Confession is everything. Why do Orthodox Christians confess?

A Brief Preceding Confession (based on materials from Orthodox publications)

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! Preparing to begin the great sacrament of holy confession, looking at the mercy of God, let us ask ourselves whether we have shown mercy to our neighbors, have we reconciled with everyone, do not have enmity in our hearts against someone, remembering cherished words Holy Gospel: "If you forgive a man of their sins, your Heavenly Father will also let you go" (Matthew 6, 14). This is the condition that we must understand and observe in the saving work of holy repentance. However, in order to repent and receive the remission of sins, you must see your sin. It’s not that easy. Self-love, self-pity, self-justification interferes with this. We are inclined to consider an evil deed, in which our conscience denounces us, as an "accident", to blame circumstances or neighbors for it. Meanwhile, every sin in deed, word or thought is a consequence of the passion that lives in us - a kind of spiritual illness.

If we find it difficult to recognize our sin, then it is even more difficult to see the passion rooted in us. So, you can live without suspecting the passion of pride in yourself, until someone touches us. Then passion will be revealed through sin: a wish for evil to the offender, a harsh offensive word, and even revenge. Fighting passions is the main activity for every Christian.

Usually people who are inexperienced in spiritual life do not see the multitude of their sins, do not feel their heaviness, and disgust towards them. They say: “I didn’t commit anything special,” “I have only minor sins, like everyone else,” “I didn’t steal, I didn’t kill,” so many often begin confession. But our holy fathers and teachers, who left us prayers of repentance, considered themselves the first of sinners, cried out to Christ with sincere conviction: "Nobody else have sinned on earth from time immemorial, as if I sinned, you accursed and prodigal!" The brighter the light of Christ illumines the heart, the more clearly all the shortcomings, ulcers and wounds of the soul are recognized. And vice versa: people immersed in sinful darkness do not see anything in their hearts, and if they do, they are not horrified, since they have nothing to compare with, for Christ is closed to them by the veil of sins. Therefore, in order to overcome our spiritual laziness and insensibility, the holy Church set preparatory days for the sacrament of repentance, and then for Communion - fasting. The period of fasting can last from three days to a week, if there is no special advice or prescription for that from the confessor. At this time, one should observe fasting, keep oneself from sinful deeds, thoughts and feelings, in general, lead a life of abstinence, repentance, diluted with deeds of love and Christian goodness. During the period of retreat, one should attend church services as often as possible, pray at home more than usual, devote time to reading the works of the holy fathers, the lives of the saints, self-deepening and self-examination.

Understanding the moral state of your soul, you must try to distinguish between basic sins from their derivatives, roots - from leaves and fruits. One should also beware of falling into petty suspicion of every movement of the heart, losing the feeling of the important and unimportant, getting confused in the little things. A repentant must bring to confession not only a list of sins, but, most importantly, a penitential feeling; not a detailed account of his life, but a broken heart.

Knowing your sins does not mean repenting of them. But what can we do if our hearts, dried up from a sinful flame, are not watered with the life-giving waters of tears? What if spiritual weakness and "fleshly lack of feeling" are so great that we are not capable of sincere repentance? But this cannot be a reason to postpone confession in anticipation of a repentant feeling. The Lord accepts confession - sincere and conscientious - even if it is not accompanied strong feeling remorse. Only this sin - petrified insensibility - must be confessed courageously and frankly, without hypocrisy. God can touch the heart during confession itself - soften it, refine spiritual vision, awaken a repentant feeling.

The condition that we must certainly observe in order for our repentance to be accepted by the Lord effectively is the forgiveness of the sins of our neighbors and reconciliation with everyone. Repentance cannot be perfect without a verbal confession of sins. Sins can be resolved only in the church sacrament of repentance performed by a priest.

Confession is a feat, self-compulsion. During confession, you do not need to wait for questions from the priest, but make an effort yourself. It is necessary to name sins accurately, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions. It is very difficult, while confessing, to avoid the temptation of self-justification, to abandon attempts to explain "extenuating circumstances" to the confessor, from references to third parties who allegedly led us into sin. All these are signs of self-love, a lack of deep repentance, and continued stagnation in sin.

Confession is not a conversation about one's shortcomings, doubts, it is not a simple informing the confessor about oneself, although spiritual conversation is also very important and should take place in the life of a Christian, but confession is another, it is a sacrament, and not just a pious custom. Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for cleansing, this is a second baptism. In repentance, we die to sin and rise to righteousness, holiness.

After repentance, we must be confirmed internally in our determination not to return to confessed sin. The sign of perfect repentance is hatred and aversion to sin, a feeling of lightness, purity, inexplicable joy, when sin seems as difficult and impossible as this joy was just distant.

Human life is so diverse, so mysterious is the depth of our soul that it is difficult even to list all the sins and sins that we commit. Therefore, starting the sacrament of holy confession, it is useful to remind yourself of the basic violations of the moral law of the Holy Gospel. Let us carefully check our conscience and repent of our sins before the Lord God. The sacrament of holy repentance has the main goal - to awaken our spiritual consciousness, open our eyes to ourselves, come to our senses, deeply understand in what destructive state our soul is, how it is necessary to seek salvation from God, to ask tearfully and contritely for the forgiveness of our countless sins before Him. The Lord Jesus Christ expects from us a sincere awareness of our deviations from His holy will and humble appeal to Him as unworthy of His servants, many who have sinned and have offended His Divine love for us.

We need to remember and deeply believe in the infinite mercy of God extending its arms to every sinner who is converted. There is no sin that God, by His ineffable mercy, would not forgive a person who showed sincere repentance for his sins, a firm determination to correct his life and not return to previous sins. Coming to confession, let us pray to God that He, with His almighty help, would open the doors of repentance to us, reconcile and unite with Himself, and grant the Holy Spirit for a new and renewed life. Amen!

An exemplary sample of confession.

I confess, the many-sinful (s) servant (s) of God (s) (name ...), to the Lord God Almighty, in Holy Trinity to the glorified and worshiped Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and to you, honest father, all my sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed by word, or deed, or thought.

I sinned by not keeping the vows I made at baptism, but in everything I lied and transgressed, and made myself obscene in the face of God.

He sinned with lack of faith, unbelief, doubt, hesitation in faith, slowing down in thoughts, from the enemy of the all-consuming, against God and the Holy Church, blasphemy and mockery of the holy thing, doubt in the existence of God, superstition, turning to "grandmothers", healers, psychics, fortune-telling, playing cards, arrogance, negligence, despair in my salvation, hope in myself and in people more than in God, forgetting about the justice of God and lack of sufficient devotion to the will of God, I did not thank God for everything.

He sinned by disobedience to the actions of God's providence, by a stubborn desire for everything to be, in my opinion, man-pleasing, a passionate love for things. He did not try to know the will of God, did not have reverence for God, fear of Him, hope in Him, zeal for His glory, for He is glorified with a pure heart and good deeds.

He sinned by ingratitude towards the Lord God for all His great and incessant blessings, forgetting about them, by murmuring against God, cowardice, despondency, hardening of his heart, lack of love for Him and non-fulfillment of His holy will.

He sinned by enslaving himself to passions: voluptuousness, greed, pride, laziness, vanity, vanity, ambition, covetousness, gluttony, delicacy, secret eating, overeating, drunkenness, smoking, drug addiction, addiction to games and entertainment, spectacles.

He sinned by God, by non-fulfillment of vows, forcing others to do God and oaths, disrespect for sacred things, blasphemy against God, against saints, against every shrine, blasphemy, invoking the name of God in vain, in bad deeds, desires, thoughts.

He sinned by disrespecting church holidays, did not go to the temple of God out of laziness and negligence, stood in the temple of God with disdain; he sinned by talking and laughing, inattention to reading and singing, distraction of the mind, wandering of thoughts, vain memories, walking around the temple during the divine service unnecessarily; left the church before the end of the service.

He sinned by neglecting morning and evening prayers, abandoning the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Psalter and other Divine books, patristic teachings.

He sinned by forgetting sins in confession, self-justification in them and belittling their gravity, hiding sins, repentance without heartbreak; he did not make efforts to properly prepare for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, not reconciled with his neighbors, he came to confession and in such a sinful state dared to approach Communion.

Sinned by breaking fasts and not keeping fast days- Wednesdays and Fridays, which are equated to the days of Great Lent, as days of remembrance of the sufferings of Christ. He sinned by intemperance in food and drink, by carelessly and dishonestly overshadowing himself with the sign of the cross.

He sinned by disobeying his superiors and elders, self-will, self-justification, laziness to work and dishonest execution of entrusted affairs. He sinned by disrespecting his parents, abandoning prayer for them, not raising children in the Orthodox faith, not honoring his elders in age, insolence, willfulness and disobedience, rudeness, stubbornness.

He sinned by lack of Christian love for one's neighbor, impatience, resentment, irritability, anger, causing harm to one's neighbor, fights and quarrels, obstinacy, hostility, retribution with evil for evil, unforgiveness of offenses, rancor, jealousy, envy, malice, revenge, condemnation, theft, , preparation and sale of moonshine, "unwinding" the electric meter, appropriation of state property.

He sinned with mercy to the poor, had no compassion for the sick and the crippled; sinned by stinginess, greed, wastefulness, greed, infidelity, injustice, cruelty, thoughts and attempts to commit suicide.

He sinned with deceit in relation to his neighbors, deception, insincerity in dealing with them, suspicion, double-mindedness, gossip, ridicule, witticisms, lies, hypocritical treatment of others and flattery, man-pleasing.

I sinned by forgetting about the future eternal life, a lack of remembrance about his death and the last judgment and an unreasonable, partisan attachment to earthly life and its pleasures, deeds.

He sinned by intemperance of his language, idle talk, idle talk, foul language, ridiculousness, told anecdotes; they sinned by disclosing the sins and weaknesses of their neighbors, seductive behavior, liberty, insolence, immoderate TV watching, hobby for gambling and computer games.

He sinned by intemperance of his mental and physical feelings, addiction, voluptuousness, immodest view of persons of the opposite sex, free treatment with them, fornication and adultery, intemperance in married life, various fleshly sins, a desire to please and seduce others.

He sinned by lack of straightforwardness, sincerity, simplicity, fidelity, truthfulness, respect, degree, caution in words, prudent silence, did not protect and did not defend the honor of others. They sinned by lack of love, abstinence, chastity, modesty in words and deeds, purity of heart, non-acquisitiveness, mercy and humility.

We have sinned by despondency, longing, sadness, sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, lust, impurity and all our feelings, thoughts, words, desires, deeds. I also repent of my other sins, which I forgot and did not remember.

I confess that I angered the Lord my God with all my sins, I sincerely regret it and wish to abstain from my sins in every possible way and be corrected. O Lord our God, with tears I pray to Thee, our Savior, help me to be affirmed in the holy intention to live in a Christian way, and forgive the sins I confessed, as it is Good and a Man-lover. Amen.

You need to name only your committed sin from those listed here. The sins not listed here must be told to the confessor separately. For convenience, sins can be written on a piece of paper and read in front of the priest. Sins, confessed and resolved earlier, should not be named in confession, because they have already been forgiven, but if we repeat them again, then we need to repent of them again. It is also necessary to repent of those sins that were forgotten, but are now remembered. Speaking of sins, one should not mention unnecessary details and names of other persons who are accomplices in sin. They must repent for themselves. The habits of sin are eradicated by prayer, fasting, abstinence, and good deeds. Confession is performed in the church after the evening service or by agreement with the priest at any time. How often should this saving ordinance be recalled? As often as possible, at least in each of the four posts.

Every person has difficult moments in life, when a stone of unspoken grievances, lies, aggravation of feelings for certain actions, for which sometimes it becomes ashamed and painful, lies on the soul. In order to relieve the soul, and to repent of all sins, there is the sacrament of confession. How to prepare for confession, what rules you need to follow and what to say to the priest, this article will tell you in detail.

Confessing means sincerely repenting of your sins and trying not to break the laws of God anymore. Before confessing, it is necessary to fully realize the gravity of the sins committed, and with faith in the soul consciously come to the desire to confess. It is important to remember all your sins, not being ashamed, and not hiding anything from the priest, otherwise everything you have not said will remain a heavy burden on your soul, with which you will have to continue to live.

Before confession, you need to ask for forgiveness from everyone whom you could offend during your life and forgive all offenders that you meet. You should not spread gossip or discuss anyone, you must refrain from reading frivolous literature (novels, detective stories, etc.), and watching TV.

The best pastime is to read the Bible and other spiritual literature.

When preparing for and during confession, it is recommended to observe a number of important conditions. Take a look at this list:

What to think about

When preparing for confession, you should use special literature, where you can find a detailed explanation of the essence of each sin. We suggest that you study the list of sins in confession, a sample:

Sins committed against the Lord God: lack of faith in God; recognition of another faith; participation in other religious meetings; appeal to sorcerers, fortune tellers, shamans; creation of "idols" for oneself. By "idols" can be understood any people, things and everything that a person can put above God.
Sins against neighbors: discussion and condemnation of people, slander and lies, neglect, adultery (betrayal of a spouse), promiscuous sex. And also this category includes " civil marriage", Very common in modern society... Even if the spouses are registered in the registry office, but not married, then this is considered a sin. Theft, robbery, deceiving people in order to make a profit are also considered great sins. Abortion, even if done for health reasons, is a very serious sin.

To understand what sins you have committed, you should turn to the commandments, and they should not only be understood literally. For example, “Thou shalt not kill” implies not only physical murder, but also murder in word and even in thought.

Confession behavior

Before confessing, you need to know the time of confession in the temple. In many churches, confession takes place on holidays and Sundays, but in large churches it can be on Saturday or on a weekday. Most often, a large number of those wishing to confess comes during Great Lent. But if a person is confessing for the first time or after a long break, it is best to talk to a priest and find a convenient time for calm and open repentance.

Before confession it is necessary to endure three day fast spiritual and bodily: give up sex life, do not eat animal products, it is advisable to give up entertainment, watching TV and "sitting" in gadgets. At this time, it is necessary to read spiritual literature and pray. There are special prayers before confession, which can be found in the Prayer Book or on specialized sites. You can read other spiritual literature that a priest might recommend.

It is worth remembering that confession is, first of all, repentance, and not just a spiritual conversation with a priest. If you have any questions, you should approach the priest at the end of the Service and ask him to give you time.

The priest has the right to impose penance on a parishioner if he considers the sins to be grave. This is a kind of punishment to eradicate sin and receive early forgiveness. As a rule, penance is reading prayers, fasting, and serving others. Penance should be taken not as a punishment, but as a spiritual medicine.

You need to come to confession in modest clothes. Men should dress in trousers or pants, and a long-sleeved shirt, preferably without images on it. The hat in the church should be removed. Women should dress as modestly as possible, trousers, dresses with a neckline, bare shoulders are not allowed. The length of the skirt is below the knee. There must be a scarf on the head. Any makeup, especially painted lips, is unacceptable, because you will need to kiss the Gospel and the cross.

Confession order:

You must wait for your turn to confess.
Turning to everyone present, you need to say the following words: "Forgive me, a sinner." In response, people should say, "God will forgive, and we forgive."
Bowing your head in front of the analogue (a high stand on which icons and books are placed), you need to cross yourself and bow, and after that you can confess.
After hearing the confession, the priest reads a prayer that absolves of sins. After the prayer, the priest baptizes the confessed person and removes the epitrachelion.
After confession, you need to listen to the priest, and after crossing yourself three times and bowing, kiss the cross and the book of the Gospel.

Sacrament of the sacrament

After confession, the believer is admitted to communion. as a rule, these two rites are performed on different days.

Before receiving communion, you should fast for three days. A week before the sacrament, akathists should also be read to the Saints and the Mother of God. On the third day of fasting, the Canon of Penitence, the Canon of the Prayer to the Mother of God and the Canon to the Guardian Angel are read. It is necessary to attend the evening service before Communion.

After midnight, you should refrain from food and water. On awakening are read morning prayers... And it is also worth remembering that in preparing for Communion, one should not drink alcohol, not smoke, not use foul language and refuse to fulfill marital duty.

The sacrament of confession, like the sacrament of the sacrament, are very important events in the life of every person. Cleansing from sins, the confessing becomes closer to God. A person who is beginning to take the true path is already taking a big step towards the purification of the soul and the improvement of life. It is worth remembering that these important events should be taken very seriously and prepared. And having already repented and received forgiveness, keep the soul, body and thoughts in purity and harmony.

The desire to confess appears not only among people who worship the law of God. Even the sinner is not lost to the Lord.

He is given the opportunity to change through the revision of his own views and the recognition of the committed sins, the correct repentance for them. After being cleansed of sins and embarking on the path of correction, a person cannot fall again.

The need to confess arises in someone who:

committed a grave sin;
terminally ill;
wants to change the sinful past;
decided to get married;
preparing for the sacrament.

For the first time, children up to the age of seven and parishioners who baptized on this day can take communion without confession.

Note! It is allowed to come to confession upon reaching the age of seven.

It often happens that a person has a need to confess mature age for the first time. In this case, you need to remember your sins committed from the age of seven.

There is no need to rush, we remember everything, write down the list of sins on a piece of paper. The priest is a witness of the Sacrament, he should not be ashamed and ashamed of him, as well as the most forgiving God himself.

God, in the person of the holy fathers, forgives grave sins. But in order to receive God's forgiveness, you need to seriously work on yourself.

To atone for sins, a repentant person performs the penance imposed on him by the priest. And only after its completion, the repentant parishioner is forgiven with the help of “ permissive prayer"A clergyman.

Important! As you prepare yourself for confession, forgive those who offended you and ask for forgiveness from the one whom you offended.

You can go to confession if only you are able to drive away obscene thoughts from yourself. No entertainment and frivolous literature, it is better to remember the Holy Scriptures.

Confession takes place in the following order:

wait for your turn to confess;
turn to those present with the words: "Forgive me, a sinner," after hearing in response that God will forgive, and we forgive, and only then approach the priest;
in front of a high stand - bow your head, making the sign of the cross and bowing, begin to confess correctly;
after listing the sins, listen to the priest;
then, having crossed ourselves and bowed twice, we kiss the Cross and the holy book of the Gospel.

Think in advance how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest. An example, the definition of sins, can be taken from the biblical commandments. We begin each phrase with the words what I sinned and what exactly.

We speak without details, we formulate only the sin itself, unless the father himself asks about the details. If you need God's forgiveness, you must sincerely repent of your actions.

It is stupid to hide anything from the priest, he is the assistant of the all-seeing God.

The goal of a spiritual healer is to help you repent of your sins. And if you have tears, the priest has achieved his goal.

What is considered a sin?

The known biblical commandments will help to determine what sins to call the priest during confession:

Types of sins	Sinful acts	The essence of sin
Attitude towards the Almighty	Doesn't wear a cross. Confidence that God is in the soul and that you don't need to go to the temple. Celebrating pagan traditions such as Halloween. Attending sectarian meetings, worshiping a wrong spirituality. An appeal to psychics, fortune-tellers, horoscopes and omens. He pays little attention to reading the Holy Scriptures, does not teach prayer, neglects the observance of Fasting and attending church services.	Unbelief, apostasy from faith. Feelings of pride. Mockery of the Orthodox faith. Disbelief in the oneness of God. Communication with evil spirits. Violation of the commandment to spend the day off.
Relationship to loved ones	Disrespect for parents. Impudence and interference with the personal and intimate life of adult children. Deprivation of life of living beings and humans, bullying and violent actions. Extortion, illegal activities.	Violation of the commandment to honor parents. Violation of the commandment to respect loved ones. Violation of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." Sin associated with the corruption of adolescents and children. Violation of the biblical commandments related to theft, envy and lies.
Attitude to yourself	Cohabitation without marriage, sexual perversion, interest in erotic films. The use of profanity and vulgar jokes in speech. Smoking abuse alcoholic beverages, drugs. A passion for gluttony and gluttony. Desire to flatter, chatter, brag good deeds, admire yourself.	Fleshly sin - adultery, fornication. The sin of foul language. Disregard for what the Lord has given - for health. Sin of arrogance.

Important! The primary sins, on the basis of which others appear, include arrogance, pride and arrogance in communication.

An example of confession in the church: what sins to say?

Let's consider how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest, an example of confession.

Confession written on paper can be used if the parishioner is very shy. Even the priests allow this, but the priest does not need to give the sample, we list it in our own words.

An example of confession is welcomed in Orthodoxy:

when approaching the priest, do not think about earthly affairs, try to listen to your soul;
turning to the Lord, one must say that I have sinned against You;
list the sins, saying: "I have sinned ... (by adultery or a lie or something else)";
we tell sins without details, but not very briefly;
Having finished the enumeration of sins, we repent and ask for salvation and alms from the Lord.

List of sins for confession

I (name) have sinned (a) before GOD:

weak faith (doubt in His being).
I have neither love nor proper fear for God, therefore I rarely confess and receive communion (by which I brought my soul to a petrified insensibility towards God).
I rarely visit Church on Sundays and holidays (work, trade, entertainment on these days).
I don’t know how to repent, I don’t see any sins.
I don’t remember death and don’t prepare to appear at the judgment of God (the memory of death and the future judgment helps to avoid sin).

Sinned :

I do NOT thank God for His mercies.
Not obedience to the will of God (I wish that everything was mine). Out of pride, I hope in myself and people, and not in God. By attributing success to yourself and not to God.
Fear of suffering, impatience of sorrow and disease (they are allowed by God to cleanse the soul from sin).
In a murmur at the cross of life (fate), at people.
Faint-heartedness, despondency, sadness, accusation of cruelty to God, despair of salvation, desire (attempt) to commit suicide.

Sinned :

Being late and early departure from the church.
Inattention during the service (to reading and singing, talking, laughing, napping ...). Walking around the temple unnecessarily, pushing and rude.
Out of pride, he left the sermon criticizing and condemning the priest.
In female impurity, she dared to touch the shrine.

Sinned :

out of laziness I don’t read the morning and evening prayers(completely from the prayer book), I cut them. I pray absentmindedly.
Prayed with bare head having a dislike for your neighbor. Careless image on myself sign of the cross... Not wearing a cross.
By the unreverent veneration of St. icons and shrines of the Church.
To the detriment of prayer, reading the Gospel, the Psalter and spiritual literature, I watched TV (God-fighters through films teach people to break God's commandment about chastity before marriage, adultery, cruelty, sadism, damage the mental health of young people. They are instilled in them through "Harry Potter ..." unhealthy interest in magic, sorcery and imperceptibly drawn into disastrous communication with the devil. In the media, this lawlessness before God, is presented as something positive, in color and romantic form. Christian! Avoid sin and save yourself and your children for Eternity !!! ).
Faint-hearted silence, when they blasphemed in my presence, the shame of being baptized and confessing the Lord in public (this is one of the types of denial of Christ). Blaspheme against God and every shrine.
Wearing shoes with crosses on the soles. By using newspapers for everyday needs ... where it is written about God ...
He called animals by the names of people "Vaska", "Masha". He spoke about God not reverently and without humility.

Sinned :

I dared to start Communion without proper preparation (without reading the canons and prayers, concealing and belittling sins in confession, in enmity, without fasting and prayers of thanksgiving ...).
He did not spend the days of Communion holy (in prayer, reading the Gospel ..., but indulged in entertainment, eating, eating, idle talk ...).

Sinned :

violation of fasts, as well as Wednesdays and Fridays (By fasting these days, we honor the sufferings of Christ).
I do not (always) pray before meals, work and after (after meals and work, a prayer of thanks is read).
Satedness in food and drink, drunkenness.
Secret eating, delicacy (addiction to sweets).
Ate (a) the blood of animals (bloodstream ...). (Forbidden by God Leviticus 7.2627; 17:1314, Acts 15, 2021.29). On the fast day, the festive (memorial) table was modest.
He remembered the dead with vodka (this paganism does not agree with Christianity).

Sinned :

idle talk (empty talk about everyday vanity ...).
By telling and listening to vulgar anecdotes.
Condemnation of people, priests and monks (but I don't see my sins).
Hearing and retelling gossip and blasphemous anecdotes (about God, the Church and the clergy). (By this, a temptation was sown through ME, and the name of God was blasphemed among people).
Remembering the name of God in vain (unnecessarily, in empty talk, jokes).
Lies, deceit, failure to fulfill the promises given to God (people).
Foul language, obscene (this is a blasphemy on Mother of God) swearing with mention evil spirits(the evil demons summoned in conversations will harm us).
Slander, the spread of bad rumors and gossip, the disclosure of other people's sins and weaknesses.
I listened to backbiting with pleasure and agreement.
Out of pride, he humiliated his neighbors with ridicule (jokes), stupid jokes ... Excessive laughter, laughter. He laughed at the beggars, the crippled, the grief of others ... God’s, false oath, perjury at trial, justification of criminals and condemnation of the innocent.

Sinned :

laziness, unwillingness to work (life at the expense of parents), seeking bodily peace, numbness in bed, desire to enjoy a sinful and luxurious life.
Smoking (among the American Indians, smoking tobacco had a ritual significance to worship demon spirits. A smoking Christian is a traitor to God, a demon worshiper and a suicide is harmful to health). Drug use.
Listening to pop and rock music (singing human passions, arouses base feelings).
Addicted to gambling and spectacles (cards, dominoes, computer games, TV, cinemas, discos, cafes, bars, restaurants, casinos ...). (The godless symbolism of cards, when playing or fortune-telling, is designed to blasphemously mock the suffering of Christ the Savior. And games destroy the psyche of children. Shooting and killing, they become aggressive, prone to cruelty and sadism, with all the ensuing consequences for parents).

Sinned :

corrupted (a) his soul by reading and examining (in books, magazines, films ...) erotic shamelessness, sadism, immodest games(A person corrupted by vices reflects in himself the qualities of a demon, not God), dancing, he himself (a) danced (a), (They led to the martyrdom of John the Baptist, after which dancing for Christians was a mockery of the memory of the Prophet).
Delight in prodigal dreams and the remembrance of past sins. Not distancing yourself from sinful dating and temptation.
Lustful view and liberty (immodesty, hugs, kisses, impure body touch) with persons of the opposite sex.
Fornication (sexual intercourse before the wedding). Prodigal perversions (masturbation, posture).
Sodom sins (homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, incest (fornication with relatives).

Introducing men into the temptation, she shamelessly dressed in short and with SLITTED skirts, trousers, shorts, tight-fitting and transparent clothes (this violated the commandment of God about appearance women. She should dress beautifully, but within the framework of Christian shame and conscience.

A Christian woman should be the image of God, not theomachy, sheared naked, repainted, with a clawed paw instead of a human hand, the image of Satan) sheared, painted ... In this form, not respecting the shrine, she dared to enter the temple of God.

Participation in beauty contests, photo models, masquerades (malanka, driving a goat, Halloween holiday ...), as well as dances with prodigal actions.

Was (a) immodest (at) in gestures, body movements, gait.

Bathing, sunbathing and nudity in the presence of persons of the opposite sex (contrary to Christian chastity).

Seduction to sin. Selling your body, pimping, renting out premises for fornication.

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Sinned :

adultery (adultery in marriage).
Not a married marriage. Lustful incontinence in marital relations (on fasting, Sundays, holidays, pregnancy, on days of female impurity).
Perversions in married life (posture, oral, anal fornication).
Wishing to live for his own pleasure and avoiding life's difficulties, he protected himself from conceiving children.
The use of "contraceptives" (spiral, pills do not interfere with conception, but kill the child at an early stage). Killed my children (abortion).
Advice (coercion) of others to abortion (men, with tacit consent, or forcing wives ... to abortion are also infanticide. Doctors who perform abortions, murderers, and assistants are accomplices).

Sinned :

ruined the souls of children, preparing them only for earthly life (did not teach (a) about God and faith, did not instill in them love for the church and home prayer, fasting, humility, obedience.
Didn't develop a sense of duty, honor, responsibility ...
I have not watched what they do, what they read, who they are friends with, how they behave).
Punished them too harshly (taking out anger, and not for correction, called them names, cursed (a).
With his sins he tempted (a) children (intimate relationships with them, swearing, foul language, watching immoral television programs).

Sinned :

joint prayer or transition to schism (Kyiv Patriarchate, UAOC, Old Believers ...), union, sect. (Prayer with schismatics and heretics leads to excommunication: 10, 65, Apostolic canons).
Superstition (belief in dreams, omens ...).
Turning to psychics, "grandmothers" (pouring out wax, swinging eggs, draining fear ...).
He defiled himself with urinotherapy (in the rituals of Satanists, the use of urine and feces has a blasphemous meaning. Such "treatment" is a vile defilement and devilish mockery of Christians), the use of "spoken" by the wizards ... Fortune telling on cards, fortune telling (for what?). I was afraid of sorcerers more than God. By coding (from what?).

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Hobby Eastern religions, occultism, satanism (indicate what). Attending sectarian, occult ... meetings.

Practicing yoga, meditation, dousing according to Ivanov (it is not the drenching itself that is condemned, but the teaching of Ivanov, which leads to the worship of him and nature, and not God). Eastern martial arts(worship of the spirit of evil, teachers, and the occult teaching on the disclosure of "internal possibilities" leads to communication with demons, obsession ...).

Reading and keeping the occult literature prohibited by the Church: magic, palmistry, horoscopes, dream books, prophecies of Nostradamus, literature of the religions of the East, the teachings of Blavatsky and the Roerichs, Lazarev “Diagnostics of Karma”, Andreev “Rose of the World”, Aksenov, Klizovsky, Vladimir, Svezhi, Taranov , Vereshchagina, Garafins Makovy, Asaulyak ...

(The Orthodox Church warns that the writings of these and other occult authors have nothing in common with the teachings of Christ the Savior. A person through occultism, entering into deep communication with demons, falls away from God and ruins his soul, and mental disorders will be a proper retribution for pride and presumptuous flirting with demons).

Coercion (advice) and others to contact them and do it.

Sinned :

theft, sacrilege (church theft).
The love of money (addiction to money and wealth).
Non-payment of debts (wages).
Greed, avarice for alms and the purchase of spiritual books ... (and I am not stingy on whims and entertainment).
Selfishness (using someone else's, living at someone else's expense ...). Wanting to get rich he gave (a) money at interest.
Trade in vodka, cigarettes, drugs, contraceptives, immodest clothing, porn ... (this helped the demon to destroy himself and people, an accomplice in their sins). I communicated, hung (a), passed off a bad product for a good ...

Sinned :

pride, envy, flattery, deceit, insincerity, hypocrisy, man-pleasing, suspiciousness, gloating.
Forcing others to sin (lie, steal, spy on, eavesdrop, inform, drink alcohol ...).

The desire for fame, respect, gratitude, praise, superiority ... By doing good for show. Bragging and self-admiration. Flaunting before people (wit, appearance, abilities, clothes ...).

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Sinned :

disobedience to parents, elders and superiors, insulting them.
Whims, stubbornness, contradiction, self-will, self-justification.
Laziness to study.
Careless care for elderly parents, relatives ... (left them unattended, food, money, medicine ..., handed them over to a nursing home ...).

Sinned :

pride, resentment, rancor, hot temper, anger, vindictiveness, hatred, irreconcilable hostility.
Impudence and insolence (climbed (la) out of line, pushed (las).
Cruelty to animals
Abused family members, was the cause of family scandals.
Not carrying out joint work on raising children and maintaining the economy, parasitism, drinking money, putting children in an orphanage ...
By practicing martial arts and sports (professional sport damages health and develops pride, vanity, a sense of superiority, contempt, thirst for enrichment ...), for the sake of fame, money, robbery (racketeering).
Rough treatment of neighbors, causing them harm (what?).
Assault, beatings, murder.
Not protecting the weak, the beaten, women from violence ...
Violation of traffic rules, drunk driving ... (which endangered people's lives).

Sinned :

careless attitude to work (public office).
I used my social position (talents ...) not for the glory of God and the benefit of people, but for personal gain.
Oppression of subordinates. Giving and accepting (extortion) bribes (which could lead to harm to public and private tragedies).
Plundered state and collective property.
Having a leading position, he did not care about suppressing the teaching of immoral subjects in schools, did not Christian customs(corrupting the morality of the people).
He did not provide assistance in the spread of Orthodoxy and suppression of the influence of sects, sorcerers, psychics ...
He was seduced by their money and rented out premises to them (which contributed to the destruction of people's souls).
He did not defend church relics, did not provide assistance in the construction and repair of churches and monasteries ...

Laziness to any good deed (did not visit lonely, sick, prisoners ...).

In matters of life, I did not consult with the priest and elders (which led to irreparable mistakes).

Gave advice, not knowing if it was pleasing to God. With a passionate love for people, things, occupations ... He tempted others with his sins.

I justify my sins by everyday needs, illness, weakness, and that no one taught us to believe in God (but we ourselves were not interested in this).

He seduced people into unbelief. Attended the mausoleum, atheistic events ...

Cold and unfeeling confession. I sin deliberately, trampling on a convicting conscience. There is no firm determination to correct your sinful life. I confess that I have offended the Lord with my sins, I sincerely regret it and will try to correct myself.

Indicate other sins with which he sinned (a).

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Note! As for the possible temptation from the sins cited here, it is true that fornication is abhorrent, and it must be spoken of carefully.

The Apostle Paul says: "Fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness should not even be named among you" (Eph. 5: 3). However, through television, magazines, advertising ... he entered the life of even the youngest so much that prodigal sins are not considered a sin by many. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about this in confession and call everyone to repentance and correction.

Few know how to confess correctly and what to say to the priest. I will tell you and give you an example of a speech for repentance, so that the ceremony is as comfortable as possible for you, and you can receive a blessing. It's scary to take this step only the first time. After you have experienced all the sacred power of the ritual, doubts will go away, and faith in God will increase.

What is confession?

Almost all people have heard about confession, but only a few know how to confess correctly in church and what to say to the priest, as well as what deep meaning lies in this sacred rite.

The meaning of confession is to purify the soul, but at the same time it is also a test for it. It helps a person to remove the burden of their sins, to receive forgiveness and to appear before God perfectly pure: in thoughts, actions, soul. Also, confession is an excellent religious tool for someone who wants to overcome inner doubts, learn to hear their intuition and repent of their misdeeds.

It is important to know that if a person has committed grave sins, the priest can assign him a punishment - penance. It can consist in long, tiresome prayers, strict aftermath, or abstinence from everything worldly. Punishment should be accepted humbly, realizing that it helps your soul to be cleansed.

It is known that any violations God's commandments negatively affect both the physical health of a person and the state of his soul. This is what repentance is for - to gain the strength necessary to resist temptations and temptations, to stop sinning.

Before confession, it is advisable to make a list of your sins in advance, describe them according to church canons and prepare for a conversation with the priest.

What to say in confession to a priest: an example

You should know that pouring out your soul to the priest and repenting of your sins in all details is not at all necessary, even undesirable. Just take a look at this list of sins and write down what is typical for you.

There are seven mortal sins in total, of which it is necessary to repent:

Envy of successes and achievements, the benefits of other people.
Vanity, which manifests itself in selfishness, narcissism, overestimated self-esteem and narcissism.
Despondency, with which concepts such as depression, apathy, laziness and despair, lack of self-confidence are also identified.
The love of money that is modern language we call greed, stinginess, fixation only on material goods. When a person sets goals aimed only at enrichment, but does not devote a minute of time to spiritual development.
Anger directed at people. This also includes any manifestations of irascibility, irritation, vindictiveness and rancor.
Fornication - cheating on your partner, frequent change of sexual partners, infidelity to your beloved in thoughts, words or actions (not just a physical act).
Gluttony, gluttony, excessive love of food and the absence of any restrictions on food.

These sins are not in vain called "mortal" - they lead, if not to death physical body man, then to the death of his soul. Constantly, day after day, committing these sins, a person moves further and further from God. He ceases to feel his protection, support.

Only sincere repentance in confession will help to cleanse oneself from all this. It should be understood that we are all not without sin. And you don't need to beat yourself up if you recognize yourself on this list. Only God is not wrong, but a common person not always able to resist temptations and temptations, not to let evil into his body and soul. Especially if there is some difficult period in his life.

An example of what you can say: "Oh God, I have sinned before you." And then list the sins according to a previously prepared list. For example: "I committed adultery, I was greedy with my mother, I am constantly angry with my wife." End the repentance with the phrase: "I repent, God, save and have mercy on me as a sinner."

After the priest listens to you, he can give advice and help you understand how you should act in a given situation in accordance with God's commandments.

It can be very difficult for you to confess your sins. A feeling of heaviness, depression, a lump in the throat, a tear - any reaction is completely normal. Try to overcome yourself and tell everything. Father will never condemn you, because he is a guide from you to God and simply has no right to make value judgments.

Watch the instructional video on how to start confession to the priest with what words:

How to prepare for confession

It is better to prepare for the sacred ceremony in advance so that everything goes smoothly. In a few days, choose a church to go to, study its opening hours, see what time confessions are held. Most often, the schedule for this indicates weekends or holidays.

Often there are a lot of people in the temple at this time, and not everyone can open their hearts in public. In this case, you should contact the priest directly and ask him to appoint a time for you when you can be alone.

Read before confession Penitential Canon, which will tune you to the desired state and free your thoughts from all unnecessary. Also, write down the list of sins in advance on a separate piece of paper, so that on the day of confession you will not forget anything from excitement.

In addition to the seven deadly sins, the list may include:

"Women's sins": refusal to communicate with God, reading prayers "on the machine" without turning on the soul, sex with men before marriage, negative emotions in thoughts, appeals to magicians, fortune-tellers and psychics, belief in omens and superstitions, fear of old age, abortion causing clothing, alcohol or drug addiction, refusal to help those in need.
"Male sins": angry words addressed to God, lack of faith in God, oneself, others, a sense of superiority over the weak, sarcasm and ridicule, evasion of military service, violence (moral and physical) over other people, lies and slander, succumbed temptations and temptations, theft of other people's property, rudeness, rudeness, greed, a sense of contempt.

Why is confession so important? We regularly cleanse our body of dirt, but we completely forget that it sticks to the soul every day. Having purified our souls, we not only receive God's forgiveness, but also become more pure, calm, relaxed, full of strength and energy.

Guess today with the help of the "Card of the Day" Tarot spread!
For correct fortune-telling: focus on the subconscious and do not think about anything for at least 1-2 minutes.
When you're ready, draw a card:

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