The Orthodox faith teaches Christians how to confess correctly. This rite is connected with ancient events, when the Apostle Peter left the bishop's house and went into seclusion after he realized his sin before Christ. He denied the Lord and repented for it.
So each of us needs to realize our sins before the Lord and be able to present them to the priest in order to sincerely repent and receive forgiveness.
To learn how to confess correctly in church, it is necessary to prepare the soul and body, and we'll tell you how to do it later.
Before going to church try to understand a few important points for yourself. Especially if you decide to confess for the first time. So, what questions most often arise in a person on the eve of confession?
When can you confess?
Confession means a sincere conversation with God through the mediation of a priest. According to church canons, they are attracted to confession from childhood, from the age of seven. Believers confess after the main service, near the lectern. People who decide to be baptized or get married also start confession before God.
How often should you go to confession?
It depends on the true desire of the person and his personal willingness to speak openly about his sins. When a Christian came to confession for the first time, this does not mean that after that he became sinless. We all sin every day. Therefore, the awareness of their actions lies with us. Someone confesses every month, someone before big holidays, and someone during Orthodox fasts and before their birthday. Here the main understanding is why I need it what a positive lesson this can teach me in the future.
How to confess, what to say?
Here it is important to address the priest sincerely, without false shame. What does this statement mean? A person who has decided to sincerely repent must not only list what sins he has committed in recent times, and even more so, immediately seek an excuse for them.
Remember, you did not come to church to hide your bad deeds, but to to receive the blessing of the holy father and start a new, spiritual life.
If you have long wanted to confess what to say to the priest, you can calmly think over at home in advance. Better yet, write it down on paper. Put the "10 Commandments" in front of you, remember the 7 deadly sins.
Don't forget that anger, adultery, pride, envy, gluttony are also on this list. This also includes visiting fortune-tellers and clairvoyants, watching inappropriate content on television.
How should you dress for confession?
The attire should be simple, meeting all the laws of Christianity. For women - a closed blouse, skirt or dress no higher than the knee, a scarf is required on the head. For men - trousers, shirt. Be sure to remove your headgear.
Can I confess at home?
Of course, God hears our prayers everywhere and, as a rule, forgives us in case of true repentance. However in the church we can receive that very grace-filled power to help us fight temptations in later situations. We are embarking on the path of our spiritual rebirth. And this happens precisely during the Sacrament called confession.
How to confess for the first time?
The first confession, as well as all subsequent times when you decide to confess in church, requires some preparation.
First, you need to mentally. It will be right if you spend some time alone with yourself, turn to the Lord with a prayer. It is also recommended to fast on the eve of confession. Confession is like a medicine that heals both the body and the soul. A person is spiritually reborn, comes to the Lord through forgiveness. You can proceed to confession without communion, but your faith in the Lord must be unshakable.
Secondly, it is best to agree on the Sacrament of Confession in advance. On the appointed day, come to the temple for Divine Service, and at the end of it go to the lectern, where confession usually takes place.
- Let the priest know that you will be confessing for the first time.
- The priest will read the opening prayers, which serve as some preparation for the personal repentance of each of those present (there may be several).
- Then everyone comes to the lectern, where the icon or crucifix is located, and bows to the ground.
- This is followed by a personal conversation between the priest and the confessor.
- When it's your turn, talk about your sins with sincere repentance, without going into unnecessary details and details.
- You can write down on a piece of paper what you would like to say.
- Do not be afraid and do not be embarrassed - Confession was given in order to gain God's grace, to repent for what you have done and never repeat it again.
- At the end of the conversation, the confessor kneels, and the priest covers his head with epitrachelion - a special cloth and reads a permissive prayer.
- After this, it is necessary to kiss the Holy Cross and the Gospel as a sign of love for the Lord.
How to take communion in church?
It is also very important for a modern person to know how to take communion in church, since the Sacrament of Communion to the Holy Chalice unites a Christian with God and strengthens true faith in Him. Communion was instituted by the Son of God himself. The Bible says that Jesus Christ blessed and divided the bread among His disciples. The apostles accepted the bread as the body of the Lord. Then Jesus divided the wine among the apostles, and they drank it as the blood of the Lord, shed for the sins of mankind.
Going to church on the eve of a big holiday or before your name day, you need to know how to confess and take communion correctly. This spiritual sacrament plays the same important role in a person's life as a wedding or baptism ceremony. Communion without confession is not supposed because their relationship is very strong. Repentance or confession cleanses the conscience, makes our soul bright before the eyes of the Lord. That's why communion follows confession.
During confession, it is necessary to sincerely repent and make decisions to start a humble, pious life in accordance with all Christian laws and rules. Communion, in turn, sends God's Grace to a person, enlivens his soul, strengthens faith and heals the body.
How to prepare for the sacrament of the sacrament?
- Before communion it is necessary to pray diligently, read spiritual literature and keep a three-day fast.
- The night before, it is recommended to visit the evening service, here you can also confess.
- On the day of communion, you must come to the morning Liturgy.
- After singing the prayer "Our Father", the Holy Chalice is brought to the altar.
- Children come first, then adults.
- It is necessary to approach the Chalice very carefully, crossing your arms over your chest (right over left).
- Then the believer pronounces his Orthodox name and reverently accepts the Holy Gifts - he drinks water or wine from the Chalice.
- After that, the bottom of the Cup should be kissed.
Living in a modern society, every Orthodox person who wants to cleanse his soul and draw closer to the Lord should confess and take communion from time to time.
Hello. I really want to confess, but I don't know where to start. More precisely, I'm afraid. I don't go to church regularly, but quite often. Every time I want to go up to the priest, ask, but fear shackles me. And again I leave it for later. It's hard on the soul. Please advise how to proceed. Sincerely, Elena.
Priest Philip Parfenov answers:
Hello, Elena!
Well, in your situation, you need to somehow overcome this fear, step over it and still start confessing - there is no other way. Walk around different temples, look at the priests, and in your city you will surely find someone before whom your soul will open. Ask through friends, look at different sites of churches in St. Petersburg ... The seeker will always find! God help you!
Father, yesterday at a sermon in our church, the priest said that earlier, for the sin of fornication and witchcraft, they were excommunicated from communion for many years. Does this practice continue today?
Olga
Hello Olga!
Of course, nobody canceled the canons, and, theoretically, they can be applied in church practice. But, as far as I know, priests now prescribe much softer penances than the canons require. This is a forced measure associated with many factors, which are difficult to list. But, nevertheless, the canons give us the opportunity to understand how seriously the Church takes such sins as fornication and witchcraft.
Please tell me how to confess. Is it enough just to name a sin, for example, deception of a loved one. Or is it necessary to tell in more detail what the deception was? Marina.
Priest Dionisy Svechnikov answers:
Hello Marina!
In most cases, simply naming the sin is sufficient. However, cheating is different. So it's better to be a little more specific. If necessary, the priest himself will ask to tell about something in more detail.
Hello, father. Please tell me how to confess to a 7-year-old child? Before, we just went to take communion, but from the age of 7, I heard that you need to go to confession. Thank you! Tatiana.
Hello, Tatyana!
Try to explain to the child what sin is, that our sins upset God and therefore we must repent of them - that is, ask for forgiveness. Leave the rest to the priest, who should be warned that the child's first confession. In no case do not prepare a confession for the child, it is very important that he learns to feel sin on his own. But if a child asks you whether this or that act of his is a sin, then, of course, you can answer his question.
Hello! Tell me, please, what should I do if I have already confessed the same sin several times, but there is no relief, and the memory of sin still torments me? Thank you! Larisa.
Hello Larisa!
Consult with the priest at confession about what prayers or other spiritual means can help you. Personally knowing you and your sin, the priest at confession will give accurate and effective advice.
How to confess mental sins, in detail or in general phrases - blasphemous, obscene thoughts, or in detail, what specifically I thought? After all, there are some thoughts that cannot even be voiced.
And if we will answer for every word, and so many terrible words have been said in a lifetime, it is impossible to say all the words in confession, then should we speak in confession in general phrases? Tatiana.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello, Tatyana!
Of course, so many terrible words have been said in a lifetime that it is impossible to say them in confession, and it is not useful either. But even "general" phrases can be more or less detailed. If thoughts constantly overwhelm you, then the best way to heal them is to directly name them in confession. Then the priest will be able to tell you the most effective way to deal with them. The same applies to words - you can repent without remembering every word spoken, but describing the situation quite specifically.
Please tell me, is it possible to address God during confession with "You" or is it necessary to speak about the Lord in the third person when addressing a priest? Save me, God! Anna.
Priest Dionisy Svechnikov answers:
Hello Anna!
We repent before God, and the priest is the mediator between God and man. We confess to God, but we speak with a priest who accepts confession.
There is a lot of controversy about taking communion or not on Easter Day. On Maundy Thursday evening there will be the last confession before Easter. The question is, if you fail to get to confession on Maundy Thursday, will there be another confession at the night service on Holy Saturday? Save me, God! Alexander.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello, Alexander! God bless you!
In each parish, this issue is resolved individually, depending on specific circumstances. But, of course, it is not possible to confess in detail on Easter, so try to confess in advance. In any case, for a final answer, you need to contact the church where you are going to come for Easter.
Are confessions recorded on various media in church practice? Does a confessing person have the right, without notifying the priest, to secretly keep a record of his confession? In general, is it possible to evaluate such actions? Thank you. Marina.
Priest Mikhail Samokhin answers:
Hello Marina!
Confession is a secret, the keeping of which is obligatory not only for the priest, but also for the confessor. A secret recording of a confession can be regarded as human dishonesty. If this is not prompted by some exceptional reasons about which you do not write anything. If you wish to record a confession, the priest must be made aware of this and give his blessing to it.
For more than a year I have been tormented by a mortal sin that I committed against my family. I constantly think that the Lord will not forgive me, or if he does, then I or my children will have to suffer a terrible punishment. I have already confessed it, but still my soul is tormented. What should I do? How to live in peace? I have no strength, I cry all the time. . .
Thanks in advance for your help. Catherine.
Priest Dionisy Svechnikov answers:
Hello Ekaterina!
This happens, people continue to suffer after confession. This usually happens when the confession is not entirely sincere or complete. I think that you should go to the temple and personally talk to the priest, talk about the problem and ask for advice. In absentia, via the Internet, it is very difficult to help you.
You know, my mother makes me go to the Unction, but I don't want to. After all, after that you need to confess. But in order to confess, you need to feel the need of the soul, as I think. And right now I don't feel it. And I think that without this confession makes no sense. Can you please tell me what to do? Love, 17 years old.
Priest Anthony Skrynnikov answers:
Hello Love!
Confession, as a rule, takes place before the unction, and not after. Forcing you to go to unction against your will is, of course, wrong. But on the other hand, you must understand that no mother wishes her child anything bad. No first grader wants to go to school. It is much more fun to play with soldiers and cars all day long. When we grow up, we begin to understand what a good deed our parents did in giving us an education.
If you do not feel a spiritual need for repentance, then this is a serious reason to think that something is happening to your soul. If we do not see our sins and the need to get rid of them, then our soul is dead. If we consider our conscience clear, then this is a sign of a short memory.
To awaken your conscience, you need to read the Gospel, spiritual literature, including about confession.
Does everyone need a confessor (or, more correctly, a spiritual father) and why? Olga.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello Olga!
A spiritual father is necessary for a Christian. There are many reasons for this. For a beginner who is just beginning to live a spiritual life, a confessor serves as a guide who will not let you get lost, can warn against many dangers and difficulties. The confessor is also a mentor, helping in spiritual growth and development. Also, the confessor is compared with a doctor who heals spiritual ailments. Many holy fathers write about the need to have a confessor.
How often should you go to confession? And if there are some moments of my life I can’t express to Batiushka in any way, but they gnaw at me, how can I overcome myself? Julia.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello Julia!
The frequency of confession depends on the intensity of spiritual life; this question is decided individually for each person. As a rule, confession and communion are advised at least once every 3-4 weeks, but this is only the most approximate guideline. How often you should confess, decide in a personal conversation with the priest to whom you confess. It does take some spiritual courage to confess some sins. Pray, ask the Lord for help. Perhaps a written confession will help you - write what you want to confess, and let the priest read the note, this is permissible. There is no "magic" way to overcome yourself - only self-compulsion, prayerful and spiritual effort can help you. May God give you strength!
I was baptized 2 years ago, I was not at confession. Now, I feel that it is simply necessary. Are sins described from the time of baptism? Or for your entire life? Several confessions. Tell me please! Sincerely, Vladimir.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello Vladimir!
At Baptism, all sins committed earlier are forgiven, so there is no need to repent of them. It is necessary to confess the sins committed after Baptism, but if your conscience is restless, tell the priest about it.
Hello! Please resolve the issue. Is it possible to confess without preparation (1-3 days of fasting and reading the canons), if you are sure that you will not receive communion after this confession. Or not? Natalia.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello, Natalia!
Yes, you can confess without prior fasting and reading special prayers. Let me remind you, however, that Great Lent is now underway, which must be observed to the best of our ability.
I want to confess for the first time, but I am very worried about the following question: my husband and I are not married. We want to get married this summer. I remember that this is no reason to postpone confession until the summer. How can I be in such a situation? Catherine.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello Ekaterina!
Do not be embarrassed, the Church does not consider a registered marriage a sin, even if this marriage is not married. Therefore, there is no reason to postpone confession and communion until the summer. Now Great Lent is approaching - the time of pure repentance. I wish you not to postpone confession, but take advantage of this grace-filled period of the church year.
Hello. Recently, the realization of how much I have sinned in my life has come, and recently I also had an abortion. I can't live like this anymore, I have no excuse. I repent very much of everything, I have a stone in my soul. Please tell me what I need to do, will the Lord forgive me if I repent of everything I have done? I don’t want to go to hell after death, because in fact I am not a bad person. Thank you. Catherine.
Hello Ekaterina!
I am sincerely glad that you have realized the gravity of your sins and repent of them. The Lord forgives us the sins of which we sincerely repent. You need to start with a confession in the temple, listen to the advice of the priest who will receive your confession. If he deems it necessary to give you a penance, make every effort to fulfill it, and henceforth try not to allow serious sins in your life. Remember that the Lord loves every person and desires salvation for all of us. But we are saved not by our “merits”, but by the grace of God. And we are all sinners, but this is not at all the same as “bad”. Every person has the image of God, and we need to understand that all our “good” sides are from God. But we are sinners, we all distort the image of God with our sins, and therefore we must repent of our sins and we all need God's mercy. The word "repentance" in Greek sounds like "metanoia" and means "change of consciousness". It is necessary to repent in such a way as to be able to change, so that even the thought of repeating sin would be unacceptable for us. Pray, repent and do not despair of the Mercy of God! Help you Lord!
How to repent? Do I understand correctly that it is necessary to tell everything that was perfect and now torments? Can any church do this? Kseniya.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello Xenia!
You need to repent of those sins that you have noticed for yourself. This can be done in any church, but it is advisable to eventually find a confessor - a priest to whom you will regularly confess, and who will become your leader in spiritual life.
I can't get my spiritual life right. With home prayer, it somehow began to clear up after 4.5 years of going to church. But the trouble is with regular communion. I think: why should I prepare, try, if, in principle, no one needs me in the church. Everything rests on the indifference of the priests. They only do their work, they are not interested in the spiritual life of the flock, the individual. Confession either early, early in the morning, or during the service. All the actions of the clergy are aimed at raising money. One formalism, nothing alive. I read a lot of articles about confession, communion. There is good advice, but the articles come from the fact that you come to a conscientious and intelligent priest. Most of us in Kazan are hacks. To open the soul before them - the sediment remains, a feeling of annoyance. Such a psychological conflict. What do you recommend besides patience?
Thank you. Tatiana.
Hello, Tatyana!
Coming to the Church, we do not come to this or that priest, good or bad, we come to God, to Christ. It is to Him that we turn in prayer, we unite with Him in the Sacrament of Communion, He forgives us of sins, heals our soul, directs our life. And He needs each of us, and is valuable, and dear. Remember that for your sake the Lord came to earth and died on the cross. He loves you and wants you to be saved. Therefore, the first thing I can advise you is not to seek attention from the priest or parishioners in the church, but to meet with the Lord. And a Christian participates in the sacraments not in order to become necessary to someone - you need the sacraments, in them you receive God's grace, support for your spiritual forces, healing of spiritual illnesses.
Further, you write that you go to confession and commune irregularly, but at the same time you want the priest to pay special attention to you. But after all, one cannot lead the spiritual life of a person whom one does not know and sees irregularly. In such cases it is very difficult to give any advice. And sometimes the priest tries to give advice, but the interlocutor is not ready to hear it, and therefore takes offense at the priest. In addition, we must remember that confession is repentance for sins, and, as a rule, there is no need to describe those reasons at confession that, in our eyes, are “extenuating circumstances”. The Lord knows all extenuating circumstances better than we do, but sin remains sin, and we need to repent of it at confession. When you need to clarify something, the priest himself will ask the question. But often in confession one has to hear complaints about the bad temper of relatives and friends, unbearable conditions at work, and the like. And the purpose of confession is not to have a “spiritual” conversation with the priest, but to bring repentance to the Lord for sins and receive forgiveness from Him.
Well, the last thing I would like to tell you. Try not to wait for someone to need you, but to become needed by your neighbors yourself. Offer your strength for some parish events, set aside time to visit the sick, the elderly, orphans, in a word, show yourself attention and mercy to someone. Just do not expect something "in return", but just try to become useful to someone nearby. The feeling of uselessness and abandonment will pass very quickly, I assure you.
If you have any questions that you cannot find an answer to, write to us, I will try to answer your questions.
Hello! For some time now, after confession, I have been tormented by one question. If a woman had an abortion and repents of it (confession and candles for the repose of the soul of an unborn child), then God forgives this sin, but how does this affect a man who also took part in conception (a man does not confess and does not believe)? Thanks in advance for your reply. Natalia.
Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:
Hello, Natalia!
The repentance of a woman does not affect a man in any way: everyone is responsible before God for their sins. So a man needs to repent, or he will answer for his sin before God.
The Church brings a sense of peace to the soul of every believer. Especially if you cleanse your soul before God during confession. Confession is a sacrament in which a person repents of his sins, and the Almighty forgives the repentant through his servant - the priest. How to properly prepare for confession, so that instead of calming down in church, you do not feel awkward and are not distracted by unnecessary questions.
According to the Holy Scriptures, it is supposed to go to confession from the age of 7, when the child passes from an infant to a youth. But do not immediately take your child to confession. You need to come to repentance for your sins on your own. Therefore, do not put pressure on the fragile child's psyche. Introduce your child to the church by your example. If for some reason you have not repented of your sins for a long time or never at all, but you already feel an urgent need for it, choose a church where you would like to confess. The main thing you need to know is the days on which the sacrament takes place. Talk about this with the priest, tell them that you have not repented for a long time or have never partake of the sacrament at all. He will appoint you a "general" confession. The time of such a confession will also be determined by the priest himself, since the sacrament can turn out to be long. If your soul is restless and you feel the need to communicate with God, confess your sins before him, think and put your sins on paper. Confession is an informal enumeration of your deviations from the commandments of God, but if you have not confessed for a long time, you must remember everything. Do not write on a sheet and do not tell the priest sentimental stories about scandals with neighbors and relatives. Repentance for sins is an admission of one's guilt, not an excuse for one's behavior. They scandalized, which means they wished harm to their neighbor, they used foul language. Remembering and realizing your sins, be guided by the 10 Commandments of God. Put the most serious sins first on the list - murder (the church also equates abortion with deprivation of life), incest, fornication.
There are times when, after confession, some deviation from God's commandments may come to mind. Do not be afraid and do not rush to join the queue of the repentant again, it is your conscience that begins to wake up and tells you your iniquities. After the end of confession, a prayer is read in the church for the forgiveness of forgotten sins. You can spiritually prepare yourself for confession.
I often come to church for confession to repent of my sins, purify my soul and receive God's forgiveness. This sacred sacrament is more powerful and stronger than any other cleansing rituals, so I recommend every person to regularly confess in the temple. In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know for a parishioner who has decided on this ceremony for the first time or wants to better understand the spiritual meaning of confession.
You need to prepare for confession in advance. It is best to take a few days to prepare.
What should be done:
- Write on a piece of paper a list of sins for which you will repent to the priest in the church.
- Read church literature, which describes all the features of the sacrament of confession.
- Admit your sins, that they exist and that you have committed them. At the same time, you do not need to look for the guilty, try to justify yourself to yourself and shift the responsibility. First of all, repent to yourself: “Yes, I did it, and only I am guilty of what I did.”
- A clue as to which sins to include on the list can be a daily diary in which you record what you did during the day. Write down what you did well and what you did wrong. Try to carefully monitor your thoughts, emotions and actions and “catch” yourself in negative states.
- Ask for forgiveness from those you offended. Try to reconcile with enemies. Try to establish contact with those with whom you have been in a quarrel for a long time and do not communicate. Even if you do not renew communication, a sincere conversation will cleanse your soul and heart.
- Put prayer into your daily routine. In the evening, read the canons: Repentant and converted to the Mother of God.
It is important to understand that personal confession (when you confess your sins to yourself and repent) differs from the church rite (its meaning is in deep repentance and the desire to cleanse from sins so as not to repeat them in the future).
And confession with a priest is the next step. Due to the fact that you have to overcome yourself, telling an outsider about your hard-hitting actions, you can deeply realize them, overcome feelings of guilt and shame, and draw the right conclusions.
If you have difficulty listing the list of sins, buy a special booklet in the church shop that contains a complete description of both the sacrament itself and a detailed list of sins. It also contains all the necessary materials on how to prepare for confession.
How to Confess and Behave in Church
As soon as you begin to feel heaviness in your soul, when committed transgressions haunt you, and your thoughts are full of negativity, the time comes for confession in the church.
The forgiveness you receive after sincere repentance gives you a sense of relief and release. What are the rules of confession?
- You can go to confession up to three times a week. But it is not necessary to do this so often. It may well be that your sins are not so severe, and you need repentance from the priest only once a month or less. Observe your feelings. If you feel that it is worth speaking out again, come to the next confession.
- To get rid of awkwardness and feeling of constraint, try to focus your thoughts precisely on the sincere desire to cleanse your soul and consciousness of negativity, to receive forgiveness and God's blessing.
- Prepare a list of sins committed before the sacrament itself, so as not to waste time remembering what you forgot.
- If the sins you have committed are serious enough, the priest after confession can impose penance - a punishment, having fulfilled which you will earn forgiveness. It should be understood that it will be necessary to follow the instructions.
The best time for confession is either after the evening liturgy, or in the morning, before the start of the service.
How is confession
There are several options for confession:
- General, when people pronounce their sins together, during a special service.
- By agreement with the priest, you can get his personal audience and confess tête-à-tête.
- In exceptional situations (if a person is seriously ill, for example), the priest can be invited home. An exception is most often made only in cases where the "sinner" is dying.
You should be prepared for the fact that before the sacrament, the priest will ask you a few questions. They should be answered sincerely and without embarrassment. Usually he is interested in how often you pray, come to the temple, follow God's commandments, and so on.
Thus, the sacrament takes place in several stages:
- Preliminary conversation with questions from the priest.
- Reading your sins from the list, expressing your desire to repent and receive forgiveness.
- At the end, the priest will read a prayer and tear up the list of sins. This means that the confession is over, and you have received absolution.
- After that, an epitrachelion will be placed on your head, which symbolizes the blessing and mercy of God. At the end of the ceremony, put your lips to the Gospel and the cross, which are usually located at the end of the temple.
Watch a video on how to correctly name sins in confession:
What to repent in confession?
In order not to experience embarrassment when visiting the sacrament for the first time, you should know what to say in confession. It often happens that people try to formulate their actions only with their “head”, forgetting that repentance must come from the heart. I urge you not to worry too much about the accuracy of the wording, but to pronounce everything as your soul feels. You can even be tongue-tied, what's the difference? God hears and understands you.
- Never try to justify yourself before the priest, do not blame your people for your failures, troubles and sins. Recognize that only you are responsible for them.
- Long stories with lots of details are also not required. You can speak out in this way to your mother or girlfriend, and simply list all the sins to the priest. Only the facts - without assessments, explanations and justifications. There is no need to think about why this is so.
- You can repent: in the seven deadly sins, negative emotions that you show to people, in misconduct that could harm someone.
And remember: it doesn't matter if you know the rules or not. The church will always prompt and tell, help if you forgot about something. Don't be afraid to look stupid and awkward, just be sincere and listen to your heart.
Fortune telling today with the help of the Tarot "Card of the Day" layout!For correct divination: focus on the subconscious and do not think about anything for at least 1-2 minutes.
When you're ready, draw a card:
Every Orthodox person must strive for God with his soul, and for this it must be cleansed of the sins that we commit on earth. If you think that you have no sin, then you can be classified as a saint, but this is very unlikely. An Orthodox person must take communion, and, of course, go to confession - the cleansing of sins before God. In this article, we will tell you in detail what confession is, how to prepare for it, and how to properly confess in church.
Confession is one of the seven sacraments in the Orthodox religion. This is, in fact, a confession of sins before God, and a petition for forgiveness. Confession implies repentance, that is, you must sincerely want to correct yourself, and not in such a way that you confessed, and after half an hour repeated the same sin in the hope that you would come to the temple, confess again, and God will forgive you. This is a sacrament that should be taken seriously.
The history of the appearance of this sacrament is very interesting, because it is found both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Of course, everyone knows more about the New Testament than the Old, but even in the last one, which also tells about sacrifices, the creation of the earth, the life of Cain and Abel, there was a confession. It did not have clear canons, but, nevertheless, carried the same meaning as today. In the New Testament, this sacrament is presented as a certain rite, which has come down to the present day. It is thanks to this story that we know how to properly confess in the church.
So, now you know what this sacrament is, but why is it needed? First of all, repentance brings cleansing of conscience. Have you ever been tormented by your conscience for what you did? If yes, then you probably know how to deal with it, and the best option is to confess to someone for committing this or that act. But, repentance is a little different from simply admitting mistakes. The fact is that you must sincerely admit your guilt before God, and want to improve. Confession is needed in order to receive other sacraments, for example, the sacrament of baptism, or the sacrament of communion. The most important thing is the cleansing of your soul from heaviness.
Preparation for confession
Preparation for confession must be done properly. We will tell you how best to prepare for the sacrament to take place.
- Prepare your sins ahead of time. Many people go to confession with the thought that tomorrow I will stand near the priest and tell everything. But, the dark forces make it so that when you approach the priest to perform the sacrament, you immediately forget what you should talk about. You remember only the most banal sins, and, as a result, you do not get the result and proper purification. Therefore, prepare for repentance in advance. On the eve, you can sit in silence and remember the sins that you committed. It will be better if you write them down on a piece of paper and then just read them in front of the priest. Naturally, they should be recognized. To do this, you need to understand what sin is. Sin is anything that is contrary to God's will and God's law. There are 7 deadly sins, as well as a lot of minor ones, but which also require attention and repentance. Follow the commandments, and then you will have much less sins.
- Do not use additional literature. Today in temples you can buy brochures in which lists of sins are already written. First of all, half of them are absurd, and besides that, you start to turn off your feelings, and just look at the book, whether you did it or not. In this case, awareness and understanding of what has been done disappears, and the sacrament turns into a banal procedure, which is no different from going to the store. Therefore, you should not use literature, it is better to think on your own what you did wrong, in which you feel burdened before God, or guilty. The most important thing is sincerity, even if you do not write 500 sins, and your repentance will take no more than 5 minutes, but, on the other hand, it will be sincere and real.
- Do not think about what language to confess. No, this does not mean that you should talk to the priest in English, that's not the point. Many people, before performing this sacrament, try to find words, use church vocabulary, but this looks ridiculous and puts you in an uncomfortable position. The priest is also a person, and you should speak to him in an understandable language, therefore, do not use extraneous expressions, do not try to downplay or embellish them, making them less dangerous. Call a spade a spade. By the way, you should not even think that the priest will condemn you for sins, because during his service he did not hear such things, therefore, it is extremely difficult to surprise him. The priest, on the contrary, will rejoice that you have come to God with repentance, are ready to accept punishment and purify your soul.
- Start changing your life even before repentance. If you are going to go and confess in a week that you, for example, smoke, but immediately take out a pack of cigarettes and set fire to another, then you should not think, I will smoke until repentance, I confess, God will forgive, and then I will quit. Do it now, start changing even before repentance. First of all, try to get rid of the mortal sins that are described in the holy Gospel.
- Do not be angry with people, try to be with everyone in the world. Then your soul will always be clean and light, it will be easy for you.
- Preparing for confession involves more than just remembering sins. You have to think about which temple you will go to, and there is a little secret here. There are churches where services and confession are conducted not only on weekends, but also on weekdays. There are not many people at this time, and the priest will carefully talk with you, listen, and give advice. Therefore, you can find just such a temple for yourself.
- There are special prayers that should be read before repentance, and you should do this, especially if you rarely appear in the temple.
This, in fact, is how the preparation for confession goes, now let's consider a more important issue.
How to Confess in Church
A person who first came to the temple always asks the question: how to confess in church? Is there a certain procedure, and so on. Of course, there is, and there is a certain algorithm that will help to receive the sacrament correctly. Let's break it down.
- You should come to church in modest clothes that do not attract attention, and you should not use cosmetics. The same rule applies to repentance.
- You must tune in, light a candle, pray and ask God to accept your prayer and repentance, say that you really want to be cleansed.
- After that, it is worth going to the priest, and you will see a cross and a Bible in front of him. You should put two fingers of your right hand - index and middle on the Bible, and bow your head. The priest will lean towards you, and then say: “Lord, Jesus Christ, the son of God, forgive my sins, I have sinned (la).” After that, start listing your sins.
- You should only speak to the point. Many begin to get distracted, talk about their family, about their problems, but you can talk about this, but not at confession. Therefore, name the sins, sincerely believing that God will forgive them for you. Other than that, you can only talk about your own sins.
- Talk about big problems first, and then you can talk about small ones. Many begin their confession with such sins as “watching TV”, “didn’t go to church for a long time”, “didn’t fast” and so on. But, they completely forget about the pressing problems, about the big sins that the soul asks to get rid of. Therefore, first name the big and important, and only then - the minor sins.
- During confession, the priest may assign you a penance - a special punishment that will completely cleanse you of sins. Accept it with the world, and be sure to comply. Perhaps you will not be able to take communion for some time, or visit the temple, you may have to deduct big prayers in the name of the cleansing of sins. It is appointed for some time, and after that it can be forgiven.
- When you finish confession, the priest will cover you with a special cover, read a prayer for the remission of sins, and give a blessing. After that it counts. That you confessed to God.
Now you know how to properly confess in church, and this should be done regularly so that problems do not accumulate, and so that your soul remains light and bright. We wish you good luck and good mood, and most importantly - God in your heart!
