How to correctly name sins during confession. Preparation for confession

When a person wants to open up before God in his misdeeds, he does not always understand how to do it. Of particular difficulty are sins at confession. Not everyone can formulate a list in their own words briefly. Which ones are important and which ones can be skipped? What exactly is considered sin?

Rite of Penance

Confession in the Christian faith is a confession of committed sins before a priest who is a witness of your repentance on behalf of Christ. With special prayers and permissive words, the priest forgives the sins of all who sincerely regret them. According to the rules of the Christian Church:

1. Everyone who is already 7 years old can pass the ceremony.
2. The representative of the church cannot force confession. This decision is voluntary.

During the procedure, the layman must list everything that he considers necessary. If he finds it difficult, the Holy Father can push him with leading questions. It is better when every Orthodox has his own spiritual mentor, who knows a person from childhood and can help him grow spiritually, to act not only as a priest, but also as a teacher.

Today, according to all laws, confession is a secret matter, and a priest cannot be convicted if he refused to reveal the facts known to him from the confession. This is done so that any person can cleanse his soul, since everyone has the right to do so. In order to feel confident with a priest, you need to think everything over well in advance and get ready.

How to prepare for confession in church?

Here are some tips given by spirit guides:

1. You need to understand and understand what you did wrong. Realize your misdeeds committed before God and people.
2. Get ready for a simple conversation. Do not think that now I will require you to know some special church language. Everything is like people in the world.
3. Do not be afraid to confess even the most terrible, in your opinion, sins. God knows everything and you won't surprise him. However, like a priest. During the years of his ministry, he heard everything. In addition, we are all the same for the most part, so you cannot tell him anything particularly new. Don't worry, he won't judge. This is not why the Holy Father came to the service.
4. Don't talk about small things. Think about serious things. Remember how you treated God and your neighbors. By close people, the church understands everyone you have met and even managed to offend.
5. Ask for forgiveness from those who are near personally, who are far away - mentally.
6. Read special prayers the day before.

Confession must become regular for a person who wants to spiritually grow above himself. This will help you take a more responsible attitude towards your life and the people around you.

In this video, all the answers to your questions about this rite will be given:

How to write sins for confession?

It is believed that when listing your misdeeds, it is wrong to use their list. It needs to be pronounced like this. But some people get nervous and can't get their thoughts together, so you can draft a draft for yourself. This will help put your thoughts in order and not forget anything.

Divide the sheet of paper into these columns:

1. Sins against God.

Here you write:

• Blasphemy.
• Failure to fulfill your vows.
• Thoughts of suicide.
• dissatisfaction with fate.

1. Sins against relatives.

Namely:

• Parent disrespect.
• Resentment.
• Envy, malice, hatred.
• Slander.
• Condemnation.

1. Crimes against your soul:

• Laziness.
• Narcissism.
• Foul language.
• Self-justification.
• Fornication.
• Disbelief.
• Impatience.

What sins to list at confession?

So, let's try to highlight in more detail the most common and requiring attention in the list:

• I allowed myself to be dissatisfied with the life given to me by God and the people around me.
• She had the courage to scold her children and be angry with her loved ones.
• I doubted honesty.
• She condemned others for their sins, weakness.
• I ate unhealthy food and drank unhealthy drinks.
• I did not forgive those who offended me.
• Frustrated due to losses.
• Used someone else's work.
• She did not protect herself from diseases and did not go to the doctors.
• I cheated myself.
• She celebrated the holidays with booze and earthly hobbies.
• Laugh at someone else's misconduct.
• She believed in signs, followed them.
• Wishing for death.
• She set a bad example in her life.
• I was fond of trying on clothes and jewelry.
• She slandered people.
• I was looking for the culprits of my problems.
• Visited fortune-tellers, psychics.
• It was the cause of discord between people.
• Jealous.
• She used food for pleasure, not to satisfy hunger.
• I was lazy.
• I was afraid of suffering.

We tried to remember and pick up the most life situations. As you can see, some of the sins are truly feminine. But there are those that only the strong half of humanity does. We also dismantled them and issued a list below.

Repentance for a man

Here is such a blank for men who cannot formulate some of their misdeeds, or maybe they did not notice them at all:

• I doubted God, faith, life after death.
• He laughed at the unfortunate, miserable.
• He was lazy, vain, proud.
• Avoided military service.
• Didn't perform duties.
• Fought, rowdy.
• Insulted.
• Seduced married women.
• He drank, took drugs.
• Refused to help those who asked.
• Stole.
• Humiliated, boasted.
• Engaged in mercenary disputes.
• Hamil and behaved arrogantly.
• I was afraid.
• Played games of chance.
• Thought about suicide.
• He told dirty jokes.
• Didn't repay the debt.
• Noisy in the temple.

Of course, it is impossible to list all the sins. Everyone also has some that are hard to guess. But now you will understand how to think. It turns out that the elementary things to which we seem to be accustomed are a sin.

So, we tried to help you figure out what sins can be called in confession. The list in their own words was briefly drawn up as a list in this article for convenience.

Video: what to say in confession to a priest

In this video, Archpriest Andrey Tkachev will tell you how to properly prepare for confession, what words to say to the holy father:

Library “Chalcedon”

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How the sacrament of Penance was established. How to prepare for confession. How does confession take place in the 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, with visible
expression of forgiveness from the priest, invisibly resolved from sins
By Jesus Christ Himself.

Orthodox catechism.

How the sacrament of Penance was instituted

The main part of the mystery repentance- confession - was already known to Christians 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, the confession of sins was either secret or open, public. Those Christians were called to public repentance who, by their sins, created a temptation in the Church.

In ancient times, penitents were divided into four types.

The first, the so-called weeping ones, did not dare to enter the church and with tears asked for prayers from those passing by; others, listening, stood in the porch and approached the arm of the blessing bishop, together with those preparing for Baptism, and with them left the church; the third, called crouching, stood in the temple itself, but in its back part, and participated with the faithful in prayers for the penitent, prostrate. At the end of these prayers, they knelt down, received the blessing of the bishop and left the temple. And finally, the last ones - the standing ones - stood together with the faithful until the end of the Liturgy, but did not approach the Holy Gifts.

During the entire time set for the penitents to fulfill the penance imposed on them, the Church offered up 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 auspicious time and a day of atonement." The time when we can put off the heavy burden of sin, break the chains of sin, see the “fallen and broken tabernacle” of our soul renewed and bright. But this blissful purification is not an easy path.

We have not yet begun confession, but our soul hears tempting voices: “Should we postpone it? Am I prepared enough? Am I going to bed too often?”

These doubts must be firmly rebuffed. In the Holy Scriptures we read: "My son! If you begin to serve the Lord God, then prepare your soul for temptation: direct your heart and be firm, and do not be embarrassed during the visit; cling to Him and do not retreat, so that you may be magnified in the end" (Sir. 2, 1-3).

If you decide to confess, there will be many obstacles, internal and external, but they disappear as soon as you show firmness in your intentions.

The first action of a person preparing for confession should be a test of the heart. For this, the days of preparation for the sacrament are set - fasting.

Usually people who are inexperienced in spiritual life do not see either the multiplicity of their sins or their heinousness. They say: “I didn’t do anything special”, “I have only minor sins, like everyone else”, “I didn’t steal, I didn’t kill,” - so often many begin confession.

How can we explain our indifference at confession, our self-conceit, if not by petrified insensitivity, if not by "deadness of the heart, spiritual death, bodily anticipation"? Why did our holy fathers and teachers, who left us prayers of repentance, consider themselves the first of sinners, cry out to the Sweetest Jesus with sincere conviction: "No one has sinned on earth from the beginning, as I have sinned, accursed and 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 do, we are not horrified, since we have nothing to compare with, for Christ is closed to us by a veil of sins.

Understanding the moral state of your soul, you must try to distinguish between basic sins from derivatives, symptoms from deeper causes. For example, we notice - and this is very important - absent-mindedness in prayer, inattention during worship, lack of interest in listening to and reading Holy Scripture; But don't these sins come from lack of faith and weak love for God?!

It is necessary to note in oneself 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 a desire to always be in society, in public, we show talkativeness, mockery, slander, if we care too much about our appearance and clothes, then we need to carefully examine these passions, because most often our vanity and pride are manifested in this way.

If we take life's failures too close to our hearts, if we endure separation hard, if we grieve inconsolably for those who have departed, then isn't disbelief in the good Providence of God hidden in the strength, in the depths of these sincere feelings?

There is another auxiliary tool that leads us to the knowledge of our sins - more often, and especially before confession, remember what other people usually accuse us of, living side by side with us, our loved ones: very often their accusations, reproaches, attacks are fair.

But even if they seem unfair, one must accept them with meekness, without bitterness.

Before confession, ask for forgiveness to everyone before whom you consider yourself guilty, in order to approach the Sacrament with an unburdened conscience.

With such a test of the heart, care must be taken not to fall into excessive suspiciousness and petty suspicion of any movement of the heart. Having embarked on this path, one can lose the sense of what is important and unimportant, get entangled in trifles. In such cases, one must temporarily leave the test of one's soul and clarify one's soul with prayer and good deeds.

Preparation for confession does not consist in possibly fully remembering and even writing down our sin, but in achieving that state of concentration, seriousness and prayer, in which, as 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 sinful flame, is not capable of sincere repentance? Still, this is no reason to put off confession in anticipation of a feeling of repentance.

God can also touch our hearts during confession itself: self-confession, the naming of our sins aloud, can soften our hearts, refine our spiritual vision, sharpen our repentant feeling.

Most of all, preparation for confession, fasting serve to overcome our spiritual lethargy. By exhausting our body, fasting violates 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 that will be able to absorb prayer, the Word of God, the lives of the saints, the works of the holy fathers, and this, in turn, will lead to an intensification of the struggle with our sinful nature, inspire us to actively do good. close.

How does confession take place in the temple

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 to you! as the Father sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed, and says to them: receive the Holy Spirit. on that they will remain" (John 20:21-23). The apostles, fulfilling the will of the Finisher of salvation and the Head of our faith, transferred this power to the successors of their ministry - the pastors of the Church of Christ.

It is they, the priests, who receive our confession in church.

The first part of the following, which is usually performed simultaneously for all confessors, begins with the exclamation: "Blessed is our God ...", then prayers follow, which serve as an introduction and preparation for personal repentance, help the confessor 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 service, the priest, facing the audience, pronounces the address prescribed by the Treasury: "Behold, child, Christ stands invisibly ...".

The deep content of this appeal, 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 cause, for the sake of which he now approaches the lectern, where the icon of the Savior (Crucifixion) lies and where the priest is not a simple interlocutor, but only a witness to the penitent's mysterious conversation with God.

It is especially important to comprehend the meaning of this appeal, which explains the essence of the sacrament, to those who approach the lectern 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 say everything you have sinned without being embarrassed, and you will receive the remission of sins from our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is His icon before us: I am only a witness, and everything that you say to me, I will testify before Him. If you hide anything from me, your sin will be aggravated. Understand that since you have come to the hospital, then do not leave but of it unhealed!"

This concludes the first part of the following and begins the interview of the priest with each confessor separately. The penitent, approaching the lectern, must make a prostration in the direction of the altar or in front of the Cross lying on the lectern. With a large gathering of confessors, this bow should be done in advance. During the interview, the priest and the 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 kneeling confession in front of the 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 - verbal confession of sins. You don't have to wait for questions, you have 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, "sinned against the seventh commandment"). It is very difficult, when confessing, to avoid the temptation of self-justification, it is difficult to give up attempts to explain to the confessor "extenuating circumstances", from references to third parties who allegedly led us into sin. All these are signs of self-love, lack of deep repentance, continuing stagnation in sin. Sometimes in confession they refer to a weak memory, which supposedly does not allow one to remember all the sins. Indeed, it often happens that we easily and quickly forget our fall into sin. But is it only due to poor memory? After all, for example, cases when our pride was especially hurt, when we were undeservedly offended, or, conversely, everything that flatters our vanity: our good luck, our good deeds, praises and thanks to us - we remember for many years. Everything in our worldly life that makes a strong impression on us, we remember for a long time and distinctly. 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 just as difficult and impossible as this joy was just far away.

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 laying his hands on top of it, reads a prayer of permissiveness - it contains the sacramental formula of the sacrament of Repentance:

"The Lord and our God Jesus Christ, by the grace and bounties of His philanthropy, may forgive you, child (name of the rivers), all your sins: and I, unworthy priest, by His authority given to me, I forgive and forgive you from all your sins, in the Name Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen." Pronouncing the last words of permission, the priest overshadows the head of the confessor with the sign of the cross. After that, the confessor rises 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 giving of permission means the complete remission of all the confessed sins of the penitent, and thereby he is given permission to proceed to Communion of the Holy Mysteries. If the confessor considers it impossible to immediately forgive the sins of this confessor due to their gravity or impenitence, then the permissive prayer is not read, and the confessor is not allowed to Communion.

What to say in confession to a priest

Confession is not a conversation about one's shortcomings, doubts, it is not a simple awareness of the confessor about oneself.

Confession is a sacrament, not just a pious custom. Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for purification that comes from the feeling of holiness, this is the second Baptism, and, therefore, in repentance we die for sin and rise again for holiness. Repentance is the first degree of holiness, and insensitivity 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 sinful in everything" or spread about trifles, silent about what really should burden conscience. The reason for this is both false shame in front of the confessor, and indecision, but especially the cowardly fear to seriously begin to understand one's life, full of petty, habitual weaknesses and sins.

Sin This is a violation of Christian moral law. That is why the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian gives the following definition of sin: "Everyone who commits sin also commits iniquity" (1 John 3:4).

There are sins against God and His Church. This group includes numerous, connected in a continuous network of spiritual states, which include, along with simple and obvious, a large number of hidden, seemingly innocent, but in fact the most dangerous phenomena for the soul. Summarized, these sins can be reduced to the following: 1) lack of faith, 2) superstition, 3) blasphemy And swearing, 4) unprayer And disregard for church service, 5) charm.

Lack of faith. This is perhaps the most common sin, and literally every Christian has to struggle with it continuously. Lack of faith often imperceptibly turns into complete lack of faith, and the person suffering from it often continues to attend services and resort to confession. He does not consciously deny the existence of God, however, he doubts His omnipotence, mercy or Providence. By his actions, attachments, and the whole way of his life, he contradicts the faith he professes in words. Such a person never delved into even the simplest dogmatic questions, being afraid of losing those naive ideas about Christianity, often incorrect and primitive, that he had once acquired. Turning Orthodoxy into a national, domestic tradition, a set of external rites, gestures, or reducing it to the enjoyment of beautiful choral singing, the flickering of candles, that is, to external splendor, those of little faith lose the most important thing in the Church - our Lord Jesus Christ. For those of little faith, religiosity is closely connected with aesthetic, passionate, sentimental emotions; she easily gets along with selfishness, vanity, sensuality. People of this type are looking for praise and a good opinion of their confessor. They approach the lectern to complain about others, they are full of themselves and strive in every possible way to demonstrate their "righteousness". The superficiality of their religious enthusiasm is best shown by their easy transition from cloyingly ostentatious "piety" to irritability and anger at one's neighbor.

Such a person does not recognize 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" often show callousness to those around them, they are selfish and hypocritical; live only for themselves, considering abstinence from sins sufficient for salvation. It is useful to remind ourselves of the content 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 estrangement from God and the Church, and this is most clearly shown in another gospel parable - about the publican and the Pharisee.

Superstition. All sorts of superstitions, belief in omens, divination, divination on cards, various heretical ideas about the sacraments and rituals often penetrate and spread among believers.

Such superstitions are contrary to the teachings of the Orthodox Church and serve to corrupt souls and the fading of faith.

Special attention should be paid to such a fairly common and destructive teaching 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 the souls - painfully distorted by satanic rationalistic pride opinion about Christianity as one of the lowest levels of knowledge of the truth. Stifling the childishly sincere faith in the paternal love of God, the hope for the Resurrection and Eternal Life, the occultists preach the doctrine of "karma", the transmigration of souls, non-church and, consequently, graceless asceticism. To such unfortunates, if they have found the strength to repent, it should be explained that, in addition to direct harm to mental health, occultism is caused by a curious desire to look behind a closed door. We must humbly acknowledge the existence of the Mystery without trying to penetrate it in a non-ecclesiastical way. We have been given the supreme law of life, we have been shown the path that leads us directly to God - love. And we must follow this path, carrying our cross, not turning onto detours. Occultism is never able to reveal the secrets of being, as their adherents claim.

Blasphemy and blasphemy. These sins often coexist with churchliness and sincere faith. First of all, this includes blasphemous grumbling against God for His supposedly merciless attitude towards man, for sufferings that seem to him excessive and undeserved. Sometimes it even comes to blasphemy against God, church shrines, sacraments. Often this is manifested in telling irreverent or directly offensive stories from the life of clergymen and monks, in mocking, ironic quoting of individual expressions from Holy Scripture or from prayers.

The custom of worship and commemoration in vain of the Name of God or the Most Holy Theotokos is especially widespread. 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 more emotional expressiveness: "God be with him!", "Oh, God!" etc. Even worse is to pronounce the Name of God in jokes, and a completely terrible sin is committed by one who uses sacred words in anger, during a quarrel, that is, along with swearing and insults. The one who threatens the wrath of the Lord with his enemies or even in a "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. Invoking 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.

Disregard for church service. This sin most often manifests itself in the absence of the desire to participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist, that is, the long-term deprivation of oneself of the Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the absence of any circumstances that prevent this; in addition, it is a general lack of church discipline, dislike for worship. The justification is usually put forward by being busy with official and domestic affairs, the remoteness of the temple from home, the duration of the service, the incomprehensibility of the liturgical Church Slavonic language. Some attend the 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 one has 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.

unprayer, as a special case of non-churchness, it is a common sin. Fervent prayer distinguishes sincere believers from "lukewarm" believers. We must strive not to chastise the rule of prayer, not to defend divine services, we must acquire the gift of prayer from the Lord, love prayer, wait impatiently for the hour of prayer. Gradually entering, under the guidance of a confessor, into the element of prayer, a person learns to love and understand the music of Church Slavonic chants, their incomparable beauty and depth; colorful and mystical imagery of liturgical symbols - all that is called church splendor.

The gift of prayer is also the ability to control oneself, one's attention, to repeat the words of prayer not only with lips and tongue, but also with all one's heart and all thoughts to participate in prayer work. An excellent means for this is the "Jesus Prayer", which consists in a uniform, multiple, unhurried repetition of the words: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." There is an extensive ascetic literature about this prayerful exercise, collected mainly in the Philokalia and other patristic works. We can also recommend a wonderful book by an unknown author of the XIX 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 start practicing "spiritual work" without the blessing and guidance of an experienced confessor, since such self-competition can lead to a false mystical state of delusion.

spiritual charm significantly different from all the listed sins against God and the Church. In contrast to them, this sin is not rooted in a lack of faith, religiosity, churchliness, but, on the contrary, in a false sense of an excess of personal spiritual gifts. A person in a state of deception imagines himself to have achieved special fruits of spiritual perfection, which is confirmed by all kinds of "signs" for him: dreams, voices, waking visions. Such a person can be very gifted mystically, but in the absence of church culture and theological education, and most importantly, due to the lack of a good, strict confessor and the presence of an environment inclined to gullibly perceive his stories as revelations, such a person often acquires many supporters, as a result of which most of the 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, in a similar state, according to him, voices are already heard in reality or shining visions appear 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, both poorly educated and very well-read in the Holy Scriptures, patristic writings, as well as to those who have given themselves up to "intelligent 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 a predilection for refined taste sensations, delighting oneself with food. Of course, different people require different amounts of food to maintain their physical strength - this depends on age, physique, health status, as well as on the severity of the work that a person performs. There is no sin in the food itself, for it is a gift from God. The sin lies in treating it as a desired goal, in worshiping it, in the voluptuous experience of taste sensations, talking on this topic, in striving to spend as much money as possible on new, even more refined products. Every piece of food eaten in excess of satisfying hunger, every sip of moisture after quenching thirst, just for pleasure, is already gluttony. Sitting at the table, the Christian must not allow himself to be carried away by this passion. "The more firewood, the stronger the flame; the more food, the more violent lust" (Abba Leonty). "Gluttony is the mother of fornication," says one ancient patericon. And he directly warns: "Dominate the womb until it has dominion over you."

Blessed Augustine compares the body to a furious horse that carries away the soul, the unbridledness of which should be tamed by a decrease in food; It is for this purpose that the fasts are mainly established by the Church. But "beware of measuring fasting by simple abstinence from food," says St. Basil the Great. During fasting, it is necessary - and this is the main thing - to curb your thoughts, feelings, impulses. The meaning of spiritual fasting is best described in one Great Lenten verse: “We fast with fasting that is pleasant, pleasing to the Lord: true fasting is alienation from evil, abstinence of the tongue, abhorrence of anger, excommunication of lusts, utterances, lies and perjury: these are impoverishment, there is a true fast and auspicious” . No matter how difficult fasting is 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 fasting becomes an end in itself, a means of special, refined care for one's body.

Obstacles to prayer come from weak, incorrect, insufficient faith, from much concern, vanity, preoccupation with worldly affairs, from sinful, impure, evil feelings and thoughts. These obstacles are helped by fasting.

love of money manifests itself in the form of extravagance or the opposite of stinginess. Secondary at first glance, this is a sin of extreme importance - in it is the simultaneous rejection of faith in God, love for people and addiction to lower feelings. It breeds malice, petrification, carelessness, envy. Overcoming the love of money is a partial overcoming of these sins as well. From the words of the Savior Himself, we know that it is difficult for a rich man 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 be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). The Holy Apostle Paul says: “We have brought nothing into the world; it is clear that we cannot take anything out of it. Having food and clothing, we will be content with it. lusts that plunge people into disaster and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, having indulged, some have deviated from the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows. But you, man of God, flee from this ... Exhort those who are rich in this present age so that they they 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 do good, become rich in good deeds, be generous and sociable, laying up for themselves a treasure, 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 work the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). Anger, irritability- many penitents tend to justify the manifestation of this passion with physiological reasons, the so-called "nervousness" due to the suffering and hardships that have befallen them, the tension of modern life, the difficult nature of relatives and friends. Although these reasons are partly present, they cannot serve as an excuse for this, as a rule, deeply rooted habit of taking out one's irritation, anger, and bad mood on loved ones. Irritability, temper, rudeness, first of all, destroy family life, leading to quarrels over trifles, causing reciprocal hatred, a desire for revenge, rancor, and harden the hearts of generally kind and loving people. And how perniciously the manifestation of anger acts on young souls, destroying in them the God-given tenderness and love for parents! "Fathers, do not irritate your children, so that they do not lose heart" (Col. 3, 21).

The ascetic writings of the Fathers of the Church contain a lot of advice for dealing with the passion of anger. One of the most effective is "righteous anger", in other words, the conversion of our ability to irritation and anger to the very passion of anger. "It is not only permissible, but indeed salutary, to be angry at one's own sins and shortcomings" (St. Demetrius of Rostov). St. Nilus of Sinai advises to be "meek with people", but swearing with our enemy, since this is the natural use of anger in order to hostilely oppose the ancient serpent" ("Philokalia", vol. II). The same ascetic writer says : "Whoever bears a grudge against demons does not bear a grudge against people."

In relation to neighbors, one should show meekness and patience. "Be wise, and block the lips of those who speak evil of you with silence, and not with anger and abuse" (St. Anthony the Great). “When they slander you, see if you have done something worthy of slander. “When you feel a strong influx of anger in yourself, try to be silent. And so that silence itself will bring you more benefit, turn mentally to God and mentally read some short prayers to yourself at this time, for example, the “Jesus Prayer,” advises St. Philaret Moskovskij One must even 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 his vices, forgetting about one's sins. “Destroy two thoughts in yourself: do not recognize yourself as worthy of something great and do not think that the other person is much lower than you in dignity. In this case, the insults inflicted on us will never irritate us” (St. Basil the Great).

At confession, we must tell if we harbor malice towards our neighbor and have we reconciled with those 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 malice towards their neighbor to serve in the 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. By this prohibition, the monk, as it were, for a time, until reconciliation with his brother, is excommunicated from prayerful and Eucharistic communion with the Church.

The one who prays for those who often lead him into the temptation of anger receives significant help. Thanks to such a prayer, a feeling of meekness and love for people who until recently were 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, rancor.

One of the most common sins is, without a doubt, 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 common and ordinary that it does not even deserve to be mentioned in confession. In fact, this sin is the beginning and root of many other sinful habits.

First of all, this sin is closely connected with the passion of pride. Condemning other people's shortcomings (real or apparent), a person imagines himself better, cleaner, more pious, more honest or smarter than another. The words of Abba Isaiah are addressed to such people: “Whoever has a pure heart, he considers all people pure, but whoever has a heart defiled by passions, he does not consider anyone clean, but thinks that everyone is like him” (“Spiritual Flower Garden”).

Those who judge forget that the Savior Himself commanded: “Judge not, lest you be judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; can't you feel in your eye?" (Matthew 7:1-3). “Let us no longer judge each other, but rather judge how not to give a brother an opportunity to stumble or tempt” (Rom. 14, 13), teaches St. apostle Paul. There is no sin committed by one person that no one else could commit. And if you see someone else's impurity, then it means that it has already penetrated you, because innocent babies do not notice the debauchery of adults and thus preserve their chastity. Therefore, the one who condemns, even if he is right, must honestly admit to himself: did he not commit the same sin himself?

Our judgment is never impartial, because most often it is based on a random impression or is made under the influence of personal resentment, irritation, anger, random "mood".

If a Christian 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 the son of Sirakhov: “A curbing tongue will live peacefully, and one who hates talkativeness will reduce evil. ... Ask your friend, perhaps he did not do it; and if he did, then let him not do it ahead. Ask your friend, perhaps he did not say that; and if he said, let him not repeat it. Ask a friend, for often there is slander. Believe not every word. Some sin with a word, 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; -19).

The sin of despondency most often comes from excessive preoccupation with oneself, one's own experiences, failures and, as a result, the fading of love for others, indifference to other people's suffering, inability to enjoy other people's joys, envy. The basis and root of our spiritual life and strength is love for Christ, and we must cultivate and educate it in ourselves. To peer into His image, to clarify and deepen it in oneself, to live with the thought of Him, and not of one's petty vain successes and failures, to give one's heart to Him - this is the life of a Christian. And then silence and peace will reign in our hearts, about which St. Isaac Sirin: "Be at peace with yourself, and heaven and earth will make peace with you."

There is perhaps no more common sin than lie. This category of vices should also include broken promises, gossip And idle talk. This sin has entered the consciousness of modern man so deeply, so deeply rooted in the souls, that people do not even think about the fact that any form of untruth, insincerity, hypocrisy, exaggeration, boasting is a manifestation of a serious sin, serving Satan - the father of lies. According to the words of the Apostle John, "no one who is devoted to abomination and falsehood 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 one can come to Him only by walking along the path of truth. Only the truth makes people free.

A lie can manifest itself completely shamelessly, openly, in all its satanic abomination, becoming in such cases the second nature of a person, a permanent mask that has grown to his face. He becomes so accustomed to lying that he cannot express his thoughts otherwise than by dressing them in words that obviously do not correspond to them, thereby not clarifying, but obscuring the truth. A lie imperceptibly creeps into a person’s soul from childhood: often, not wanting to see anyone, we ask relatives to tell the visitor that we are not at home; instead of directly refusing to participate in some business that is unpleasant for us, we pretend to be sick, busy with another business. Such "everyday" lies, seemingly innocent exaggerations, jokes based on deceit, 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 but evil and death for the soul, so from lies - his offspring - nothing can follow except a 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, justifies us.

No less than a lie, sin is common idle talk, that is, the empty, unspiritual use of the Divine gift of the word. This also includes gossip, retelling rumors.

Often people spend time in empty, useless conversations, the content of which is immediately forgotten, instead of talking about faith with those who suffer without it, seek God, visit the sick, help the lonely, pray, comfort the offended, talk to children or grandchildren to instruct them with a word, a personal example on the spiritual path.

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The sacrament of confession is a test for the soul. It consists of the 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. It reconciles man with God. The soul is healed and gains strength to fight sin.

Confession allows you to talk about your misdeeds and receive forgiveness. In excitement and fear, one can forget what one 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 should be sincere and truthful.

Sacrament

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

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

For this sacrament, a complete interconnection of feelings and words is necessary, because the everyday enumeration of one's sins will not bring true purification. Feelings without words are just as ineffective as words without feelings.

There is a list of sins to confess. This is a large list of all indecent 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?

Preparations for confession should take place in a few days. The list of sins can be written on a piece of paper. Special literature on the sacraments of confession and communion should be read.

One should not look for excuses for sins, one should be aware of their wickedness. It is best to analyze each day, sorting out what was good and what was bad. Such a daily habit will help to be more attentive to thoughts and actions.

Before confession, you should make peace with everyone who was offended. Forgive those who offended. Prior to confession, it is necessary to strengthen the prayer rule. Add to the evening reading the Penitential Canon, the canons of the Mother of God.

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 a desire to be cleansed of them).

The presence of a third party requires a moral effort to realize the depth of the offense, it will force, through overcoming shame, to take a deeper look at wrong actions. Therefore, a list of sins is so necessary for confession in Orthodoxy. It will help to reveal what was forgotten or wanted to hide.

If you have any difficulties in compiling a list of sinful actions, you can purchase the book "Full Confession". It is in every church shop. There is a detailed list of sins for confession, the 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 confession and repentance for committed misconduct. You can go to confession up to 3 times a week. The desire to be cleansed of sins will help overcome the feeling of constraint and awkwardness.

The rarer the confession, the more difficult it is to remember all the events, thoughts. The best option for the sacrament is once a month. Help in confession - a list of sins - will prompt the necessary words. The main thing is for the priest to understand 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 will face moral and corrective work. For example, fasting, reading prayers, canons, akathists.

Sometimes the list of sins for confession is read out by the priest. You can write your own 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 is the sacrament

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

Upon entering the temple, it is necessary to take a queue for confession. During the entire time of the sacrament, the cross and the Gospel lie on the lectern. This symbolizes the invisible presence of the Savior.

Prior to confession, the priest may begin to ask questions. For example, about how often prayers are said, whether church rules are observed.

Then the mystery 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 those sins that you repent of.

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

Getting Ready for Confession: A List of Sins

Confession is intended to comprehend one's sin, the desire to correct oneself. It is difficult for a person who is far from the church to understand what actions should be considered ungodly. That's why there are 10 commandments. They clearly spell out 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 re-read the commandments a few days before confession and write down your sins.

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

A list of sins for confession with an explanation of sins can be purchased at the church or found on the website of your temple. The decoding details all alleged sins. From this general list, one should single out what was done personally. Then write down your list of wrongdoings.

Sins committed against God

• Unbelief in God, doubts, ingratitude.
• The absence of a pectoral cross, unwillingness to defend the faith in front of detractors.
• Oaths in the name of God, pronouncing the name of the Lord in vain (not during prayer or conversations about God).
• Visiting sects, divination, treatment with all kinds of magic, reading and spreading false teachings.
• Gambling, suicidal thoughts, foul language.
• Not attending the temple, the absence of a daily prayer rule.
• Non-observance of fasts, unwillingness to read Orthodox literature.
• Condemnation of the clergy, thoughts about worldly things during worship.
• Waste of time for entertainment, watching TV, inactivity at the computer.
• Despair in difficult situations, excessive hope in oneself or someone else's help without faith in God's providence.
• Concealment of sins at confession.

Sins committed against neighbors

• Hot temper, anger, arrogance, pride, vanity.
• Lies, non-intervention, ridicule, stinginess, extravagance.
• Raising children outside of faith.
• Failure to return debts, non-payment for labor, refusal to help those who ask and those in need.
• Unwillingness to help parents, disrespect for them.
• Theft, condemnation, envy.
• Quarrels, drinking alcohol at the wake.
• Murder with a word (slander, bringing to suicide or illness).
• Killing a child in the womb, persuading others to have an abortion.

Sins committed against yourself

• Foul language, pride, idle talk, gossip.
• The desire for profit, enrichment.
• Showing off good deeds.
• Envy, lies, drunkenness, gluttony, drug use.
• Fornication, adultery, incest, masturbation.

List of sins for a woman's confession

This is a very delicate list, and many women refuse confession after reading it. Do not trust any information you read. Even if a pamphlet with a list of sins for a woman was purchased in a church shop, be sure to pay attention to the neck. There should be an inscription "recommended by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church."

Priests do not disclose the secret of confession. Therefore, it is best to go through the sacrament with a permanent confessor. The Church does not intrude into the sphere of intimate marital relations. Questions of contraception, which is sometimes equated with abortion, are best discussed with a priest. There are drugs that do not have an abortion effect, but only prevent the birth of life. In any case, all controversial issues should be discussed with the spouse, doctor, confessor.

Here is a list of sins to confess (short):

1. Rarely prayed, did not attend church.
2. I thought more about worldly things during prayer.
3. Allowed sexual intercourse before marriage.
4. Abortions, declining others to them.
5. She had impure thoughts and desires.
6. Watched movies, read pornographic books.
7. Gossip, lies, envy, laziness, resentment.
8. Excessive exposure of the body to attract attention.
9. Fear of old age, wrinkles, thoughts of suicide.
10. Addiction to sweets, alcohol, drugs.
11. Avoidance of helping other people.
12. Seeking help from fortune-tellers, soothsayers.
13. Superstition.

List of sins for a man

There is debate about whether to prepare a list of sins for confession. Someone believes that such a list harms the sacrament and contributes to the formal reading of offenses. The main thing in confession is to recognize your sins, repent and prevent their repetition. Therefore, the list of sins may be a brief reminder or not at all.

A formal confession is not considered valid, since there is no repentance in it. Returning after the sacrament to the former life will add hypocrisy. The balance of spiritual life consists in understanding the essence of repentance, where confession is only the beginning of the realization 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 (short) for a man:

1. Sacrilege, conversations in the temple.
2. Doubt in faith, afterlife.
3. Blasphemy, mockery of the poor.
4. Cruelty, laziness, pride, vanity, greed.
5. Evasion from military service.
6. Avoidance of unwanted work, shirking duties.
7. Insults, hatred, fights.
8. Slander, disclosure of other people's weaknesses.
9. Seduction to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drugs, gambling).
10. Refusal to help parents, other people.
11. Theft, aimless collecting.
12. Tendency to boast, argue, humiliate one's neighbor.
13. Insolence, 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 take Communion without this. Parents should prepare the child for confession: explain the essence of the sacrament, tell why it is performed, remember with him possible sins.

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

Older children themselves decide whether to confess or not. Do not limit the free will of a child, a teenager. The personal example of parents is much more important than all conversations.

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

• How often does he read a prayer (in the morning, in the evening, before meals), which ones does he know by heart?
• Does he go to church, how does he behave in the service?
• Does he wear a pectoral cross, is he distracted or not during prayers and services?
• Have you ever deceived your parents or father during confession?
• Wasn't he proud of his successes, victories, wasn't he conceited?
• Does he fight or not with other children, does he offend babies or animals?
• Does he tell other children to shield himself?
• Did you commit theft, did you envy someone?
• Did you laugh at other people's physical imperfections?
• Did you play cards (smoked, drank alcohol, tried drugs, used foul language)?
• Is she lazy or helps her parents around the house?
• Did he pretend to be sick to avoid his duties?

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

First you need to ask what days confessions take place in the temple. 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 cosmetics (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 is a confession that offends 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 used in confession - all this matters. Only in this way does the priest understand how sincere the penitent is. Pangs of conscience, embarrassment, worries, shame contribute to spiritual purification.

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

Sometimes it's hard to voice your sins. The emotional experiences are so strong that it is more convenient to make a list of unrighteous actions. Batiushka is attentive to every parishioner. If because of shame it is impossible to tell about everything and repentance is deep, then the sins, the list of which is compiled before confession, the clergyman has the right to release 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 penitent from the church. At confession, people are very vulnerable, and the clergy try not to cause unnecessary suffering.

It is important to see your sin, to recognize and condemn it in your soul, to voice it before the priest. Have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds anymore, try to atone for the harm done by works of mercy. Confession brings the rebirth 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 force. Only by overcoming oneself, engaging in works of mercy, cultivating virtues in oneself, one can receive God's grace.

The significance of confession lies in understanding the typology of sinners, the typology of sin. At the same time, an individual approach to each penitent is akin to pastoral psychoanalysis. The sacrament of confession is the pain from the realization of sin, its recognition, the determination to voice and ask for forgiveness for it, the purification of the soul, joy and peace.

The person must feel the need for repentance. 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) - consists in the awareness of the integrity of spiritual life, its essence.

Confession is an important event in the life of every believer. An honest and sincere sacrament is a way for a church-going layman to communicate with the Lord through a confessor. The rules of repentance are not only what words to start with, when you can go through the ceremony and what to do, but also the obligatory humility and conscientious approach to the preparation and procedure of confession.

Preparation

A person who decides to go to confession must be baptized. An important condition is to sacredly and unquestioningly believe in God and accept His Revelation. You need to know the Bible and understand the Faith, which can help visit the church library.

It should be remembered and kept in mind, but it is better to write on a piece of paper all the sins committed by the confessor from the age of seven or from the moment when the person was converted to Orthodoxy. You should not hide or recall other people's misdeeds, blame other people for your own.

A person needs to give a word to the Lord that with His help he will eradicate sinfulness in himself and make amends for low deeds.

Then you need to prepare for confession. Before serving, you need to behave like an exemplary Christian:

• on the eve diligently pray and reread the Bible;
• refuse entertainment, entertainment events;
• read the Penitential Canon.

What not to do before repentance

Before repentance, fasting is optional and is performed only at the request of a person. In any case, it should not be carried out by small children, pregnant women and sick people.

Before the sacrament, the Christian abstains from physical and spiritual temptations. A ban on viewing entertainment programs, reading entertainment literature has been established. It is forbidden to spend time at the computer, play sports or be lazy. It is better not to attend noisy meetings and not to be in crowded companies, to spend the days before confession in humility and prayer.

How is the ceremony

What time the confession starts depends on the chosen church, usually it takes place in the morning or in the evening. The procedure begins before the Divine Liturgy, during and immediately after the evening Divine Liturgy. Under the condition of being under the patronage of his own spiritual father, the believer is allowed to agree with him on an individual basis when he will confess a person.

Before a line of parishioners is lined up to the priest, a common general prayer is read. In her text there is a moment at which the worshipers call their own name. After that, you have to wait your turn.

There is no need to use brochures with a list of sins issued in temples as a model for building your own confession. You should not recklessly rewrite advice from there, what to repent of, it is important to take it as an approximate and generalized plan.

You need to repent honestly and sincerely, talking about a specific situation in which there was a place for sin. When reading a standard list, the procedure becomes a formality and does not carry any value.

The confession ends with the confessor reading the concluding prayer. At the end of the speech, they bow their heads under the stole of the priest, and then kiss the Gospel and the cross. It is advisable to finish the procedure by asking for a blessing from the priest.

How to confess properly

When conducting the sacrament, it is important to adhere to the recommendations:

• Mention without concealment and repent of any perfect evil. It is pointless to attend communion if one is not ready to humbly get rid of sins. Even if the meanness was committed many years ago, it is worth confessing to the Lord.
• Do not be afraid of condemnation from the priest, since the communicant conducts a dialogue not with the minister of the church, but with God. The priest is obliged to keep the sacrament secret, so what was said at the service will remain hidden from prying ears. During the years of church service, the priests let go of all conceivable sins, and they can only be upset by insincerity and the desire to hide evil deeds.
• Keep feelings under control and expose sins with words.“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). But tears, behind which there is no clear awareness of their accomplishments, are not blissful. Feelings alone are not enough, most often those who take communion cry from self-pity and resentment.

  Useless is the confession to which a person came to release emotions, because such actions are aimed only at forgetting, but not at correction.

• Don't hide your unwillingness to admit your evil behind diseases of the memory. With the confession “I repent that I have sinned in thought, word and deed”, they are usually not allowed to the procedure. You can get forgiveness if it was complete and sincere. You need a passionate desire to go through the process of repentance.
• After remission of the most serious sins, do not forget about the rest. Having confessed his most evil deeds, a person goes through the very beginning of the real path of calming the soul. Mortal sins are rarely committed and are often greatly regretted, unlike petty offenses. Paying attention to feelings of envy, pride or condemnation in his soul, a Christian becomes more and more pure, more and more pleasing to the Lord. The work on the eradication of small manifestations of cowardice is more difficult and longer than on the expiation of a great evil. Therefore, one must carefully prepare for each confession, especially the one before which one cannot remember one's sins.
• To speak at the beginning of confession about what is more difficult to say about the rest. Living with the awareness of an act for which every day a person torments his soul, it can be difficult to acknowledge it out loud. In this case, it is important to remember that the Lord sees and knows about everything and expects only repentance for what he has done. This means that at the very beginning of a dialogue with God, it is important to overpower yourself and state your terrible sin and sincerely ask for forgiveness for it.
• The more meaningful and concise the confession, the better.. We must state our sins briefly, but succinctly. It's good to get straight to the point. It is necessary that the priest immediately understand what the visitor wants to repent of. It is not necessary to mention names, places and dates - this is redundant. It is best to prepare your story at home by writing it down, and then delete everything that is unnecessary and interferes with the understanding of the essence.
• Never resort to self-justification. Self-pity makes the soul languish and does not help the sinner in any way. Hiding perfect evil in one confession is not the worst thing a Christian can do. It is much worse if this situation repeats itself. It is important to remember that by attending the sacrament, a person seeks liberation from sins. But he will not achieve this if he leaves them to himself, each time ending the confession with words about the insignificance of some offenses or about their necessity. It is better to state the situation in your own words without excuses.
• Make an effort. Repentance is hard work that requires the expenditure of strength and time. Confession involves the daily overcoming of one's own being on the way to a better personality. The sacrament is not an easy way to calm the senses. This is not a constant opportunity to seek help at a particularly difficult hour, to talk about painful things, to go out with a pure soul as a different person. It is important to draw conclusions about your own life and actions.

List of sins

All sins committed by a person are conditionally divided into groups, depending on their content.

In relation to God

• Doubt in one's own faith, the existence of the Lord and the veracity of the Holy Scriptures.
• Prolonged non-attendance at holy churches, confessions and communions.
• Lack of diligence in reading prayers and canons, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in relation to them.
• Failure to fulfill promises to God.
• Blasphemy.
• Suicidal intentions.
• Mention in swearing of evil spirits.
• Eating and drinking before communion.
• Post non-compliance.
• Work during church holidays.

In relation to neighbor

• Unwillingness to believe and help save someone else's soul.
• Disrespect and disrespect for parents and elders.
• Lack of deeds and motives to help the poor, the weak, the grieving, the destitute.
• Suspicion of people, jealousy, selfishness or suspiciousness.
• The upbringing of children is out of line with the Orthodox Christian faith.
• Committing murder, including abortion, or self-mutilation.
• Cruelty or passionate love for animals.
• Applying a curse.
• Envy, slander or lies.
• Resentment or insult to another's dignity.
• Condemnation of other people's actions or thoughts.
• seduction.

In relation to oneself

• Ingratitude and carelessness towards one's own talents and abilities, expressed in a waste of time, laziness and empty dreams.
• Shirking or completely ignoring one's own routine obligations.
• Self-interest, stinginess, the desire for the strictest economy in order to accumulate money, or wasteful spending of the budget.
• Theft or begging.
• Fornication or adultery.
• Incest, homosexuality, bestiality and the like.
• Masturbation (as the sin of masturbation is better called) and viewing depraved images, records and other things.
• All kinds of flirting and coquetry with the aim of seducing or seducing, immodest and neglecting meekness.
• Drug addiction, drinking alcohol and smoking.
• Gluttony or intentional self-starvation.
• Eating animal blood.
• Negligence in relation to one's health or excessive concern for it.

For women

• Violation of church rules.
• Negligent attitude to the reading of prayers.
• Overeating, smoking, drinking in order to drown out resentment or anger.
• Fear of old age or death.
• Immodest behavior, debauchery.
• Passion for divination.

Sacrament of repentance and communion

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the processes of confession and communion are inextricably linked. Although this approach is not canonical, it is nevertheless practiced in all corners of the country. Before a Christian can receive communion, he goes through the procedure of confession. This is required for the priest to understand that the sacrament is served to an adequate believer who has passed the fast before the sacrament, has withstood the test of will and conscience, and has not committed grave sins.

When a person was released from his evil deeds, a void appears in his soul that needs to be filled by God, this can be done at the sacrament.

How to confess to a child

There are no special rules for the confession of children, except when they reach the age of seven. When leading your child to the sacrament for the first time, it is important to remember some of the nuances of your own behavior:

• Do not tell the child about his main sins or write a list of what must be said to the priest. It is important that he prepare himself for repentance.
• It is forbidden to interfere in church secrets. That is, asking the offspring questions: “how do you confess,” “what did the priest say,” and the like.
• You can’t ask the confessor for a special attitude towards your child, ask about the successes or delicate moments of the church life of a son or daughter.
• It is necessary to take children to confession before they reach the conscious age less frequently, since confession is likely to turn from a sacrament into a routine habit. This will result in memorizing a list of your minor sins and reading them every Sunday to the priest.

  Confession for a child should be comparable to a holiday, so that he goes there with an understanding of the sacredness of what is happening. It is important to explain to him that repentance is not an account to an adult, but a voluntary recognition of evil in oneself and a sincere desire to eradicate it.

• You should not deny your offspring the independent choice of confessor. In a situation in which he liked another priest, it is important to allow him to confess with this particular minister. The selection of a spiritual mentor is a delicate and intimate matter that should not be interfered with.
• It is better for an adult and a child to visit different parishes. This will give the child the freedom to grow up independent and conscious, not tolerating the yoke of excessive parental care. When the family does not stand in the same line, the temptation to eavesdrop on the child's confession disappears. The moment when the offspring becomes capable of voluntary and sincere confession, becomes the beginning of the path of alienation of parents from him.

Examples of confession

Women's

I, the churched Mary, repent of my sins. I was superstitious, which is why I visited fortune tellers and believed in horoscopes. She held resentment and anger at a loved one. She exposed her body too much, going out into the street to get someone else's attention. I hoped to seduce men I didn't know, I thought about carnal and obscene things.

I felt sorry for myself, I thought about how to stop living on my own. She was lazy and idly spent time in stupid entertainment activities. Couldn't stand the post. She prayed and attended church less often than expected. Reading the canons, I thought about the mundane, and not about God. Allowed sexual intercourse before marriage. I thought about dirty things and spread rumors and gossip. I thought about the uselessness in the life of church services, prayers and repentance. Forgive me, Lord, for all the sins of which I am guilty and accept the word of further correction and chastity.

Men's

Servant of God Alexander, I confess to my God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, my evil deeds from youth to the present day, committed consciously and unconsciously. I repent of sinful thoughts about someone else's wife, inducing others to use intoxicating substances and leading an idle lifestyle.

Five years ago, I diligently deviated from military service and participated in the beating of innocent people. He ridiculed church foundations, the laws of holy fasts and divine services. I was cruel and rude, which I regret and ask the Lord to forgive me.

Children's

I, Vanya, have sinned and have come to ask forgiveness for this. Sometimes I was rude to my parents, didn't keep my promises, and got irritated. I played computer for a long time and walked with friends instead of reading the Gospel and prayers. Recently painted on my hand and snapped when the godfather asked me to wash off what I did.

Once I was late for a service on Sunday, and after a month I did not go to church. Once he tried to smoke, because of which he quarreled with his parents. He did not attach the necessary importance to the advice of the priest and elders, he deliberately did it contrary to their words. I offended people close to me and rejoiced in grief. Forgive me, God, for my sins, I will try not to allow this.

Greetings, dear friends, on our Orthodox website. Today we will talk about how to confess correctly. I want to remind you that before confession you must read a prayer, repent of your sins and forgive all your offenders.

What sins to list in confession to the priest

Many of us think about what kind of sins to say in confession? Do I need to list everything? How to tell the priest about your shameful deeds? What to do if you forgot something?

First of all, remember the sins, write them down on a piece of paper so as not to forget, and if you remember something, write it down. Ask yourself questions using a list, repent of each one, and don't do any more of them in the future.

They will help to supplement the list of sins at confession. Try to remember as many sins as possible and in no case be afraid that the priest will condemn you for some sin. He listens to thousands of them every day, believe me, repent, and even if you are ashamed, anyway, tell me - you can’t hide sins in confession before God. God already knows and sees all your sins.

Confession is one of the most important sacraments of an Orthodox person. As you make a list, write down the sins you know and doubt. For example, you smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, did not marry, lived in fornication, had abortions, lied, lied, condemned, shouted at relatives and friends (raised your voice), did not keep fasts, gluttony, cursed, etc. As you make this list, be aware of each of your bad deeds without shielding yourself.

Do not bring huge sheets of pages to the priest, as this is a listing of your life, and not a confession, try to shorten it as much as possible, but so that everything is clear. The sacrament itself implies the complete repentance of a person and the understanding of his sins. Every person needs spiritual healing, cleanse yourself and do good.

What you need to do before going through the sacrament of confession

• Before confession, fast for 3 days until Holy Communion, eating only fast food from Thursday to Sunday, observing the diet. Such a post is considered optional, but desirable.
• Go to the evening service on Saturday the day before confession (if possible).
• From midnight until communion, do not eat or drink water.
• Come to the beginning of the service, and not to the time of confession.

What prayers to read before confession?

Before confession, read the prayer of Simeon the Theologian, find prayers of repentance, which are also recommended for reading. For communion, read the canons:

• Repentant to Jesus Christ
• Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos
• Guardian Angel

How to prepare for confession for the first time?

The first thing I want to say - do not be afraid, no one will judge you. Do everything you need to do before confession and take the sacrament. It will become easy for you, your whole inner world will be cleansed. Write everything as it is, in your own words - it will be better, you will feel and realize your actions more strongly.

This is an inexplicable feeling when you understand that after confession your sins were forgiven, the Lord will forgive everything, but you must also forgive everyone you offended, also start correcting yourself immediately after confession. After confession, your mood will rise sharply, you will feel light and, most importantly, do not succumb again to what you confessed for.

An approximate list of sins in confession

• Angry at family and friends. Was in anger. Hated people, took revenge.
• Engaged in love without marriage and wedding. Fornicated.
• Behaved badly in the temple, didn’t fast, didn’t pray, didn’t go to church.
• He was (a) greedy (oh), greedy (oh), stingy (oh), created (a) an idol for himself, exalted (a) them.
• Envy others, relatives, relatives.
• Lazy (s), discouraged (a).
• Was (a) proud. Exalted himself.
• Was gorging on food.

You will have a completely different list of sins at confession. This is a simple example of how to describe your sins. This checklist will help you prepare for confession.

How is the confession going?

To begin with, you must prepare well, repent of your sins and do everything that is written above. Then, if you are completely ashamed, you can give the sheet with sins to the priest so that he reads to himself, ask him to read it.

You can read the sins yourself from the sheet. The father will listen and give you advice, listen to the advice. When the priest finishes, cross yourself twice, bow at the waist, kiss the Cross and the Gospel, then cross yourself again, bow.

If the sin is very serious, such as murder or abortion, the priest may give penance. This is such an exercise that will allow, by performing it, to realize the sin more deeply, to repent more deeply of the deed. Penances are different.

Confession in the words of a father

So The Lord God gives us the opportunity to be saved in this world only by kindness and truth to all living things. Do good deeds, do not get angry, do not swear with anyone. It won't get any better. Demons are insatiable creatures trying to get you hooked on constant sins, and just like that they will not back down.