IN modern world The Gospel call to always be awake and constantly pray is very difficult to put into practice. Constant worries and a very high pace of life, especially in large cities, practically deprive Christians of the opportunity to retire and come before God in prayer. But the concept of prayer is still extremely relevant, and turning to it is certainly necessary. Regular prayer always leads to the thought of repentance, which occurs at confession. Prayer is an example of how you can accurately and objectively evaluate your state of mind.
Sin concept
Sin should not be viewed as some kind of legal violation of God-given law. This is not a “going beyond the boundaries” accepted in the mind, but a violation of the laws natural to human nature. Each person is endowed by God with absolute freedom; accordingly, any falls are committed consciously. In essence, by committing sin, a person neglects the commandments and values given from above. There is a free choice in favor of negative actions, thoughts and other actions. Such a spiritual crime harms the personality itself, damaging the very vulnerable inner strings of human nature. Sin is based on passions, inherited or acquired, as well as original susceptibility, which made a person mortal and weaker to various diseases and vices.
This greatly contributes to the soul deviating towards evil and immorality. Sin can be different, its severity, of course, depends on many factors in which it is committed. There is a conditional division of sins: against God, against one’s neighbor and against oneself. By considering your own actions through such a gradation, you can understand how to write a confession. An example will be discussed below.
Awareness of sin and confession
It is extremely important to understand that in order to eliminate dark spiritual spots, you should constantly turn your inner gaze to yourself, analyze your actions, thoughts and words, and objectively evaluate the moral scale of your own values. Having found disturbing and haunting traits, you need to carefully deal with them, because if you close your eyes to sin, very soon you will become accustomed to it, which will distort the soul and lead to spiritual illness. The main way out of such a situation is repentance and repentance.
It is repentance, growing from the depths of the heart and mind, that can change a person’s personality. better side, bring the light of kindness and mercy. But the path of repentance is a lifelong path. He is prone to sin and will commit it every day. Even great ascetics who secluded themselves in deserted places sinned in their thoughts and could bring repentance daily. Therefore, close attention to one’s soul should not weaken, and with age, the criteria for personal assessment should be subjected to more stringent requirements. The next step after repentance is confession.
An example of correct confession - true repentance
In Orthodoxy, confession is recommended for all people over seven years of age. A child raised in Christian family, by the age of seven or eight he already acquires an understanding of the sacrament. It is often prepared in advance, explaining in detail all aspects of this complex issue. Some parents show an example of a confession written on paper that was invented in advance. A child left alone with such information has the opportunity to reflect and see something in himself. But in the case of children, priests and parents rely, first of all, on the psychological state of the child and his worldview, the ability to analyze and understand the criteria of good and evil. With excessive haste in the forcible involvement of children, one can sometimes observe disastrous results and examples.
Confessions in church often turn into a formal “roll call” of sins, while performing only the “external” part of the sacrament is unacceptable. You cannot try to justify yourself, to hide something that is embarrassing and shameful. You need to listen to yourself and understand whether repentance is really present, or whether there is just an ordinary ritual ahead that will not bring any benefit to the soul, but can cause significant harm.
Confession is a voluntary and repentant listing of sins. This sacrament includes two main parts:
1) Confession of sins to the priest by the person who came to the sacrament.
2) Prayerful forgiveness and resolution of sins, which is pronounced by the shepherd.
Preparing for Confession
A question that torments not only new Christians, but sometimes even those who have been churched for a long time - what to say in confession? An example of how to repent can be found in various sources. This could be a prayer book or a separate book dedicated to this particular sacrament.
When preparing for confession, you can rely on the commandments, ordeals, and take the example of the confession of holy ascetics who left notes and sayings on this topic.
If you construct a repentant monologue based on the division of sins into three types given above, then you can determine an incomplete, approximate list of deviations.
Sins against God
This category includes lack of faith, superstition, lack of hope in God's mercy, formality and lack of faith in the dogmas of Christianity, grumbling and ingratitude of God, and oaths. This group includes an irreverent attitude towards objects of veneration - icons, the Gospel, the Cross, and so on. Mention should be made of missing services for unexcused reasons and leaving mandatory rules, prayers, and also if prayers were read hastily, without attention and the necessary concentration.
Adherence to various sectarian teachings, thoughts of suicide, turning to sorcerers and sorcerers, wearing mystical talismans is considered apostasy, and such things must be brought to confession. An example of this category of sins is, of course, approximate, and each person can add or shorten this list.
Sins directed against one's neighbor
This group examines attitudes towards people: family, friends, colleagues and just casual acquaintances and strangers. The first thing that most often clearly reveals itself in the heart is the lack of love. Often, instead of love, there is a consumer attitude. Inability and unwillingness to forgive, hatred, gloating, malice and revenge, stinginess, condemnation, gossip, lies, indifference to the misfortune of others, unmercifulness and cruelty - all these ugly splinters human soul must be confessed. Separately, actions in which open self-harm occurred or material damage was caused are indicated. This could be fights, extortion, robbery.
The gravest sin is abortion, which certainly entails church punishment after it is brought to confession. An example of what the punishment could be is obtained from the parish priest. Typically, penance will be imposed, but it will be more disciplinary than expiatory.
Sins directed against oneself
This group is reserved for personal sins. Dejection, terrible despair and thoughts of one’s own hopelessness or excessive pride, contempt, vanity - such passions can poison a person’s life and even lead him to suicide.
Thus, listing all the commandments one after another, the pastor calls for a detailed consideration of the state of mind and checking whether it corresponds to the essence of the message.
About brevity
Priests often ask for brief confessions. This does not mean that there is no need to name some sin. We must try to talk specifically about the sin, but not about the circumstances in which it was committed, without involving third parties who may be somehow involved in the situation, and without describing the details in detail. If repentance occurs in church for the first time, you can sketch out an example of confession on paper, then while convicting yourself of sins it will be easier to gather yourself, convey to the priest and, most importantly, to God absolutely everything you noticed, without forgetting anything.
It is recommended to pronounce the name of the sin itself: lack of faith, anger, insult or condemnation. This will be enough to convey what worries and weighs heavily on the heart. “Extracting” the exact sins from oneself is not an easy task, but this is how a short confession is created. An example could be the following: “I sinned: with pride, despondency, foul language, fear of little faith, excessive idleness, bitterness, lies, ambition, abandonment of services and rules, irritability, temptation, bad and unclean thoughts, excess in food, laziness. I also repent of those sins that I forgot and did not say now.”
Confession, of course - difficult task, requiring effort and self-denial. But when a person gets used to the purity of heart and tidiness of the soul, he will no longer be able to live without repentance and the sacrament of communion. A Christian will not want to lose the newly acquired connection with the Almighty and will only strive to strengthen it. It is very important to approach spiritual life not “in spurts,” but gradually, carefully, regularly, to be “faithful in small things,” not forgetting about gratitude to God in absolutely all life situations.
FULL LIST OF SINS IN CONFESSION! The rite of Orthodox confession I repent to you, Lord, and to you, honest father. 1. She violated the rules of conduct for those praying in the holy temple. 2. I had dissatisfaction with my life and with people. 3. She performed prayers without zeal and bowed low to icons, prayed lying down, sitting (unnecessarily, out of laziness). 4. She sought glory and praise in virtues and works. 5. I was not always content with what I had: I wanted to have beautiful, varied clothes, furniture, and delicious food. 6. I was annoyed and offended when my wishes were denied. 7. I did not abstain with my husband during pregnancy, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, during fasting, and was in uncleanness by consent with my husband. 8. I sinned with disgust. 9. After committing a sin, she did not repent immediately, but kept it to herself for a long time. 10. She sinned with idle talk and indirectness. I remembered the words others had said against me and sang shameless worldly songs. 11. Grumbled about bad road , on the duration and tediousness of the service. 12. I used to save money for a rainy day, as well as for funerals. 13. She was angry with her loved ones and scolded her children. She did not tolerate comments or fair reproaches from people, she immediately fought back. 14. She sinned with vanity, asking for praise, saying “you can’t praise yourself, no one will praise you.” 15. The deceased was remembered with alcohol; on a fast day the funeral table was modest. 16. Didn’t have a firm determination to give up sin. 17. I doubted the honesty of my neighbors. 18. I missed opportunities to do good. 19. She suffered from pride, did not condemn herself, and was not always the first to ask for forgiveness. 20. Allowed food spoilage. 21. She did not always keep the shrine reverently (artos, water, prosphora spoiled). 22. I sinned with the goal of “repenting.” 23. She objected, justifying herself, was irritated by the lack of understanding, stupidity and ignorance of others, made reprimands and comments, contradicted, divulged sins and weaknesses. 24. Attributed sins and weaknesses to others. 25. She succumbed to rage: she scolded her loved ones, insulted her husband and children. 26. Led others into anger, irritability, and indignation. 27. I sinned by judging my neighbor and tarnishing his good name. 28. Sometimes she became discouraged and carried her cross with a murmur. 29. Interfered in other people's conversations, interrupted the speaker's speech. 30. She sinned with grumpiness, compared herself with others, complained and became embittered at those who offended her. 31. Thanked people, did not look towards God with gratitude. 32. I fell asleep with sinful thoughts and dreams. 33. I noticed bad words and actions of people. 34. Drank and ate food that was harmful to health. 35. She was troubled in spirit by slander and considered herself better than others. 36. She sinned by indulgence and indulgence in sins, self-indulgence, self-indulgence, disrespect for old age, untimely eating, intransigence, inattention to requests. 37. I missed the opportunity to sow the word of God and bring benefit. 38. She sinned with gluttony, guttural rage: she loved to eat excessively, savor tasty morsels, and amused herself with drunkenness. 39. She was distracted from prayer, distracted others, gave off bad air in church, went out when necessary without telling about it in confession, and hastily prepared for confession. 40. She sinned with laziness, idleness, exploited other people’s labor, speculated in things, sold icons, did not go to church on Sundays and holidays, was lazy to pray. 41. She became bitter towards the poor, did not accept strangers, did not give to the poor, did not clothe the naked. 42. I trusted in man more than in God. 43. I was drunk at a party. 44. I did not send gifts to those who offended me. 45. I was upset at a loss. 46. I fell asleep during the day unnecessarily. 47. I was burdened by sorrows. 48. I didn’t protect myself from colds and didn’t get treatment from doctors. 49. She deceived me with her word. 50. Exploited the work of others. 51. She was depressed in sorrows. 52. She was a hypocrite, a people-pleaser. 53. She wished evil, was cowardly. 54. She was resourceful for evil. 55. Was rude and not condescending to others. 56. I didn’t force myself to do good deeds or pray. 57. She angrily reproached the authorities at rallies. 58. I shortened prayers, skipped them, rearranged words. 59. I envied others and wanted honor for myself. 60. I sinned with pride, vanity, self-love. 61. I looked at the dances, dances, various games and spectacles. 62. She sinned by idle ranting, secret eating, petrification, insensibility, neglect, disobedience, intemperance, stinginess, condemnation, love of money, reproach. 63. Spent the holidays in drinking and earthly amusements. 64. She sinned by sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, inaccurate observance of fasts, unworthy communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord. 65. She got drunk and laughed at someone else’s sin. 66. She sinned through lack of faith, infidelity, betrayal, deceit, lawlessness, groaning over sin, doubt, freethinking. 67. She was fickle in good deeds and did not care about reading the Holy Gospel. 68. I came up with excuses for my sins. 69. She sinned by disobedience, arbitrariness, unfriendliness, malice, disobedience, insolence, contempt, ingratitude, severity, sneaking, oppression. 70. Didn’t always fulfill her duties conscientiously job responsibilities, was careless in business and hasty. 71. She believed in signs and various superstitions. 72. Was an instigator of evil. 73. I went to weddings without a church wedding. 74. I sinned through spiritual insensibility: relying on myself, on magic, on fortune telling. 75. Did not keep these vows. 76. Concealed sins during confession. 77. I tried to find out other people’s secrets, read other people’s letters, eavesdropped on telephone conversations. 78. In great grief she wished for death. 79. Wore immodest clothes. 80. Talked during the meal. 81. She drank and ate the water “charged” by Chumak. 82. Worked through strength. 83. I forgot about my Guardian Angel. 84. I sinned by being lazy in praying for my neighbors; I did not always pray when asked to do so. 85. I was ashamed to cross myself among unbelievers, and took off the cross when going to the bathhouse and to see a doctor. 86. She did not keep the vows given at Holy Baptism and did not maintain the purity of her soul. 87. She noticed the sins and weaknesses of others, divulged and reinterpreted them for the worse. She swore, swore on her head, on her life. She called people “devil”, “Satan”, “demon”. 88. She called the dumb cattle after the names of holy saints: Vaska, Mashka. 89. I didn’t always pray before eating food; sometimes I had breakfast in the morning before the Divine service. 90. Having previously been an unbeliever, she seduced her neighbors into unbelief. 91. She set a bad example with her life. 92. I was lazy to work, shifting my labor onto the shoulders of others. 93. I did not always handle the word of God with care: I drank tea and read the Holy Gospel (which is lack of reverence). 94. Took Epiphany water after eating (unnecessarily). 95. I picked lilacs at the cemetery and brought them home. 96. I didn’t always keep the sacrament days, I forgot to read them thanksgiving prayers. I ate a lot these days and slept a lot. 97. I sinned by being idle, coming to church late and early care from there, rarely going to church. 98. Neglected menial work when absolutely necessary. 99. She sinned by indifference, remained silent when someone blasphemed. 100. Didn’t follow exactly fast days , during Lent, she was satiated with Lenten food, seducing others with a glut of tasty and inaccurate according to the regulations: a hot loaf, vegetable oil, seasoning. 101. I was carried away by bliss, relaxation, carelessness, trying on clothes and jewelry. 102. She reproached the priests and servants and spoke about their shortcomings. 103. Gave advice on abortion. 104. I disturbed someone else’s sleep through carelessness and impudence. 105. I read love letters, copied, memorized passionate poems, listened to music, songs, watched shameless movies. 106. She sinned with immodest glances, looked at other people’s nudity, wore immodest clothes. 107. I was tempted in a dream and passionately remembered it. 108. She suspected in vain (she slandered in her heart). 109. She retold empty, superstitious tales and fables, praised herself, and did not always tolerate the revealing truth and offenders. 110. Showed curiosity about other people's letters and papers. 111. Idly inquired about the weaknesses of my neighbor. 112. I have not freed myself from the passion to tell or ask about news. 113. I read prayers and akathists rewritten with errors. 114. I considered myself better and more worthy than others. 115. I don’t always light lamps and candles in front of icons. 116. I violated the secret of my own and others’ confession. 117. Participated in bad deeds, persuaded people to do bad things. 118. She was stubborn against goodness and did not listen to good advice. She showed off her beautiful clothes. 119. I wanted everything to be my way, I looked for the culprits of my sorrows. 120. After completing the prayer, I had evil thoughts. 121. She spent money on music, cinema, the circus, sinful books and other amusements, and lent money for a deliberately bad cause. 122. In thoughts inspired by the enemy, she plotted against the Holy Faith and the Holy Church. 123. She disturbed the peace of mind of the sick, looked at them as sinners, and not as a test of their faith and virtue. 124. Yielded to untruth. 125. I ate and went to bed without praying. 126. I ate before mass on Sundays and holidays. 127. She spoiled the water when she bathed in the river from which she drank. 128. She talked about her exploits, labors, and boasted about her virtues. 129. I enjoyed using scented soap, cream, powder, and painted my eyebrows, nails and eyelashes. 130. I sinned with the hope that “God will forgive.” 131. I relied on my own strengths and abilities, and not on the help and mercy of God. 132. She worked on holidays and weekends, and from working on these days she did not give money to the poor. 133. I visited a healer, went to a fortune teller, was treated with “biocurrents”, sat in psychic sessions. 134. She sowed enmity and discord between people, she herself offended others. 135. She sold vodka and moonshine, speculated, made moonshine (was present at the same time) and took part. 136. She suffered from gluttony, even getting up to eat and drink at night. 137. Drew a cross on the ground. 138. I read atheistic books, magazines, “treatises on love”, looked at pornographic paintings, maps, half-nude images. 139. Distorted the Holy Scripture (mistakes when reading, singing). 140. She exalted herself with pride, sought primacy and supremacy. 141. In anger she mentioned evil spirits and called on a demon. 142. I danced and played on holidays and Sundays. 143. She entered the temple in uncleanness, ate prosphora, antidor. 144. In anger, I scolded and cursed those who offended me: so that there is no bottom, no tires, etc. 145. I spent money on entertainment (attractions, carousels, all kinds of shows). 146. She was offended by her spiritual father and grumbled at him. 147. She disdained kissing icons and caring for sick and old people. 148. She teased the deaf and dumb, the weak-minded, and minors, angered animals, and paid evil for evil. 149. Tempted people, wore see-through clothes, miniskirts. 150. She swore, was baptized, saying: “I will fail in this place,” etc. 151. She retold unpleasant stories (sinful in their essence) from the lives of her parents and neighbors. 152. Had a spirit of jealousy towards a friend, sister, brother, friend. 153. She sinned by being grumpy, self-willed, and complaining that there was no health, strength, or strength in the body. 154. I envied rich people, their beauty, their intelligence, education, wealth, and goodwill. 155. She did not keep her prayers and good deeds secret, and did not keep church secrets. 156. She justified her sins with illness, infirmity, and bodily weakness. 157. She condemned other people's sins and shortcomings, compared people, gave them characteristics, judged them. 158. She revealed the sins of others, mocked them, ridiculed people. 159. Deliberately deceived, told lies. 160. I hastily read holy books when my mind and heart did not assimilate what I read. 161. I gave up prayer because I was tired, making the excuse of weakness. 162. I rarely cried because I was living unrighteously; I forgot about humility, self-reproach, salvation and the Last Judgment. 163. In my life I have not surrendered myself to the will of God. 164. She ruined her spiritual home, mocked people, discussed the fall of others. 165. She herself was an instrument of the devil. 166. She did not always cut off her will in front of the elder. 167. I spent a lot of time on empty letters, and not on spiritual ones. 168. Didn’t have a feeling of fear of God. 169. She was angry, shook her fist, and swore. 170. I read more than I prayed. 171. I succumbed to persuasion, to the temptation to sin. 172. She commanded imperiously. 173. She slandered others, forced others to swear. 174. She turned her face away from those asking. 175. She disturbed the peace of mind of her neighbor and had a sinful mood of spirit. 176. Did good without thinking about God. 177. She was vain about her place, rank, position. 178. On the bus I did not give up my seat to the elderly or passengers with children. 179. When buying, she bargained and fell into argument. 180. I did not always accept the words of the elders and confessors with faith. 181. She looked with curiosity and asked about worldly things. 182. The flesh did not live in the shower, bath, bathhouse. 183. Traveled aimlessly, out of boredom. 184. When the visitors left, she did not try to free herself from sinfulness by prayer, but remained in it. 185. She allowed herself privileges in prayer, pleasure in worldly pleasures. 186. She pleased others to please the flesh and the enemy, and not for the benefit of the spirit and salvation. 187. I sinned with unspiritual attachment to friends. 188. I was proud of myself when doing a good deed. She didn’t humiliate herself or reproach herself. 189. She did not always feel sorry for sinful people, but scolded and reproached them. 190. She was dissatisfied with her life, scolded her and said: “When death takes me.” 191. There were times when she called me annoyingly and knocked loudly to get them to open. 192. While reading, I did not think deeply about the Holy Scriptures. 193. I did not always have cordiality towards visitors and the memory of God. 194. I did things out of passion and worked needlessly. 195. Often fueled by empty dreams. 196. She sinned with malice, did not remain silent in anger, did not move away from the one who aroused anger. 197. When I was sick, I often used food not for satisfaction, but for pleasure and enjoyment. 198. She coldly received mentally helpful visitors. 199. I grieved for the one who offended me. And they grieved at me when I offended. 200. During prayer I did not always have repentant feelings or humble thoughts. 201. Insulted her husband, who avoided intimacy on the wrong day. 202. In anger, she encroached on the life of her neighbor. 203. I have sinned and am sinning by fornication: I was with my husband not to conceive children, but out of lust. In the absence of her husband, she desecrated herself with masturbation. 204. At work I experienced persecution for the truth and grieved about it. 205. Laughed at the mistakes of others and made comments out loud. 206. She wore women's whims: beautiful umbrellas, fluffy clothes, other people's hair (wigs, hairpieces, braids). 207. She was afraid of suffering and endured it reluctantly. 208. She often opened her mouth to show off her gold teeth, wore glasses with gold frames, and an abundance of rings and gold jewelry. 209. I asked advice from people who do not have spiritual intelligence. 210. Before reading the word of God, she did not always call on the grace of the Holy Spirit, she only cared about reading as much as possible. 211. She conveyed the gift of God to the womb, voluptuousness, idleness and sleep. She didn’t work, having talent. 212. I was lazy to write and rewrite spiritual instructions. 213. I dyed my hair and looked younger, visited beauty salons. 214. When giving alms, she did not combine it with the correction of her heart. 215. She did not shy away from flatterers and did not stop them. 216. She had an addiction to clothes: she cared about how not to get dirty, not dusty, not to get wet. 217. She did not always wish salvation for her enemies and did not care about it. 218. At prayer I was “a slave of necessity and duty.” 219. After fasting, I ate light meals, eating until my stomach became heavy and often without time. 220. I rarely prayed the night prayer. She sniffed tobacco and indulged in smoking. 221. Didn’t avoid spiritual temptations. Had some bad dates. I lost heart. 222. On the road I forgot about prayer. 223. Intervened with instructions. 224. She did not sympathize with the sick and mourning. 225. She didn’t always lend money. 226. I feared sorcerers more than God. 227. I felt sorry for myself for the benefit of others. 228. She soiled and spoiled sacred books. 229. I talked before morning and after evening prayer. 230. She brought glasses to guests against their will, treated them beyond measure. 231. I did the works of God without love and zeal. 232. Often I did not see my sins, I rarely condemned myself. 233. I played with my face, looking in the mirror, making grimaces. 234. She spoke about God without humility and caution. 235. I was burdened by the service, waiting for the end, hurrying quickly to the exit in order to calm down and take care of everyday affairs. 236. Rarely did self-tests; in the evening I did not read the prayer “I confess to you...” 237. Rarely thought about what I heard in church and read in Scripture. 238. I did not look for traits of kindness in an evil person and did not talk about his good deeds. 239. I often did not see my sins and rarely condemned myself. 240. Took contraceptives. She demanded protection from her husband and interruption of the act. 241. Praying for health and peace, I often went through names without the participation and love of my heart. 242. She spoke out everything when it would have been better to remain silent. 243. In the conversation I used artistic techniques. She spoke in an unnatural voice. 244. She was offended by inattention and neglect of herself, and was inattentive to others. 245. Did not abstain from excesses and pleasures. 246. She wore other people’s clothes without permission and damaged other people’s things. In the room I blew my nose on the floor. 247. She sought benefit and benefit for herself, and not for her neighbor. 248. Forced a person to sin: to lie, steal, spy. 249. Convey and retell. 250. I found pleasure in sinful dates. 251. Visited places of wickedness, debauchery and godlessness. 252. She offered her ear to hear the bad. 253. Attributed success to herself, and not to God’s help. 254. While studying spiritual life, I did not put it into practice. 255. She worried people in vain and did not calm the angry and saddened. 256. I often washed clothes, wasting time unnecessarily. 257. Sometimes she fell into danger: she crossed the road in front of transport, crossed a river on thin ice, etc. 258. She rose above others, showing her advantage and wisdom of mind. She allowed herself to humiliate another, mocking the shortcomings of soul and body. 259. I put off the works of God, mercy and prayer for later. 260. I didn’t mourn myself when I did a bad deed. I listened with pleasure to slanderous speeches, blasphemed the life and treatment of others. 261. Did not use excess income for spiritual benefits. 262. I did not save from the days of fasting to give to the sick, the needy and children. 263. She worked reluctantly, with grumbling and annoyance because of the low pay. 264. Was the cause of sin in family discord. 265. She endured sorrows without gratitude and self-reproach. 266. I didn’t always retire to be alone with God. 267. She lay and luxuriated in bed for a long time, and did not immediately get up to pray. 268. Lost self-control when defending the offended, kept hostility and evil in her heart. 269. Didn’t stop the speaker from gossiping. She herself often passed it on to others and with an addition from herself. 270. Before morning prayer and during the prayer rule she did household chores. 271. She autocratically presented her thoughts as the true rule of life. 272. Ate stolen food. 273. I did not confess the Lord with my mind, heart, word, or deed. She had an alliance with the wicked. 274. At meals I was too lazy to treat and serve my neighbor. 275. She was sad about the deceased, about the fact that she herself was sick. 276. I was glad that the holiday had come and I didn’t have to work. 277. I drank wine on holidays. She loved going to dinner parties. I got fed up there. 278. I listened to the teachers when they said things that were harmful to the soul, against God. 279. Used perfume, burned Indian incense. 280. She was engaged in lesbianism and touched someone else’s body with voluptuousness. With lust and voluptuousness I watched the matings of animals. 281. She cared beyond measure about the nutrition of the body. Accepted gifts or alms at a time when there was no need to accept it. 282. I didn’t try to stay away from a person who likes to chat. 283. Didn’t get baptized, didn’t say a prayer when the church bell rang. 284. Being under the guidance of her spiritual father, she did everything according to her own will. 285. She was naked when swimming, sunbathing, doing physical education, and when she was sick she was shown to a male doctor. 286. She did not always remember and count her violations of the Law of God with repentance. 287. While reading prayers and canons, I was too lazy to bow. 288. Having heard that the person was sick, she did not rush to help. 289. In thought and word she exalted herself in the good she had done. 290. Believed the slander. She did not punish herself for her sins. 291. During church services, I read my household rule or wrote a memorial. 292. I did not abstain from my favorite foods (albeit lean ones). 293. She punished and lectured children unfairly. 294. I did not have daily memory of God’s Judgment, death, or the Kingdom of God. 295. During times of sadness, I did not occupy my mind and heart with the prayer of Christ. 296. I did not force myself to pray, to read the Word of God, or to cry about my sins. 297. She rarely commemorated the dead and did not pray for the dead. 298. She approached the Chalice with unconfessed sin. 299. In the morning I did gymnastics, and did not devote my first thoughts to God. 300. When praying, I was too lazy to cross myself, sorted out my bad thoughts, and didn’t think about what awaited me beyond the grave. 301. I hurried through prayer, shortened it out of laziness and read it without due attention. 302. I told my neighbors and acquaintances about my grievances. I visited places where bad examples were set. 303. She admonished a person without meekness and love. She became irritated when correcting her neighbor. 304. I didn’t always light the lamp on holidays and Sundays. 305. On Sundays I didn’t go to church, but to buy mushrooms and berries... 306. I had more savings than necessary. 307. I spared my strength and health in order to serve my neighbor. 308. She reproached her neighbor for what happened. 309. Walking on the way to the temple, I did not always read prayers. 310. Assented when condemning a person. 311. She was jealous of her husband, remembered her rival with anger, wished for her death, and used a witch doctor’s incantation to harass her. 312. I have been demanding and disrespectful towards people. She gained the upper hand in conversations with her neighbors. On the way to the temple, she overtook those older than me, and did not wait for those who lagged behind me. 313. She turned her abilities to earthly goods. 314. Had jealousy towards my spiritual father. 315. I always tried to be right. 316. I asked unnecessary questions. 317. Cried about the temporary. 318. Interpreted dreams and took them seriously. 319. She boasted about her sin, the evil she had done. 320. After communion I did not guard against sin. 321. I kept atheist books and playing cards in the house. 322. She gave advice without knowing whether it was pleasing to God; she was careless in the affairs of God. 323. She accepted prosphora and holy water without reverence (she spilled holy water, spilled crumbs of prosphora). 324. I went to bed and got up without prayer. 325. She spoiled her children, not paying attention to their bad deeds. 326. During Lent, she practiced guttural diarrhea and loved to drink strong tea, coffee, and other drinks. 327. I took tickets and groceries from the back door, and rode on a bus without a ticket. 328. She put prayer and the temple above serving her neighbor. 329. Endured sorrows with despondency and murmuring. 330. I was irritated when tired and sick. 331. Had free relations with persons of the other sex. 332. When thinking about worldly affairs, she gave up prayer. 333. I was forced to eat and drink the sick and children. 334. She treated vicious people with contempt and did not strive to convert them. 335. She knew and gave money for an evil deed. 336. She entered the house without an invitation, spied through a crack, through a window, through a keyhole, and listened at the door. 337. Confided secrets to strangers. 338. I ate food without need and hunger. 339. I read prayers with errors, got confused, missed them, put the emphasis incorrectly. 340. She lived lustfully with her husband. She allowed perversion and carnal pleasures. 341. She lent money and asked for debts back. 342. I tried to find out more about divine objects than was revealed by God. 343. She sinned with body movement, gait, gesture. 344. She set herself up as an example, boasted, boasted. 345. She spoke passionately about earthly things and delighted in the memory of sin. 346. I went to the temple and back with empty conversations. 347. I insured my life and property, I wanted to make money from the insurance. 348. She was greedy for pleasure, unchaste. 349. She conveyed her conversations with the elder and her temptations to others. 350. I was a donor not out of love for my neighbor, but for the sake of drinking, free days , for money. 351. Boldly and willfully plunged herself into sorrows and temptations. 352. I was bored and dreamed of travel and entertainment. 353. Made wrong decisions in anger. 354. I was distracted by thoughts while praying. 355. Traveled south for carnal pleasures. 356. I used the time of prayer for everyday matters. 357. She distorted words, distorted the thoughts of others, and expressed her displeasure out loud. 358. I was ashamed to admit to my neighbors that I am a believer and visit the temple of God. 359. She slandered, demanded justice in higher authorities, wrote complaints. 360. She denounced those who do not visit the temple and do not repent. 361. I bought lottery tickets with the hope of getting rich. 362. She gave alms and rudely slandered the beggar. 363. I listened to the advice of egoists who themselves were slaves of the womb and their carnal passions. 364. I was engaged in self-aggrandizement, proudly expecting a greeting from my neighbor. 365. I was burdened by fasting and looked forward to its end. 366. She could not bear the stench of people without disgust. 367. In anger she denounced people, forgetting that we are all sinners. 368. She went to bed, did not remember the affairs of the day and did not shed tears about her sins. 369. She did not keep the Charter of the Church and the traditions of the Holy Fathers. 370. She paid for help in the household with vodka and tempted people with drunkenness. 371. During fasting, I made tricks in food. 372. I was distracted from prayer when bitten by a mosquito, fly or other insect. 373. At the sight of human ingratitude, I refrained from doing good deeds. 374. She shunned dirty work: cleaning the toilet, picking up trash. 375. During the period of breastfeeding, she did not abstain from married life. 376. In the temple she stood with her back to the altar and the holy icons. 377. She prepared sophisticated dishes and tempted her with guttural rage. 378. I read entertaining books with pleasure, and not the Scriptures of the Holy Fathers. 379. I watched TV, spent all day at the “box”, and not in prayers in front of icons. 380. Listened to passionate worldly music. 381. She sought consolation in friendship, yearned for carnal pleasures, loved to kiss men and women on the mouth. 382. Engaged in extortion and deception, judged and discussed people. 383. While fasting, I felt disgusted by monotonous, lean food. 384. She spoke the Word of God to unworthy people (not “throwing pearls before swine”). 385. She neglected the holy icons and did not wipe them from dust in a timely manner. 386. I was too lazy to write congratulations on church holidays. 387. Spent time in worldly games and entertainment: checkers, backgammon, lotto, cards, chess, rolling pins, ruffles, Rubik's cube and others. 388. She charmed illnesses, gave advice to go to sorcerers, gave addresses of sorcerers. 389. She believed omens and slander: she spat through left shoulder, a black cat ran by, a spoon, a fork, etc. fell, 390. She answered the angry man sharply to his anger. 391. Tried to prove the justification and justice of her anger. 392. She was annoying, interrupted people’s sleep, and distracted them from their meals. 393. Relaxed with small talk with young people of the opposite sex. 394. Was engaged in idle talk, curiosity, stuck around fires and was present at accidents. 395. She considered it unnecessary to undergo treatment for illnesses and visit a doctor. 396. I tried to calm myself down by hastily fulfilling the rule. 397. I overworked myself with work. 398. I ate a lot during the meat-eating week. 399. Gave incorrect advice to neighbors. 400. She told shameful jokes. 401. To please the authorities, she covered the holy icons. 402. I neglected a person in his old age and his poverty of mind. 403. She stretched out her hands to her naked body, looked and touched the secret ouds with her hands. 404. She punished children with anger, in a fit of passion, with abuse and cursing. 405. Taught children to spy, eavesdrop, pimp. 406. She spoiled her children and did not pay attention to their bad deeds. 407. I had a satanic fear for my body, I was afraid of wrinkles and gray hair. 408. Burdened others with requests. 409. Drew conclusions about the sinfulness of people based on their misfortunes. 410. Wrote offensive and anonymous letters, spoke rudely, disturbed people on the phone, making jokes under an assumed name. 411. Sat on the bed without the owner’s permission. 412. During prayer I imagined the Lord. 413. Satanic laughter attacked while reading and listening to the Divine. 414. I asked advice from people ignorant in this matter, I believed in crafty people. 415. I strived for championship, competition, won interviews, participated in competitions. 416. Treated the Gospel as a fortune-telling book. 417. I picked berries, flowers, branches in other people's gardens without permission. 418. During fasting, she did not have a good disposition towards people and allowed violations of fasting. 419. I did not always realize and regret the sin. 420. I listened to worldly records, sinned by watching videos and porn movies, and relaxed in other worldly pleasures. 421. I read a prayer, having enmity against my neighbor. 422. She prayed in a hat, with her head uncovered. 423. I believed in omens. 424. She indiscriminately used papers on which the name of God was written. 425. She was proud of her literacy and erudition, imagined, singled out people with higher education. 426. She appropriated the money she found. 427. In church I put bags and things on the windows. 428. I rode for pleasure in a car, motor boat, bicycle. 429. I repeated other people’s bad words, listened to people swearing. 430. I read newspapers, books, and worldly magazines with enthusiasm. 431. She abhorred the poor, the wretched, the sick, who smelled bad. 432. She was proud that she had not committed shameful sins, capital murder, abortion, etc. 433. She ate and got drunk before the onset of fasting. 434. I purchased unnecessary things without having to. 435. After a prodigal sleep, I did not always read prayers against defilement. 436. Celebrated New Year, wore masks and obscene clothes, got drunk, cursed, overeated and sinned. 437. Caused damage to her neighbor, spoiled and broke other people's things. 438. She believed in nameless “prophets”, in “holy letters”, “the dream of the Virgin Mary”, she herself copied them and passed them on to others. 439. I listened to sermons in church with a spirit of criticism and condemnation. 440. She used her earnings for sinful lusts and amusements. 441. Spread bad rumors about priests and monks. 442. She jostled around in the church, hurrying to kiss the icon, the Gospel, the cross. 443. She was proud, in her lack and poverty she was indignant and grumbled at the Lord. 444. I urinated in public and even joked about it. 445. She did not always repay what she borrowed on time. 446. She minimized her sins in confession. 447. Gloated at the misfortune of her neighbor. 448. She taught others in an instructive, commanding tone. 449. She shared their vices with people and confirmed them in these vices. 450. Quarreled with people for a place in the church, at the icons, near the eve table. 451. Inadvertently caused pain to animals. 452. I left a glass of vodka at the grave of relatives. 453. I did not sufficiently prepare myself for the sacrament of confession. 454. The sanctity of Sundays and holidays was violated by games, visits to shows, etc. 455. When the crops were destroyed, she swore at the cattle with dirty words. 456. I had dates in cemeteries; as a child we ran and played hide and seek there. 457. Allowed sexual intercourse before marriage. 458. She got drunk on purpose in order to decide to sin; she took medicine along with wine to get more drunk. 459. She begged for alcohol, pawned things and documents for this. 460. To attract attention to herself, to make her worry, she tried to commit suicide. 461. As a child, I didn’t listen to teachers, prepared my lessons poorly, was lazy, and disrupted classes. 462. I visited cafes and restaurants located in churches. 463. She sang in a restaurant, on the stage, and danced in a variety show. 464. In crowded transport, I felt pleasure from touching and did not try to avoid it. 465. She was offended by her parents for punishment, remembered these grievances for a long time and told others about them. 466. She reassured herself with the fact that everyday worries prevented her from engaging in matters of faith, salvation and piety, and justified herself with the fact that in her youth no one taught the Christian faith. 467. Wasted time on useless chores, fuss, and conversations. 468. Was engaged in the interpretation of dreams. 469. She objected with passion, fought, and scolded.
Library “Chalcedon”
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How the Sacrament of Penance was established. How to prepare for confession. How does confession happen in church? What to talk about in confession. Home confession of the sick and dying. On the attitude towards priests and confession
Repentance is a sacrament in which he who confesses his sins, in visible
expression of forgiveness from the priest, invisibly absolved from sins
By Jesus Christ himself.
Orthodox Catechism.
How the Sacrament of Penance was established
The most important part of the sacrament Repentance- confession - was known to Christians already during the time of the apostles, as evidenced by the book “Acts of the Apostles” (19, 18): “Many of those who believed came, confessing and revealing their deeds.”
In the ancient Church, depending on the circumstances, confession of sins was either secret or open, public. Those Christians who, through their sins, caused temptation in the Church, were called to public repentance.
In ancient times, penitents were divided into four types.
The first, the so-called mourners, did not dare to enter the church and with tears asked for prayers from those passing by; others, listening, stood in the vestibule and came under the hand of the blessing bishop along with those preparing for Baptism and with them left the church; the third, called prostrate, stood in the temple itself, but in the rear part of it, and participated with the faithful in prayers for the repentant, falling on their faces. At the end of these prayers, they knelt down, received the blessing of the bishop and left the temple. And finally, the last ones - those who paid for the purchase - stood with the faithful until the end of the liturgy, but did not proceed to the Holy Gifts.
During the entire time appointed for the penitents to fulfill the penance imposed on them, the Church offered prayers for them in the church between the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Liturgy of the Faithful.
These prayers form the basis of the rite of Repentance in our time.
This sacrament now, as a rule, precedes the sacrament of Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, purifying the soul of the communicant for participation in this Meal of immortality.
How to prepare for confession
The moment of repentance is “an opportune time and a day of purification.” The time when we can put aside the heavy burden of sin, break the chains of sin, see the “fallen and broken tabernacle” of our soul renewed and bright. But the path to this blissful purification is not easy.
We have not yet begun confession, but our soul hears tempting voices: “Should I put it off? Am I prepared enough? Am I fasting too often?”
We need to firmly resist these doubts. In the Holy Scriptures we read: “My son! If you begin to serve the Lord God, then prepare your soul for temptation: guide your heart and be strong, and do not be embarrassed during your visit; cleave to Him and do not retreat, so that you may be magnified in the end.” (Sir. 2, 1-3).
If you decide to confess, many obstacles will appear, internal and external, but they disappear as soon as you show firmness in your intentions.
The first action of anyone preparing for confession should be to test the heart. This is why the days of preparation for the sacrament are set - fasting.
Usually people inexperienced in spiritual life do not see either the multiplicity of their sins or their vileness. They say: “I didn’t do anything special,” “I only have minor sins, like everyone else,” “I didn’t steal, I didn’t kill,” - this is how many often begin confession.
How can we explain our indifference in confession, our conceit, if not by petrified insensibility, if not by “deadness of heart, spiritual death, which precedes bodily death”? Why did our holy fathers and teachers, who left us prayers of repentance, consider themselves the first of sinners, and with sincere conviction cried out to the Sweetest Jesus: “No one has sinned on earth from time immemorial, as I have sinned, the accursed and the prodigal!” And we are convinced that everything is fine with us!
We, immersed in the darkness of sin, do not see anything in our hearts, and if we see, we are not horrified, since we have nothing to compare with, for Christ is hidden for us by the veil of sins.
Understanding the moral state of your soul, you must try to distinguish between fundamental sins and derivative ones, symptoms and deeper causes. For example, we notice - and this is very important - absent-mindedness during prayer, inattention during worship, lack of interest in listening and reading the Holy Scriptures; but don’t these sins come from lack of faith and weak love for God?!
It is necessary to note in yourself self-will, disobedience, self-justification, impatience of reproaches, intransigence, stubbornness; but it is much more important to discover and understand their connection with self-love and pride.
If we notice in ourselves the desire to always be in society, in public, we show talkativeness, mockery, slander, if we are overly concerned about our appearance and clothing, then we need to carefully examine these passions, because most often this is how our vanity and pride manifests itself.
If we take everyday failures too close to our hearts, endure separation hard, grieve inconsolably for those who have passed away, then isn’t there hidden in the strength, in the depths of these sincere feelings, a lack of faith in the good Providence of God?
There is another auxiliary means that leads us to the knowledge of our sins - more often, and especially before confession, remembering what other people who live side by side with us, our loved ones, usually accuse us of: very often their accusations, reproaches, attacks fair.
But even if they seem unfair, we must accept them with meekness, without bitterness.
Before confession it is necessary ask for forgiveness from everyone to whom you consider yourself guilty, in order to approach the Sacrament with an unburdened conscience.
During such a test of the heart, one must be careful not to fall into excessive suspiciousness and petty suspicion of any movement of the heart. Once you take this path, you can lose your sense of what is important and unimportant, and get confused in the little things. In such cases, you need to temporarily leave the test of your soul and prayer and good deeds clear your soul.
Preparation for confession is not about fully remembering and even writing down your sin, but about achieving that state of concentration, seriousness and prayer in which, as if in the light, our sins will become clearly visible.
The confessor should bring to the confessor not a list of sins, but a feeling of repentance, not a detailed story about his life, but a contrite heart.
Knowing your sins does not mean repenting of them.
But what should we do if our heart, dried up by the flame of sin, is not capable of sincere repentance? And yet this is not a reason to postpone confession in anticipation of a feeling of repentance.
God can touch our heart during confession itself: self-confession, naming our sins out loud, can soften our heart, refine spiritual vision, sharpen the feeling of repentance.
Most of all, preparation for confession and fasting serve to overcome our spiritual lethargy. By depleting our body, fasting disrupts our bodily well-being and complacency, which is disastrous for spiritual life. However, fasting in itself only prepares, loosens the soil of our heart, which after this will be able to absorb prayer, the Word of God, the lives of saints, the works of the holy fathers, and this, in turn, will lead to an intensification of the fight against our sinful nature and will encourage us to actively do good loved ones
How does confession happen in church?
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, addressing His disciples: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). He, appearing to the apostles after His Resurrection, said: “Peace be with you! As the Father sent Me, so I am sending you.” Having said this, he breathed and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; They will remain there" (John 20:21-23). The apostles, fulfilling the will of the Perfecter of salvation and the Head of our faith, transferred this power to the successors of their ministry - the shepherds of the Church of Christ.
It is they, the priests, who accept our confession in church.
The first part of the sequence, which is usually performed simultaneously for all confessors, begins with the exclamation: “Blessed is our God...”, followed by prayers that serve as an introduction and preparation for personal repentance, helping the confessor to feel his responsibility directly before God, his personal connection with Nim.
Already in these prayers the opening of the soul before God begins, they express the hope of the penitent for forgiveness and cleansing of the soul from the filth of sins.
At the end of the first part of the sequence, the priest, turning his face to those gathered, pronounces the address prescribed by the Trebnik: “Behold, child, Christ stands invisibly...”.
The deep content of this address, revealing the meaning of confession, should be clear to every confessor. It can make the cold and indifferent realize at this last moment all the highest responsibility of the matter for which he is now approaching the analogue, where the icon of the Savior (the Crucifixion) lies and where the priest is not a simple interlocutor, but only a witness to the mysterious conversation of the penitent with God.
It is especially important to understand the meaning of this address, which explains the essence of the sacrament, to those who approach the analogue for the first time. Therefore, we present this appeal in Russian:
“My child, Christ stands invisibly (before you), accepting your confession. Do not be ashamed, do not be afraid and do not hide anything from me, but tell everything you have sinned without being embarrassed, and you will accept remission of sins from our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is His icon before us: I am only a witness, and everything that you tell me, I will testify before Him. If you hide anything from me, your sin will worsen. Understand that once you have come to the hospital, do not leave from it unhealed!"
This ends the first part of the sequence and begins the interview of the priest with each confessor separately. The penitent, approaching the lectern, must bow to the ground in the direction of the altar or in front of the Cross lying on the lectern. When there is a large gathering of confessors, this bow should be done in advance. During the interview, the priest and confessor stand at the lectern. The penitent stands with his head bowed before the Holy Cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern. The custom of confessing while kneeling before a lectern, rooted in the southwestern dioceses, certainly expresses humility and reverence, but it should be noted that it is Roman Catholic in origin and entered the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church relatively recently.
The most important moment of confession is verbal confession of sins. There is no need to wait for questions, you need to make the effort yourself; after all, confession is a feat and self-compulsion. It is necessary to speak precisely, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions (for example, “I have sinned against the seventh commandment”). It is very difficult, when confessing, to avoid the temptation of self-justification, it is difficult to refuse attempts to explain to the confessor “mitigating circumstances”, from references to third parties who allegedly led us into sin. All these are signs of pride, lack of deep repentance, and continued staleness in sin. Sometimes during confession they refer to weak memory, which supposedly prevents them from remembering all their sins. Indeed, it often happens that we easily and quickly forget our falls. But does this only happen because of a weak memory? After all, for example, cases when our pride was especially painfully hurt, when we were undeservedly offended or, on the contrary, everything that flatters our vanity: our successes, our good deeds, praise and gratitude to us - we remember long years. Everything in our worldly life that makes a strong impression on us, we remember for a long time and clearly. Does this mean that we forget our sins because we do not attach serious importance to them?
The sign of perfect repentance is a feeling of lightness, purity, inexplicable joy, when sin seems as difficult and impossible as this joy was just distant.
At the end of the confession of his sins, after listening to the final prayer, the confessor kneels down, and the priest, covering his head with an epitrachelion and placing his hands on top of it, reads a prayer of permission - it contains the secret formula of the sacrament of Repentance:
“Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, by the grace and generosity of His love for mankind, forgive you, child (name of the river), 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 Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen." Saying the last words of permission, the priest makes the sign of the cross over the head of the confessor. After this, the confessor stands up and kisses the Holy Cross and the Gospel as a sign of love and reverence for the Lord and fidelity to the vows given to Him in the presence of the confessor. The teaching of permission means the complete remission of all confessed sins of the penitent, and thereby he is given permission to begin the Communion of the Holy Mysteries. If the confessor considers it impossible to immediately forgive the sins of a given confessor due to their severity or unrepentance, then the prayer of permission is not read, and the confessor is not allowed to receive Communion.
What to talk about in confession to a priest
Confession is not a conversation about one’s shortcomings, doubts, it is not simply informing the confessor about oneself.
Confession is a sacrament, and not just a pious custom. Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for purification that comes from a sense of holiness, this is the second Baptism, and, therefore, in repentance we die to sin and are resurrected to holiness. Repentance is the first degree of holiness, and insensibility is being outside of holiness, outside of God.
Often, instead of confessing one’s sins, there is self-praise, denunciation of loved ones and complaints about the difficulties of life.
Some confessors strive to go through confession painlessly for themselves - they say general phrases: “I am a sinner in everything” or talk about little things, keeping silent about what should really weigh on the conscience. The reason for this is false shame before the confessor, and indecision, but especially the cowardly fear of seriously starting to understand one’s life, full of small, habitual weaknesses and sins.
Sin- This is a violation of the Christian moral law. Therefore, the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian gives the following definition of sin: “Everyone who commits sin also commits lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
There are sins against God and His Church. This group includes numerous spiritual states connected in a continuous network, which include, along with the simple and obvious, a large number of hidden, seemingly innocent, but in fact the most dangerous phenomena for the soul. Generally speaking, these sins can be reduced to the following: 1) lack of faith, 2) superstition, 3) blasphemy And god, 4) lack of prayer And neglect of church services, 5) lovely.
Lack of faith. This sin is perhaps the most common, and literally every Christian has to struggle with it continuously. Lack of faith often imperceptibly turns into complete unbelief, and the person suffering from it often continues to attend divine services and resort to confession. He does not consciously deny the existence of God, however, he doubts His omnipotence, mercy or Providence. With his actions, affections, and his entire way of life, he contradicts the faith he professes in words. Such a person never delved into even the simplest dogmatic issues, fearing to lose those naive ideas about Christianity, often incorrect and primitive, that he once acquired. By turning Orthodoxy into a national, home tradition, a set of external rituals, gestures, or reducing it to the enjoyment of beautiful choral singing, the flickering of candles, that is, to external splendor, people of little faith lose the most important thing in the Church - our Lord Jesus Christ. For a person of little faith, religiosity is closely connected with aesthetic, passionate, and sentimental emotions; she easily gets along with egoism, vanity, and sensuality. People of this type seek praise and good opinion confessor about them. They come to the lectern to complain about others, they are full of themselves and strive to demonstrate their “righteousness” in every possible way. The superficiality of their religious enthusiasm is best demonstrated by their easy transition from cloyingly ostentatious “piety” to irritability and anger at their neighbors.
Such a person does not admit any sins, does not even bother trying to understand his life and sincerely believes that he does not see anything sinful in it.
In fact, such “righteous people” often show callousness towards others, are selfish and hypocritical; They live only for themselves, considering abstinence from sins sufficient for salvation. It is useful to remind yourself of the contents of chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew (the parables of the ten virgins, the talents and, especially, the description of the Last Judgment). In general, religious complacency and complacency are the main signs of alienation from God and the Church, and this is most clearly shown in another gospel parable - about the publican and the Pharisee.
Superstition. Often all kinds of superstitions, belief in omens, divination, fortune telling on cards, and various heretical ideas about sacraments and rituals penetrate and spread among believers.
Such superstitions are contrary to the teachings of the Orthodox Church and serve to corrupt souls and extinguish faith.
Particular attention should be paid to such a fairly widespread and destructive doctrine for the soul as occultism, magic, etc. On the faces of people who have been engaged in the so-called occult sciences for a long time, initiated into the “secret spiritual teaching,” a heavy imprint remains - a sign of unconfessed sin, and in souls there is a painfully distorted view of Christianity as one of the lower stages of knowledge of truth, distorted by satanic rationalistic pride. Silencing the childishly sincere faith in the paternal love of God, the hope for the Resurrection and Eternal Life, occultists preach the doctrine of “karma”, the transmigration of souls, extra-church and, therefore, graceless asceticism. Such unfortunates, if they have found the strength to repent, should be explained that, in addition to direct harm to mental health, occultism is caused by a curious desire to look beyond closed door. We must humbly acknowledge the existence of the Mystery without trying to penetrate into it through non-church ways. We have been given the supreme law of life, we have been shown the path that directly leads us to God - love. And we must follow this path, bearing our cross, without turning to detours. Occultism is never able to reveal the secrets of existence, as their adherents claim.
Blasphemy and desecration. These sins often coexist with churchliness and sincere faith. This primarily includes blasphemous grumbling against God for His supposedly unmerciful attitude towards man, for suffering that seems excessive and undeserved to him. Sometimes it even comes to blasphemy against God, church shrines, and sacraments. This often manifests itself in the telling of irreverent or directly offensive stories from the lives of clergy and monks, in mocking, ironic quoting of individual expressions from the Holy Scriptures or from prayer books.
The custom of deification and commemoration in vain of the Name of God or Holy Mother of God. It is very difficult to get rid of the habit of using these sacred names in everyday conversations as interjections, which are used to give the phrase greater emotional expressiveness: “God be with him!”, “Oh, Lord!” etc. It is even worse to pronounce the Name of God in jokes, and an absolutely terrible sin is committed by the one who uses sacred words in anger, during a quarrel, that is, along with curses and insults. The one who threatens his enemies with the wrath of the Lord or even in “prayer” asks God to punish another person also blasphemes. A great sin is committed by parents who curse their children in their hearts and threaten them with heavenly punishment. Summoning evil spirits(cursing) in anger or in simple conversation is also sinful. The use of any swear words is also blasphemy and a grave sin.
Neglect of church services. This sin most often manifests itself in the lack of desire to participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist, that is, long-term deprivation of oneself from the Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the absence of any circumstances preventing this; in addition, this is a general lack of church discipline, a dislike for worship. The excuses usually given are being busy with official and everyday affairs, the distance of the church from home, the length of the service, and the incomprehensibility of the liturgical Church Slavonic language. Some attend divine services quite carefully, but at the same time they only attend the liturgy, do not receive communion and do not even pray during the service. Sometimes you have to deal with such sad facts as ignorance of the basic prayers and the Creed, misunderstanding of the meaning of the sacraments performed, and most importantly, a lack of interest in this.
Prayerlessness How special case unchurchishness is a common sin. Fervent prayer distinguishes sincere believers from “lukewarm” believers. We must strive not to scold the prayer rule, not to defend the divine services, we must acquire the gift of prayer from the Lord, fall in love with prayer, and look forward to the hour of prayer. Gradually entering into the element of prayer under the guidance of a confessor, a person learns to love and understand the music of Church Slavonic chants, their incomparable beauty and depth; the colorfulness and mystical imagery of liturgical symbols - all that is called church splendor.
The gift of prayer is the ability to control oneself, one’s attention, to repeat the words of prayer not only with lips and tongue, but also to participate in prayer with all one’s heart and all one’s thoughts. An excellent means for this is the “Jesus Prayer,” which consists of uniform, repeated, leisurely repetition of the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” There is extensive ascetic literature about this prayer exercise, collected mainly in the Philokalia and other paternal works. We can also recommend the excellent book by an unknown author of the 19th century, “Frank Stories of a Wanderer to His Spiritual Father.”
The “Jesus Prayer” is especially good because it does not require the creation of a special external environment; it can be read while walking down the street, while working, in the kitchen, on the train, etc. In these cases, it especially helps to divert our attention from everything seductive, vain, vulgar, empty and concentrate the mind and heart on the sweetest Name of God. True, one should not begin “spiritual work” without the blessing and guidance of an experienced confessor, since such self-inflicted work can lead to a false mystical state of delusion.
Spiritual beauty significantly different from all the listed sins against God and the Church. Unlike them, this sin is not rooted in a lack of faith, religiosity, or churchliness, but, on the contrary, in a false sense of excess of personal spiritual gifts. A person in a state of seduction imagines himself as having achieved special fruits of spiritual perfection, which is confirmed by all sorts of “signs”: dreams, voices, waking visions. Such a person may be very gifted mystically, but in the absence of church culture and theological education, and most importantly, due to the absence of a good, strict confessor and the presence of an environment inclined to gullibly perceive his tales as revelations, such a person often acquires many supporters, as a result of which Most sectarian anti-church movements arose.
This usually begins with a story about a mysterious dream, unusually chaotic and with a claim to a mystical revelation or prophecy. In the next stage, someone in a similar state, according to him, already hears voices in reality or sees shining visions in which he recognizes an angel or some saint, or even the Mother of God and the Savior Himself. They tell him the most incredible revelations, often completely meaningless. This happens to people who are both poorly educated and those who are very well-read in the Holy Scriptures, patristic works, as well as those who devote themselves to “smart work” without pastoral guidance.
Gluttony- one of a number of sins against neighbors, family and society. It manifests itself in the habit of immoderate, excessive consumption of food, that is, overeating or in an addiction to refined taste sensations, enjoying oneself with food. Of course, different people need different quantities food to support their physical strength- it depends on age, physique, health status, as well as the severity of the work the person performs. There is no sin in the food itself, for it is a gift from God. Sin lies in treating it as a desired goal, in worshiping it, in the voluptuous experience of taste sensations, in conversations on this topic, in the desire to spend as much as possible. more money for new, even more refined products. Every piece of food eaten beyond satisfying hunger, every sip of moisture after quenching thirst, simply for pleasure, is already gluttony. Sitting at the table, a Christian must not allow himself to be carried away by this passion. “The more wood, the stronger the flame; the more food, the more violent the lust” (Abba Leontius). “Gluttony is the mother of fornication,” says one ancient patericon. And he directly warns: “Control your womb before it dominates you.”
St. Augustine compares the body to a furious horse that carries away the soul, the unbridledness of which should be tamed by reducing food; It is primarily for this purpose that the Church established fasts. But “beware of measuring fasting by simple abstinence from food,” says St. Basil the Great. “Those who abstain from food and behave badly are like the devil, who, although he does not eat anything, nevertheless does not stop sinning.” During fasting it is necessary - and this is the main thing - to curb your thoughts, feelings, and impulses. The meaning of spiritual fasting is best described in one Lenten stichera: “Let us fast with a pleasant fast, pleasing to the Lord: true fasting is alienation of evil, abstinence of the tongue, putting aside rage, excommunication of lusts, speaking, lying and perjury: these are impoverished, true fasting is also favorable.” . No matter how difficult fasting may be in the conditions of our life, we must strive for it, it must be preserved in everyday life, especially internal, spiritual fasting, which the fathers call chastity. The sister and friend of fasting is prayer, without which it turns into an end in itself, a means of special, refined care for one’s body.
Obstacles to prayer come from weak, incorrect, insufficient faith, from over-concern, vanity, preoccupation with worldly affairs, from sinful, unclean, evil feelings and thoughts. Fasting helps overcome these obstacles.
Love of money manifests itself in the form of extravagance or its opposite, stinginess. Secondary at first glance, this is a sin of extreme importance - it involves the simultaneous rejection of faith in God, love for people and addiction to lower feelings. It gives rise to anger, petrification, over-concern, and envy. Overcoming the love of money is a partial overcoming of these sins. From the words of the Savior Himself, we know that it is difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Christ teaches: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where is the treasure? yours, there your heart will also be" (Matthew 6:19-21). St. Apostle Paul says: “We brought nothing into the world; it is obvious that we cannot take anything out of it. Having food and clothing, we will be content with that. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and into a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts that plunge people into disaster and destruction. For the root of all evil is the love of money, to which, having given themselves up, some have wandered away from the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows. But you, man of God, flee from this... exhort the rich in this age to did not think highly of themselves and did not trust in unfaithful wealth, but in the living God, who gives us everything abundantly for enjoyment; so that they would do good, be rich in good deeds, be generous and sociable, laying up treasure for themselves, a good foundation for the future, in order to achieve eternal life "(1 Tim. 6, 7-11; 17-19).
“The wrath of man does not bring about the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Anger, irritability- many penitents tend to justify the manifestation of this passion by physiological reasons, the so-called “nervousness” due to the suffering and hardships that befell them, tension modern life, difficult character of relatives and friends. Although these reasons are partly true, they cannot justify this, as a rule, deep-rooted habit of taking out one’s irritation, anger, and bad mood on loved ones. Irritability, hot temper, and rudeness primarily destroy family life, leading to quarrels over trifles, causing reciprocal hatred, desire for revenge, rancor, and hardening the hearts of generally kind and loving friend people's friend. And how destructively the manifestation of anger affects young souls, destroying in them the God-given tenderness and love for their parents! “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged” (Col. 3:21).
The ascetic works of the Church Fathers contain a lot of advice for combating the passion of anger. One of the most effective is “righteous anger,” in other words, turning our capacity for irritation and anger to the very passion of anger. “It is not only permissible, but truly salutary to be angry at one’s own sins and shortcomings” (St. Demetrius of Rostov). St. Nile of Sinai advises to be “meek with people,” but kind to our enemy, since this is the natural use of anger to hostilely confront the ancient serpent" (Philokalia, vol. II). The same ascetic writer says : “Whoever bears a grudge against demons does not hold a grudge against people.”
You should show meekness and patience towards your neighbors. “Be wise, and stop the lips of those who speak evil about you with silence, and not with anger and abuse” (St. Anthony the Great). “When they slander you, see if you have done anything worthy of slander. If you have not done it, then consider the slander as flying away as smoke” (St. Nilus of Sinai). “When you feel a strong influx of anger within yourself, try to remain silent. And so that silence itself will bring you more benefit, turn mentally to God and mentally read to yourself at this time some short prayers, for example, the “Jesus Prayer,” advises St. Philaret Moskovsky Even to argue without bitterness and without anger, since irritation is immediately transferred to another, infecting him, but in no case convincing him of the rightness.
Very often the cause of anger is arrogance, pride, the desire to show one’s power over others, to expose one’s vices, forgetting about one’s own sins. “Eliminate two thoughts in yourself: do not recognize yourself as worthy of anything great and do not think that another person is much lower in dignity than you. In this case, the insults inflicted on us will never irritate us” (St. Basil the Great).
In confession, we must tell whether we harbor anger towards our neighbor and whether we have reconciled with the one with whom we quarreled, and if we cannot see someone in person, have we reconciled with him in our hearts? On Athos, confessors not only do not allow monks who have anger towards their neighbors to serve in church and partake of the Holy Mysteries, but when reading the prayer rule, they must omit the words in the Lord’s Prayer: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” so as not to be liars before God. With this prohibition, the monk is temporarily excommunicated from prayerful and Eucharistic communion with the Church, until reconciliation with his brother.
The one who prays for those who often lead him into the temptation of anger receives significant help. Thanks to such prayer, a feeling of meekness and love for people who were recently hated is instilled in the heart. But in the first place there should be a prayer for the granting of meekness and driving away the spirit of anger, revenge, resentment, and rancor.
One of the most common sins is undoubtedly condemnation of one's neighbor. Many do not even realize that they have sinned countless times, and if they do, they believe that this phenomenon is so widespread and ordinary that it does not even deserve mention in confession. In fact, this sin is the beginning and root of many other sinful habits.
First of all, this sin is in close connection with the passion of pride. Condemning other people's shortcomings (real or apparent), a person imagines himself better, purer, more pious, more honest or smarter than another. The words of Abba Isaiah are addressed to such people: “Whoever has a pure heart considers all people pure, but whoever’s heart is defiled by passions does not consider anyone pure, but thinks that everyone is like him” (“The Spiritual Flower Garden”).
Those who condemn forget that the Savior Himself commanded: “Judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but the beam Can’t you feel it in your eye?” (Matt. 7:1-3). “Let us no longer judge each other, but rather judge how not to give your brother any chance of stumbling or temptation” (Rom. 14:13), teaches St. Apostle Paul. There is no sin committed by one person that anyone else could not commit. And if you see someone else’s uncleanness, then it means that it has already penetrated into you, for innocent babies do not notice the depravity of adults and thereby maintain their chastity. Therefore, the condemner, even if he is right, must honestly admit to himself: has he not committed the same sin?
Our judgment is never impartial, because most often it is based on a random impression or is carried out under the influence of personal resentment, irritation, anger, or a random “mood.”
If a Christian has heard about the unseemly act of his loved one, then, before becoming indignant and condemning him, he must act according to the word of Jesus son of Sirach: “He who bridles the tongue will live peacefully, and he who hates talkativeness will reduce evil. Never repeat a word, and you will have nothing.” will decline... Ask your friend, maybe he didn’t do that; and if he did, then let him not do it in advance. Ask your friend, maybe he didn’t say that; and if he did, let him not repeat it. Ask your friend, for slander often occurs. Do not believe every word. Some sin with their words, but not from the heart; and who has not sinned with his tongue? Question your neighbor before threatening him, and give place to the law of the Most High" (Sir. 19, 6-8; 13 -19).
Sin of despondency most often occurs from excessive preoccupation with oneself, one’s experiences, failures and, as a result, the fading of love for others, indifference to other people’s suffering, inability to rejoice in other people’s joys, envy. The basis and root of our spiritual life and strength is love for Christ, and we need to grow and cultivate it in ourselves. To peer into His image, to clarify and deepen it within oneself, to live in thought of Him, and not about one’s petty vain successes and failures, to give one’s heart to Him—this is the life of a Christian. And then the silence and peace that St. speaks about will reign in our hearts. Isaac the Syrian: “Make peace with yourself, and heaven and earth will make peace with you.”
There is, perhaps, no sin more common than lie. This category of vices should also include failure to keep promises, gossip And idle talk. This sin has entered so deeply into the consciousness of modern man, so deeply rooted in the souls that people do not even think that any form of untruth, insincerity, hypocrisy, exaggeration, boasting is a manifestation of serious sin, serving Satan - the father of lies. According to the Apostle John, “no one devoted to abomination and lies will enter the Heavenly Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:27). Our Lord said about Himself: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), and therefore you can come to Him only by walking along the path of righteousness. Only truth makes people free.
A lie can manifest itself completely shamelessly, openly, in all its satanic abomination, becoming in such cases a person’s second nature, a permanent mask attached to his face. He gets so used to lying that he cannot express his thoughts otherwise than by putting them into words that obviously do not correspond to them, thereby not clarifying, but darkening the truth. Lies imperceptibly creep into a person’s soul from childhood: often, not wanting to see anyone, we ask our loved ones to tell the person who comes that we are not at home; Instead of directly refusing to participate in any activity that is unpleasant for us, we pretend to be sick and busy with something else. Such “everyday” lies, seemingly innocent exaggerations, jokes based on deception, gradually corrupt a person, allowing him subsequently to make deals with his conscience for his own benefit.
Just as nothing can come from the devil except evil and destruction for the soul, so from lies - his brainchild - nothing can come except the corrupting, satanic, anti-Christian spirit of evil. There is no “saving lie” or “justified”; these phrases themselves are blasphemous, for only the Truth, our Lord Jesus Christ, saves and justifies us.
No less common than lies is sin. idle talk, that is, the empty, unspiritual use of the Divine gift of speech. This also includes gossip and retelling of rumors.
Often people spend time in empty, useless conversations, the content of which is immediately forgotten, instead of talking about faith with someone who suffers without it, seeking God, visiting the sick, helping the lonely, praying, comforting the offended, talking with children or grandchildren , instruct them with words and personal example on the spiritual path.
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The sacrament of confession is a test for the soul. It consists of a desire to repent, verbal confession, repentance for sins. When a person goes against the laws of God, he gradually destroys his spiritual and physical shell. Repentance helps to cleanse yourself. It reconciles a person with God. The soul is healed and receives strength to fight sin.
Confession allows you to talk about your wrongdoings and receive forgiveness. In excitement and fear, you can forget what you wanted to repent of. The list of sins for confession serves as a reminder, a hint. It can be read in full or used as an outline. The main thing is that the confession is sincere and truthful.
Sacrament
Confession is the main component of repentance. This is an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for your sins and to be cleansed of them. Confession gives spiritual strength to resist evil. Sin is a discrepancy in thoughts, words, and actions with God's permission.
Confession is a sincere awareness of wicked actions, a desire to get rid of them. No matter how difficult and unpleasant it may be to remember them, you should tell the clergyman in detail about your sins.
This sacrament requires a complete relationship between feelings and words, because the everyday listing of one’s sins will not bring true cleansing. Feelings without words are as ineffective as words without feelings.
There is a list of sins for confession. This is a large list of all obscene actions or words. It is based on the 7 deadly sins and 10 commandments. Human life is too diverse to be absolutely righteous. Therefore, confession is an opportunity to repent of sins and try to prevent them in the future.
How to prepare for confession?
Preparation for confession must take place several days in advance. A list of sins can be written on a piece of paper. You should read special literature about the sacraments of confession and communion.
One should not look for excuses for sins, one must recognize their wickedness. It is best to analyze your every day, analyzing what was good and what was bad. This daily habit will help you be more attentive to your thoughts and actions.
Before confession, you should make peace with everyone who was offended. Forgive those who offended. Before confession, it is necessary to strengthen the prayer rule. Add to the nightly reading the Canon of Repentance, the canons of the Theotokos.
One should separate personal repentance (when a person mentally repents of his actions) and the sacrament of confession (when a person talks about his sins in the desire to be cleansed of them).
The presence of a third party requires a moral effort to understand the depth of the offense and, through overcoming shame, will force you to look more deeply at the wrong actions. That is why a list of sins is so necessary for confession in Orthodoxy. It will help to identify what was forgotten or wanted to be hidden.
If you have difficulty compiling a list of sinful actions, you can purchase the book “ Full Confession" It is in every church shop. It's detailed there full list sins for confession, features of the sacrament. Samples of confession and materials for preparing for it have been published.
Rules
Is there a heaviness in your soul, do you want to speak out, ask for forgiveness? After confession it becomes much easier. This is an open, sincere recognition and repentance of the wrongdoings committed. You can go to confession up to 3 times a week. The desire to be cleansed of sins will help overcome the feeling of stiffness and awkwardness.
The less frequent the confession, the more difficult it is to remember all the events and thoughts. The best option for the sacrament - once a month. Help in confession - a list of sins - will prompt you with the necessary words. The main thing is that the priest understands the essence of the offense. Then the punishment for sin will be justified.
After confession, the priest imposes penance in difficult cases. This is punishment, excommunication from the holy sacraments and God's grace. Its duration is determined by the priest. In most cases, the penitent faces moral and correctional work. For example, fasting, reading prayers, canons, akathists.
Sometimes the priest reads out the list of sins for confession. You can independently write a list of what has been done. It is better to come to confession after the evening service or in the morning, before the liturgy.
How does the sacrament work?
In some situations, you should invite the priest to confession at home. This is done if the person is seriously ill or near death.
Upon entering the temple, you must line up for confession. During the entire sacrament, the cross and the Gospel lie on the lectern. This symbolizes the invisible presence of the Savior.
Before confession begins, the priest may start asking questions. For example, about how often prayers are said, whether church rules are followed.
Then the sacrament begins. It is best to prepare your list of sins for confession. A sample of it can always be purchased at the church. If the sins forgiven at the previous confession were repeated, then they should be mentioned again - this is considered a more serious offense. You should not hide anything from the priest or speak in hints. You should clearly explain in simple words the sins you repent of.
If the priest tore up the list of sins for confession, it means that the sacrament is over and absolution has been granted. The priest places an epitrachelion on the head of the penitent. This means the return of God's favor. After this, they kiss the cross and the Gospel, which symbolizes readiness to live according to the commandments.
Preparing for Confession: List of Sins
Confession is intended to comprehend your sin and desire to improve. It is difficult for a person far from the church to understand what actions should be considered wicked. That's why there are 10 commandments. They clearly state what not to do. It is better to prepare a list of sins for confession according to the commandments in advance. On the day of the sacrament, you can get excited and forget everything. Therefore, you should calmly, a few days before confession, re-read the commandments and write down your sins.
If it is the first confession, then it is not easy to figure out the seven deadly sins and the ten commandments on your own. Therefore, you should approach the priest in advance and tell him about your difficulties in a personal conversation.
A list of sins for confession with an explanation of the sins can be purchased at the church or found on the website of your temple. The transcript describes in detail all the alleged sins. From this general list it is necessary to isolate what was done personally. Then write down your list of offenses.
Sins committed against God
- Lack of faith in God, doubt, ingratitude.
- Lack of a cross on the body, unwillingness to defend the faith in front of detractors.
- Swearing in the name of God, pronouncing the name of the Lord in vain (not during prayer or conversations about God).
- Visiting sects, casting fortunes, treating with all kinds of magic, reading and spreading false teachings.
- Gambling, suicidal thoughts, swearing.
- Failure to attend church, lack of a daily prayer rule.
- Failure to observe fasts, reluctance to read Orthodox literature.
- Condemnation of clergy, thoughts about worldly things during worship.
- A waste of time on entertainment, watching TV, inactivity at the computer.
- Despair in difficult situations, excessive reliance on oneself or someone else’s help without faith in God’s providence.
- Concealing sins in confession.
Sins committed against neighbors
- Hot temper, anger, arrogance, pride, vanity.
- Lies, non-interference, ridicule, stinginess, extravagance.
- Raising children outside of faith.
- Non-repayment of debts, non-payment for work, refusal to help those who ask and need.
- Unwillingness to help parents, disrespect for them.
- Theft, condemnation, envy.
- Quarrels, drinking alcohol at funerals.
- Murder with words (slander, incitement to suicide or illness).
- Killing a child in the womb, inducing others to have an abortion.
Sins committed against oneself
- Foul language, pride, idle talk, gossip.
- Desire for profit, enrichment.
- Displaying good deeds.
- Envy, lies, drunkenness, gluttony, drug use.
- Fornication, adultery, incest, fornication.
List of sins for a woman to confess
This is a very sensitive list, and many women refuse to confess after reading it. You should not trust any information you read. Even if a brochure with a list of sins for a woman was purchased at a church store, be sure to pay attention to the stamp. There should be an inscription “recommended by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church.”
The clergy do not divulge the secret of confession. Therefore, it is best to undergo the sacrament with a permanent confessor. The Church does not intrude into the sphere of intimate marital relationships. Issues of contraception, which is sometimes equated to abortion, are best discussed with a priest. There are drugs that do not have an abortifacient effect, but only prevent the birth of life. In any case, all controversial issues should be discussed with your spouse, doctor, or confessor.
Here is a list of sins for confession (brief):
- She rarely prayed and did not attend church.
- I thought more about worldly things during prayer.
- Allowed sexual activity before marriage.
- Abortion, inducing others to it.
- Had unclean thoughts and desires.
- I watched films, read books with pornographic content.
- Gossip, lies, envy, laziness, resentment.
- Excessive exposure of the body to attract attention.
- Fear of old age, wrinkles, thoughts of suicide.
- Addiction to sweets, alcohol, drugs.
- Avoiding helping other people.
- Seeking help from fortune tellers and fortune tellers.
- Superstition.
List of sins for a man
There is debate about whether a list of sins should be prepared for confession. Some believe that such a list harms the sacrament and promotes the formal reading of offenses. The main thing in confession is to realize your sins, repent and prevent their repetition. Therefore, the list of sins may be a short reminder or absent altogether.
Formal confession is not considered valid, since there is no repentance in it. Returning after the sacrament to your former life will add hypocrisy. The balance of spiritual life lies in understanding the essence of repentance, where confession is only the beginning of awareness of one’s sinfulness. This is a long process consisting of several stages of internal work. The creation of spiritual resources is a systematic adjustment of conscience, responsibility for one’s relationship with God.
Here is a list of sins for confession (brief) for a man:
- Sacrilege, conversations in the temple.
- Doubt about faith, the afterlife.
- Blasphemy, mockery of the poor.
- Cruelty, laziness, pride, vanity, greed.
- Evasion from military service.
- Avoiding unwanted work, shirking responsibilities.
- Insults, hatred, fights.
- Slander, disclosure of other people's weaknesses.
- Temptation to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drugs, gambling).
- Refusal to help parents and other people.
- Theft, aimless collecting.
- Tendency to boast, argue, and humiliate others.
- Impudence, rudeness, contempt, familiarity, cowardice.
Confession for a child
For a child, the sacrament of confession can begin at the age of seven. Until this age, children are allowed to receive Communion without this. Parents must prepare the child for confession: explain the essence of the sacrament, tell why it is being performed, and remember with him possible sins.
The child must be made to understand that sincere repentance is preparation for confession. It is better for a child to write a list of sins himself. He must realize what actions were wrong and try not to repeat them in the future.
Older children make their own decisions about whether to confess or not. You should not limit the free will of a child or teenager. The personal example of parents is much more important than all conversations.
The child must remember his sins before confession. A list of them can be compiled after the child answers the questions:
- How often does he read prayers (in the morning, in the evening, before meals), which ones does he know by heart?
- Does he go to church, how does he behave during the service?
- Does he wear pectoral cross, is distracted or not during prayers and services?
- Have you ever deceived your parents or priest during confession?
- Weren't you proud of your successes and victories, weren't you arrogant?
- Does it fight or not with other children, does it offend children or animals?
- Does he snitch on other children to protect himself?
- Have you ever committed theft or been jealous of anyone?
- Have you laughed at other people's physical disabilities?
- Did you play cards (smoked, drank alcohol, tried drugs, used foul language)?
- Is he lazy or helps his parents around the house?
- Did you pretend to be sick to avoid your responsibilities?
- A person himself determines whether to confess or not, how many times to attend the sacrament.
- You should prepare a list of sins for confession. It is better to take a sample in the church where the sacrament will take place, or find it yourself in church literature.
- It is optimal to go to confession with the same clergyman, who will become a mentor and will contribute to spiritual growth.
- Confession is free of charge.
First you need to ask on what days confessions are held in the church. You should dress appropriately. For men - a shirt or T-shirt with sleeves, trousers or jeans (not shorts). For women - a scarf on the head, no makeup (at least lipstick), a skirt no higher than the knees.
Sincerity of Confession
A priest as a psychologist can recognize how sincere a person is in his repentance. There are confessions that offend the sacrament and the Lord. If a person mechanically talks about sins, has several confessors, hides the truth - such actions do not lead to repentance.
Behavior, tone of speech, words with which confession is pronounced - it all matters. This is the only way the priest understands how sincere the penitent is. Pangs of conscience, embarrassment, worries, shame contribute to spiritual cleansing.
Sometimes the personality of the priest is important for the parishioner. This is not a reason to condemn and comment on the actions of clergy. You can go to another church or turn to another holy father for confession.
It can be difficult to voice your sins. The emotional experiences are so strong that it is more convenient to make a list of unrighteous actions. Father is attentive to every parishioner. If, due to shame, it is impossible to tell about everything and the repentance is deep, then the priest has the right to forgive the sins, a list of which was compiled before confession, without even reading them.
The meaning of confession
Having to talk about your sins in front of a stranger is embarrassing. Therefore, people refuse to go to confession, believing that God will forgive them anyway. This is the wrong approach. The priest acts only as an intermediary between man and God. His task is to determine the measure of repentance. The priest has no right to condemn anyone; he will not expel a repentant person from the church. During confession, people are very vulnerable, and clergy try not to cause unnecessary suffering.
It is important to see your sin, recognize and condemn it in your soul, and voice it before the priest. Have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds again, try to atone for the harm done through acts of mercy. Confession brings revival of the soul, re-education and access to a new spiritual level.
Sins (list), Orthodoxy, confession imply self-knowledge and the search for grace. All good deeds are done through strength. Only by overcoming yourself, doing works of mercy, and cultivating virtues in yourself, can you receive God's grace.
The meaning of confession lies in understanding the typology of sinners, the typology of sin. At the same time, an individual approach to each repentant is akin to pastoral psychoanalysis. The sacrament of confession is the pain of awareness of sin, recognition of it, the determination to voice and ask for forgiveness for it, cleansing of the soul, joy and peace.
A person must feel the need to repent. Love for God, love for oneself, love for one's neighbor cannot exist separately. The symbolism of the Christian cross - horizontal (love for God) and vertical (love for oneself and one's neighbor) - lies in the awareness of the integrity of spiritual life, its essence.
Confession (the sacrament of Repentance) in our monastery is performed daily during the morning service: from Monday to Saturday - at 7.00, on Sunday - at 6.30 and 9.00.
During Lent confession is being made on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7.00, on Sundays – at 6.30 and 9.00.
Children under 7 years old can receive communion without confession.
About the Sacrament of Repentance
In the sacrament of repentance, a Christian is given cleansing from sins committed after baptism. The repentant confesses his sins to the Lord and His Church, represented by its representative - a bishop or priest, through whose prayers the Lord forgives the confessed sins and reunites the repentant with the Church.
Every sin is a refusal of Divine light. In order to see your evil, you need to see the light or beauty of God's truth, which shone most of all in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Gospel, as well as in holy people. Therefore, one must repent before the face of the Lord, to whom the Heavenly Father gave all judgment on earth. The judgment consists in the fact that the Lord is light, and those who reject this light bear the punishment within themselves, going into darkness.
Every sin is a sin against love, since God Himself is love. Violating the law of love, every sin leads to separation from God and people, and, therefore, is a sin against the Church. Therefore, the one who sins falls away from the Church and must repent before it. In ancient times, a sinner repented before the entire church assembly; now the priest alone accepts confession on behalf of the Lord and the Church.
Sin lies not only in individual actions of a person, it is a constant illness that does not allow a person to accept the gift of Divine grace, i.e. deprives him of the source of true life. To eradicate sins such as pride or selfishness, constant attention to oneself, the fight against bad thoughts and bitter regret for frequent mistakes are required. This is constant repentance. To inhale grace, you must constantly exhale the fumes of sin. One who constantly checks himself and, at least during evening prayer, remembers his past day, repents more successfully during confession. Those who neglect daily hygiene of the soul easily fall into great sins, sometimes without even noticing them. Repentance, which precedes confession, requires, firstly, awareness of one’s sins; secondly, bitter regret for them and, finally, determination to improve.
A person who repents well also finds the reasons for sinful actions. For example, he will understand that the inability to endure and forgive insults, even the most insignificant ones, is explained by pride, with which he will fight.
The fight against sin must necessarily be expressed in revealing one’s soul to God and other people, since the root of sin is a person’s selfish self-isolation. Confession is, first of all, this way out of painful subjectivity; it also requires self-sacrifice (your pride), without which there is no true love. In addition, the story of sin, often accompanied by burning shame, helps cut off sin from the healthy core of the personality. Other diseases are incurable without a surgeon’s blade or cauterization. Confessed sin becomes alien to a person, and hidden sin produces suppuration of the entire soul. We confess not so much in order to avoid punishment, but in order to be cured of sins, that is, to get rid of their repetition. Receiving the penitent, the priest addresses him: “Be careful, you came to the hospital, do not leave here unwell.”
Sin corrupts our personality, and only Divine love can restore its integrity, that is, heal it. We come for her to the Church, where Christ Himself heals us with His love. And how can grace-filled love not flare up in the heart of a repentant when the Lord says to him: “And I do not condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11), or, what is the same, when the priest says the words of the prayer of permission? The Lord gave the power to resolve sins to His Church, telling the Apostles: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
The preparation for confession is, firstly, a person’s spiritual life, with constant exercise of conscience, as mentioned above; and then, special means, such as: solitude to think about your sins, prayer, fasting, reading the Holy Scriptures and spiritual books.
Confession must be complete, accurate, without self-justification. We must first remember the most annoying sins (passions, vices), and we must fight them first, as well as sins against love (condemnation, anger, enmity). If such sins exist, they must be the subject of constant repentance and struggle, since God is love. For the same reason, before confession, one must make peace with everyone, forgiving and asking for forgiveness. The Lord said: “If you do not forgive people their trespasses, then your Father will not forgive you your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).
The priest keeps everything that is said in confession as an absolute secret. As a spiritual remedy, the priest can impose penance on the penitent, for example, assign him special spiritual exercises, or temporarily prevent him from receiving Holy Communion.
(Compiled from the book of Bishop Alexander (Semyonov-Tien-Shansky) Orthodox Catechism).
Confession example
We provide an approximate sample of confession, which can be used as a guide in order to better understand yourself while preparing for the sacrament of Repentance. However, this sample is just a guideline that helps to build a personal confession in which those sins that took place in your life will be named.
“I bring to You, merciful Lord, the heavy burden of my countless sins that I have sinned before You, from my early youth to this day.
I have sinned before You, Lord, by ingratitude to You for Your mercies, by forgetting Your commandments and by indifference to You. I sinned by lack of faith, doubt in matters of faith and freethinking. I sinned through superstition, indifference to the truth and interest in non-Orthodox faiths. I sinned with blasphemous and nasty thoughts, suspicion and suspiciousness. I sinned by attachment to money and luxury items, passions, jealousy and envy. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
I sinned by enjoying sinful thoughts, thirsting for pleasure, and spiritual relaxation. I sinned with daydreaming, vanity and false shame. I sinned with pride, contempt for people and arrogance. I sinned with despondency, worldly sadness, despair and murmuring. I sinned with irritability, rancor and gloating. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
I sinned with idle talk, unnecessary laughter and ridicule. I sinned by talking in church, by using the name of God in vain, and by judging my neighbors. I sinned with harshness in words, grumpiness, and sarcastic remarks. He sinned by being picky, insulting his neighbors and exaggerating his abilities. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
I sinned with indecent jokes, stories and sinful conversations. I sinned by murmuring, breaking my promises and lying. I sinned by using swear words, insulting my neighbors and cursing. I sinned by spreading defamatory rumors, slander and denunciations. I sinned by laziness, wasting time and not attending divine services. I sinned by frequent lateness to services, careless and absent-minded prayer and lack of spiritual fervor. He sinned by neglecting the needs of his family, neglecting the upbringing of his children and failure to fulfill his duties. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
He sinned through gluttony, overeating and breaking fasts. I sinned by smoking, drinking alcohol and using stimulants. I sinned by being excessively concerned about my appearance, looking with lust and lust, looking at obscene paintings and photographs. I sinned by listening to violent music, listening to sinful conversations and indecent stories. He sinned through seductive behavior, masturbation, fornication and adultery. Sinned by approving or participating in abortion. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
I sinned with love of money and passion for gambling. I sinned with passion for my career and success, self-interest and extravagance. I sinned by refusing to help those in need, by greed and stinginess. I sinned through cruelty, callousness, dryness and lack of love. He sinned by deception, theft and bribery. He sinned by visiting fortune-tellers, invoking evil spirits and performing superstitious customs. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
He sinned with outbursts of anger, malice and rude treatment of his neighbors. He sinned through intransigence, revenge, arrogance and insolence. I sinned through disobedience, stubbornness, and hypocrisy. I sinned by careless handling of sacred objects, sacrilege, blasphemy. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord.
I also sinned in words, in thoughts, in actions and with all my feelings, sometimes involuntarily, but most often deliberately due to my stubbornness and sinful custom. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord. I remember some sins, but most of them, due to my negligence and spiritual inattention, I have completely forgotten.
I sincerely repent of all my conscious and unknown sins, and have the determination to do everything possible not to repeat them. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord."
For those who wish to deeply and thoroughly prepare for the sacrament of confession, we recommend reading the book by Archimandrite John Krestyankin "The experience of constructing a confession" .