Sinusitis

How to confess correctly? What should I say to the priest during this sacrament? How to confess correctly and what to say to the priest: a specific example.

How to behave in confession and what is better not to do? How should a priest correctly name his sins? Find out the priest's advice, and also read examples of how to properly confess and name your sins to the priest.

Confession is a Sacrament in which the Lord invisibly forgives sins with the visible will of the priest. The event is preceded by preparation - repentance occurs before going to church. For the first time, many are afraid and do not know what actions to call, how to behave correctly, what needs to be done for this. I will say more, even experienced Christians do not always understand what and how to confess.

God will see a broken heart

The significance of repentance is so great that it transforms a sinner into a righteous person. It is not easy to decide to lead a Christian life, to change, but it is necessary to do this so as not to perish completely. Let the first (second, third) confession be imperfect, that’s not scary. It is much more dangerous to carry a heavy burden within yourself and not repent at all. The Lord sees our intentions, aspirations, attempts to lag behind passions, repentance. This will definitely count.

Others confess as if they were giving a 5-page report on their sins, but there is no contrition in their soul. Another will say three words and leave justified, like a publican who does not dare raise his eyes to heaven, saying: “ God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” It is important to see the abomination of your deeds and actions. Be horrified and hate them. Feel sincere disgust, with determination not to repeat this again.

Lists of sins to help the repentant

If you resort to manuals, of which there are many on the Internet, you are more likely to get confused than to get help. It is not difficult to compile a long list of sins based on a model, but often they indicate completely incomprehensible things related to monastics. They are “idlers”, they have only two duties: work and prayer, everything else is sin. Priests do not advise comparing actions in the world with such available means. Sometimes it looks downright stupid.

For example:

collected stamps;
washed himself with scented soap;
did my hair;
did the laundry on Sunday, etc.

You can borrow the brevity with which sin is called. This will help you create a personal list so as not to fall into verbosity and not tell the story (novel) of your life. Do this: Write down the actions that you understand are bad. You regret this and are ready not to repeat it (by the way, they don’t happen that often, but they constantly remind you of themselves, popping up in your memory).

For example:

I was rude to my parents.
Hit his wife.
Stole a bicycle (cassette, book, any thing), etc.
Did not visit a sick relative who needed it.

Continue further: take a look at your character. Seeing yourself as you are is not easy. Some people even consider themselves normal, good, kind, always right. Take and paint an icon from it. But it is precisely in such a person that the sin of pride is already visible, which overthrew the devil from Heaven. This comes from ignorance of the laws of faith.

The more often you confess, comprehend Orthodox teaching, draw closer to God, the more you will see dirt in yourself that you need to get rid of. Know that if you have not discovered any sins in yourself, then you are far from fulfilling the commandments. There is not a single saint about whom it can be said that he is sinless.

If it’s really hard and nothing comes to mind, ask your loved ones: What bad qualities they will call. It's always clearer from the outside. These traits will most likely be what you are looking for. Think about it, perhaps the list will be replenished with the following sins:

was angry, irritated, thought badly about someone;
cursed, responded rudely, condemned, hated;
did not know moderation in food (gluttony);
came home drunk and became rowdy;
cheated on his wife (husband), deceived, slandered, spread rumors;
did not help others, refused requests, mocked workers;
gave (persuaded) consent to an abortion;
was lazy in fulfilling his duties both at work and at home, etc.

Advice: Before turning to any source with a list of sins, try to first write down what you remember well, what weighs on your soul, what you really regret. Such sins will definitely be forgiven. When looking for shortcomings in yourself, resorting to a manual, strive not for quantity (cover everything at once), but for quality. They read it, remembered it, realized it, were saddened, and promised themselves not to do that again. They asked the Lord to help with this. Now put it on the confession sheet.

You need to be aware of this and not be angry

When a person begins to prepare for the Sacrament, he may endure temptations. Someone is constantly interfering, interrupting, distracting. In the temple, evil old women make comments: “why aren’t you wearing a skirt,” “why did you put on that makeup,” “stood in the wrong place.” Father has no time, he waved it off, answered rudely, etc. Sometimes this is necessary for humility.

Demons will try to piss you off, but pass the test with dignity: in your soul, for every resistance to a good deed, say: “I don’t deserve better.” So disarm the evil spirits: drive them away, and draw closer to God. This shows that you are doing the right thing. Now, if everything is smooth and calm, it’s worth thinking about, perhaps there is no spirit of repentance.

What is the will of God?

In the process of preparation, you will come across the phrase that sin is a violation of the will of God. At the moment of baptism, a person (himself or his godparents) makes a vow: to do His will and keep the commandments. They made a promise, and immediately began to break it. First of all, because we don’t know either one or the other:

The will of God is the sanctification of man.
Through Moses, the 10 commandments were given to discern sin.

The Law of God (Moses) is the first guide to knowing ourselves, that we have broken almost all the commandments. Not a single one was performed correctly. Many people remember two words from the law: did not kill, did not steal. They consider themselves decent people. This is a primitive approach to the confession of an ignorant sinner. For example, you can kill:

in a word;
killing animals for fun rather than for food;
giving incorrect advice;
violating safety precautions;
sending someone else to death in his place;
having an abortion, persuading him;
mocking the weak;
spreading slander;
not providing assistance on time, etc.

If a person does not see sins in himself, does not confess, does not lament unseemly actions, does not take communion, does not have a connection with God (prayer) - he violates His will. For it consists in our being sanctified, enlightened, doing good deeds, that is, striving for righteousness and holiness. Everything that does not contribute to this, except for necessary duties and affairs (including rest, holidays, etc.), violates His will.

What is the plan for preparing for confession?

In order not to miss anything, it is customary to prepare according to a specific plan to choose from. You can, if you don’t have time, but really want to receive forgiveness, confess for a particularly painful sin: one or several. No special preparation is required here. They came, poured out their souls, explaining to the priest: next time, prepare properly. What to take as a basis:

Ten Commandments.
The Nine Beatitudes Given by the Lord.
You can build a confession based on 20 points of the ordeal (of Blessed Theodora), which the soul goes through after death.
By type of sin (model of Elder George the Recluse), etc.

More often they use the 10 commandments, the so-called Mosaic ones. Please note that each of them includes many sins, so the list will be large. To figure this out, use “The Experience of Constructing a Confession” by Ioann Krestyankin. He is our contemporary, his plan is the best assistant. A good guide “To help the repentant” was compiled by I. Brianchaninov.

Important condition: Before you begin repentance (at home) or confession (in church), forgive everyone with whom you were offended. This must be done with all your heart, without guile. Just as you forgive others, so the Lord will forgive you your sins and vice versa.

It's a shame to name a sin to a priest

It happens that the confessor is embarrassed to name a sin. First, remember, which is embarrassing to admit, requires urgent confession. This is the voice of conscience, practically an instruction from God, His call: repent of this. The Lord is waiting, and the priest, believe me, will forget you and the said offense immediately, especially if there are a lot of people.

Usually they hide things related to:

with betrayals;
sexual perversions;
lustful thoughts and dreams;
handjob;
participation in orgies, leading a depraved lifestyle.

Secondly, many people have such sins, but do not name them in confession, which ruins their soul. Father, during the period of his service, heard enough of everyone, you won’t amaze him, you won’t confuse him, you won’t push him away with your confession. Most likely, the priest will be happy for you that you mustered up the courage to voice your grave sin. The Lord will immediately forgive and free the soul. The angels in heaven will rejoice. You will fly home as if on wings.

Note: The Lord created the conditions so that we could accept the redemptive gifts of His feat, that is, be transformed. All the Sacraments, including Confession, are a tool that connects people and God.

What not to do in confession

Confession can be turned against yourself if you treat it superficially with slyness. All sins, even those that will definitely be repeated, for example, smoking, must be called in the past tense, with the intention of getting rid of them. Sooner or later, said passion will lose power over a person. No need:

Talk about others and complain about life.
Call sins in general phrases: I am a sinner in everything.
List minor sins for which repentance is offered in evening prayer at home every day.
To remain silent about serious sins due to shame, indecision, and unwillingness to seriously understand oneself.
There is no need to be afraid to call a spade a spade: fornication, adultery, theft, murder, etc.

Frank confession heals not only the soul, but also physical illnesses, eradicates passions, and restores peace and tranquility. Don't be ashamed to reveal your abominations. And harlots become righteous if they do not return to their former ways. Let us not expose ourselves here - on Last Judgment sins will expose us.

Conclusion: How do you know that a sin has been forgiven? If, when remembering him, the conscience is silent, peace and tranquility remain in the soul, it means that you have been forgiven. Of course, provided that you do not have a stony and insensitive heart, which is in the complete power of the enemy of man and God, i.e., the devil.

Example, contrition for sins

God! Sometimes I go to Your House, wanting to cleanse my soul from the burden of sin. I’m trying to unwind the snake coil that lies on my heart, but I’m afraid to reveal my uncleanness to the priest. I try to disguise the essence of sins with general words, I clothe them in harmless clothes: just as everyone sins, so do I, no worse. I wish you forgiveness and release, but with lies I am aggravating my fallen situation, trying to deceive You.

Laziness and indifference have bound the soul: I don’t pray to You either in the morning or in the evening. I stand in the church like a soulless dummy: there is no repentance in me, I’m just waiting for the service to end faster. I don’t understand the prayers said in the Temple. I do not strive to find out the meaning of the days to which service is dedicated. I rarely go to church, and if I stood there, absentmindedly crossing myself, repeating the movements of true Christians, I consider that I have accomplished a feat, done a favor to You, Lord. Forgive this stony insensitivity to your salvation.
I have no love for either the living or the dead. Remembering them, I will not shed a tear; my prayer for them is cold, as if their heavenly fate is known to me. I think that the priest’s prayer is enough. I have neither sympathy for my loved ones (including my parents), nor the desire to take even a tiny vow for their sake. I believe that the good Lord will save everyone without any effort or sacrifice on my part. Lord, forgive me.
The Heinous Sin of Adultery. I am already old and sick, so my depraved past has moved away from me, but I cannot go through this ordeal. All the dirt of this sin has stuck to me, but I don’t have the strength to admit everything. I think that Mary of Egypt, before leaving for the desert, was purer than me. I repent and hate myself for these vile deeds. Lord, forgive me, don’t destroy me, the vile one.
Prideand vanity my constant companions. The Lord instructed me constantly. He admonished me, gave me the opportunity to experience humiliation and insults in order to reduce the arrogance of my nature. But I am so slow to correct that I cannot humble myself even under the hand of the Lord. I see my fall, but pride does not leave me. Lord, have mercy and give me strength to become a humble Christian, forgive me for my donkey stubbornness.
Lie. She accompanies me everywhere. Previously, I didn’t even notice that I was lying for any reason or without reason. I lied out of fear of discovering the truth; to obtain any benefit; just out of habit; for the sake of vanity, to embellish the mask that is my real essence. Lies, the seed of the devil, grew in me like a huge tree and took root. Harmful words roll off my tongue before I can even comprehend them. Lord, forgive me, give me some reason, get rid of this habit. Learn to tell the truth always and everywhere.
Condemnation. Lord, from childhood I remember the phrase: Judge not, lest ye be judged. But I never adhered to this instruction. I condemn everyone: acquaintances, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, authorities. From the height of my pride I will always find flaws in others, but not in myself. Forgive me, Lord. Help me get rid of this so that I can see only my own sins and not judge others. Teach humble repentance and prayer, etc., etc.

In order not to work in vain, think about your sins like this. This repentance, brought to the Lord, adjusts the soul, leads to purification, so as to hate one’s deeds and not repeat them every now and then. Having contrition, you will notice how after confession not only does it become easier, but from many “amusements” of the flesh the heart begins to turn away, affairs and relationships improve, illnesses go away.

Hieromonk Cyprian (Safronov), a resident of the Danilov Monastery, answers the questions.

– Father, many people are now complaining that they cannot confess properly, they are not succeeding.

– Yes, the vast majority of people do not know how to confess. Some people go to church for ten years and still have not learned how to confess correctly. Why? The problem is not even that they cannot understand how to confess correctly, the problem is that they are not really interested in this, do not read literature, although many books and inexpensive brochures are being published now, they still do not know how to It is correct to behave in church, as an Orthodox person should behave in general. There is a code of conduct for an Orthodox person! Sometimes they even forget that they are Orthodox people. And as a result, they cannot approach the Sacrament of Confession correctly. This is where problems arise. Such a person comes to confession as a normal procedure preceding communion. But this is a sacrament, a great sacrament of the Church, only through the sacrament of Confession can a person correct himself, correct his life, learn to live correctly. No more. The grace of God is given directly only through the sacraments. Each church sacrament gives its grace: the sacrament of Wedding gives grace for married life, the sacrament of Ordination for the priestly field, and the sacrament of Confession is given to a person so that he is spiritually and physically healthy, so that sooner or later he learns to live correctly, that is, not to sin. And if a person himself cannot stop sinning, cannot correct himself, then the Lord allows illness so that he at least stops sinning through it. Illnesses are the mercy of God, they are given to us because of our weakness and foolishness, the Lord humbles us with illnesses, and during illness we begin to treat the sins that we love to repeat when we are healthy, more than coolly, we humble ourselves.

– Many people, coming to confession, hope that the priest himself will ask them about everything...

– During confession, a priest should not necessarily ask the person being confessed anything... A person must learn to confess his sins on his own, prepare a confession in advance, analyze his behavior, identify the sin, come and tell the priest: I am a sinner. Often the confessor begins to tell how he, say, had a strong quarrel with someone, what he said to him, and what he answered, and how he reacted to it; You can no longer tell who is to blame. Then you have to ask the person being confessed what your sin is, yours personally, and remind him that he came to confess, and not to complain about someone else.

– What if a person cannot correctly assess the situation himself and tells it to the priest so that the priest can help?

– A person should know that in any situation he must first of all blame himself. Why? Because, being offended, he did not make concessions, did not stop the incident, although he could have. An Orthodox Christian must look for his guilt in any situation, because in any situation in life, part of the blame always lies with us. If we are not at all to blame, then we should feel calm, our conscience should be calm.

“But they falsely accused the man, and he did not do what he was accused of...

“Then it’s not his problem.”

- It’s so offensive to him...

- But this is already big sin, and you have to go to confession right away. The problem here is that you are offended, which means that there is some truth in what you were accused of. If you have any anxiety, if you start to complain, this is an indicator that it is your fault. Our resentment tells us that something is wrong with us. This ill-being first accumulates inside, little by little, and does not immediately come out, but then, having overwhelmed us, it is sure to come to light. And a person, if he does not confess properly, begins to look for his own ways of venting his resentment: he makes plans for personal revenge, goes to a psychologist, a sorcerer, or even thinks about how to hire a killer...

It happens that a person, say, steps on another’s sore spot and doesn’t notice. The owner of the sore callus begins to shout at him, saying, watch where you are going, or he’ll hit you on the top of his head - it’s a shame that his sore callus was not noticed. The person, knowing that there is no guilt on him, is perplexed as to why he received it, but nevertheless is not offended. What is the result? The victim, not only did they step on his sore spot, but he also sinned and now must repent in confession. That is, it turns out that the injured party sinned more. And from the one who stepped on, there is no demand from him, he got hit on top of the head for nothing, he has nothing to repent of. The victim, if he had endured, would have become a martyr, and he would have developed love for the person because he had forgiven him.

– Often people, due to illness or some other valid reason, miss Sunday services in the temple, and maybe it’s hard to blame them for this...

– Previously, an Orthodox person dreamed of dying in church, and after Communion, he considered it all the more happiness to die, therefore, despite any illness, he went to church services, fasted, and took communion. He did not think about whether he was sick or healthy, whether he could go to church or not. I had to go to the temple - I went to the temple, I had to go to work - I went to work. Why? Because he believed in God and tried to live in His will. And in our time, a person undergoes treatment for 40 years and cannot be cured, and for all 40 years he has been concerned only with this, buys and reads a lot of “healthy” literature, consults with many specialists, drinks huge amount medical supplies, but there’s no point. And he also cannot die in God’s way, although perhaps he wants to - the time has come. Sins are not allowed. How did you die before? A man worked and worked in the field, felt that he was tired, sat down to rest, sighed, crossed himself and gave his soul to God. And now he is suffering, but his sins are not allowed... They don’t confess properly, they don’t take communion for six months, and when any misfortune happens to them, they immediately run to church for confession. They come, confess and disappear again for six months... So they spin around due to their weakness - first one misfortune, then another, then a third, and it turns out - they are not turned towards God, and they do not belong to the world.

- What should we do?

- Confess on time, take communion, do not break fasts - strictly fulfill your duties. And severity should be determined by the priest, as he determines for each person separately.

What is confession?

Why is it needed, and how to correctly name sins in confession?

Why do you need to confess to a priest?

How to properly prepare for the sacrament for those who want to repent for the first time?

Sooner or later, every Orthodox person asks himself all these questions.

Let's figure out all the intricacies of this sacrament together.

Confession for an Orthodox person - what is it?

Repentance or confession is a sacrament during which a person verbally reveals his sins to God in the presence of a priest who has the authority to forgive sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. During his earthly life, the Lord gave his apostles, and through them, all priests, the power to forgive sins. During confession, a person not only repents of his sins, but also makes a promise not to repeat them again. Confession is the cleansing of the soul. Many people think: “I know that all the same, even after confession, I will commit this sin again (for example, smoking). So why should I confess?” This is fundamentally wrong. You don’t think: “Why should I wash if I’m going to get dirty tomorrow anyway?” You still take a bath or shower because the body needs to be clean. Man is weak by nature and will continue to sin throughout his life. This is why confession is needed, to cleanse the soul from time to time and work on one’s shortcomings.

Confession is very important for an Orthodox person, because during this sacrament reconciliation with God occurs. You need to confess at least once a month, but if you have a need to do it more often, please do so. The main thing is to know how to correctly name sins in confession.

For some particularly serious sins, the priest may assign penance (from Greek “punishment” or “special obedience”). This could be prolonged prayer, fasting, almsgiving or abstinence. This is a kind of medicine that will help a person get rid of sin.

Some recommendations for those who want to confess for the first time

As before any sacrament, you need to prepare for confession. If you have decided to repent for the first time, then you need to find out when the sacrament is usually held in your temple. It is mainly held on holidays, Saturday and Sunday.

As a rule, on such days there are many people who want to confess. And this becomes a real obstacle for those who want to confess for the first time. Some are shy, while others are afraid of doing something wrong.

It would be good if, before your first confession, you contact the priest with a request to set up a time for you when you and the priest will be alone. Then no one will embarrass you.

You can make yourself a little “cheat sheet”. Write down your sins on a piece of paper so that you don’t miss anything out of excitement during confession.

How to correctly name sins in confession: what sins should be named

Many, especially those who have just begun their path to God, rush from one extreme to another. Some dryly list common sins, copied, as a rule, from church books on repentance. Others, on the contrary, begin to describe each sin committed in such detail that it no longer becomes a confession, but a story about themselves and their lives.

What sins should you name in confession? Sins are divided into three groups:

1. Sins against the Lord.

2. Sins against neighbors.

3. Sins against your soul.

Let's take a closer look at each one individually.

1. Sins against the Lord. Majority modern people moved away from God. They do not visit temples or do so extremely rarely, but about prayers in best case scenario just heard. However, if you are a believer, have you been hiding your faith? Maybe you were embarrassed to cross yourself in front of people or say that you are a believer.

Blasphemy and murmuring against God- one of the most serious and grave sins. We commit this sin when we complain about life and believe that no one in the world is more unhappy than us.

Blasphemy. You have committed this sin if you have ever mocked the customs or sacraments of the Church about which you understand nothing. Jokes about God or the Orthodox faith are also blasphemy. It doesn’t matter whether you listen to them or tell them.

False oath or piety. The latter says that man has no fear of the greatness of the Lord.

Failure to fulfill your vows. If you made a vow to God to do some good deed, but did not keep it, this sin must be confessed.

We don’t pray every day at home. It is through prayer that we communicate with the Lord and the Saints. We ask for their intercession and help in the fight against our passions. Without prayer there can be neither repentance nor salvation.

Interest in occult and mystical teachings, as well as pagan and heterodox sects, sorcery and fortune telling. In fact, such interest can be not only destructive for the soul, but also for the mental and physical condition person.

Superstition. In addition to the superstitions that we inherited from our pagan ancestors, we began to get carried away by the absurd superstitions of newfangled teachings.

Neglect of your soul. Moving away from God, we forget about our soul and stop paying due attention to it.

Thoughts of suicide gambling .

2. Sins against neighbors.

Disrespectful attitude towards parents. We should treat our parents with reverence. The same applies to the attitude of students towards their teacher.

Offense inflicted on one's neighbor. By causing offense to loved ones, we harm his soul. We also commit this sin when we advise our neighbors something vicious or bad.

Slander. Speak falsehoods to people. Accusing a person without being sure of his guilt.

Schadenfreude and hatred. This sin is equivalent to murder. We must help and have compassion for our neighbors.

Grudge. It shows that our heart is filled with pride and self-justification.

Disobedience. This sin becomes the beginning of more serious evils: insolence against parents, theft, laziness, deception and even murder.

Condemn. The Lord said: “Judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with the measure you use, I will measure it to you." By judging a person for this or that weakness, we can fall into the same sin.

Theft, stinginess, abortion, theft, remembrance of the dead with alcoholic beverages.

3. Sins against your soul.

Laziness. We don’t go to church, we shorten our morning and evening prayers. We engage in idle talk when we should be working.

Lie. All bad deeds are accompanied by lies. No wonder Satan is called the father of lies.

Flattery. Today it has become a weapon to achieve earthly benefits.

Foul language. This sin is especially common among young people today. Foul language makes the soul coarse.

Impatience. We must learn to restrain our negative emotions so as not to harm your soul and not offend your loved ones.

Lack of faith and disbelief. A believer should not doubt the mercy and wisdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Charm and self-delusion. This is an imaginary closeness to God. A person suffering from this sin considers himself practically a saint and places himself above others.

Long Hiding of Sin. As a result of fear or shame, a person cannot reveal the sin he has committed in confession, believing that he can no longer be saved.

Despair. This sin often haunts people who have committed serious sins. It must be confessed in order to prevent irreparable consequences.

Blaming others and self-justification. Our salvation lies in the fact that we can recognize ourselves and only ourselves as guilty of our sins and actions.

These are the main sins that almost every person commits. If earlier during confession sins were voiced that were not repeated again, then there is no need to confess them again.

Fornication (including marriage without a wedding), incest, adultery (treason), sexual relations between people of the same sex.

How to correctly name sins during confession - is it possible to write them on paper and simply give them to the priest?

Sometimes, in order to get ready for confession and not worry about forgetting something during the sacrament, they write their sins on paper. In this regard, many people ask the question: can you write your sins on a piece of paper and just give it to the priest? A clear answer: No!

The meaning of confession is precisely for a person to voice his sins, mourn them and hate them. Otherwise, it will not be repentance, but writing a report.

Over time, try to completely abandon any paperwork, and tell in confession exactly what is weighing on your soul at this very moment.

How to correctly name sins in confession: where to start confession and how to end it

When approaching the priest, try to throw thoughts about earthly things out of your head and listen to your soul. Start your confession with the words: “Lord, I have sinned before You” and begin to list your sins.

There is no need to list sins in detail. If, for example, you stole something, then you do not need to tell the priest where, when and under what circumstances it happened. It’s enough to just say: I sinned by stealing.

However, it’s not worth listing sins completely dryly. For example, you come up and start saying: “I sinned with anger, irritation, condemnation, etc.” This is also not entirely correct. It would be better to say this: “I sinned, Lord, by being irritable to my husband” or “I constantly condemn my neighbor.” The fact is that during confession the priest can give you advice on how to deal with this or that passion. It is these clarifications that will help him understand the reason for your weakness.

You can end your confession with the words “I repent, Lord! Save and have mercy on me, a sinner!”

How to correctly name sins in confession: what to do if you are ashamed

Shame during confession is quite normal phenomenon, because there are no people who would be pleased to talk about their not so pleasant sides. But you don’t need to fight it, but try to survive it, endure it.

First of all, you must understand that you are not confessing your sins to a priest, but to God. Therefore, one should be ashamed not before the priest, but before the Lord.

Many people think: “If I tell the priest everything, he will probably despise me.” This is absolutely not important, the main thing is to ask God for forgiveness. You must clearly decide for yourself: to receive deliverance and cleanse your soul, or to continue to live in sins, plunging more and more into this dirt.

The priest is only an intermediary between you and God. You must understand that during confession the Lord Himself stands invisibly before you.

I would like to say once again that only in the sacrament of confession does a person with a contrite heart repent of his sins. After which a prayer of permission is read over him, which frees the person from sin. And remember, the one who hides sin during confession will acquire an even greater sin before God!

Over time, you will get rid of shame and fear and will better understand how to correctly name sins in confession.

Reader question: How to confess correctly?

Priest Peter Guryanov answers:

I would like to give you wonderful advice from Father Alexander Ilyashenko, who said: “Confession really should be thoughtful, but “thoughtful” does not mean “long.” Because most often confession is delayed for several reasons. Firstly, when we try to explain to the priest all the circumstances under which a sin was committed, then most often with these unnecessary details we either try to justify ourselves, or we do not repent, but retell some episode from our life. For example, a person offended someone. In confession you need to say this: I repent, I am a sinner, I have offended a person. And don’t tell me that such and such a person told me this and that, and I answered him this way, and he was offended, but I didn’t want that at all, but wanted what was best, because…. Well, and so on. This is completely wrong to repent. We must remember that confession is important part repentance, but repentance should not be limited to confession. First, we really need to think, understand what we have sinned about, pray, repent before God, then we need to ask for forgiveness from those against whom we have sinned, reconcile with them, and try, if possible, to correct what we have done - or firmly decide, as in In the future we will act in similar situations. And then go to confession.

Secondly, confession can be long, but not thoughtful, when a person lists huge variety small, everyday sins, but behind this enumeration, repentance itself is lost - the main thing becomes to name everything, not to miss anything, to list everything. Of course, you can write down your sins on a piece of paper, but one of the priests said, for example, that if I have pain somewhere, I can immediately point it out to the doctor, and it should be the same during confession: if I sincerely repent of something, then I don’t need to read it out of a piece of paper, this sin is so painful for me that I simply cannot forget about it.

Thirdly, sometimes confession turns into a “heart-to-heart conversation” with a priest, and this is also wrong. You need to make a very clear distinction: now I’m confessing, but now I want to ask the priest about something, ask for advice, etc.

And the point here is not to not tire the priest with a lot of verbiage, but to ensure that we learn to repent correctly.

I would advise the following to a person preparing for confession: firstly, do not be offended by the priest. If you have been confessing to this priest for a long time and regularly, then you can simply talk with him, telling him about your embarrassment that some of his words caused. Secondly, if you want to confess in detail, then you need to choose a time convenient for both you and the priest. Because if you confess in the morning, during the Liturgy, and even on Sunday or on a holiday, when there are a lot of people in the church, then you need to understand that the priest can spend 2-3 minutes on each person confessing, so that everyone who wants can confess and receive communion , and the service would not have been prolonged due to confession. Thirdly, I would advise you to read or listen to conversations about confession, for example, by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Perhaps you will find answers to your questions and confusion in these conversations. God help you

An archive of all questions can be found

How to write a note with sins and what to say to the priest? Confession is the most important religious Sacrament, which is present not only in Orthodoxy and Christianity, but also in other religions, such as Islam and Judaism. Is key point spiritual life of the believer in these spiritual traditions.

A story in the presence of a witness - a clergyman - about sins committed before God cleanses from them, God, through the priest, forgives sins, and atonement for sins occurs. After repentance, the burden is removed from the soul, life becomes easier. Usually confession takes place before, but it is possible separately.

Sacrament of Repentance (Confession) The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Repentance there is a Sacrament in which one who confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself.

This Sacrament is called the second Baptism. In the modern Church, as a rule, it precedes the Sacrament of Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, since it prepares the souls of the repentant to participate in this Great Table. Need for Sacrament of Penance is connected with the fact that a person who has become a Christian in the Sacrament of Baptism, which washed away all his sins, continues to sin due to the weakness of human nature.

These sins separate man from God and put a serious barrier between them. Can a person overcome this painful breakup on your own? No. If it weren't for Repentance, a person would not be able to be saved, would not be able to preserve the unity with Christ acquired in the Sacrament of Baptism. Repentance- this is spiritual work, the effort of a sinned person aimed at restoring a connection with God in order to be a partaker of His Kingdom.

Repentance implies such spiritual activity of a Christian, as a result of which the sin committed becomes hateful to him. A person’s repentant effort is accepted by the Lord as the greatest sacrifice, the most significant of his daily activities.

Preparing for confession note

In Holy Scripture Repentance is a necessary condition for salvation: “Unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way” (Luke 13:3). And it is joyfully accepted by the Lord and pleasing to Him: “So there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent” (Luke 15: 7).

In the continuous struggle against sin, which continues throughout a person’s earthly life, there are defeats and sometimes serious falls. But after them, a Christian must get up again and again, repent and, without giving in to despondency, continue on his way, because God’s mercy is endless.

The fruit of repentance is reconciliation with God and people and spiritual joy from the revealed participation in the life of God. Forgiveness of sins is given to a person through prayer and the sacrament of a priest, who is given the grace by God in the Sacrament of the Priesthood to forgive sins on earth.

The repentant sinner receives justification and sanctification in the Sacrament, and the confessed sin is completely erased from a person’s life and ceases to destroy his soul. The visible side Sacraments of Penance consists in the confession of sins brought to God by the repentant in the presence of a priest, and in the resolution of sins performed by God through the clergy.

It happens like this:
1. The priest reads preliminary prayers from the service Sacraments of Penance, encouraging confessors to sincere repentance.

2. The penitent, standing in front of the cross and the Gospel, lying on a lectern, as if before the Lord Himself, verbally confesses all his sins, without hiding anything or making excuses.
3. The priest, having accepted this confession, covers the penitent’s head with an epitrachelion and reads a prayer of absolution, through which in the name of Jesus Christ he absolves the penitent from all the sins of which he confessed.

The invisible effect of God's grace consists in the fact that the repentant, with visible evidence of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself. As a result of this, the confessor is reconciled with God, the Church and his own conscience and is freed from punishment for confessed sins in eternity.

confession and communion for the first time

Establishment of the Sacrament of Penance

Confession How the most important part Sacraments of Penance, has been performed since the time of the apostles: “Many of those who believed came, confessing and revealing their deeds (Acts 19; 18)”. The ritual forms of the celebration of the Sacrament in the apostolic age were not developed in detail, but the main components of the liturgical and liturgical structure inherent in modern rites already existed.

They were next.
1. Oral confession of sins to a priest.
2. The pastor’s teaching about repentance is in accordance with the internal structure of the recipient of the Sacrament.
3. Intercessory prayers of the shepherd and repentance prayers penitent.

4. Resolution from sins. If the sins confessed by the penitent were grave, then serious church punishments could be imposed - temporary deprivation of the right to participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; prohibition from attending community meetings. For mortal sins - murder or adultery - those who did not repent of them were publicly expelled from the community.

Sinners subjected to such severe punishment could change their situation only on condition of sincere repentance.B ancient Church There were four categories of penitents, differing in the severity of the penances imposed on them:

1. Crying. They had no right to enter the temple and had to remain at the porch in any weather, with tears asking for prayers from those going to the service.
2. Listeners. They had the right to stand in the vestibule and were blessed by the bishop along with those preparing for Baptism. Those who listen to the words “The Announcement, come forth!” are with them! left the temple.

3. Appearing. They had the right to stand at the back of the temple and participate with the faithful in prayers for the penitents. At the end of these prayers, they received the bishop's blessing and left the temple.

4. Worth purchasing. They had the right to stand with the faithful until the end of the Liturgy, but could not partake of the Holy Mysteries. Repentance in the early Christian Church could be performed both publicly and secretly. Public Confession was a kind of exception to the rule, since it was appointed only in cases where a member of the Christian community committed grave sins, which in themselves were quite rare.

Sins spoken in confession

sins spoken in confession

Confession of grave carnal sins was made publicly if it was known for certain that the person had committed them. This happened only when the secret Confession and the assigned penance did not lead to the correction of the penitent

The attitude towards such mortal sins as idolatry, murder and adultery in the ancient Church was very strict. The perpetrators were excommunicated from church communion for for many years, and sometimes for life, and only near death could be the reason that penance was lifted and Communion was taught to the sinner.

Public Repentance practiced in the Church until the end of the 4th century. Its abolition is associated with the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nektarios († 398), who abolished the position of presbyter-spiritual priest in charge of public affairs Repentance.

Following this, the degrees gradually disappeared Repentance, and by the end of the 9th century public Confession finally left the life of the Church. This happened due to the impoverishment of piety. Such a powerful means as public Repentance, it was appropriate when strict morals and zeal for God were universal and even “natural.” But later many sinners began to avoid public Repentance because of the shame associated with it.

Another reason for the disappearance of this form of the Sacrament was that sins revealed publicly could serve as a temptation for Christians who were not sufficiently established in the faith. Thus, secret Confession, also known since the first centuries of Christianity, became the only form Repentance. Basically, the changes described above occurred already in the 5th century.

Currently, with a large gathering of confessors in some churches, the so-called “general” Confession. This innovation, made possible due to the lack of temples and other, less significant reasons, - is unlawful from the point of view of liturgical theology and church piety. It should be remembered that the general Confession- is by no means a norm, but an assumption due to circumstances.

Therefore, even if, with a large crowd of penitents, the priest conducts a general Confession, he must, before reading the prayer of permission, give each confessor the opportunity to express the sins that most burden his soul and conscience. Depriving the parishioner of even such a brief personal Confessions under the pretext of lack of time, the priest violates his pastoral duty and humiliates the dignity of this great Sacrament.

Example of what to say in confession to a priest

Preparation for Confession
Preparation for Confession is not so much about remembering your sins as fully as possible, but rather about achieving a state of concentration and prayer in which the sins will become obvious to the confessor. The penitent, figuratively speaking, must bring Confession not a list of sins, but a repentant feeling and a contrite heart.

Before Confession you need to ask forgiveness from everyone to whom you consider yourself guilty. Start preparing for Confessions(fasting) must be done a week or at least three days before the Sacrament itself. This preparation should consist of a certain abstinence in words, thoughts and actions, in food and entertainment, and in general in the renunciation of everything that interferes with inner concentration.

The most important component of such preparation should be concentrated, in-depth prayer, promoting awareness of one’s sins and aversion to them. In rank Repentance to remind those who came to Confessions their sins, the priest reads a list of the most significant sins and passionate movements inherent in man.

The confessor must listen to him carefully and once again note to himself what his conscience accuses him of. Approaching the priest after this “general” Confession, the penitent must confess the sins that he has committed.
Sins previously confessed and absolved by the priest are repeated on Confessions should not be because after Repentance they become “as if they weren’t.”

But if since the previous Confessions they were repeated, then it is necessary to repent again. It is also necessary to confess those sins that were forgotten earlier, if they are suddenly remembered now. When repenting, one should not name accomplices or those who voluntarily or unwittingly provoked the sin. In any case, a person himself is responsible for his own iniquities, committed by him out of weakness or negligence.

Sins in Orthodoxy confession

Attempts to shift the blame onto others only lead to the confessor aggravating his sin by self-justification and condemnation of his neighbor. Under no circumstances should one indulge in long stories about the circumstances that led to the confessor being “forced” to commit a sin.

We must learn to confess in such a way that Repentance do not replace your sins with everyday conversations, in which the main place is occupied by praising yourself and your noble deeds, condemning loved ones and complaining about the difficulties of life. Self-justification is associated with downplaying sins, especially with reference to their ubiquity, as if “everyone lives like this.” But it is obvious that the mass nature of sin does not in any way justify the sinner.

Some confessors, in order not to forget the sins they have committed due to excitement or lack of collection, come to Confession with a written list of them. This custom is good if the confessor sincerely repents of his sins, and does not formally list the iniquities recorded but not mourned. A note with sins immediately after Confessions needs to be destroyed.

Under no circumstances should you try to do Confession comfortable and go through it without straining your spiritual powers, saying general phrases such as “sinful in everything” or obscuring the ugliness of sin general expressions, for example, “sinned against the 7th commandment.” You cannot be distracted by trifles and remain silent about what really weighs on your conscience.

Provoking such behavior Confessions False shame in front of a confessor is destructive for spiritual life. Having become accustomed to lying before God Himself, you can lose hope of salvation. A cowardly fear of seriously beginning to understand the “quagmire” of one’s life can sever any connection with Christ.

This arrangement of the confessor also becomes the reason for him to downplay his sins, which is by no means harmless, since it leads to a distorted view of himself and his relationship with God and his neighbors. We must carefully reconsider our entire life and free it from sins that have become habitual.

How to properly prepare for confession

Scripture directly names the consequences of covering up sins and self-justification: “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6; 9, 10).”

One should not think that killing an unborn fetus (abortion) is also a “minor sin.” According to the rules of the ancient Church, those who did this were punished in the same way as the murderers of a person. You cannot hide out of false shame or shyness Confessions some shameful sins, otherwise this concealment will make the remission of other sins incomplete.

Consequently, the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ after such Confessions will be in “trial and condemnation.” The very common division of sins into “heavy” and “light” is very arbitrary. Such habitual “light” sins as everyday lies, dirty, blasphemous and lustful thoughts, anger, verbosity, constant jokes, rudeness and inattention to people, if repeated many times, paralyze the soul.

It's easier to give up grave sin and repent of it sincerely, rather than realizing the harmfulness of “petty” sins that lead to the enslavement of a person. A well-known patristic parable demonstrates that removing a pile of small stones is much more difficult than moving a large stone of equal weight. When confessing, one should not expect “leading” questions from the priest; one must remember that the initiative is in Confessions must belong to the penitent.

It is he who must make a spiritual effort on himself, freeing himself in the Sacrament from all his iniquities. Recommended when preparing for Confessions, remember what other people, acquaintances and even strangers, and especially close ones and family, usually accuse the confessor of, since very often their claims are fair.

If it seems that this is not so, then here too it is simply necessary to accept their attacks without bitterness. After a person’s churching reaches a certain “point,” he has problems of a different order associated with Confession.

That habit of the Sacrament, which arises as a result of repeated appeal to it, gives rise, for example, to formalization Confessions when they confess because “it’s necessary.” While dryly listing true and imaginary sins, such a confessor does not have the main thing - a repentant attitude.

Confession and Communion rules

This happens if there seems to be nothing to confess (that is, a person simply does not see his sins), but it is necessary (after all, “it is necessary to take communion”, “holiday”, “haven’t confessed for a long time”, etc.). This attitude exposes a person’s inattention to inner life souls, lack of understanding of one’s sins (even if only mental ones) and passionate movements. Formalization Confessions leads to the fact that a person resorts to the Sacrament “in court and in condemnation.”

A very common problem is substitution Confessions their real, serious sins, imaginary or unimportant sins. A person often does not understand that his formal fulfillment of “the duties of a Christian (reading the rule, not fasting on a fast day, going to church) are not a goal, but a means to achieving what Christ himself defined in the words: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Therefore, if a Christian does not eat animal products during fasting, but “bites and devours” his relatives, then this is a serious reason to doubt his correct understanding of the essence of Orthodoxy. Getting used to Confessions, like any shrine, leads to severe consequences. A person ceases to be afraid of offending God with his sin, because “there is always Confession and you can repent.”

Such manipulations with the Sacrament always end very badly. God does not punish a person for such a mood of the soul, he simply turns away from him for the time being, since no one (not even the Lord) experiences joy from communicating with a double-minded person who is not honest with either God or his conscience.

A person who has become a Christian needs to understand that the struggle with his sins will continue throughout his life. Therefore, one must humbly, turning for help to the One who can ease this struggle and make him a winner, and persistently continue this grace-filled path.

Conditions under which a confessor receives absolution Repentance- this is not just a verbal confession of sins to a priest. This is the spiritual work of the penitent, aimed at receiving Divine forgiveness, destroying sin and its consequences.

List of sins for confession for women and men

This is possible provided that the confessor
1) laments his sins;
2) is determined to improve his life;
3) has undoubted hope in the mercy of Christ. Contrition for sins.

IN certain moment his spiritual development a person begins to feel the severity of sin, its unnaturalness and harmfulness to the soul. The reaction to this is grief of the heart and contrition for one’s sins. But this contrition of the penitent should stem not so much from fear of punishment for sins, but from love for God, whom he offended with his ingratitude.

The intention to improve your life. A firm determination to correct one's life is a necessary condition for receiving the forgiveness of sins. Repentance only in words, without an inner desire to correct one’s life, leads to even greater condemnation.

Saint Basil the Great discusses this as follows: “It is not he who confesses his sin who said: I have sinned, and then remains in sin; but the one who, in the words of the psalm, “found his sin and hated it.” What benefit will a doctor's care bring to a sick person when the person suffering from illness clings tightly to something that is destructive to life?

So there is no benefit from forgiving someone who commits injustice, and from apologizing for debauchery to someone who continues to live dissolutely.”.

Faith in Christ and hope in His mercy

An example of undoubted faith and hope for God's endless mercy is the forgiveness of Peter after his three-fold denial of Christ. From the Sacred History of the New Testament it is known, for example, that for sincere faith and hope the Lord had mercy on Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who washed the Savior’s feet with tears, anointed them with myrrh and wiped them with her hair (See: Luke 7; 36-50).

What sins to talk about in confession

The publican Zacchaeus was also pardoned, having distributed half of his property to the poor and returning to those whom he had offended four times more than what had been taken away (See: Luke 19; 1-10). Greatest Saint Orthodox Church, Reverend Mary The Egyptian, having been a harlot for many years, through deep repentance changed her life so much that she could walk on water, saw the past and future as the present, and was awarded communication with angels in the desert.

Perfect sign Repentance is expressed in a feeling of lightness, purity and inexplicable joy, when the confessed sin seems simply impossible.

Penance

Penance (Greek epithymion - punishment under the law) - voluntary performance by the penitent - as a moral and corrective measure - of certain works of piety (prolonged prayer, alms, intensive fasting, pilgrimage, etc.).

Penance is prescribed by the confessor and has no meaning as a punishment or punitive measure, without implying the deprivation of any rights of a member of the Church. Being only “spiritual medicine”, it is prescribed for the purpose of eradicating the habits of sin. This is a lesson, an exercise that accustoms one to spiritual achievement and gives rise to a desire for it.

Feats of prayer and good deeds, assigned as penance, must be in essence directly opposite to the sin for which they are assigned: for example, works of mercy are assigned to someone who is subject to the passion of love of money; an intemperate person is assigned a fast beyond what is prescribed for everyone; absent-minded and carried away by worldly pleasures - more frequent going to temple, reading Holy Scripture, reinforced home prayer and the like.

Preparing for confession list of sins

Possible types of penance:
1) bows during worship or home reading prayer rule;
2) Jesus Prayer;
3) getting up for the midnight office;
4) spiritual reading(Akathists, Lives of Saints, etc.);
5) strict fasting; 6) abstinence from marital intercourse;
7) alms, etc.

Penance must be treated as the will of God expressed through the priest, accepting it for mandatory fulfillment. Penance should be limited to a precise time frame (usually 40 days) and, if possible, performed according to a strict schedule.

If the penitent, for one reason or another, cannot fulfill the penance, then he must seek a blessing on what to do in this case from the priest who imposed it. If the sin was committed against a neighbor, then necessary condition, which must be observed before performing penance, is reconciliation with those whom the penitent offended.

A special prayer of permission, called the prayer of permission from prohibition, must be read over the person who has fulfilled the penance given to him, by the priest who imposed it.

How to prepare for communion and confession

Children's Confession

According to the rules of the Orthodox Church, children should begin to confess at the age of seven, since by this time they are already able to answer before God for their actions and fight their sins. Depending on the degree of development of the child, he can be brought to Confessions both a little earlier and a little later than the specified period, after consulting with this topic with the priest.

The rite of Confession for children and adolescents is no different from the usual, but the priest, naturally, takes into account the age of those coming to the Sacrament and makes certain adjustments when communicating with such confessors. Communion of children and adolescents, like adults, should be done on an empty stomach.

But if, for health reasons, the child needs to eat in the morning, Communion, with the blessing of the priest, can be given to him. Parents should just not deliberately and unreasonably violate the rule about Communion on an empty stomach, since such actions can offend the holiness of this great Sacrament and it will be “in court and condemnation” (primarily for parents who condone lawlessness).

Teenagers are not allowed to come to Confessions very late. Such a violation is unacceptable and can lead to a refusal to give communion to a latecomer if this sin is repeated several times.

Confession children and adolescents should produce the same results as with Repentance adult: the repentant must no longer commit confessed sins, or at least try with all his might not to do so. In addition, the child should try to do good deeds, voluntarily helping parents and loved ones, caring for younger brothers and sisters.

Orthodoxy confession and communion

Parents must form a conscious attitude of the child towards Confessions, excluding, if possible, a chastising, consumerist attitude towards her and towards her Heavenly Father. The principle expressed by the simple formula: “You to me, I to you” is categorically unacceptable for a child’s relationship with God. A child should not be encouraged to “please” God in order to receive some benefits from Him.

We must awaken in a child’s soul its best feelings: sincere love for the One who is worthy of such love; devotion to Him; natural aversion to all uncleanness. Children are characterized by vicious tendencies that need to be eradicated.

These include such sins as mockery and ridicule (especially in the company of peers) of the weak and crippled; petty lies into which an ingrained habit of empty fantasies can develop; cruelty to animals; appropriation of other people's things, antics, laziness, rudeness and foul language. All this should be the subject close attention parents who are called to the daily painstaking work of raising a little Christian.

ConfessionAnd Communion seriously ill patient at home

At that moment when life Orthodox Christian is approaching sunset and he is lying on his deathbed, it is very important that his relatives, despite the difficult circumstances that often accompany this, are able to invite a priest to him to guide him into Eternal Life.

If the dying man can bring the last Repentance and the Lord will give him the opportunity to receive communion, then this mercy of God will greatly influence his posthumous fate. Relatives need to keep this in mind not only when the patient is a church person, but also if the dying person has been a person of little faith all his life.

The last illness greatly changes a person, and the Lord can touch his heart already on his deathbed. Sometimes in this way Christ calls even criminals and blasphemers! Therefore, at the slightest opportunity for this, relatives need to help the sick person take this step towards the calling Christ and repent of their sins.

Usually the priest is called to the house in advance, turning to the “candle box”, where they must write down the coordinates of the patient, immediately setting, if possible, the time for the future visit. The patient must be psychologically prepared for the priest’s arrival, set up to prepare for Confessions, as far as his physical condition allows.

Complete list of sins for confession

When the priest comes, the patient needs, if he has the strength to do so, to ask him for a blessing. The patient’s relatives can be at his bedside and take part in prayers until the start of the Confessions when they naturally have to leave.

But after reading the prayer of permission, they can re-enter and pray for the communicant. Chin Confessions patients at home differs from the usual and is placed in the 14th chapter of the Breviary entitled “The Rite, when it soon happens that the sick person will be given communion.”

If the patient knows the prayers for Communion by heart and is able to repeat them, then let him do this after the priest, who reads them in separate phrases. To receive the Holy Mysteries, the patient must be placed on the bed so that he does not choke, preferably reclining. After Participles the patient, if possible, reads prayers of gratitude himself. Then the priest pronounces the dismissal and gives the Cross to be kissed by the communicant and all those present.

If the patient’s relatives have a desire and if the condition of the communicant allows it, then they can invite the priest to the table and once again clarify in a conversation with him how to behave at the bedside of a seriously ill person, what is preferable to discuss with him, how to support him in this situation.

Passion as the root and cause of sin

Passion is defined as a strong, persistent, all-encompassing emotion that dominates a person’s other impulses and leads to concentration on the object of passion. Thanks to these properties, passion becomes the source and cause of sin in the human soul.

Orthodox asceticism has accumulated centuries of experience in observing and combating passions, which has made it possible to reduce them into clear patterns. The primary source of these classifications is the scheme of St. John Cassian the Roman, followed by Evagrius, Nilus of Sinai, Ephraim the Syrian, John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor and Gregory Palamas.

According to the above-mentioned ascetic teachers, there are eight sinful passions inherent in the human soul:

1. Pride.
2. Vanity.
3. Gluttony.
4. Fornication.
5. Love of money.
6. Anger.
7. Sadness.
8. Dejection.

Stages of gradual formation of passion:

1. Prediction or attack (glory: hit - collide with something) - sinful impressions or ideas that arise in the mind against the will of a person. Addictions are not considered a sin and are not charged against a person if the person does not respond to them with sympathy.

2. A thought becomes a thought that first meets interest in a person’s soul, and then compassion for oneself. This is the first stage of passion development. A thought is born in a person when his attention becomes favorable to the pretext. At this stage, the thought evokes a feeling of anticipation of future pleasure. The Holy Fathers call this a combination or conversation with a thought.

what sins to list in confession

3. Inclination towards a thought (intention) occurs when a thought completely takes possession of a person’s consciousness and his attention is focused only on it. If a person, through an effort of will, cannot free himself from a sinful thought, replacing it with something good and pleasing to God, then the next stage begins when the will itself is carried away by the sinful thought and strives for its implementation.

This means that the sin in intention has already been committed and all that remains is to practically satisfy the sinful desire.

4. The fourth stage of the development of passion is called captivity, when passionate attraction begins to dominate the will, constantly dragging the soul towards the realization of sin. A mature and deep-rooted passion is an idol, which a person subject to it, often without knowing it, serves and worships.

The path to liberation from the tyranny of passion is sincere repentance and determination to correct your life. A sign of passions formed in a person’s soul is the repetition of the same sins at almost every Confession. If this happens, it means that in the soul of a person who has become close to his passion, a process of imitation of the struggle with it is taking place. Abba Dorotheos distinguishes three states in a person in relation to his struggle with passion:

1. When he acts according to passion (bringing it to fulfillment).
2. When a person resists it (not acting out of passion, but not cutting it off, having it in himself).
3. When he eradicates it (by struggling and doing the opposite of passion). Freeing himself from passions, a person must acquire virtues that are opposite to them, otherwise the passions that had left the person will definitely return.

Sins

Sin is a violation of Christian moral law- this content is reflected in the Epistle of the Apostle John: “Whoever commits sin also commits iniquity”(1 John 3; 4).
The most serious sins, which, if unrepentant, lead to the death of a person, are called mortal. There are seven of them:

1. Pride.
2. Gluttony.
3. Fornication.
4. Anger.
5. Love of money.
6. Sadness.
7. Dejection.

Sin is the realization of passion in thoughts, words and deeds. Therefore, it must be considered in a dialectical connection with the passion that has formed or is being formed in the human soul. Everything said in the chapter on the passions has a direct bearing on human sins, as if revealing the fact of the presence of passion in the soul of a sinning person. Sins are divided into three categories, depending on who they are committed against.

How confession happens video

How confession happens on video

1. Sins against God.
2. Sins against one's neighbor.
3. Sins against oneself.

Below is an approximate, far from complete list of these sins. It should be noted that very widespread in lately tendency to see a goal Repentance in the most detailed verbal enumeration of sins, it contradicts the spirit of the Sacrament and profanes it.

Therefore, it is not worth engaging in scolding, expressed in the weekly “confession” of countless sins and transgressions. “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God” (Ps. 50:19)- says the inspired prophet David about the meaning of Repentance.

Paying attention to the movements of your soul and noting your wrongdoing before the Lord in specific circumstances of life, you must always remember that to acquire in the Sacrament of Repentance you need a “contrite heart”, and not a “much-verbal” tongue.

Sins against God

Pride: breaking God's commandments; unbelief, lack of faith and superstition; lack of hope in God's mercy; excessive reliance on God's mercy; hypocritical veneration of God, formal worship of him; blasphemy; lack of love and fear of God; ingratitude to God for all His blessings, as well as for sorrows and illnesses; blasphemy and murmuring against the Lord; failure to fulfill promises made to Him; calling on the Name of God in vain (unnecessarily); pronouncing oaths invoking His name; falling into delusion.

Disrespect for icons, relics, saints, Holy Scripture and any other shrine; reading heretical books, keeping them in the house; irreverent attitude towards the Cross, the sign of the cross, pectoral cross; fear of confessing Orthodox faith; failure to fulfill the prayer rule: morning and evening prayers; omission of reading the Psalter, Holy Scripture, and other Divine books; absences without good reason from Sunday and holiday services; neglect of church services; prayer without zeal and diligence, absent-minded and formal.

Conversations, laughter, walking around the temple during church service; inattention to reading and singing; being late for services and leaving church early; going to the temple and touching its shrines in physical uncleanness.

What to say before confession video

Lack of zeal in repentance, rare Confession and deliberate concealment of sins; Communion without heartfelt contrition and without proper preparation, without reconciliation with neighbors, at enmity with them. Disobedience to one's own spiritual father; condemnation of clergy and monastics; grumbling and resentment towards them; disrespect for the feasts of God; bustle on big days church holidays; violation of fasts and constant fasting days - Wednesdays and Fridays - throughout the year.

Watching heretical TV shows; listening to non-Orthodox preachers, heretics and sectarians; passion for Eastern religions and creeds; appeal to psychics, astrologers, fortune tellers, sorcerers, “grandmothers”, sorcerers; practicing “black and white” magic, witchcraft, fortune telling, spiritualism; superstitions: belief in dreams and omens; wearing “amulets” and talismans. Suicidal thoughts and attempts to commit suicide.

Sins against one's neighbor

Lack of love for your neighbors and your enemies; unforgiveness of their sins; hatred and malice; responding evil to evil; disrespect towards parents; disrespect for elders and superiors; killing babies in the womb (abortion), advising your friends to have abortions; attempt on someone else's life and health; causing bodily harm; robbery; extortion; appropriation of someone else's property (including non-repayment of debts).

Refusal to help the weak, oppressed, and in trouble; laziness towards work and household responsibilities; disrespect for other people's work; unmercifulness; stinginess; inattention to the sick and to those in cramped conditions life circumstances; omission of prayers for neighbors and enemies; cruelty to flora and fauna, consumerism towards them; contradiction and intransigence to neighbors; disputes; a deliberate lie for the “eloquent word”; condemnation; slander, gossip and gossip; disclosure of other people's sins; eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

What to do before confession and communion

Infliction of insults and insults; enmity with neighbors and scandals; cursing others, including one’s own children; insolence and impudence in relations with neighbors; bad upbringing of children, lack of effort to plant saving truths in their hearts Christian faith; hypocrisy, using others for personal gain; anger; suspicion of neighbors of unseemly actions; deception and perjury.

Seductive behavior at home and in public; the desire to seduce and please others; jealousy and envy; foul language, retelling of indecent stories, obscene jokes; intentional and unintentional (as an example to follow) corruption of others by one’s actions; the desire to gain self-interest from friendship or other close relationships; treason; magical actions with the aim of harming a neighbor and his family.

Sins against yourself

Dejection and despair arising from the development of vanity and pride; arrogance, pride, self-confidence, arrogance; doing good deeds for show; thoughts of suicide; carnal excesses: gluttony, sweet eating, gluttony; abuse of bodily peace and comfort: excessive sleeping, laziness, lethargy, relaxation; addiction to a certain way of life, reluctance to change it for the sake of helping one’s neighbor.

Drunkenness, drawing non-drinkers, including minors and the sick, into this vicious passion; smoking, drug addiction, as a type of suicide; playing cards and other games of chance; lies, envy; love for the earthly and material more than for the heavenly and spiritual.

Idleness, wastefulness, attachment to things; wasting your time; using God-given talents not for good; addiction to comfort, acquisitiveness: saving for a rainy day food products, clothes, shoes, furniture, jewelry, etc.; passion for luxury; over-concern, vanity.

Desire for earthly honors and glory; “decorating” oneself with cosmetics, tattoos, piercings, etc. for the purpose of seducing. Sensual, lustful thoughts; commitment to seductive sights and conversations; incontinence of mental and physical feelings, pleasure and procrastination in unclean thoughts.

Sacrament of Confession and Communion video

Voluptuousness; immodest views of people of the opposite sex; recollection with delight of one’s former carnal sins; addiction to prolonged viewing of television programs; watching pornographic films, reading pornographic books and magazines; pimping and prostitution; singing obscene songs.

Indecent dancing; defilement in a dream; fornication (outside of marriage) and adultery (adultery); free behavior with persons of the opposite sex; masturbation; immodest view of wives and young men; incontinence in married life (during fasting, on Saturdays and Sundays, church holidays).

Confession

Coming to Confessions, must know that the priest receiving her is not for the confessor a simple interlocutor, but represents a witness to the mysterious conversation of the penitent with God.
The Sacrament occurs as follows: the penitent, approaching the lectern, bows to the ground before the cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern. If there are many confessors, this bow is done in advance. During the interview, the priest and confessor stand at the lectern; or the priest is sitting, and the penitent is kneeling.

Those waiting their turn should not come close to the place where Confession is being performed, so that the sins being confessed are not heard by them, and the secret is not broken. For the same purposes, the interview should be conducted in a low voice.
If the confessor is a novice, then Confession can be structured as reflected in the Breviary: the confessor asks the penitent questions according to the list.

Confession with video explanations

In practice, however, the enumeration of sins is done in the first, general part. Confessions. The priest then pronounces the “Testament,” in which he urges the confessor not to repeat the sins he has confessed. However, the text of the “Testament” in the form in which it is printed in the Trebnik is rarely read; for the most part, the priest simply gives his instructions to the confessor.

After Confession finished, the priest reads the prayer “Lord God, the salvation of Thy servants...”, which precedes the secret prayer Sacraments of Penance.

After this, the confessor kneels down, and the priest, covering his head with the stole, reads a prayer of permission, containing the secret formula: “Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, by the grace and generosity of His love for mankind, forgive you, child (name), all your sins, and I, an unworthy priest, by His power given to me, forgive and absolve you from all your sins, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Then the priest overshadows the head of the confessor sign of the cross. After this, the confessor rises from his knees and kisses the Holy Cross and the Gospel.

If the confessor considers it impossible to forgive confessed sins due to their severity or other reasons, then the prayer of absolution is not read and the confessor is not allowed to receive Communion. In this case, penance may be assigned for a certain period. Then the final prayers are read “Worthy to eat...”, "Glory, and now..." and the priest administers the dismissal.

Ends Confession instructions from the confessor to the penitent and assigning him to read the canon against his sins, if the priest finds this necessary.

The material uses chapters from the book (abbreviated) “Handbook of an Orthodox Person. Sacraments of the Orthodox Church" (Danilovsky Evangelist, Moscow, 2007

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