How to start a conversation in confession. How to correctly name sins in confession

Confession is a sacrament when a believer confesses their sins to a priest. The representative of the church is empowered to forgive sins in the name of the Lord and Jesus Christ.

According to biblical legends, Christ endowed the apostles with such an opportunity, which was later transferred to the clergy. During repentance, a person not only talks about his sins, but also gives a word not to commit them again.

What is confession?

Confession is not only purification, but also a test for the soul. It helps to remove the burden and purify before the face of the Lord, reconcile with it and overcome inner doubts. It is necessary to go to confession once a month, but if you want to do it more often, you should follow the calls of the soul and repent at any time you want.

For especially grave sins, a representative of the church may prescribe a special punishment, which is called penance. It can be a long prayer, fasting or abstinence, which are ways to cleanse. When a person violates the laws of God, this negatively affects his mental and physical condition. Repentance helps to gain strength and fight the temptations that push people to sin. The believer gets the opportunity to talk about his misdeeds and remove the burden from the soul. Before confession, it is necessary to make a list of sins, with which you can correctly describe the sin and prepare the right speech for repentance.

How to start a confession before the priest with what words?

The seven deadly sins, which are the main vices, look like this:

• gluttony (gluttony, excessive food abuse)
• fornication (dissolute life, infidelity)
• anger (temper, vindictiveness, irritability)
• love of money (greed, desire for material values)
• despondency (laziness, depression, despair)
• vanity (selfishness, narcissism)
• envy

It is believed that when committing these sins, the human soul can die. By committing them, a person moves further and further away from God, but all of them can be released during sincere repentance. It is believed that it was mother nature who laid them in every person, and only the strongest in spirit can resist temptations and fight evil. But it is worth remembering that every person can commit a sin, experiencing a difficult period in life. People are not immune from misfortunes and difficulties that can drive everyone to despair. You need to learn how to deal with passions and emotions, and then no sin can overcome you and break your life.

Preparation for confession

Repentance must be prepared in advance. First you need to find a temple in which the ordinances are held and choose a suitable day. Most often they are held on holidays and weekends. At this time, there are always a lot of people in the temple, and not everyone will be able to open when strangers are nearby. In this case, you need to contact the priest and ask him to make an appointment for another day, when you can be alone. Before repentance, it is recommended to read the Penitential Canon, which will allow you to tune in and put your thoughts in order.

You need to know that there are three groups of sins that you can write down and take with you to confession.

1. Vices directed against God:

These include blasphemy and insult to the Lord, blasphemy, interest in the occult sciences, superstition, suicidal thoughts, gambling, and so on.

1. Vices against the soul:

Sloth, deceit, use of obscene words, impatience, disbelief, self-delusion, despair.

1. Vices against neighbors:

Disrespect for parents, slander, condemnation, rancor, hatred, theft, and so on.

How to confess correctly what to say to the priest at the beginning?

Before approaching the representative of the church, put bad thoughts out of your head and prepare to open your soul. You can start confession in the same way as to correctly confess what to say to the priest, an example: “Lord, I have sinned against you,” and after that you can list your sins. There is no need to tell the priest about the sin in great detail, it is enough just to say "Committed adultery" or confess to another vice.

But to the enumeration of sins, you can add "I sinned with envy, I constantly envy my neighbor ..." and so on. After listening to you, the priest will be able to give valuable advice and help you do the right thing in a given situation. Such clarifications will help to identify your greatest weaknesses and fight them. The confession ends with the words “I repent, Lord! Save and have mercy on me a sinner!

Many confessors are very ashamed to talk about anything, this is an absolutely normal feeling. But at the moment of repentance, you need to overcome yourself and understand that it is not the priest who condemns you, but God, and that it is to God that you tell about your sins. The priest is just a conductor between you and the Lord, do not forget about it.

List of sins for a woman

Many of the fair sex, having familiarized themselves with it, decide to refuse confession. It looks like this:

• Rarely prayed and came to the temple
• While praying, I thought about pressing issues.
• Had sex before marriage
• Had impure thoughts
• Turned for help to fortune-tellers and magicians
• believed in superstition
• I was afraid of old age
• Abuse of alcohol, drugs, sweets
• Refusing to help other people
• Performed abortions
• Wearing revealing clothes

List of sins for a man

• Blasphemy against the Lord
• Disbelief
• Taunting those who are weaker
• Cruelty, pride, laziness, greed
• Military service evasion
• Insults and use of physical force against others
• Slander
• Inability to resist temptations
• Refusal to help relatives and others
• Theft
• Rudeness, contempt, greed

A man needs to take a more responsible approach to this issue, since he is the head of the family. It is from him that children will take an example to follow.

There is also a list of sins for the child, which can be compiled after he answers a series of specific questions. He must understand how important it is to speak sincerely and honestly, but this already depends on the approach of the parents and their preparation of their child for confession.

The Importance of Confession in the Life of a Believer

Many holy fathers call confession a second baptism. This helps to establish unity with God and cleanse oneself of filth. As the Gospel says, repentance is a necessary condition for the purification of the soul. Throughout the life path, a person should strive to overcome temptations and prevent vice. During this sacrament, a person receives liberation from the shackles of sin, and all his sins are forgiven by the Lord God. For many, repentance is a victory over oneself, because only a true believer can confess what people prefer to keep silent about.

If you have confessed before, then you should not talk about old sins again. They have already been released and there is no point in repenting of them anymore. When you finish confessing, the priest will give his speech, give advice and instructions, and also say a permissive prayer. After that, a person must cross himself twice, bow, venerate the crucifix and the Gospel, then cross himself again and receive a blessing.

How to confess for the first time - an example?

The first confession may seem mysterious and unpredictable. People are frightened by the expectation that they may be condemned by a priest, experience a sense of shame and embarrassment. It is worth remembering that the representatives of the church are people who live according to the laws of the Lord. They do not condemn, do not wish harm to anyone and love their neighbors, trying to help them with wise advice.

They will never express a personal point of view, so you should not be afraid that the words of the priest can somehow offend, offend or shame you. He never shows emotion, speaks in a low voice and very little. Before repentance, you can approach him and ask for advice on how to properly prepare for this sacrament.

There is a lot of literature in church shops that can also help and give a lot of important information. During repentance, you should not complain about others and about your life, you need to talk only about yourself, listing the vices that you succumbed to. If you fast, then this is the best moment for confession, because by limiting yourself, people become more restrained and improve, contributing to the purification of the soul.

Many parishioners end their fast with a confession, which is a logical conclusion to a long abstinence. This sacrament leaves in the human soul the most vivid emotions and impressions that are never forgotten. Relieving the soul from sins and receiving their forgiveness, a person gets a chance to start life anew, resist temptations and live in harmony with the Lord and his laws.

Those who, for the first time in their lives, will participate in one of the most important Christian sacraments, are wondering with what words to begin confession before the priest. A person who wants to repent and may not know how to talk about their sins.

A well-known church figure of our time, Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), identified two options for constructing a confession:

• according to the ten commandments;
• according to the commandments of happiness.

In his book on confession, the hierarch gives an example of how one can pronounce confession and repent of one's sins. The archimandrite analyzes each of the commandments and describes what duties Christians should have before God according to these commandments. John points out to readers the mistakes in everyday life that lead to forgetfulness of faith.

He analyzes the Beatitudes and points out what people neglect. Considering the second beatitude ("blessed are those who mourn"), he asks the reader if he mourned the desecration of God's image in himself, his non-Christian life, surges of pride and anger. He shows readers how far they stand from the steps of moral perfection.

This book is recognized as a good manual explaining what should be considered sin in human life. But it cannot be an instruction on what to say. The penitent must himself choose the words that will come from his heart, and sincerely desire to repent.

Preparing for confession and conducting it

A person who wants to confess for the first time must carefully remember all the sins that have been committed. For convenience, he can draw up a summary that will allow him not to forget anything during the sacrament. He can speak in advance with the clergyman, who will appoint a time for him during the general confession or especially.

People confess to the clergy in turn. The visitor must wait his turn. After that, he, turning to the audience, asks them for forgiveness for their sins. They say God will forgive and forgive him. After that, the confessor goes to the clergyman.

A person approaches the lectern, crosses himself, makes a bow, and then begins to confess. Approaching the priest, he must turn to God and say that he has sinned before Him. At the beginning, he may introduce himself to the confessing priest, but this can also be done at the end, when the priest will have to call his name in prayer. Then comes the time of enumeration of sins, the story of each of which should begin with the word: "sinned / sinned."

Also, approaching the lectern, the believer can say “The servant of God (the servant of God) is confessing” and give the name. Then say "I repent of my sins" and start listing them.

When the penitent finishes listing his sins, he must listen to the word of the priest, who can absolve him of his sins or impose a punishment on the layman (penance). After that, the person is baptized again, bows, and venerates the Gospel and the Cross.

Confession is one of the most important sacraments in the life of a Christian. For new converts and those who came to the faith late, the question often arises with what words to begin confession before the priest. . A person must show that he has realized his sinful life and wants to change.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Great Lent is a fertile time when a special course of worship, the themes of liturgical texts, as well as abstinence from fast food set a person to repentance, disturb the sleeping soul so that it wakes up and looks at itself, realizes what sins and dangers it is in. At this moment, a repentant feeling begins to visit a person. But often people confuse confession and repentance, while the holy fathers name clear differences between these sacraments. Therefore, today I would like to talk about this. What is confession and what is repentance?

The most important thing in our life is salvation. The Lord says: “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17). The Holy Prophet John the Baptist also calls us in his sermon: "...repent... (Matt. 3:2)" and "bring forth fruit worthy of repentance..." (Matt. 8:9).

When a person lives in the world, he commits many sins. Someone, for example, drinks, smokes, swears, gets irritated, gets angry, gets angry, and all this becomes a habit for him, sins become commonplace, and there is no repentance in a person. When a person comes to God, he begins to feel that sins burden his soul, and then he says before God: “Lord! I won't swear anymore! I won't drink! I won't smoke! I'll try not to get annoyed!" - this is repentance - a change in life.

When a person comes to a priest for confession, he can say: “Batiushka, I didn’t go to Church. He didn’t pray to God, he didn’t keep fasts. He cursed, got drunk drunk, got annoyed. In this I confess and repent. I ask God for forgiveness." If a person said this and gave the Lord a promise to improve, then the grace of God will give him strength, and he departs from confession with a light heart, because. removed from his soul the heavy burden that he had been carrying all this time.

When people say: “I want to live freely, drink, walk, fornicate, smoke, swear obscenities,” this is a disease of the soul. If a person got rid of anger, evil, alcohol, smoking and swearing, then he became free. If these passions torment him, then he is in captivity. Demons keep a person in these passions.

The Holy Fathers say that the beginning of spiritual life, when a person's spiritual eyes are opened and he sees in himself the abyss of sins - this is the beginning of repentance. If a person does not see his sins, it means that he is still spiritually blind. Then you help a person, remind him of his sins. Many do not think that skipping services is a sin. There are apostolic rules that say that if someone has not been in the temple for three Sundays without a good reason, then he is excommunicated from the Church. I usually ask: “Did you keep the fasts?” and I hear in response: “I never observed it.” This is also stated in the Apostolic Rules: if a person does not observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, then he is excommunicated from the Church. The priest reminds in confession that these are serious sins. I ask: "You didn't pray?" and the person confesses: “Yes, I didn’t pray. Just got baptized. I don't even know how to pray. This is also a sin that needs to be repented of.

The priest helps a person at confession, reminds him of his sins, explains that pride is the most serious sin. When a person is in pride, he is always irritated. Why is this happening? Because a person has a high opinion of himself, is offended, always dissatisfied, strives to be on top, wants only good things to be said about him, and this is not pleasing to the Lord. Athos elder Paisios Svyatogorets, when he was little, ran a race with his friends and was the first to run. Paisius's parents said that it was impossible to do this, because pride is hidden in this. It is better to give way to another, let him come running first. So when you study at school, you want to be the first. This should not be. You must always give way to someone else. You have to be able to be humble. This is useful for us. Sometimes it happens that the Lord allows us for our humility to become the second, and even the last. All this is useful for us.

When a person repented for the first time in his life, sincerely confessed, it seems to him that he has said everything. I usually say that this is just the beginning. In fact, you will remember your sins for another two or three years. Take a piece of paper, if you suddenly remember something - write it down so as not to forget, because a pencil or a pen has a better memory than we do. If you remember something else, you need to write everything down again, and then repent of it at confession. Everything we do, say, think about, is imprinted in eternity for all time. How many bad things have we said! How many false conceited words! How much we said with pride! Sometimes we forget about it, but evil spirits do not forget and keep everything.

I'll tell you one story. My brother Nikolai worked as a conductor. One day he was waiting for a train, and since he had time to spare, he put on a sheepskin coat so as not to freeze and lay down on the sofa. Nikolai had not yet had time to fall asleep and suddenly saw a beautiful young man enter and say: “Nikolai, get up! Come with me". He got up, looked around and saw his body from the side. They went along the corridor and suddenly found themselves in one of the rooms, where there was a table covered with a red cloth, and thick books lay on it. There were also two horned demons. As soon as Nikolai entered, they looked at him and said: “Ah, Nikolai! Let's watch!". One demon opened a book and began to list all his sins from his youth, even those he did not remember. Then another demon did the same. Nicholas took this book and threw it at the demons. They rushed from the table and began to beat him. But the young man said, "Don't touch him." After that, Nikolai woke up again on the couch. The Lord revealed to him that from about the age of seven, when a person realizes what sins are, demons already control our words, deeds and thoughts.

There are times when they come to confession and say: “Father! I am a sinner in everything!”, then I begin to ask:

People shot?

Did you set fire to the house?

Did you fly to the moon?

You have to say what you have done in your life.

Conscience often convicts us - we hear the voice of God. Some people try to "silence" their conscience. You can't do that. When we sincerely repent, then the soul will be freed and the Lord will give grace-filled strength. After that, a person does not sin, he has the fear of God. It happens that a person comes up and says: “Father, I am a sinner in this, in this and in this, but he does not promise to improve, he remains the same as he was. If a person asks how to get rid of a certain sin, then the priest will always advise what to do, and then you need to obey him. If we are talking about carnal sin, then we should not eat meat and sweets, do not condemn anyone, do not be proud, do not get annoyed, do not offend anyone, do not eat to our fill. If passions bother you, then you can not eat on Friday. If this is not enough, then on Wednesday and Monday. In this way we can achieve that all passions will cease for us. Of course, everything begins with thoughts, from our intemperance. No need to climb where the fire is, surf the Internet, look for all kinds of dirt on TV. And if they plunged there, what does it say? About the fact that we are unclean, and this is not pleasing to the Lord. Therefore, we must live in purity.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, the man is ripe for repentance, he decided to write a confession. How can he properly build a confession? Where to start in the first place?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

You should start with the most serious sins - murder, fornication. Once you name them, it will become easier for you to confess further.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

How much detail do you need to talk about such sins?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

Confession does not need to talk about how the sin was committed.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Do I need to talk about how many times they committed some kind of sin?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

If a person came to confession for the first time and repented, then he does not need to repeat this. The Lord forgave him his sin.

Phone call:

I was at the evening service at confession and asked the priest for blessings for fasting. Since I have the second group of disability, the doctor categorically forbade me to fast. The priest does not give relief and says to go to another doctor who will not forbid. Please tell me what to do next? On Saturday and Sunday I asked for some cottage cheese and fish.

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

I confessed for ten years in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and five years in Pochaev. Among confessors, it was usually established that the sick were allowed fish, but not dairy products. When the mother of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt fell ill and was dying, the doctor told her to eat chicken broth, to which she replied: “I have never broken a fast in my life and never will. The Lord will heal me." And the Lord healed her. The Bible says, "If you want to be healthy, don't sin." If you sin, you go to the doctor, the doctor will prescribe you medicine, and God heals you (Sir. 38:1-15).

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, we were asked this question: “I have been sick for 30 years, now I am 40. I can’t walk, I feel weakness of the whole body. I have been churched from the very beginning of my illness, I observe all the fasts, I pray. At home, all the sacraments are performed on me. What else would be useful for me to do so that the Lord would hear me? Maybe my faith is weak?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

The most important thing is to thank God. Once, a confessor on the holy Mount Athos bowed his head. Another elder approached him and said: “Father, what is the matter with you?” He answers:

The Lord left me.

How did you leave?

The day passed and there were no temptations. All was good.

If there are illnesses, it means that the Lord did not pass by, he visited. For this we must thank God. This is very valuable. We need to ask the prayers of loved ones so that they pray for us. This is the most important thing. No need to grumble, despair, blame someone - God or neighbors. You only have yourself to blame. It is better to go through everything here temporarily, to endure it, so that the soul can go free and pure into the spiritual world. Of course, it is terrible and terrible when a person sins on earth and does not realize it, but constantly abides in sin. Demons bind a person hand and foot and do not allow him to grow spiritually. This is scary. So we must thank God for the disease.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, another very important part of proper repentance and confession is a spiritual father. How to choose the right confessor?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

You need to ask the Lord for this. When I was in my first year of seminary, I went under the Dormition Cathedral and on the way I thought like this: “Now I will enter the church for confession, and the first priest who comes out will become my confessor.” At this moment, the archimandrite comes out of the altar and I have the thought: “Here is your spiritual father.” So it is to this day, already 50 years. God Himself will send someone to whom you can open up. Of course, this issue is very complex.

It is necessary at least once in your life to truly repent from youth, to find someone you can trust. There are few priests in parish churches, but there are many people, and the priest cannot confess one person in detail. You have to go to a monastery and confess there in full to some confessor. It is necessary that nothing be left on the conscience. It is most important.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, sometimes a person encounters an internal obstacle. He wants to repent, but he tries to choose words in confession. It seems ugly and shameful to him to name all his sins. It is necessary to choose such words in order to speak about sin and not experience strong shame. But then a person is faced with the fact that when he departs from confession, he does not experience peace in his soul. Conscience convicts him. Why is this happening?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

This happens when a person has not fully revealed the sin. The priest has a lot of people at confession. There is no need to be embarrassed to say sins, because the evil spirit, which does not depart from us, always inspires us with this. Don't be afraid of what the priest thinks of you. We must boldly speak, then the Lord accepts such a penitent soul in His arms. There is no such sin that the Lord would not forgive. There is no disease that God would not heal.

Phone call:

There are different opinions about the order of confession and unction. Can you please clarify this question?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

The Apostle James says: "Is any of you sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). “And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:15). Before taking unction, a person must go to confession, repent of all sins, so that he has nothing left on his conscience. In the Sacrament of Unction, those sins are forgiven that a person, due to his weakness, no longer remembers.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

What means " forgiven sin"? I read from the holy fathers that the forgiven sin literally means " never-before sin”, i.e. if a person committed a sin and repented of it, then in the eyes of God this sin did not exist. What a great power repentance has!

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

Yes. In Greek, the word sin' means miss. When a person aims "at the top ten" and hits "milk", then this is a miss. The same thing happens when a person sins, but thinks like this: "Now I will get drunk or smoke and enjoy it." It turns out the man is wrong. This will bring him great harm. The grace of God leaves, despondency, despair, anxiety sets in, and there is no joy. And the apostle Paul says: “Always rejoice, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

Phone call:

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

We have no enemies. We have only one enemy - the devil and the sins we commit. I was in Jerusalem. Jews, Muslims, Protestants and Orthodox live there. Many people live together. We must not have enemies. We must show others by the example of our lives that our Orthodox faith is rightly glorifying God. Enmity does not lead to good things. It leads to bloodshed and destruction. Imagine that you were born in a different faith, and on the day of the Last Judgment of the Lord, our affairs will be revealed. According to our deeds, we will receive punishment or reward.

Phone call:

At the age of 28, I already had the Gospel, then it was still impossible to go to church. I worked as a teacher and talked about God everywhere on the road. If I was driving to Simferopol, and I myself lived in the Crimea at that time, then for three hours I told the driver about the Gospel - I had already learned it by heart. Thank God, almost everyone listened, and only some drivers frowned and said that I did not have to pay 4 rubles, if only I got out of the car. Others reacted differently. Once I had to pay 3 rubles, and I had only 2, and the driver said: “I would ride with you all my life, if only you would only talk about God.” Did I do the right thing, because it is said: “Do not give holy things to dogs and do not cast your pearls before swine?” (Matthew 7:6).

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

If a person is full, and you force him to eat, he will say: “I am full. I don't need any more." And, conversely, if a person is hungry and needs food, then you need to feed him - i.e. talk to him about God. That's why that driver told you so. He was contented and nourished with spiritual food. And the person who is soul dead does not need it. If a person of a different faith does not want to listen to you, then there is no need to speak. When I ride in a cassock on a train, I don’t say anything to anyone. People themselves ask: “Where do you serve? Where do you live? Do you believe in God?" I answer: “Yes, I do. Because there are no unbelievers on earth. Some believe there is a God, others don't. And the conversation begins. I don't say anything about God. Under the Soviet regime, when I was traveling on a train, it sometimes happened that the compartment was completely packed with people: some listened, then the second entered, and after them the third. Everyone was constantly listening. I told them about the bird, about the plane, about nature. Even if the authorities will listen, I did not say anything seditious, there was no agitation. I was just answering questions. Once I got off at a stop at 4 o'clock in the morning, looked back - it turns out that in the car where I was traveling, in almost every window 2-3 people waved at me!

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Was it in Soviet times?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

In Soviet times. It is necessary to speak, because faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God, according to Holy Scripture.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Scripture gives examples of this. The First Martyr Stephen preached a sermon to the Jews, the enemies of Christ. How did they react? They didn’t just say, “We don’t need it,” they gnashed their teeth, tore their clothes, because this speech denounced them. She burned them like fire, but he spoke anyway. We do not know, maybe one of these Jews later repented.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Question: Is it appropriate to ask monastic priests questions and consult in detail about the arrangement of their personal lives? Or is it better to address such questions to the white clergy?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

If the priest is experienced, then you can contact him.

Phone call:

I didn't get married. After the wedding, I did not know my wife. She was afraid that we would have sick children, because I was released from the army under the article, and she was registered because she was also sick. I left her. We divorced, and three years later she gave birth to a normal child in another marriage. The demon incites me: how to take revenge on her, the evil one does not give rest. Should I forgive her, leave her to the judgment of God?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

I must say that there are no cases large and small, to the smallest detail. This is the work of God. You need to pray for her. If we have enemies who are against us, then demons act on us through them. And when we pray, this person is no longer our enemy. He is a creation of God and the Lord does not charge us with sin if we pray for this person. We must endure this temptation, it is not without God's providence. It will all pass. So that's how it should be. God allowed it, say: “Glory to God for everything!” If we thank God for everything that happens to us in life, even if, for example, your bag was torn out, and there was a lot of money, it means that this is not without the will of God. Thank God for everything! We must thank the Lord. Once I had visitors who asked me: “Father! Give us guidance on how to live in this life right? I answered: “Now you are going to Moscow, you come to your house, and there are a lot of fire trucks, ambulances, and you are 100% sure that your apartment and all the things in it burned down. No need to panic. You need to act like Job the Long-suffering and say: “God gave, God took. Thank God for everything!" This will be before God as a feat. You got into the car, drove to your friends, your car skidded and you crashed into a pole. No need to get upset, you need to go out and say: “Thank God, everyone is alive. If it didn’t beat, didn’t break, then where would everything go? Thank God! So that's how it's supposed to be." This will please the Lord. You came to your friends, sat down at the table to drink tea - and suddenly you had an attack. An ambulance was called and you were on the operating table. And here it is necessary to say: “Glory to God for everything!” Everything that the Lord does not do is for the better, because God is Love. He is more concerned about our health and our salvation than we are. This is how we should live right.

There is a folk proverb: “Lost wealth - lost nothing. Lost health - half lost. Lost faith in God - lost everything. One hundred years ago there were one hundred and fifty million people in Russia, and the majority were believers. And then people came and said that there is no God, and some took it for the truth, went against God and destroyed the country. Without God, everything is destroyed...

Confession (repentance) is one of the seven Christian Sacraments, in which a penitent who confesses his sins to a priest, with a visible forgiveness of sins (reading a permissive prayer), is invisibly resolved from them. by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This sacrament was instituted by the Savior, who said to His disciples: “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (untie) on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Gospel of Matthew, ch. 18, verse 18). And in another place: “Receive the Holy Spirit: to whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain ”(Gospel of John, ch. 20, verses 22-23). The apostles, on the other hand, transferred the power to "bind and loose" to their successors - the bishops, who, in turn, when performing the Sacrament of ordination (priesthood), transfer this power to the priests.

The Holy Fathers call repentance the second baptism: if at baptism a person is cleansed from the power of original sin, transferred to him at birth from our forefathers Adam and Eve, then repentance washes him from the filth of his own sins committed by him after the Sacrament of Baptism.

In order for the Sacrament of Repentance to take place, the penitent needs: awareness of his sinfulness, sincere heartfelt repentance for his sins, a desire to leave sin and not repeat it, faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy, faith that the Sacrament of Confession has the power to purify and wash away, through the prayer of a priest, sincerely confessed sins.

The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1st Epistle of John, ch. 1, verse 7). At the same time, we hear from many people: “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t

I commit adultery, so why should I repent? But if we carefully study God's commandments, we will find that we sin against many of them. Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.

Ingratitude to God.

Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying your disbelief with an atheistic upbringing.

Apostasy, cowardly silence, when they blaspheme the faith of Christ, not wearing a pectoral cross, visiting various sects.

Mentioning the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned not in prayer and not in pious conversation about Him).

Oath in the name of the Lord.

Divination, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.

Thoughts of suicide.

Playing cards and other games of chance.

Failure to fulfill the morning and evening prayer rule.

Not visiting the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.

Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.

Reckless (non-daily) reading of the Holy Scriptures, soulful literature.

Breaking vows to God.

Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in the Providence of God, fear of old age, poverty, illness.

Absent-mindedness at prayer, thoughts about worldly things during worship.

Condemnation of the Church and her ministers.

Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.

The continuation of a sinful life in one hope of God's mercy, i.e., excessive hope in God.

A waste of time watching TV, reading entertainment books at the expense of time for prayer, reading the gospel and spiritual literature.

Concealment of sins at confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Self-confidence, human-confidence, that is, excessive hope in one's own strength and in someone else's help, without hope that everything is in the hands of God.

Raising children outside the Christian faith.

Irritability, anger, irritability.

Arrogance.

Perjury.

mockery.

Avarice.

Non-repayment of debts.

Non-payment for hard earned money.

Failure to help those in need.

Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.

Disrespect for elders.

Restlessness in your work.

Condemnation.

Taking someone else's is theft.

Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.

Killing one's child in the womb (abortion), persuading others to commit murder (abortion).

Murder by a word - bringing a person by slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.

Drinking alcohol at the commemoration of the dead instead of intensified prayer for them.

Verbosity, gossip, idle talk. ,

Unreasonable laughter.

Foul language.

self-love.

Doing good deeds for show.

Vanity.

Desire to get rich.

Love of money.

Envy.

Drunkenness, drug use.

Gluttony.

Fornication - inciting fornication thoughts, impure desires, fornication touches, watching erotic films and reading similar books.

Fornication is the physical intimacy of persons who are not bound by marriage.

Adultery is adultery.

Fornication is unnatural - the physical proximity of persons of the same sex, masturbation.

Incest - physical intimacy with relatives or nepotism.

Although the above sins are conditionally divided into three parts, in the end they are all sins against God (because they violate His commandments and thereby offend Him) and against neighbors (because they do not allow true Christian relationships and love to be revealed). ), and against themselves (because they hinder the salvific dispensation of the soul).

Whoever wants to bring repentance before God for his sins must prepare for the Sacrament of Confession. You need to prepare for confession in advance: it is advisable to read the literature devoted to the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, remember all your sins, you can write them out on

a separate piece of paper to review it before confession. Sometimes a sheet with the listed sins is given to the confessor for reading, but sins that especially weigh on the soul must be told aloud. There is no need to tell the confessor long stories, it is enough to state the sin itself. For example, if you are at enmity with relatives or neighbors, you do not need to tell what caused this enmity - you need to repent of the very sin of condemning relatives or neighbors. It is not the list of sins that is important to God and the confessor, but the repentant feeling of the confessed, not detailed stories, but a contrite heart. It must be remembered that confession is not only an awareness of one's own shortcomings, but above all, a thirst to be cleansed of them. In no case is it unacceptable to justify oneself - this is no longer repentance! Elder Silouan of Athos explains what real repentance is: “Here is the sign of the forgiveness of sins: if you hated sin, then the Lord forgave you your sins.”

It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with a confessor. It is necessary to reconcile with your neighbors and ask for forgiveness from all those who have offended. When preparing for confession, it is advisable to strengthen your evening prayer rule by reading the Penitential Canon, which is found in the Orthodox prayer book.

In order to confess, you need to find out when the Sacrament of Confession takes place in the temple. In those churches where the service is performed every day, the Sacrament of Confession is also performed every day. In those churches where there is no daily service, you must first familiarize yourself with the schedule of services.

Children up to seven years old (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary from early childhood to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great

Sacrament. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the routine of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare babies for the upcoming Communion 2-3 days in advance: read the Gospel, the lives of the saints, other soulful books with them, reduce, or better, completely exclude watching TV (but this must be done very tactfully, without developing negative associations in the child with the preparation for Communion ), follow their prayer in the morning and before bedtime, talk with the child about the past days and bring him to a sense of shame for his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing more effective for a child than a personal example of parents.

Starting from the age of seven, children (youths) already begin the Sacrament of Communion, like adults, only after the preliminary celebration of the Sacrament of Confession. In many ways, the sins listed in the previous sections are also inherent in children, but still, children's confession has its own characteristics. To set the children up for sincere repentance, it is pleaded that they be given the following list of possible sins to read:

Did you lie in bed in the morning and did you miss the morning prayer rule in connection with this?

Didn't he sit down at the table without praying and didn't he go to bed without prayer?

Do you know by heart the most important Orthodox prayers: “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”, a prayer to your Heavenly patron, whose name you bear?

Did you go to church every Sunday?

Didn't he get carried away with various amusements on church holidays instead of visiting the temple of God?

Did he behave properly in the church service, didn’t he run around the temple, didn’t he conduct empty conversations with his peers, thereby introducing them into temptation?

Did he not pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?

Are you making the sign of the cross correctly, are you in no hurry to do so, are you not distorting the sign of the cross?

Did you get distracted by extraneous thoughts while praying?

Do you read the Gospel, other spiritual books?

Do you wear a pectoral cross and are you not ashamed of it?

Do you use a cross as a decoration, which is a sin?

Do you wear various amulets, for example, signs of the zodiac?

Didn't you guess, didn't tell?

Didn’t he hide his sins before the priest at confession because of false shame, and then take communion unworthily?

Was he not proud of himself and others of his successes and abilities?

Have you argued with anyone - just to get the upper hand in the argument?

Did you lie to your parents out of fear of being punished?

Didn’t you eat fast food, for example, ice cream, without the permission of your parents?

Did he listen to his parents, argue with them, demand an expensive purchase from them?

Did he hit anyone? Have you encouraged others to do so?

Did he offend the younger ones?

Have you tortured animals?

Didn't he gossip about anyone, didn't he snitch on anyone?

Have you laughed at people who have any physical handicaps?

Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue, or using drugs?

Didn't he swear?

Have you played cards?

Did you do any handicraft?

Did you take someone else's for yourself?

Have you been in the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?

Are you too lazy to help your parents around the house?

Was he pretending to be sick to avoid his duties?

Did you envy others?

The above list is only a general scheme of possible sins. Each child may have their own, individual experiences associated with specific cases. The task of parents is to set the child up for repentant feelings before the Sacrament of Confession. You can advise him to remember his misdeeds committed after the last confession, write his sins on a piece of paper, but this should not be done for him. The main thing: the child must understand that the Sacrament of Confession is a Sacrament that cleanses the soul from sins, subject to sincere, sincere repentance and the desire not to repeat them again.

Confession is made in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. In no case should one be late for the beginning of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rites, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rites, the priest addresses the penitents so that they give their names - everyone answers in an undertone. Those who are late for the beginning of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if there is such an opportunity, at the end of the confession, reads the rites again for them and accepts the confession, or appoints it for another day. It is impossible for women to start the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.

Confession usually takes place in a church with a confluence of people, so you need to respect the secrecy of confession, not crowd around the priest who is receiving confession, and not embarrass the confessor who reveals his sins to the priest. The confession must be complete. It is impossible to confess some sins first, and leave others for the next time. Those sins that the penitent confessed in pre-

previous confessions and which have already been released to him are not named again. If possible, you need to confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a sense of false shame prevents a familiar confessor from revealing. Those who do this are trying to deceive God Himself by their actions: at confession we confess our sins not to the confessor, but together with him - to the Savior Himself.

In large churches, due to the large number of penitents and the impossibility of the priest to accept confession from everyone, a “general confession” is usually practiced, when the priest lists the most common sins aloud and the confessors standing in front of him repent of them, after which everyone in turn comes under the permissive prayer . Those who have never been to confession or have not confessed for several years should avoid general confession. Such people need to go through private confession - for which you need to choose either a weekday, when there are not so many confessors in the church, or find a parish where only private confession is performed. If this is not possible, you need to go to the priest at a general confession for permissive prayer among the last, so as not to detain anyone, and, having explained the situation, open yourself to him in the sins you have committed. The same should be done by those who have grave sin.

Many ascetics of piety warn that a grave sin, about which the confessor kept silent at the general confession, remains unrepentant, and therefore not forgiven.

After the confession of sins and the reading of the permissive prayer by the priest, the penitent kisses the Cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern and, if he was preparing for communion, takes a blessing from the confessor for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

In some cases, the priest may impose penance on the penitent - spiritual exercises intended to deepen repentance and eradicate sinful habits. Penance must be treated as the will of God, spoken through a priest, requiring obligatory fulfillment in order to heal the soul of the penitent. If it is impossible for various reasons to fulfill the penance, one should turn to the priest who imposed it to resolve the difficulties that have arisen.

Those wishing not only to confess, but also to take communion, must adequately and in accordance with the requirements of the Church prepare for the Sacrament of Communion. This preparation is called fasting.

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Modest food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses abstain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and TV viewing. If circumstances permit, these days one should attend services in the temple. The morning and evening prayer rules are more diligently carried out, with the addition of reading the Penitential Canon to them.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is performed in the temple - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion. In the evening, before reading the prayers for the future, three canons are read: Penitent to our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read until the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to make such a prayer rule in

one day, they take a blessing from the priest to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

It is quite difficult for children to follow all the prayer rules for preparing for the sacrament. Parents, together with the confessor, need to choose the optimal number of prayers that the child will be able to do, then gradually increase the number of necessary prayers needed to prepare for Communion, up to the full prayer rule for Holy Communion.

For some, it is very difficult to read the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, some do not go to confession and do not receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers to be read) and preparation for communion. Such people can be recommended to approach the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing sins, ask your confessor for advice. It is necessary to pray to the Lord that He will help to overcome difficulties and give strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to start the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o'clock in the morning they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years old, and if possible even earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule.

In the morning they also do not eat or drink anything and, of course, do not smoke, you can only brush your teeth. After reading the morning prayers, prayers for Holy Communion are read. If it is difficult to read the prayers for Holy Communion in the morning, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the evening before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, it is necessary to arrive on time, before the start of confession. If confession was made the night before, then the confessor comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is a Sacrament established by the Savior Himself during the Last Supper: “Jesus took bread and, blessing, broke it and, distributing it to the disciples, said: take, eat: this is My Body. And, taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said: drink from it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins ”(Gospel of Matthew, ch. 26, verses 26-28).

During the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed - bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the communicants, taking Them during Communion, mysteriously, incomprehensibly to the human mind, are united with Christ Himself, since He is all contained in each Particle of Communion .

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary in order to enter eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks of this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day ... ”(Gospel of John, ch. 6, verses 53-54).

The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary purification by the Sacrament of Penance; the only exceptions are infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation prescribed for the laity. Women need to wipe lipstick off their lips. It is forbidden for women to receive communion during the month of cleansing. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the fortieth day prayer of cleansing has been read over them.

During the exit of the priest with the Holy Gifts, the communicants make one earthly (if it is a weekday) or waist (if it is a Sunday or holiday) bow and carefully listen to the words of the prayers read by the priest, repeating them to themselves. After reading the prayers

private traders, with their hands crossed on their chests (the right over the left), decorously, without crowding, in deep humility approach the Holy Chalice. A pious custom has developed to let the children go first to the Chalice, then the men come up, after them the women. One should not be baptized at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally touch it. Having called his name aloud, the communicant, opening his mouth, accepts the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. After Communion, the deacon or sexton wipes the mouth of the communicant with a special cloth, after which he kisses the edge of the holy Chalice and goes to a special table, where he takes a drink (warmth) and eats a particle of prosphora. This is done so that not a single particle of the Body of Christ remains in the mouth. Without accepting warmth, one cannot venerate either icons, or the Cross, or the Gospel.

After receiving the warmth, the communicants do not leave the temple and pray with everyone until the end of the service. After the dismissal (the final words of the service), the communicants approach the Cross and carefully listen to the prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion. After listening to the prayers, the communicants sedately disperse, trying to keep the purity of their soul cleansed of sins for as long as possible, not exchanging for empty talk and deeds that are not useful for the soul. On the day after communion of the Holy Mysteries, prostrations are not performed; with the blessing of the priest, they are not applied to the hand. You can apply only to icons, the Cross and the Gospel. The rest of the day must be spent piously: avoiding verbosity (it is better to be silent more in general), watching TV, excluding marital intimacy, it is advisable for smokers to refrain from smoking. It is advisable to read thanksgiving prayers at home after Holy Communion. The fact that on the day of the sacrament one cannot shake hands is a prejudice. Under no circumstances should you take communion several times in one day.

In cases of illness and infirmity, communion can be done at home. For this, a priest is invited to the house. Depending on

Depending on his condition, the sick person is properly prepared for confession and communion. In any case, he can take communion only on an empty stomach (with the exception of the dying). Children under the age of seven do not receive communion at home, since, unlike adults, they can only partake of the Blood of Christ, and the spare Gifts that a priest communes at home contain only particles of the Body of Christ saturated with His Blood. For the same reason, infants do not receive communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts celebrated on weekdays during Great Lent.

Each Christian either determines the time when he needs to confess and take communion, or does it with the blessing of his spiritual father. There is a pious custom to take communion at least five times a year - on each of the four multi-day fasts and on the day of your Angel (the day of memory of the saint whose name you bear).

How often it is necessary to take communion, St. Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer gives pious advice: The heart then partakes of the Lord spiritually.

But just as we are constrained by the body, and surrounded by external affairs and relationships, in which we must take part for a long time, the spiritual tasting of the Lord, due to the bifurcation of our attention and feelings, is weakened day by day, obscured and hidden ...

Therefore, the zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are, as it were, eating the Lord again.

Published by the Orthodox parish in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Novosibirsk.

Confession is a sacrament of repentance, when a believer sets forth his committed sins to a clergyman in the hope of God's forgiveness. The rite was established by the Savior himself, who spoke to the disciples the words recorded in the Gospel of Matthew: chapter 18, verse 18. The topic of confession is also covered in the Gospel of John: chapter 20, verses 22-23.

In the sacrament of repentance, parishioners state the main passions (mortal sins) committed by them:

• gluttony (excessive consumption of food);
• anger;
• fornication, debauchery;
• love of money (desire for material values);
• despondency (depression, despair, laziness);
• vanity;
• pride;
• envy.

The representative of the church is empowered to forgive sins in the name of the Lord.

Preparation for confession

The need to confess in the vast majority of cases arises when:

• committing a grave sin;
• preparation for communion;
• decision to get married;
• mental anguish from the offenses committed;
• serious or terminal illness;
• desire to change the sinful past.

Confession requires preparation. You need to know the schedule for when the ordinances are held and choose a suitable date. Usually, confession is performed on weekends and holidays; daily rites are possible.

Attention! During the sacrament, a significant number of believers are present. If there are difficulties with opening the soul to the priest and repentance in front of a large crowd of people, it is advisable to contact the minister of the church and choose a day when it is possible to be alone with him.

Before confession, it is recommended to make a list of sins, correctly identifying them. Offenses committed by word, deed, in thoughts are taken into account, starting from the last repentance. In the case of the first confession in adulthood, they remember their own sins from the age of 7 or after baptism.

In order to tune in to the right mood, it is advisable to read the Penitential Canon in the evening before the sacrament. It is important to go to confession in the absence of ungodly thoughts, forgive your offenders and apologize to those whom you have offended yourself. Fasting before the ceremony is optional.

Confession should be done once a month, if desired and the need arises, you can do it more often. Women during menstruation abstain from the ceremony.

How to confess properly

It is important to come to the sacrament of repentance without delay. Confession is held in the morning or evening. Repentant believers read the rites. The priest interrogates the names of those who came to confession, you should tell him in a calm voice, without shouting. Latecomers do not participate in the sacrament.

It is recommended to conduct a rite of repentance with one confessor. You need to wait for your turn, then turn to people with the words: “Forgive me, a sinner (sinner).” The answer will be the phrase: "God will forgive, and we forgive." After that, they approach the clergyman and bow their heads in front of the lectern - an elevated table.

Having crossed himself and bowed, the believer confesses, listing sins. You should start the phrase with the words: “Lord, I have sinned (sinned) before You ...” and reveal what exactly. They report misconduct without details, in general terms. If you need clarification, the priest will ask. However, to speak too briefly: "Sinful (sinful) in everything!" also not allowed. It is important to list all misconducts without hiding anything. They end the confession, for example, with the phrase: “I repent, Lord! Save and have mercy on me a sinner (sinner)!” Then they carefully listen to the priest, take into account his advice. After reading the "permissive" prayer by the clergyman, they cross themselves and bow twice, kiss the Cross and the book of the Gospel.

Important! For serious sins, a representative of the church appoints a penance - a punishment that may consist in reading a long prayer, fasting or abstinence. Only after its fulfillment and with the help of a “permissive” prayer is the believer considered forgiven.

In large Temples, with a significant number of people, a “general” confession is used. In this case, the priest lists the main sins, and those who confess repent. After that, each parishioner approaches the representative of the church under the "permissive" prayer.

sacrament of repentance

Confession is considered the second baptism. If at baptism a person is cleansed of original sin, then at repentance there is a liberation from personal passions.

When conducting the ceremony, it is important to be honest with yourself and God, be aware of the misconduct committed and sincerely repent of them. One should not be embarrassed or afraid of condemning the priest - this will not happen, the representative of the church is only a conductor between the believer and the Lord, there is no need to make excuses before him, only repent.

One cannot continue to be tormented by a sin that has already been repented, since it is considered forgiven. Otherwise, the church perceives this as a manifestation of lack of faith.

Examples of sins that are listed to the priest during confession include various categories.

Common female transgressions include:

• turned to witches, fortune-tellers, and so on;
• rarely attended church and read prayers;
• had sexual relations before marriage;
• during prayer, she thought about pressing problems;
• was afraid of old age;
• had impious thoughts;
• had an abortion;
• was superstitious;
• excessive use of alcohol, sweets, drugs;
• wore revealing clothes;
• refused to help those in need.

Common male sins are:

• lack of faith, blasphemy against the Lord;
• cruelty;
• pride;
• laziness;
• mockery of the weak;
• greed;
• evasion from military service;
• insulting people around, the use of violence;
• weakness in resisting temptations;
• slander, theft;
• rudeness, rudeness;
• refusal to help those in need.

In Orthodoxy, there are 3 main groups of sins that are subject to presentation during confession: in relation to the Lord, relatives, and oneself.

Sins against God

• interest in the occult sciences;
• apostasy;
• an insult to God, ingratitude to him;
• unwillingness to wear a pectoral cross;
• superstition;
• atheistic upbringing;
• mentioning the Lord in vain;
• unwillingness to read morning and evening prayers, visit the temple on Sundays and holidays;
• thoughts of suicide;
• passion for gambling;
• rare reading of Orthodox literature;
• non-observance of church rules (fasting);
• despair in difficulties and problems, denial of God's providence;
• condemnation of representatives of the church;
• dependence on earthly pleasures;
• fear of old age;
• hiding sins during repentance, unwillingness to fight them;
• arrogance, denial of God's help.

Sins towards relatives

The group of vices against neighbors includes:

• disrespect for parents, irritation with old age;
• condemnation, hatred;
• anger;
• quick temper;
• slander, rancor;
• raising children in a different faith;
• non-repayment of debts;
• non-payment of money for work;
• rejection of people in need of help;
• arrogance;
• quarrels, swearing with relatives and neighbors;
• greed;
• driving a neighbor to suicide;
• having an abortion and encouraging others to do so;
• drinking alcohol at funerals;
• theft;
• laziness at work.

Sins against the soul

• deception;
• foul language (use of obscene language);
• self-delusion;
• vanity;
• envy;
• laziness;
• despair, sadness;
• impatience;
• lack of faith;
• adultery (violation of fidelity in marriage);
• laughter for no reason;
• masturbation, unnatural fornication (proximity of people of the same sex), incest;
• love for material values, the desire for enrichment;
• gluttony;
• perjury;
• doing good deeds for show;
• dependence on alcohol, tobacco;
• idle talk, verbosity;
• reading literature and viewing photos, films with erotic content;
• extramarital intimacy.

How to confess to children

The Church teaches children from an early age to a sense of reverence for the Lord. A child under 7 years old is considered a baby, he does not need to confess, including before communion.

Upon reaching the specified age, children begin the rite of repentance on an equal basis with adults. Before confession, it is recommended to set up the baby by reading the Holy Scriptures, children's Orthodox literature. It is advisable to reduce the time of watching TV, pay special attention to reading morning and evening prayers.

When a child behaves badly, they talk to him, awakening a sense of shame.

Children also make a list of committed sins, it is important that they do this on their own, without the help of adults. To help the child, he is given a list of possible sins:

• did not miss the morning or evening prayers before the meal?
• did not steal?
• didn't you guess?
• Do you brag about your skills and abilities?
• Do you know the main prayers (“Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”)?
• do not hide sins at confession?
• do not use amulets, symbols?
• attend church on Sundays, don't play around in the service?
• not fond of bad habits, do not use foul language?
• did not mention the name of the Lord unnecessarily?
• are you not shy about wearing a cross, do you wear it without taking it off?
• did not deceive parents?
• didn't snitch, didn't gossip?
• help your loved ones, are you not lazy?
• did not mock the beasts of the earth?
• didn't play cards?

The child may name personal sins not listed. It is important that he understands the need for awareness of his own misdeeds, sincere and sincere repentance.

Confession examples

Speech during the sacrament of repentance is made up arbitrarily, depending on the enumeration of the sins of the believer. A few examples of what to say in confession will help to make an individual appeal to the priest and God.

Example 1

Lord, I have sinned (sinned) before You with adultery, lies, greed, slander, foul language, superstition, the desire for enrichment, extramarital carnal intimacy, quarrels with loved ones, gluttony, abortion, addiction to alcohol, tobacco, vindictiveness, condemnation, non-compliance with church rules . I repent, Lord! Have mercy on me, a sinner (sinner).

Example 2

I confess to the Lord God, in the Holy Trinity glorious, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all sins from youth to the present, committed by deed, word and thought, voluntarily or involuntarily. I put my hope in God's mercy and wish to correct my life. I sinned (sinned) with apostasy, impudent judgments about church laws, love for earthly goods, disrespect for elders. Forgive me, Lord, cleanse, renew my soul and body, so that I can follow the path of salvation. And you, honest Father, pray for me to the Lord, the Most Pure Lady of the Mother of God and the saints, that the Lord will have mercy on me through their prayers, forgive me from my sins and make me worthy to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ without condemnation.

Example 3

I bring you, merciful Lord, the heavy burden of my sins from early youth to this day. I have sinned (sinned) before You by forgetting Your commandments, ingratitude to You for mercy, superstition, blasphemous thoughts, desire for pleasure, vanity, idle talk, gluttony, breaking fasts, refusing to help those in need. I have sinned in words, thoughts, deeds, sometimes involuntarily, but more often consciously. I sincerely repent of my sins, I do my best not to repeat them. Forgive and have mercy on me, Lord!