is necessary to strengthen the prayer rule. Add to the nightly reading the Canon of Repentance, the canons of the Theotokos.

One should separate personal repentance (when a person mentally repents of his actions) and the sacrament of confession (when a person talks about his sins in the desire to be cleansed of them).

Presence third party requires moral effort to understand the depth of the offense, will force, through overcoming shame, to look more deeply at wrong actions. That is why a list of sins is so necessary for confession in Orthodoxy. It will help to identify what was forgotten or wanted to be hidden.

If you have difficulty compiling a list of sinful actions, you can purchase the book “Full Confession.” It is in every church shop. It's detailed there full list sins for confession, features of the sacrament. Samples of confession and materials for preparing for it have been published.

Rules

Is there a heaviness in your soul, do you want to speak out, ask for forgiveness? After confession it becomes much easier. This is an open, sincere recognition and repentance of the wrongdoings committed. You can go to confession up to 3 times a week. The desire to be cleansed of sins will help overcome the feeling of stiffness and awkwardness.

The less frequent the confession, the more difficult it is to remember all the events and thoughts. The best option for holding the sacrament is once a month. Help in confession - a list of sins - will prompt you with the necessary words. The main thing is that the priest understands the essence of the offense. Then the punishment for sin will be justified.

After confession, the priest imposes penance in difficult cases. This is punishment, excommunication from the holy sacraments and God's grace. Its duration is determined by the priest. In most cases, the penitent faces moral and correctional work. For example, fasting, reading prayers, canons, akathists.

Sometimes the priest reads out the list of sins for confession. You can independently write a list of what has been done. It is better to come to confession after the evening service or in the morning, before the liturgy.

How does the sacrament work?

In some situations, you should invite the priest to confession at home. This is done if the person is seriously ill or near death.

Upon entering the temple, you must line up for confession. During the entire sacrament, the cross and the Gospel lie on the lectern. This symbolizes the invisible presence of the Savior.

Before confession begins, the priest may start asking questions. For example, about how often prayers are said, whether church rules are followed.

Then the sacrament begins. It is best to prepare your list of sins for confession. A sample of it can always be purchased at the church. If the sins forgiven at the previous confession were repeated, then they should be mentioned again - this is considered a more serious offense. You should not hide anything from the priest or speak in hints. Should in simple words clearly explain the sins you repent of.

If the priest tore up the list of sins for confession, it means that the sacrament is over and absolution has been granted. The priest places an epitrachelion on the head of the penitent. This means the return of God's favor. After this, they kiss the cross and the Gospel, which symbolizes readiness to live according to the commandments.

Preparing for Confession: List of Sins

Confession is intended to comprehend your sin and desire to improve. It is difficult for a person far from the church to understand what actions should be considered wicked. That's why there are 10 commandments. They clearly state what not to do. It is better to prepare a list of sins for confession according to the commandments in advance. On the day of the sacrament, you can get excited and forget everything. Therefore, you should calmly, a few days before confession, re-read the commandments and write down your sins.

If it is the first confession, then it is not easy to figure out the seven deadly sins and the ten commandments on your own. Therefore, you should approach the priest in advance and tell him about your difficulties in a personal conversation.

A list of sins for confession with an explanation of the sins can be purchased at the church or found on the website of your temple. The transcript describes in detail all the alleged sins. From this general list it is necessary to isolate what was done personally. Then write down your list of offenses.

Sins committed against God

• Lack of faith in God, doubt, ingratitude.
• Lack of a cross on the body, unwillingness to defend the faith in front of detractors.
• Swearing in the name of God, pronouncing the name of the Lord in vain (not during prayer or conversations about God).
• Visiting sects, casting fortunes, treating with all kinds of magic, reading and spreading false teachings.
• Gambling, suicidal thoughts, swearing.
• Non-attendance to temple, lack of daily prayer rule.
• Failure to observe fasts, reluctance to read Orthodox literature.
• Condemnation of clergy, thoughts about worldly things during worship.
• A waste of time on entertainment, watching TV, inactivity at the computer.
• Despair in difficult situations, excessive reliance on oneself or someone else’s help without faith in God’s providence.
• Concealing sins in confession.

Sins committed against neighbors

• Hot temper, anger, arrogance, pride, vanity.
• Lies, non-interference, ridicule, stinginess, extravagance.
• Raising children outside of faith.
• Non-repayment of debts, non-payment for work, refusal to help those who ask and need.
• Unwillingness to help parents, disrespect for them.
• Theft, condemnation, envy.
• Quarrels, drinking alcohol at funerals.
• Murder with words (slander, incitement to suicide or illness).
• Killing a child in the womb, inducing others to have an abortion.

Sins committed against oneself

• Foul language, pride, idle talk, gossip.
• Desire for profit, enrichment.
• Displaying good deeds.
• Envy, lies, drunkenness, gluttony, drug use.
• Fornication, adultery, incest, fornication.

List of sins for a woman to confess

This is a very sensitive list, and many women refuse to confess after reading it. You should not trust any information you read. Even if a brochure with a list of sins for a woman was purchased at a church store, be sure to pay attention to the stamp. There should be an inscription “recommended by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

The clergy do not divulge the secret of confession. Therefore, it is best to undergo the sacrament with a permanent confessor. The Church does not intrude into the sphere of intimate marital relationships. Issues of contraception, which is sometimes equated to abortion, are best discussed with a priest. There are drugs that do not have an abortifacient effect, but only prevent the birth of life. In any case, all controversial issues should be discussed with your spouse, doctor, or confessor.

Here is a list of sins for confession (brief):

1. She rarely prayed and did not attend church.
2. I thought more about worldly things during prayer.
3. Allowed sexual activity before marriage.
4. Abortion, inducing others to it.
5. Had unclean thoughts and desires.
6. I watched films, read books with pornographic content.
7. Gossip, lies, envy, laziness, resentment.
8. Excessive exposure of the body to attract attention.
9. Fear of old age, wrinkles, thoughts of suicide.
10. Addiction to sweets, alcohol, drugs.
11. Avoiding helping other people.
12. Seeking help from fortune tellers and fortune tellers.
13. Superstition.

List of sins for a man

There is debate about whether a list of sins should be prepared for confession. Some believe that such a list harms the sacrament and promotes the formal reading of offenses. The main thing in confession is to realize your sins, repent and prevent their repetition. Therefore, the list of sins may be a short reminder or absent altogether.

Formal confession is not considered valid, since there is no repentance in it. Returning after the sacrament to your former life will add hypocrisy. The balance of spiritual life lies in understanding the essence of repentance, where confession is only the beginning of awareness of one’s sinfulness. This is a long process consisting of several stages internal work. The creation of spiritual resources is a systematic adjustment of conscience, responsibility for one’s relationship with God.

Here is a list of sins for confession (brief) for a man:

1. Sacrilege, conversations in the temple.
2. Doubt about faith, the afterlife.
3. Blasphemy, mockery of the poor.
4. Cruelty, laziness, pride, vanity, greed.
5. Evasion from military service.
6. Avoiding unwanted work, shirking responsibilities.
7. Insults, hatred, fights.
8. Slander, disclosure of other people's weaknesses.
9. Temptation to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drugs, gambling).
10. Refusal to help parents and other people.
11. Theft, aimless collecting.
12. Tendency to boast, argue, and humiliate others.
13. Impudence, rudeness, contempt, familiarity, cowardice.

Confession for a child

For a child, the sacrament of confession can begin at the age of seven. Until this age, children are allowed to receive Communion without this. Parents must prepare the child for confession: explain the essence of the sacrament, tell why it is being performed, and remember with him possible sins.

The child must be made to understand that sincere repentance is preparation for confession. It is better for a child to write a list of sins himself. He must realize what actions were wrong and try not to repeat them in the future.

Older children make their own decisions about whether to confess or not. You should not limit the free will of a child or teenager. The personal example of parents is much more important than all conversations.

The child must remember his sins before confession. A list of them can be compiled after the child answers the questions:

• How often does he read prayers (in the morning, in the evening, before meals), which ones does he know by heart?
• Does he go to church, how does he behave during the service?
• Does he wear pectoral cross, is distracted or not during prayers and services?
• Have you ever deceived your parents or priest during confession?
• Weren't you proud of your successes and victories, weren't you arrogant?
• Does it fight or not with other children, does it offend children or animals?
• Does he snitch on other children to protect himself?
• Have you ever committed theft or been jealous of anyone?
• Have you laughed at other people's physical disabilities?
• Did you play cards (smoked, drank alcohol, tried drugs, used foul language)?
• Is he lazy or helps his parents around the house?
• Did you pretend to be sick to avoid your responsibilities?

1. A person himself determines whether to confess or not, how many times to attend the sacrament.
2. You should prepare a list of sins for confession. It is better to take a sample in the church where the sacrament will take place, or find it yourself in church literature.
3. It is optimal to go to confession with the same clergyman, who will become a mentor and will contribute to spiritual growth.
4. Confession is free of charge.

First you need to ask on what days confessions are held in the church. You should dress appropriately. For men - a shirt or T-shirt with sleeves, trousers or jeans (not shorts). For women - a scarf on the head, no makeup (at least lipstick), a skirt no higher than the knees.

Sincerity of Confession

A priest as a psychologist can recognize how sincere a person is in his repentance. There are confessions that offend the sacrament and the Lord. If a person mechanically talks about sins, has several confessors, hides the truth - such actions do not lead to repentance.

Behavior, tone of speech, words with which confession is pronounced - it all matters. This is the only way the priest understands how sincere the penitent is. Pangs of conscience, embarrassment, worries, shame contribute to spiritual cleansing.

Sometimes the personality of the priest is important for the parishioner. This is not a reason to condemn and comment on the actions of clergy. You can go to another church or turn to another holy father for confession.

It can be difficult to voice your sins. The emotional experiences are so strong that it is more convenient to make a list of unrighteous actions. Father is attentive to every parishioner. If, due to shame, it is impossible to tell about everything and the repentance is deep, then the priest has the right to forgive the sins, a list of which was compiled before confession, without even reading them.

The meaning of confession

Having to talk about your sins in front of a stranger is embarrassing. Therefore, people refuse to go to confession, believing that God will forgive them anyway. This is the wrong approach. The priest acts only as an intermediary between man and God. His task is to determine the measure of repentance. The priest has no right to condemn anyone; he will not expel a repentant person from the church. During confession, people are very vulnerable, and clergy try not to cause unnecessary suffering.

It is important to see your sin, recognize and condemn it in your soul, and voice it before the priest. Have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds again, try to atone for the harm done through acts of mercy. Confession brings revival of the soul, re-education and access to a new spiritual level.

Sins (list), Orthodoxy, confession imply self-knowledge and the search for grace. All good deeds are done through strength. Only by overcoming yourself, doing works of mercy, and cultivating virtues in yourself, can you receive God's grace.

The meaning of confession lies in understanding the typology of sinners, the typology of sin. At the same time, an individual approach to each repentant is akin to pastoral psychoanalysis. The sacrament of confession is the pain of awareness of sin, recognition of it, the determination to voice and ask for forgiveness for it, cleansing of the soul, joy and peace.

A person must feel the need to repent. Love for God, love for oneself, love for one's neighbor cannot exist separately. The symbolism of the Christian cross - horizontal (love for God) and vertical (love for oneself and one's neighbor) - lies in the awareness of the integrity of spiritual life, its essence.

Preparation for Confession- test of conscience before.

Unlike a magical rite of purification, which allows for blind execution of the instructions of a “sacred” sorcerer or magician, the Sacrament of Repentance implies the presence of faith, awareness of personal guilt before God and others, and a sincere and conscious desire to free oneself from the power of sin.
The Sacrament of Repentance cannot be approached mechanically. Forgiveness and remission of sins is not a legal act of declaring a sinner innocent. Everyone who has confessed at least once in their life could pay attention to what prayer is being read over them: “reconcile and unite the saints of your Church.” Through the Sacrament of Repentance, a person is reconciled with, restores himself as a member.

Repentance for sin consists of 3 stages: Repent of the sin as soon as you have committed it; remember him at the end of the day and again ask God for forgiveness for him; confess it in the Sacrament of Repentance (Confession) and receive permission from this sin.

It is necessary to distinguish from the Sacrament of Penance:
- confidential spiritual conversation with a priest;
- a repentant conversation before (not mandatory).

Where and when can I go to confession?

You can confess anywhere on any day of the year, but it is generally accepted to confess at a scheduled time or by agreement with. The person confessing must be baptized.

For the first confession or confession after long break It is better not to come on Sundays or days of great church holidays, when churches are full of people praying and there is a long line for confession. It is also advisable to come to the Sacrament in advance.

The First Confession should not be combined with the First Communion in order to fully experience the impressions of this great event in our lives. However, this is only advice.

How to prepare for Confession?

When preparing for confession, unlike preparation for the Sacrament of Communion, the church charter does not require any special or special prayer rules.

Before going to confession it is appropriate:
— Focus on prayers of repentance.
- Carefully examine thoughts, thoughts, deeds; note, if possible, all your sinful traits (as an auxiliary aid, also include those accusations that came from relatives, friends, and other people).
— If possible, ask for forgiveness from those who were offended by sin, offended by inattention, indifference.
— Consider the plan for confession, and, if necessary, prepare questions for the priest.
— In case of serious sins or rare confessions, additional fasting may be recommended.

— Sins are confessed from the moment of the last confession; if they have never been confessed, then from the moment of Baptism.
— In the Sacrament, all sins are forgiven, with the exception of those intentionally hidden. If you forgot to name some minor sin, then don’t worry. The sacrament is called the Sacrament Repentance, but not " The sacrament of listing all sins committed".
- You need to confess first of all what you are ashamed of! Tactically, confession should always be very substantive and specific. You can’t repent of being “proud”—it’s pointless. Because after your repentance, nothing changes in our lives. We can repent of having looked arrogantly or said some words of condemnation to a specific person. Because, having repented of this, next time we will think whether it is worth doing this. You cannot repent “in general,” in the abstract. A substantive confession allows you to simultaneously draw up a plan for combating certain passions. At the same time, pettiness should be avoided; there is no need to list a large number of sins of the same type.
— Do not use crafty generalizations. For example, under the phrase treated one's neighbor unfairly can be understood as both involuntary grief and murder.
— There is no need to describe sexual sins in detail, it is enough to name them. For example: sinned (,).
— When preparing for and during Confession, self-justification should be avoided.
— If you do not feel your sins, it is recommended to turn to God with “ Lord, grant me to see my sins».

Is it possible to write down sins so as not to forget them at confession?

What to do if you do not consider yourself a sinful person? Or if the sins are common, like everyone else’s.

You should compare yourself first of all with, then your own spiritual health will not look so rosy.
A clear conscience is a sign of a short memory...

Is it worth confessing if you are likely to commit some sins again?

Is it worth washing if you know for sure that you will get dirty again? Repentance is a desire to be reborn, it does not begin with confession and does not end with it, it is a matter of a lifetime. Repentance is not only a listing of sins before the testimony of a priest, it is a state of hating sin and avoiding it.
Repentance should not just be an emotional release, it should be a systematic, meaningful work on oneself, with the goal of becoming closer to God in one’s qualities, becoming like Him in . Orthodoxy has an inexhaustible ascetic heritage, compiled by holy ascetics, which must be studied for proper organization.
Our goal is not just to be cleansed of sins and passions, but to acquire. It’s not enough, for example, to stop stealing, you need to learn mercy.

Gross sins have already been overcome and at each confession one has to repeat almost the same sins. How to get out of this vicious circle?

Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov): “For people who have been churched for a long time, the “list” of sins, as a rule, is approximately the same from confession to confession. There may be a feeling of some kind of formal spiritual life. But at home we often sweep the floor, and, thank God, we don’t have to rake it every time Augean stables. This is just not a problem. The trouble is that you begin to notice how the lives of some Christians become more and more boring over the years. But it should be the other way around: it should become more and more rich and more and more joyful.”

However, you don’t need to be complacent about the fact that you can’t overcome all sins; you just need to realize that not all sins and passions can be overcome instantly. This is a systemic problem, the solution of which is .

I have very difficult life circumstances, I’m afraid that a simple priest will not understand me.

The Lord will understand in any case. Eat good story on this occasion: .

God wanted us to repent not before the sinless Angels, but before people. We should be ashamed of committing sin, not repenting. If a person sincerely hated his sins, then he will not be ashamed to confess them to the priest.

Sometimes you can notice that some parishioners, with amazing pedantry and scrupulousness, confess to the slightest violations church rules or lack of reverence for sacred things, with the same amazing constancy they remain quite harsh and unpeaceful in relations with the people around them.
Priest Philip

Holy Fathers on Repentance

Repentance and confession should not be understood in the same way; repentance means one thing, and confession means another; repentance can happen without confession, but confession cannot happen without repentance; you can and should always repent or repent before God of your sins at all times, but you can confess only before your confessor and in your own time; repentance, or repentance for sins, brings a person closer to the Kingdom of Heaven and brings the Holy Spirit closer to a person, and confession without repentance and repentance does not bring a person any benefit, and not only does not bring benefit, but a feigned and untrue confession destroys a person, making him great a criminal, because confession is and should be an act of repentance.

Saint Innocent

The beginning of a good path is to confess your sins to the priest with all your soul.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian

For the sins we have committed, we will not blame our birth or anyone else, but only ourselves.

Venerable Anthony the Great

I ask you, beloved brethren, let us confess each of our sins while the sinner is still in this life, when his confession can be accepted, when the satisfaction and absolution performed by the priests is acceptable before the Lord.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage

Those who say: “We will sin in youth, but repent in old age” will be deceived and ridiculed by demons. As arbitrary sinners, they will not be worthy of repentance.

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

Should we remember confessed sins and with the help God's grace abandoned? There is no point in remembering them in the spirit in confession when they are already allowed... But in your prayer it is good to remember them.

Sins, after permission from them in confession by the spiritual father, are immediately forgiven. But their trace remains in the souls, and it languishes. After labors and exploits in resistance to sin, these traces are erased. When the traces are erased, then the languor will end.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Pay attention to these words: the root of repentance is the good intention to confess sins, the leaves are the very confession of sins to God in the face of the spiritual father and the promise of correction, and the fruits of repentance are a virtuous life and the works of repentance. It is by these fruits that true repentance is recognized.

Saint Gregory Dvoeslov

Prevent the outcome of your soul by repentance and conversion, so that all the healing of repentance does not remain useless for you when death comes, for repentance has power only on earth, in hell it is powerless.

To receive forgiveness from God, it is not enough to pray for two or three days; you need to make a change in your whole life and, leaving vice, constantly remain in virtue.

A person's virtue is insignificant compared to his sins. Confession of sins - The best way propitiation and thanksgiving to God.

I call repentance not only aversion from previous bad deeds, but even more so the intention to do good deeds

Saint John Chrysostom

So, brothers, seeing many examples of those who have sinned and repented and been saved, hasten to repent yourself before the Lord, so that you may receive forgiveness for your sins and be rewarded with the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

A mortal sin is a sin in which if you do not repent and death finds you in it, then you go to hell, but if you repent of it, then it is immediately forgiven. It is called mortal because the soul dies from it and can only be revived through repentance.

Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina

For successful repentance you need: seeing your sin, realizing it, repenting of it, confessing it.

There is no end to repentance until death - both for the small and for the great.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

He who repents of his sins will rejoice in the Kingdom of God.

Saint Nile the Myrrh Streaming

Through repentance, sins committed are destroyed and are no longer remembered anywhere: neither at the ordeals, nor at the Judgment.

Elder George the Recluse

Until you express your sins in confession, nothing in the world will help you. And, God have mercy, will death come?..

Venerable Anatoly of Optina

If you feel the weight of the struggle and see that you cannot cope with evil alone, run to spiritual father to yours and ask him to give you the Holy Mysteries. This is a great and all-powerful weapon in the fight against strong temptations.

Yes, brothers and sisters, you must confess all your sins, open them sincerely before the priest, in order to receive through him forgiveness from Christ our Savior. And whoever hides his sins in confession or covers up and tries to excuse himself, there will be no forgiveness, because the Lord said to the apostles and their successors: whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven them: and whose sins you hold, they hold on (John 20:23). How can a priest forgive or not forgive sins, forgive or not, if the sins are not revealed to him? Let us remember, brothers, that God Himself commands to confess sins to a priest.

Saint John of Kronstadt

What benefits do we get from confession:

Absolution of sins, deliverance from eternal punishment, reconciliation with God, boldness in prayer.

The return of sanctifying grace.

Restoring tranquility of conscience and peace of soul.

Weakening bad inclinations and passions and refraining from new sins, cleansing the conscience, discerning the smallest sins with the mind.

Receiving instructions from a spiritual father.

The main means to avoid sins:

You must avoid all reasons for sin, all places, persons, things that may be tempting for you and inspire sinful desires.

We must always remember death, going through ordeals, the Last Judgment and the future life.

As often as possible, imagine the presence of God everywhere, reflect on the blessings of God, especially on the life of our Lord on earth, His suffering and death, and in general on the main truths of the Orthodox Christian faith.

Heartfelt and earnest prayer and frequent invocation of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ help to refrain from sin.

You need to pay attention to yourself, that is, stay awake, watch yourself, your feelings, desires and actions.

As often as possible, one should resort to the Sacrament of Repentance and confess to the spiritual father, ask him for advice, and obey them, and worthily partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Do not miss the opportunity and opportunity to attend church services and read spiritual books at home.

Meet and talk with pious and prudent people and avoid talking with immoral people.

Constantly have some useful occupation, hold a position, do some kind of work, so as not to be idle.

Reminder for those approaching Holy Communion

Those approaching the communion of the Holy Mysteries must do the following:

Refrain from food and drink (in the evening).

Follow the prayer rule.

The day before, pray at the all-night vigil.

Fast (abstain from food of animal origin).

Those living in marriage should abstain from the marital bed before and after communion.

Ask for forgiveness from those who were offended.

PREPARATION FOR CONFESSION

Orthodox Christians of all times cleanse their souls from sin by passing through a special Sacrament established by Christ Himself -

Sacrament of Repentance.

To cleanse the soul in the Sacrament of Repentance it is necessary:

Awareness of one's sins and contrition of heart. Identifying the root causes of your sins. A sincere confession to a priest.

Repentant confession helps to begin Holy Communion - to worthily accept the Body and Blood of Christ. Union with Christ brings indescribable peace to the soul, love and reconciliation with everyone.

This is how, from time immemorial, the Church formed the spiritual structure of pious generations, peace, patience, and health.

The priest is given authority from God to “bind and solve” our sins. “I forgive and absolve your sins...” says the priest to those who come to confession and repent of their sins. Great relief is received by everyone who is worthy to wash away their sins in the Sacrament of Repentance and clear their conscience. What the earthly court forgave, the heavenly court also forgives. How one must hurry to cleanse the soul of sin, for no one knows what is in store for him tomorrow and how much earthly journey remains. Will we have time to cleanse ourselves through repentance? Will we have time to realize our sinfulness? Hurry up, Christian. Remember: “Nothing unclean enters the Kingdom of Heaven.” Numerous testimonies of resuscitated patients who returned “from the other world” in our time indicate that we will all have to answer for every little thing.

The doors of repentance are open to everyone, but will we have time to pass through them? The most difficult person to realize his impurity is a proud person. Such people do not see their sin and remain in constant self-delusion and exaltation of the mind. They are satisfied with themselves and rarely look into the depths of their conscience. But conscience is difficult to deceive. This is the voice of God Himself, convicting us.

Every living being is given free will. How will we manage it? Will our actions and intentions bring us closer to God? Our good deeds - did we do them with a pure heart and love? The Lord always sees your heart, Christian. What is there - humility or proud exaltation, patience or irritation?

Are our actions pleasing to God? No one knows. Nobody knows what the final answer will be. No one knows which angel will come for us to lead us to the Supreme Court. Will there be white or black wings behind his back?

Remember, Christian: the thief who hung next to Christ on the cross repented with humility and entered heaven after the Lord. The Lord forgave and accepted him. Judas Iscariot was a disciple of Christ, but he betrayed the Teacher and, without repenting, went to hell out of his pride. God works in mysterious ways.

Believe, Christian, the Lord strengthens everyone who comes to Him with repentance. The Lord helps us to resist sin and not repeat it.

In the sacrament of holy Repentance we are given the opportunity to lay aside the heavy burden of sin, to break the chains of sin, to see the “fallen and broken tabernacle” of our soul renewed and bright. How often should one resort to this saving sacrament? As often as possible, at least in each of the four posts.

Usually people who are inexperienced in spiritual life do not see the multitude of their sins, do not feel their severity, or disgust for them. They say: “I didn’t do anything special,” “I only have minor sins, like everyone else,” “I didn’t steal, I didn’t kill,” - this is how many often begin confession. But our holy fathers and teachers, who left us prayers of repentance, considered themselves the first of sinners, and with sincere conviction they cried out to Christ: “No one has sinned on earth from time immemorial, as I, the accursed and the prodigal, have sinned!” The brighter the light of Christ illuminates the heart, the more clearly all shortcomings, ulcers and spiritual wounds are recognized. And vice versa: people immersed in the darkness of sin do not see anything in their hearts, and if they do, they are not horrified, since they have nothing to compare with, for Christ is closed for them by the veil of sins. Therefore, in order to overcome our spiritual laziness and insensitivity, the Holy Church has established preparatory days to the Sacrament of Repentance - fasting.

The period of fasting can last from three days to a week, unless there is special advice or instructions from the confessor. At this time, one should observe fasting, keep oneself from sinful deeds, thoughts and feelings, and generally lead a life of abstinence, repentance, dissolved in deeds of love and Christian charity. During fasting, you need to visit as often as possible church services, more than usual, be diligent in home prayer, devote time to reading the works of the holy fathers, the lives of saints, self-deepening and self-examination.

Understanding the moral state of your soul, you must try to distinguish basic sins from their derivatives, roots from leaves and fruits. One should also beware of falling into petty suspicion of every movement of the heart, losing the sense of what is important and unimportant, and getting confused in trifles. The penitent must bring to confession not only a list of sins, but, most importantly, a feeling of repentance; not a detailed account of his life, but a broken heart.

Knowing your sins does not mean repenting of them. But what should we do if our heart, dried up from the sinful flame, is not watered by the life-giving waters of tears? What if spiritual weakness and “infirmity of the flesh” are so great that we are not capable of sincere repentance? But this cannot be a reason to postpone confession in anticipation of a feeling of repentance. The Lord accepts confession - sincere and conscientious - even if it is not accompanied strong feeling remorse. You just need to confess this sin - stony insensibility - courageously and frankly, without hypocrisy. God can touch the heart during confession itself - soften it, refine spiritual vision, awaken a feeling of repentance.

The condition that we must certainly meet in order for our repentance to be accepted by the Lord is forgiveness of the sins of our neighbors and reconciliation with everyone.

Repentance cannot be complete without verbal confession of sins. Sins can only be forgiven in the church Sacrament of Repentance, performed by a priest. Confession is a feat, self-compulsion. During confession, you do not need to wait for questions from the priest, but make an effort yourself. Sins must be named accurately, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions. It is very difficult, when confessing, to avoid the temptation of self-justification, to refuse attempts to explain to the confessor “mitigating circumstances”, and from references to third parties who allegedly led us into sin. All these are signs of pride, lack of deep repentance, and continued stumbling into sin. Confession is not a conversation about one’s shortcomings, doubts, it is not a simple informing the confessor about oneself, although spiritual conversation is also very important and should take place in the life of a Christian, but confession is different, it is a sacrament, and not just a pious custom. Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for purification, this is the second baptism. In repentance we die to sin and are raised to righteousness, holiness.

Having repented, we must strengthen ourselves internally in the determination not to return to the confessed sin. The sign of perfect repentance is a feeling of lightness, purity, inexplicable joy, when sin seems as difficult and impossible as this joy was just distant.

Example of a general confession

Here is one of the options for listing sins in general confession. They are named in the following order: sins against God, sins against one's neighbor, sins against oneself. This list is not presented for copying, for subsequent confession before a priest, but to remind the repentant person of the multiple wounds of the soul that can be healed with sincere repentance before God.

“I confess to the Lord God, glorified in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all my sins from my youth to the present time, committed by me in deed, word, thought and all my feelings, voluntarily or involuntarily.

I consider myself unworthy of forgiveness from God, but I do not give in to despair, I place all my hope in God’s mercy and sincerely wish to correct my life.

I sinned by lack of faith, by doubting what the faith of Christ teaches us. I sinned by indifference to faith, unwillingness to understand it and be convinced of it. He sinned with blasphemy - frivolously ridiculing the truths of faith, words of prayer and the Gospel, church rituals, as well as the shepherds of the Church and pious people, calling zeal for prayer, fasting and alms hypocrisy.

I sinned even more: with contemptuous and impudent judgments about faith, about the laws and institutions of the church, for example, about fasting and worship, about the veneration of holy icons and relics, about miraculous manifestations of God’s mercy or God’s wrath.

He sinned by deviating from the Church, considering it unnecessary for himself, considering himself capable of good life, to achieve salvation without the help of the Church. Meanwhile, one must go to God not alone, but with brothers and sisters in faith, in a union of love, in the Church and with the Church: only where there is love, there is God; To whom the Church is not a Mother, God is not a Father.

I sinned by renouncing faith or hiding faith out of fear, out of profit or out of shame in front of people, I did not heed the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: Whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Heavenly Father; Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Matthew 10:33; Mark 8:38).

I sinned by not relying on God, relying more on myself or on other people, and sometimes on untruth, deception, cunning, deceit.

In happiness I sinned by ingratitude to God, the giver of happiness, and in misfortune by despondency, cowardice, murmuring against God, anger at Him, blasphemous and impudent thoughts about the Providence of God, despair, the desire for death for myself and my loved ones.

I sinned by loving earthly goods, more than the Creator, whom I should love most of all - with all my soul, with all my heart, with all my mind.

I sinned by forgetting God and not feeling the fear of God; forgot that God sees and knows everything, not only deeds and words, but also our secret thoughts, feelings and desires, and that God will judge us by death and Last Judgment Yours; That’s why I sinned uncontrollably and boldly, as if for me there would be no death, no Judgment, no righteous punishment from God.

I sinned with superstitions, unreasonable trust in dreams, omens, and fortune telling (for example, on cards).

I sinned in prayer by laziness, I skipped morning and evening prayer, before and after eating, at the beginning and end of every task.

I sinned in prayer by haste, absent-mindedness, coldness and callousness, hypocrisy, I tried to seem to people more pious than I really was.

I sinned by having an unpeaceful mood during prayer: I prayed in a state of irritation, anger, ill-will, condemnation, murmuring, and disobedience to God’s Providence. Sinned by careless and wrong doing sign of the cross- from haste and inattention or from a bad habit.

He sinned by not attending divine services on holidays and Sundays, by not paying attention to what is read, sung and performed in church during the service, by not performing or reluctantly performing church rituals (bows, kissing the cross, the Gospel, icons).

He sinned by irreverent, indecent behavior in the temple - worldly and loud conversations, laughter, arguments, quarrels, cursing, pushing and oppressing other pilgrims.

I sinned by frivolously mentioning the name of God in conversations - by swearing and swearing without extreme necessity or even in a lie, as well as by not fulfilling what I promised to do good to someone with an oath.

I sinned by carelessly handling sacred objects - the cross, the Gospel, icons, holy water, prosphora.

I sinned by not observing holidays, fasting and fast days, non-observance of spiritual fasting, that is, did not try to free oneself from God's help from his shortcomings, bad and idle habits, he did not try to correct his character, did not force himself to diligently fulfill the commandments of God.

My sins are countless, both against my neighbors and in relation to my duties towards myself. Instead of love for others, selfishness with all its destructive fruits prevails in my life.

I sinned with pride, conceit, considering myself better than others, vanity - love for praise and honor, self-praise, lust for power, arrogance, disrespect, rough treatment with people, ingratitude towards those who do good to me.

I sinned by condemning, ridiculing the sins, shortcomings and mistakes of my neighbors, slander, gossip, and with them brought discord among my neighbors.

He sinned with slander - he unfairly spoke about people that was bad and harmful and dangerous for them.

I sinned with impatience, irritability, anger, intransigence, stubbornness, grumpiness, insolence, disobedience.

I sinned with resentment, malice, hatred, rancor, and vindictiveness.

I sinned with envy, malice, gloating; He sinned by swearing, foul language, quarrels, cursing both others (maybe even his children) and himself.

I sinned by disrespecting my elders, especially my parents, by not wanting to take care of my parents and see them through their old age; I sinned by condemning and ridiculing them, by rude and impudent treatment of them. I sinned by rarely remembering them and my other loved ones in prayer - living and dead.

I sinned with unmercifulness, ruthlessness towards people who are poor, sick, grieving, merciless cruelty in words and deeds, I was not afraid to humiliate, insult, upset my neighbors, sometimes, perhaps, I drove a person to despair.

He sinned through stinginess, avoidance of helping those in need, greed, love of profit, and was not afraid to take advantage of other people’s misfortunes and social disasters.

I sinned by addiction, attachment to things, I sinned by regretting what I had done. good deeds, sinned by mercilessly treating animals (starving them, beating them).

He sinned by appropriating someone else's property - theft, concealing what was found, buying and selling stolen property. He sinned by not doing or carelessly doing his work - his household and official affairs.

I sinned with lies, pretense, double-mindedness, insincerity in dealing with people, flattery, and people-pleasing.

I sinned by eavesdropping, spying, reading other people's letters, divulging trusted secrets, cunning, and all kinds of dishonesty.

I sinned by laziness, love of idle spending time, idle talk, daydreaming.

He sinned by neglecting his own and other people’s property. He sinned through intemperance in food and drink, overeating, secret eating, drunkenness, and smoking. He sinned by being whimsical in his clothes, being excessively concerned about his appearance, and wanting to be liked, especially by people of the opposite sex.

He sinned by immodesty, impurity, voluptuousness in thoughts, feelings and desires, in words and conversations, in reading, in looks, in addressing persons of the other sex, as well as intemperance in marital relations, violation of marital fidelity, fornication, marital cohabitation without a church blessing , unnatural satisfaction of lust.

Those who performed abortions on themselves or others, or incited someone to this great sin - infanticide, sinned gravely.

I sinned because by my words and actions I tempted other people to sin, and I myself succumbed to the temptation to sin from other people, instead of fighting it.

He sinned by bad upbringing of children and even spoiling them with his bad example, excessive severity or, conversely, weakness, impunity; did not teach children to pray, obedience, truthfulness, hard work, frugality, helpfulness, and did not monitor the purity of their behavior.

He sinned by being careless about his salvation, about pleasing God, by not feeling his sins and his unrequited guilt before God.

I sinned through laziness in the fight against sin, constant delay of true repentance and correction.

I sinned by carelessly preparing for confession and communion, forgetting my sins, inability and unwillingness to remember them in order to feel my sinfulness and condemn myself before God.

I sinned in that I approached confession and communion very rarely.

I sinned by not fulfilling the penances imposed on me.

He sinned by justifying himself in sins: instead of condemning - even in confession - by minimizing his sins.

I sinned in that during confession I accused and condemned my neighbors, pointing out the sins of others instead of my own.

He sinned if during confession he deliberately hid his sins out of fear or shame.

I sinned if I approached confession and communion without making peace with those I had offended or who had offended me.

Forgive, Lord, my countless sins, cleanse, renew and strengthen my soul and body, so that I can steadily walk along the path of salvation.

And you, honest father, pray for me to the Lord, the Most Pure Lady Theotokos and the holy saints of God, that through their prayers the Lord may have mercy on me, absolve me from my sins and grant me communion of the Saints without condemnation Mysteries of Christ.

Another example of a general confession, in a more abbreviated version.

This example can be taken as a basis when preparing for confession.

This is especially true for the person who has the custom of making a list of committed sins before confession. Of course, sins committed, but not included in this list of especially common sins, should be mentioned additionally. Let us remember, however, that before confession we make a list of sins not to “report” to the priest, or better yet, to the Omniscient God, but only to remind ourselves of what we must say, what we must repent of. And the deeper and more sincere the repentance, the stronger degree healing the wounds of our soul.

I sinned in deed, word, thought, will and involuntarily, knowledge and ignorance, in reason and foolishness.

I sinned by idle talk, idle talk, verbosity; words and speeches that are abusive, annoying, nasty, blasphemous, frivolous, unreasonable, ridiculous, vain; unreasonableness, argumentativeness. By watching, listening, reading empty and soul-harming things. Conversations and laughter in the temple.

I sinned with lies, deceitful words and speeches, failure to fulfill promises made to God and people, incomplete confessions, false opinions, and incorrect advice.

I sinned by judging my neighbors, sacred persons; ridicule, slander, censure.

I sinned by gluttony, by eating at the wrong time, not according to the Church Charter; failure to observe fasts and fasting days, did not always pray before and after eating food; satiety, gluttony, secret eating, greed.

I sinned by laziness, idleness, excessive bodily rest, and too much sleep. Rarely going to Church for services, especially Divine Liturgy. By abandoning the prayer rule and other soul-saving readings. During church and cell prayer - relaxation, lethargy, inattention; being late for the start of services, leaving church early without a good reason. Carelessness, despondency and neglect of your soul. Work on Sundays and holidays. Non-remembrance of parents, relatives, living and deceased.

I sinned by petty theft in everyday life and at work, by not returning monetary debts or things given for a time.

I sinned through love of money, stinginess, excessive acquisitiveness, unnecessary wastefulness.

I sinned through covetousness, greed, and illegal profit.

I sinned through various kinds of untruth, deception, and evasion of payment for various services.

I sinned with envy, enmity, hatred, hostility, non-reconciliation, ill-will, gloating; abuse of the trust of a neighbor.

I sinned with pride, vanity, conceit, grandeur, man-pleasing, hypocrisy, double-mindedness, cowardice, pride, love of glory, arrogance, and humiliation of one’s neighbor. Disobedience and failure to show due honor to parents, spiritual father; self-justification, ambition.

I sinned with anger, rage, hot temper, irritability, grumpiness, reproaches of my neighbor, rudeness, insolence, bitterness, slander, annoyance, cruelty.

I sinned through malice, memory, vindictiveness, excessive demands and severity towards my neighbors, household members and relatives. Striking neighbors in anger, immoderate punishment of children.

I have sinned with superstitions of various kinds. Gambling, singing obscene songs.

I sinned with lustful thoughts, unchaste behavior, unclean dreams, obscene conversations, intemperance in the flesh on fasting and holiday days.

I sinned through lack of faith, careless performance of prayers, the sign of the cross, and bows; frivolous mention of shrines. Unworthy preparation for the Sacraments of the Church: Repentance, Communion and others. Taking the Name of God in vain. He did not wear a pectoral cross.

I sinned by insufficient trust in God’s Providence in various circumstances, murmuring against God, ingratitude to God, lack of fear of God in my soul, disobedience to the will of God, and petrified insensibility.

He was a temptation to his neighbors in various circumstances.

For all these things that have been said, and for the sake of unconsciousness that cannot be said, I repent.

Confession. Unfortunately, we really have a lot of things mixed up in our heads, and it seems to us that if a person cannot help but sin, he must confess almost every day.

Frequent confession can be very useful at a certain stage of our life, especially when a person is just taking his first steps in faith, is just beginning to cross the threshold of the temple, and the space of a new life, almost unknown, opens up for him. He doesn’t know how to pray correctly, how to build his relationships with his neighbors, how to generally navigate this new life of his, so he makes mistakes all the time, all the time, it seems to him (and not only him), he does something wrong That.

Thus, frequent confession for those people whom we call neophytes is a very important and serious stage in their recognition of the Church and understanding of all the foundations of spiritual life. Such people enter the life of the Church, including through confession, through conversation with a priest. Where else can you talk so closely with a priest if not at confession? The main thing is that here they receive their main first Christian experience of understanding their mistakes, understanding how to build relationships with other people, with themselves. Such confession very often is a spiritual, confessional conversation more than repentance of sins. One might say - a catechetical confession.

But over time, when a person already understands a lot, knows a lot, and has gained some experience through trial and error, very frequent and detailed confession can become an obstacle for him. Not necessarily for everyone: some people feel quite normal with frequent confession. But for some it can become a barrier, because a person suddenly learns to think something like this: “If I live all the time, it means I sin all the time. If I sin all the time, then I have to confess all the time. If I don’t confess, how will I approach communion with my sins?” Here there is such, I would say, a syndrome of distrust in God, when a person thinks that for confessed sins he has been awarded the honor of receiving the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Of course this is not true. The contrite spirit with which we come to communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ does not cancel our confession. But confession does not cancel a contrite spirit.

The fact is that a person cannot confess at confession in such a way as to take all his sins and state them. Impossible. Even if he takes and simply rewrites a book listing all the various sins and perversions that exist on Earth. This will not be a confession. This will be absolutely nothing other than a formal act of distrust in God, which in itself, of course, is not very good.
The most terrible spiritual disease

People sometimes come to confession in the evening, then go to church in the morning, and then - ah! - at the Chalice itself they remember: “I forgot to confess this sin!” - and almost from the line for communion they run away to the priest, who continues the confession, in order to say what he forgot to say in confession. This is, of course, a problem.

Or they suddenly begin to babble at the Chalice: “Father, I forgot to say such and such in confession.” What does a person bring to communion? With love or with mistrust? If a person knows and trusts God, then he knows that God came into this world to save sinners. “From them I am first,” the priest says these words, and each of us says when he comes to confession. It is not the righteous who partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, but sinners, of whom each one who comes to the Chalice is the first, because he is a sinner. This means that he even goes to receive communion with sins.

He repents of these sins, laments over them; this contrition is the most important thing that gives a person the opportunity to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Otherwise, if a person confessed before communion and felt confident that now he would receive communion worthily, now he has the right to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then I think that nothing could be worse and worse than this.

As soon as a person feels worthy, as soon as a person feels entitled to receive communion, the most terrible spiritual illness that can befall a Christian will occur. Therefore, in many countries, communion and confession are not a mandatory combination. Confession is performed at its own time and place, communion is celebrated during the Divine Liturgy.

Therefore, those who confessed, say, a week ago, two weeks ago, and their conscience is peaceful, their relations with their neighbors are good, and their conscience does not convict a person of any sins that would weigh on his soul like a terrible and unpleasant stain , he can, lamentingly, approach the Chalice... It is clear that each of us is sinful in many ways, each of us is imperfect. We realize that without God’s help, without God’s mercy we will not become different.

To list the sins that God knows about us - why do something that is already clear? I repent of the fact that I am a proud person, but I cannot repent of this every 15 minutes, although every minute I remain the same proud. When I come to confession to repent of the sin of pride, I sincerely repent of this sin, but I understand that, having moved away from confession, I did not become humble, I did not completely exhaust this sin. Therefore, it would be pointless for me to come every 5 minutes and say again: “Sinful, sinful, sinful.”

My sin is my work, my sin is my work on this sin. My sin is constant self-reproach, daily attention to what I brought to God for confession. But I can’t tell God about this every time, He already knows it. I will say this next time when this sin trips me up again and again shows me all my insignificance and all my isolation from God. I once again bear sincere repentance for this sin, but as long as I know that I am infected with this sin, until this sin forced me to turn away from God so much that I felt how strong this distance was, this sin may not be the subject of my constant confession, but must be the subject of my constant struggle.

The same applies to everyday sins. Let's say it is very difficult for a person to live a whole day without judging anyone. Or live the whole day without saying a single unnecessary, idle word. The fact that we constantly name these sins in confession will not change anything. If every day in the evening, going to bed, we check our conscience, not just read this memorized prayer, the last one in the evening rule, where money-grubbing, covetousness and any other incomprehensible “possession” is imputed to us as sin, but simply Let us truly examine our conscience and understand that today again was a setback in our life, that today again we did not keep at the height of our Christian calling, then we will bring repentance to God, this will be our spiritual work, this will be exactly the doing that is from us The Lord awaits.

But if we list this sin every time we come to confession, but do absolutely nothing, then this confession turns out to be very doubtful.
There is no heavenly accounting

Every Christian can approach the frequency of confession based on the realities of his spiritual life. But it’s strange to think of God as a prosecutor, to believe that there is some kind of heavenly accounting that takes all our confessed sins as offset and erases them from some ledger when we come to confession. That’s why we are afraid, what if we forgot, what if we didn’t say something, and what if it won’t be erased with an eraser?

Well, they forgot and forgot. It's OK. We hardly know our sins at all. Whenever we become spiritually alive, we suddenly see ourselves as we have not seen ourselves before. Sometimes a person, having lived for many years in the Church, says to the priest: “Father, it seems to me that I was better before, I have never committed such sins as now.”

Does this mean he was better? Of course not. It’s just that then, many years ago, he didn’t see himself at all, didn’t know who he was. And over time, the Lord revealed his essence to man, and then not completely, but only to the very extent to which man is capable of this. Because if at the beginning of our spiritual life the Lord had shown us all our inability for this life, all our weakness, all our inner ugliness, then perhaps we would have despaired of this so much that we would not have wanted to go anywhere further. Therefore, the Lord, by His mercy, even reveals our sins gradually, knowing how sinful we are. But at the same time he allows us to receive communion.
Confession is not training

I don't think confession is something a person trains himself to do. We have spiritual exercises in which we, in a sense, train ourselves, tune ourselves up - this is, for example, fasting. Its regularity is stated in the fact that during fasting a person tries to organize his life. Another spiritual “training” can include a prayer rule, which also really helps a person to organize his life.

But if the sacrament is considered from this point of view, then it is a disaster. You cannot take communion regularly for the sake of regularity of communion. Regular communion is not exercise, not physical education. This does not mean that since I have not taken communion, I have lost something and must take communion in order to accumulate some kind of spiritual potential. It's not like that at all.

A person takes communion because he cannot live without it. He has a thirst to receive communion, he has a desire to be with God, he has a true and sincere desire to open himself to God and become different, uniting with God... And the sacraments of the Church cannot become some kind of physical training for us. They are not given for this, they are still not exercises, but life.

The meeting of friends and relatives does not happen because friends must meet regularly, otherwise they will not be friends. Friends meet because they are very attracted to each other. It is unlikely that friendship will be useful if, say, people set themselves the task: “We are friends, therefore, in order for our friendship to grow stronger, we must meet every Sunday.” This is absurd.

The same can be said about the sacraments. “If I want to confess correctly and develop a real feeling of repentance in myself, I must confess every week,” sounds absurd. Like this: “If I want to become a saint and be with God always, I must take communion every Sunday.” Just ridiculous.

Moreover, it seems to me that there is some kind of substitution in this, because everything is not in its place. A person confesses because his heart hurts, because his soul suffers from pain, because he has sinned and he is ashamed, he wants to cleanse his heart. A person receives communion not because the regularity of communion makes him a Christian, but because he strives to be with God, because he cannot help but receive communion.
Quality and frequency of confession

The quality of confession does not depend on the frequency of confession. Of course, there are people who confess once a year, take communion once a year - and do this without understanding why. Because it’s the way it’s supposed to be and somehow it has to be, the time has come. Therefore, they, of course, do not have some skill in confession, or understanding of its essence. Therefore, as I already said, in order to enter church life and learn something, of course, at first you need regular confession.

But regularity does not mean once a week. The regularity of confession can be different: 10 times a year, once a month... When a person builds his life spiritually, he feels that he needs to confess.

It’s like priests: they each set a certain regularity for their confession. I even think that there is not even any regularity here, except that the priest himself feels the moment when he needs to confess. There is a certain internal obstacle to communion, there is an internal obstacle to prayer, the understanding comes that life is beginning to fall apart, and you need to go to confession.

In general, a person must live like this in order to feel this. When a person does not have a sense of life, when a person measures everything by a certain external element, external actions, then, of course, he will be surprised: “How is it possible to receive communion without confession? Like this? This is some kind of horror!

O. Alexy Umninsky

In which he who sincerely confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from his sins by God Himself. Confession is received by a priest or...

Why is it necessary to confess in the presence of a priest, and not just ask God for forgiveness?

Sin is dirt, so confession is a bath that washes the soul from this spiritual dirt. Sin is poison for the soul - so, confession is the treatment of a poisoned soul, cleansing it from the poison of sin. A person will not take a bath in the middle of the street, nor will he be cured of poisoning while walking: this requires appropriate institutions. IN in this case such a divinely established institution is the Holy Church. They will ask: “But why is it necessary to confess in the presence of a priest, in an environment specifically church sacrament? Doesn't God see my heart? If I did something bad, I sinned, but I see it, I’m ashamed of it, I ask God for forgiveness - isn’t that enough?” But, my friend, if, for example, a person fell into a swamp and, having climbed out to the shore, is ashamed of being covered in mud, is this enough to become clean? Has he already washed himself with one feeling of disgust? To wash away dirt, you need an external source clean water, and pure washing water for the soul is the grace of God, the source from which the water flows is the Church of Christ, the process of washing is the Sacrament of Confession.

A similar analogy can be drawn if we look at sin as a disease. Then the Church is a hospital, and confession is the treatment of a disease. Moreover, the confession itself in this example can be considered as an operation to remove a tumor (sin), and the subsequent communion of the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist - as postoperative therapy for the healing and restoration of the body (soul).

How easy it is for us to forgive someone who repents, how necessary it is for us to repent before those whom we have offended!.. But isn’t our repentance all the more necessary before God – the Heavenly Father? We do not have such a sea of ​​sins as before Him before any other person.

How does the Sacrament of Repentance take place, how to prepare for it and how to begin?

The rites of confession : the usual beginning, priestly prayers and an appeal to the repentant " Behold, Christ stands invisibly, accepting your confession...", the confession itself. At the end of confession, the priest places the edge on the head of the penitent and reads a prayer of permission. The penitent kisses the Gospel and the cross lying on the lectern.

Confession is usually made after evening or in the morning, immediately before, since the laity, according to tradition, are allowed to receive communion after confession.

Preparation for confession is not outwardly formal. Unlike the other great Sacrament of the Church - confession can be performed always and everywhere (in the presence of a legal celebrant - Orthodox priest). When preparing for confession, the church charter does not require either a special fast or a special prayer rule, but only faith and repentance are needed. That is, the person confessing must be a baptized member of the Orthodox Church, a conscious believer (recognizing all the foundations of Orthodox doctrine and recognizing himself as a child of the Orthodox Church) and repenting of his sins.

Sins must be understood in a broad sense - as characteristic of the fallen human nature passions, and more specifically - as actual cases of transgression of God's commandments. The Slavic word “repentance” means not so much “apology” as “change” - a determination not to allow the same sins to be committed in the future. Thus, repentance is a state of uncompromising self-condemnation for one’s past sins and the desire to continue to stubbornly fight passions.

So, to prepare for confession means to take a repentant look at your life, analyze your deeds and thoughts from the point of view of God’s commandments (if necessary, write them down for memory), pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and the granting of true repentance. As a rule, for the period after the last confession. But you can also confess past sins - either previously unconfessed due to forgetfulness or false shame, or confessed without proper repentance, mechanically. At the same time, you need to know that sincerely confessed sins are always and irreversibly forgiven by the Lord (dirt is washed away, illness is healed, the curse is lifted), this immutability is the meaning of the Sacrament. However, this does not mean that sin should be forgotten - no, it remains in memory for humility and protection from future falls; it can bother the soul for a long time, just as a healed wound can bother a person - no longer mortal, but still noticeable. In this case, it is possible to confess the sin again (to pacify the soul), but it is not necessary, since it has already been forgiven.

And - go to the temple of God to confess.

Although, as already mentioned, you can confess in any setting, it is generally accepted to confess in a church - before or at a time specially appointed by the priest (in special cases, for example, for confessing a patient at home, you need to individually agree with the clergyman).

The usual time for confession is before. They usually confess at evening services, and sometimes a special time is set. It is advisable to find out about the time of confession in advance.

As a rule, the priest confesses in front of a lectern (A lectern is a table for church books or icons with an inclined upper surface). Those who come to confession stand one after another in front of the lectern, where the priest confesses, but at some distance from the lectern, so as not to interfere with someone else’s confession; they stand quietly, listening to church prayers, lamenting their sins in their hearts. When it’s their turn, they go to confession.

Approaching the lectern, bow your head; at the same time, you can kneel (if desired; but on Sundays and great holidays, as well as from Easter to the day of the Holy Trinity, kneeling is canceled). Sometimes the priest covers the head of the penitent with an epitrachelion (Epitrachelion is a detail of a priest’s vestment - a vertical strip of fabric on the chest), prays, asks what the confessor’s name is and what he wants to confess before God. Here the repentant must confess, on the one hand, a general awareness of his sinfulness, especially naming the passions and weaknesses most characteristic of him (for example: lack of faith, love of money, anger, etc.), and on the other hand, name those specific sins for which he sees himself, and especially those that lie like a stone on his conscience, for example: abortion, insults to parents or loved ones, theft, fornication, the habit of swearing and blasphemy, non-observance of God’s commandments and church institutions, etc., etc. n. The “General Confession” section will help you understand your sins.

The priest, having heard the confession, as a witness and intercessor before God, asks (if he considers it necessary) questions and gives instructions, prays for the forgiveness of the sins of the repentant sinner and, when he sees sincere repentance and a desire for correction, reads a “permissive” prayer.

The Sacrament of forgiveness of sins itself is performed not at the moment of reading the “permissive” prayer, but through the entire set of rites of confession, however, the “permissive” prayer is, as it were, a seal certifying the fulfillment of the Sacrament.

So, confession is made, with sincere repentance, the sin is forgiven by God.

The forgiven sinner, crossing himself, kisses the cross, the Gospel and takes the priest’s blessing.

To receive a blessing is to ask the priest, by his priestly authority, to send down the strengthening and sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit on himself and on his affairs. To do this, you need to fold your hands palms up (right to left), bow your head and say: “Bless, father.” The priest baptizes the person with the sign of the priestly blessing and places his palm on the folded palms of the person being blessed. One should venerate the priest’s hand with one’s lips—not as a human hand, but as an image of the blessing right hand of the Giver of all good things, the Lord.

If he was preparing for communion, he asks: “Will you bless me for communion?” - and if the answer is positive, he goes to prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Are all sins forgiven in the Sacrament of Repentance, or only those named?

How often should you go to confession?

The minimum is before each Communion (according to church canons, the faithful receive communion no more than once a day and no less than once every 3 weeks), the maximum number of confessions is not established and is left to the discretion of the Christian himself.

It should be remembered that repentance is a desire to be reborn, it does not begin with confession and does not end with it, it is a matter of a lifetime. That is why the Sacrament is called the Sacrament of Repentance, and not the “Sacrament of the Enumeration of Sins.” Repentance for sin consists of three stages: Repent of the sin as soon as you have committed it; remember him at the end of the day and again ask God for forgiveness for him (see. last prayer in Vecherny); confess it and receive absolution from sins in the Sacrament of Confession.

How to see your sins?

At first this is not difficult, but with regular Communion, and therefore confession, it becomes more and more difficult. You need to ask God for this, because seeing your sins is a gift from God. But we need to be prepared for temptations if the Lord grants our prayer. At the same time, it is useful to read the lives of saints and study.

Can a priest refuse to accept confession?

Apostolic Canons (52nd canon) " If anyone, a bishop or presbyter, does not accept a convert from sin, let him be expelled from the sacred rank. For [he] grieves Christ, who said: There is joy in heaven over one repentant sinner ()».

You can refuse confession if, in fact, there is none. If a person does not repent, does not consider himself guilty of his sins, does not want to be reconciled with his neighbors. Also, those who are not baptized and excommunicated from church communion cannot receive absolution from sins.

Is it possible to confess over the phone or in writing?

In Orthodoxy there is no tradition of confessing sins over the phone or via the Internet, especially since this violates the secret of confession.
It should also be borne in mind that patients can invite a priest to their home or hospital.
Those who have left for distant countries cannot justify themselves by this, because falling away from the Holy Sacraments of the Church is their choice and it is inappropriate to profane the Sacrament for the sake of this.

What rights does a priest have to impose penance on a penitent?