How confession takes place in the Orthodox Church. What words to start confession before the priest? Behavior at the Sacrament of Penance

Isn't it time for us all to learn how to confess correctly? - Resolutely and without hesitation, the employees of the portal "Orthodox Life" asked the confessor of the Kiev Theological Schools, teacher of the KDA, Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk).

Photo: Boris Gurevich fotokto.ru

- A large number of people do not know what to repent of. Many go to confession and remain silent, waiting for leading questions from the priests. Why is this happening and what should an Orthodox Christian repent of?

– Usually people do not know what to repent of, for several reasons:

1. They lead a scattered life (busy with thousands of things), and they have no time to take care of themselves, look into their soul and see what is wrong there. Such people in our time 90%, if not more.

2. Many suffer from high self-esteem, that is, they are proud, and therefore are more inclined to notice and condemn other people's sins and shortcomings than their own.

3. Neither their parents, nor teachers, nor priests taught them what and how to repent.

And an Orthodox Christian should repent first of all of what his conscience convicts him of. It is best to build a confession according to the Ten Commandments of God. That is, during Confession, we first need to talk about what we have sinned against God (these can be the sins of unbelief, lack of faith, superstition, godliness, oaths), then repent of sins against neighbors (disrespect, inattention to parents, disobedience to them, deceit, cunning, condemnation, anger against neighbors, hostility, arrogance, pride, vanity, stinginess, theft, tempting others to sin, fornication, etc.). I advise you to familiarize yourself with the book "To Help the Penitent", compiled by St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). In the work of the elder John Krestyankin, an example of confession according to the Ten Commandments of God is presented. Focusing on these works, you can make your own informal confession.

– How much detail do you need to tell about your sins at confession?

– It all depends on the degree of your repentance for sins. If a person in his heart has gained the determination not to return to this or that sin, then he tries to uproot it and therefore describes everything to the smallest detail. And if a person repents formally, then he gets something like: "I have sinned in deed, word, thought." The exception to this rule is the sins of fornication. In this case, the details do not need to be described. If the priest feels that a person is indifferent even to such sins, then he can ask additional questions in order to shame such a person at least a little and move him to true repentance.

– If you don’t feel light after confession, what does it mean?

- This may indicate that there was no genuine repentance, confession was made without contrition of the heart, but only a formal enumeration of sins with an unwillingness to change one's life and not sin again. True, sometimes the Lord does not immediately give a feeling of lightness, so that a person does not become proud and immediately fall into the same sins again. Ease also does not come immediately if a person confesses old, deeply rooted sins. For lightness to come, it is necessary to shed a lot of tears of repentance.

– If you attended confession at Vespers, and after the service you managed to sin, is it necessary to go to confession again in the morning?

– If these are sins of fornication, anger or drunkenness, then you definitely need to repent of them again and even ask the priest for penance, so as not to commit the same sins so quickly. If sins of a different kind are committed (condemnation, laziness, verbosity), then during the evening or morning prayer rule, you should sincerely ask for forgiveness from the Lord for the committed offenses, and confess them at the next confession.

– If at confession I forgot to mention some sin, and then after a while I remembered it, do I need to go back to the priest and talk about it?

- If there is such an opportunity and the priest is not very busy, then he will even rejoice for your diligence, and if this is not possible, then you need to write down this sin so as not to forget it again, and repent of it during the next confession.

How can you learn to see your sins?

- A person begins to see his sins when he stops judging other people. In addition, to see one's weakness, as St. Simeon the New Theologian writes, teaches the careful fulfillment of God's commandments. As long as a person fulfills one thing and neglects the other, he will not be able to feel what a wound sins inflict on his soul.

– What to do with a sense of shame at confession, with a desire to obscure, hide your sin? Will this hidden sin be forgiven by God?

– Shame at confession is a natural feeling, which indicates that a person has a living conscience. Worse, when there is no shame. But the main thing is that shame should not reduce our confession to formality, when we confess one thing and hide the other. It is unlikely that the Lord will be pleased with such a confession. Yes, and every priest always feels when a person hides something and formalizes his confession. For him, this child ceases to be dear, one for which he is always ready to pray fervently. And vice versa, regardless of the gravity of the sin, the deeper the repentance, the more the priest rejoices for the penitent. Not only the priest, but also the angels in heaven rejoice for a sincerely penitent person.

– Is it necessary to confess a sin that you will absolutely commit in the near future? How to hate sin?

– The Holy Fathers teach that the greatest sin is unrepentant sin. Even if we do not feel the strength in ourselves to fight sin, we still need to resort to the Sacrament of Penance. With God's help, if not immediately, then gradually we will be able to overcome the sin that has taken root in us. But don't overestimate yourself. If we lead a right spiritual life, we can never feel completely sinless. The fact is that we are all docile, that is, we very easily fall into all sorts of sins, no matter how many times we repent of them. Each of our confessions is a kind of shower (bath) for the soul. If we constantly take care of the purity of our body, then all the more we need to take care of the purity of our soul, which is much more precious than the body. So, no matter how many times we sin, we must not hesitate to run to confession. And if a person does not repent of repeated sins, then they will entail other, more serious offenses. For example, someone is accustomed to deceive on trifles all the time. If he does not repent of this, then in the end he can not only deceive, but also betray other people. Remember what happened to Judas. He first quietly stole money from the donation box, and then betrayed Christ Himself.

A person can hate sin only when he fully feels the sweetness of the grace of God. As long as a person's sense of grace is weak, it is difficult for him not to fall into the sin of which he has recently repented. The sweetness of sin in such a person is stronger than the sweetness of grace. That is why the holy fathers and especially St. Seraphim of Sarov so insist that the main goal of the Christian life should be the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

– If a priest tore up a note with sins without looking into it, are these sins considered forgiven?

– If the priest is perspicacious and knows how to read what is written in the note without looking into it, then, thank God, all sins are forgiven. If the priest does this because of his haste, indifference and inattention, then it is better to go to confession to another or, if this is not possible, confess your sins aloud, without writing them down.

—Is there a common confession in the Orthodox Church? How to treat this practice?

– A general confession, during which special prayers from the Ribbon are read, is usually held before an individual confession. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt practiced general confession without individual confession, but he did this by necessity because of the multitude of people who came to him for consolation. Purely physically, due to human weakness, he did not have enough strength to listen to everyone. In Soviet times, such confessions were also sometimes practiced, when one temple was for a whole city or district. Now, when the number of churches and clergy has increased significantly, there is no need to make do with one general confession without an individual one. We are ready to listen to everyone, if only there was sincere repentance.

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova

What is confession?

Why is it needed, and how to correctly name sins in confession?

Why do you need to confess to a priest?

How to properly prepare for the sacrament for those who want to repent for the first time?

All these questions sooner or later every Orthodox person asks himself.

Let's look into all the intricacies of this sacrament together.

Confession for an Orthodox person - what is it?

Repentance or confession is a sacrament during which a person verbally reveals his sins to God in the presence of a priest who has the power to forgive sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord during his earthly life gave his apostles, and through them to all the priests, the power to forgive sins. During confession, a person not only repents of committed sins, but also makes a promise not to repeat them again. Confession is the purification of the soul. Many people think: “I know that anyway, even after confession, I will again commit this sin (for example, smoking). So why should I confess? This is fundamentally wrong. You don’t think: “Why should I wash if I’m going to get dirty tomorrow anyway.” You still take a bath or shower, because the body must be clean. Man is weak by nature and will sin throughout his life. This is what confession is for, in order to cleanse the soul from time to time and work on your shortcomings.

Confession is very important for an Orthodox person, because during this sacrament reconciliation with God takes place. You should go to confession at least once a month, but if you have a need to do it more often, please do so. The main thing is to know how to correctly name sins in confession.

For some especially grave sins, the priest may appoint a penance (from the Greek "punishment" or "special obedience"). This may be prolonged prayer, fasting, almsgiving or abstinence. This is a kind of medicine that will help a person get rid of sin.

A few tips for those who want to confess for the first time

As before any sacrament, you need to prepare for confession. If you have decided to repent for the first time, then you need to find out when the sacrament is usually held in your temple. It is mainly held on holidays, Saturday and Sunday.

As a rule, on such days there are many people who want to confess. And this becomes a real obstacle for those who want to confess for the first time. Some are shy, while others are afraid to do something wrong.

It will be good if you turn to the priest before the first confession with a request to set a time for you when you and the priest will be alone. Then no one will bother you.

You can make yourself a little cheat sheet. Write down your sins on a piece of paper so that you don’t miss anything at confession due to excitement.

How to correctly name sins in confession: what sins need to be called

Many, especially those who have just begun their path to God, rush from one extreme to another. Some dryly list common sins, written out, as a rule, from church books about repentance. Others, on the contrary, begin to describe each sin committed in such detail that it no longer becomes a confession, but a story about themselves and their lives.

What sins to name at confession? Sins are divided into three groups:

1. Sins against the Lord.

2. Sins against neighbors.

3. Sins against your soul.

Let's take a closer look at each individually.

1. Sins against the Lord. Most of today's people have distanced themselves from God. They do not visit temples or do it extremely rarely, and at best they only heard about prayers. However, if you are a believer, have you hidden your faith? Maybe you were embarrassed to cross yourself in front of people or say that you are a believer.

Blasphemy and grumbling against God- one of the most serious and serious sins. We commit this sin when we complain about life and believe that there is no one more unhappy than us in the world.

blasphemy. You have committed this sin if you have ever ridiculed the customs or ordinances of the Church, of which you understand nothing. Jokes about God or the Orthodox faith are also blasphemy. It doesn't matter if you listen or talk.

False oath or swearing. The latter says that in man there is no fear of the greatness of the Lord.

Failure to fulfill your vows. If you made a vow to God to do some good deed, but did not keep it, this sin must be confessed.

We do not pray daily at home. It is through prayer that we communicate with the Lord and the Saints. We ask for their intercession and help in the fight against our passions. Without prayer there can be neither repentance nor salvation.

Interest in occult and mystical teachings, as well as pagan and heterodox sects, divination and divination. In fact, such an interest can be not only detrimental to the soul, but also to the mental and physical state of a person.

Superstition. In addition to the superstitions that we inherited from our pagan ancestors, we began to get carried away with the absurd superstitions of the newfangled teachings.

Care of your soul. Moving away from God, we forget about our soul and stop paying due attention to it.

Thoughts of suicide, gambling.

2. Sins against neighbors.

Disrespectful attitude towards parents. We should treat our parents with reverence. The same applies to the relationship of students to their teacher.

Offense inflicted on a neighbor. By hurting loved ones, we harm his soul. We also commit this sin when we advise our neighbors to do something vicious or evil.

Slander. Slander people. To accuse a person, not having confidence in his guilt.

Malevolence and hatred. This sin is equated with homicide. We must help and sympathize with our neighbor.

rancor. It shows that our heart is overflowing with self-love and self-justification.

Disobedience. This sin becomes the beginning for more serious evils: insolence against parents, theft, laziness, deceit and even murder.

Condemn. The Lord said, “Judge not, lest you be judged; for by what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you measure, I will measure it to you.” Judging a person for this or that weakness, we can fall into the same sin.

Theft, miserliness, abortion, theft, commemoration of the dead with alcohol.

3. Sins against your soul.

Laziness. We do not go to the temple, we shorten morning and evening prayers. We engage in idle talk while we need to work.

Lie. All bad deeds are accompanied by lies. Satan is called the father of lies for a reason.

Flattery. Today it has become a weapon to achieve earthly goods.

foul language. This sin is especially prevalent among young people today. From foul language the soul becomes coarse.

Impatience. We must learn to restrain our negative emotions so as not to harm our soul and offend loved ones.

Lack of faith and unbelief. A believer should not doubt the mercy and wisdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Charm and self-deception. This is an imaginary closeness to God. A person suffering from this sin considers himself practically a saint and puts himself above others.

Long concealment of sin. As a result of fear or shame, a person cannot reveal a committed sin at confession, believing that he can no longer be saved.

Despair. This sin often haunts people who have committed grave sins. It must be confessed in order to prevent irreparable consequences.

Blaming others and self-justification. Our salvation lies in the fact that we can recognize ourselves and only ourselves guilty of our sins and actions.

These are the main sins that almost every person commits. If earlier during confession sins were voiced that were no longer repeated, then they do not need to be confessed again.

Fornication (including marriage without a wedding), incest, adultery (treason), sexual relations between people of the same sex.

How to correctly name sins in confession - is it possible to write them on paper and just give them to the priest

Sometimes, in order to tune in to confession and not worry that you will forget something during the sacrament, they write sins on paper. In this regard, many people ask themselves the question: is it possible to write sins on a piece of paper and just give it to a priest? Definite answer: No!

The meaning of confession lies precisely in the fact that a person voices his sins, mourns them and hates them. Otherwise, it will not be repentance, but writing a report.

Over time, try to completely abandon any papers, and tell in confession exactly what is weighing on your soul at this very moment.

How to correctly name sins in confession: where to start confession and how to end

Approaching the priest, try to put thoughts of the earth out of your head and listen to your soul. Begin confession with the words: “Lord, I have sinned against You” and begin to list sins.

There is no need to list the sins in detail. If you, for example, stole something, then you do not need to tell the priest where, when and under what circumstances it happened. It is enough to simply say: I have sinned by stealing.

However, it is not worth listing the sins completely dry. For example, you come up and start saying: “I sinned with anger, irritation, condemnation, etc.” This is also not entirely correct. It would be better to say this: “I have sinned, Lord, by irritation with my husband” or “I constantly condemn my neighbor.” The fact is that a priest during confession can give you advice on how to deal with this or that passion. It is these clarifications that will help him understand the cause of your weakness.

You can end the confession with the words “I repent, Lord! Save and have mercy on me, a sinner!

How to correctly name sins in confession: what to do if you are ashamed

Shame during confession is a completely normal phenomenon, because there are no such people who would be pleased to talk about their not very pleasant sides. But you should not fight it, but try to survive it, endure it.

First of all, you must understand that you are not confessing your sins to a priest, but to God. Therefore, one should be ashamed not before the priest, but before the Lord.

Many people think: "If I tell the priest everything, he will probably despise me." It is absolutely not important, the main thing is to beg forgiveness from God. You must clearly decide for yourself: to receive deliverance and purify your soul, or to continue to live in sins, plunging into this dirt more and more.

The priest is only an intermediary between you and God. You must understand that during confession the Lord Himself stands invisibly before you.

I would like to say once again that only in the sacrament of confession does a person with a contrite heart repent of sins. After that, a permissive prayer is read over it, which frees a person from sin. And remember, the one who hides sin during confession will acquire an even greater sin before God!

Over time, you will get rid of shame and fear and will better understand how to correctly name sins in confession.

This list - the list is designed for people who are beginning the church life and those who want to repent before God.

When preparing for confession, write down the sins that reveal your conscience from the list. If there are many of them, you need to start from the most difficult mortals.
Communion is possible only with the blessing of the priest. Repentance BEFORE GOD implies not an indifferent enumeration of one's bad deeds, BUT A SINCERE CONDEMNATION OF YOUR SINNESS AND THE DECISION TO CORRECTION!

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 take communion (which brought my soul to a petrified insensitivity towards God).
• I rarely attend Church on Sundays and holidays (work, trade, entertainment these days).
• I don’t know how to repent, I don’t see sins.
• I do not remember death and do not prepare to stand 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 want everything to be mine). Out of pride, I hope for myself and people, and not for God. Attributing success to yourself, not to God.
• Fear of suffering, impatience of sorrows and illnesses (they are allowed by God to cleanse the soul from sin).
• Murmuring at the cross of life (fate), at people.
• Cowardice, despondency, sadness, blaming God for cruelty, despair in salvation, a desire (attempt) to commit suicide.

Sinned :

• Being late and leaving church early.
• Inattention during the service (to reading and singing, talking, laughing, dozing ...). Walking around the temple needlessly, 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 :

• due to laziness, I do not read morning and evening prayers (completely from the prayer book), I shorten them. I pray absentmindedly.
• She prayed with her head uncovered, having hostility towards her neighbor. Careless image of the sign of the cross. Not wearing a pectoral cross.
• The reverent veneration of St. icons and shrines of the Church.
• To the detriment of prayer, reading the Gospel, the Psalter and spiritual literature, I watched (a) TV (Through films, the God-fighters teach people to violate God's commandment about chastity before marriage, adultery, cruelty, sadism, damage the mental health of young people. They instill in them through "Harry Potter ..." an unhealthy interest in magic, sorcery and imperceptibly drawn into disastrous communion with the devil.In the media, this lawlessness before God is presented as something positive, in color and romantic form.Christian!Turn away from sin and save yourself and your children for Eternity!!! ).
• Cowardly silence, when they blasphemed in front of me, shame to be baptized and confess the Lord in front of people (this is one of the types of renunciation of Christ). Blasphemy against God and every holy thing.
• Wearing shoes with crosses on the sole. The use of newspapers for everyday needs ... where it is written about God ...
• He called (a) animals by the names of people "Vaska", "Mashka". He spoke about God not reverently and without humility.

Sinned :

• dared (a) to take Communion without proper preparation (without reading the canons and prayers, concealing and belittling sins in confession, in enmity, without fasting and prayers of thanksgiving ...).
• I didn’t spend Holy Communion Days (in prayer, reading the Gospel ... but indulged in entertainment, eating, sleeping, idle talk ...).

Sinned :

• violation of fasting, as well as Wednesday and Friday (By fasting these days, we honor the sufferings of Christ).
• I do not (always) pray before meals, work and after (After eating and work, a prayer of thanksgiving is read).
• Satiation in food and drink, intoxication drunk.
• Secret eating, delicacy (addiction to sweets).
• Ate (a) the blood of animals (bloody blood ...). (Forbidden by God Leviticus 7,2627; 17, 1314, Acts 15, 2021,29). On a fast day, the festive (funeral) table was modest.
• He commemorated the dead with vodka (this is paganism and does not agree with Christianity).

Sinned :

• idle talk (empty talk about worldly fuss ...).
• Telling and listening to vulgar anecdotes.
• Condemnation of people, priests and monks (but I don’t see my sins).
• Listening and retelling gossip and blasphemous anecdotes (about God, the Church and the clergy). (By this, temptation was sown through ME, and the name of God was blasphemed among people).
• Remembering the name of God in vain (without need, in empty talk, jokes).
• Lies, deception, non-fulfillment of promises given to God (people).
• Foul language, swearing (this is a blasphemy against the Mother of God) swearing with the mention of evil spirits (evil demons invoked in conversations will harm us).
• slander, the spread of bad rumors and gossip, the disclosure of other people's sins and weaknesses.
• He listened to the slander with pleasure and consent.
• Out of pride, he humiliated (a) his neighbors with ridicule (jokes), stupid jokes ... Immoderate laughter, laughter. He laughed at the beggars, the crippled, other people's grief ... God-warfare, a false oath, perjury at trial, the acquittal of criminals and the condemnation of the innocent.

Sinned :

• laziness, unwillingness to work (life at the expense of parents), the search for bodily peace, languor in bed, the desire to enjoy a sinful and luxurious life.
• Smoking (among the American Indians, the smoking of tobacco had a ritual meaning of worshiping the spirits of demons. A smoking Christian is a traitor to God, a demon worshiper and a suicide is injurious to health). Drug use.
• Listening to pop and rock music (singing human passions, excites base feelings).
• Addiction to gambling and spectacles (cards, dominoes, computer games, TV, cinemas, discos, cafes, bars, restaurants, casinos ...). (The atheistic symbolism of the 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 his soul by reading and looking at (in books, magazines, films ...) erotic shamelessness, sadism, immodest games, (A person corrupted by vices displays the qualities of a demon, not God), dances, danced ), (They led to the martyrdom of John the Baptist, after which dancing for Christians is a mockery of the memory of the Prophet).
• The pleasure of prodigal dreams and the remembrance of past sins. Not removal from sinful dates and temptation.
• Lustful view and freedom (immodesty, hugs, kisses, impure touch of the body) with persons of the opposite sex.
• Fornication (sexual intercourse before marriage). Fornication perversions (masturbation, poses).
• Sodomy sins (homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, incest (fornication with relatives).

Leading into the temptation of men, she shamelessly dressed in short and slit skirts, trousers, shorts, tight-fitting and translucent clothes (this violated the commandment of God about the appearance of a woman. She should dress beautifully, but within the framework of Christian shame and conscience.

A Christian woman should be an image of God, and not a God-fighting, shorn naked repainted, with a clawed paw instead of a human hand, the image of Satan) cut her hair, painted ... In this form, without 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 in dances with prodigal actions.

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

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

Seduction to sin. Selling your body, pimping, renting a place for fornication.

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Sinned :

• adultery (adultery in marriage).
• Not married. Lustful intemperance in marital relations (on fasts, Sundays, holidays, pregnancy, on days of female impurity).
• Perversions in married life (poses, oral, anal fornication).
• Wanting to live for his own pleasure and avoiding life's difficulties, he protected himself from conceiving children.
• The use of "contraceptive" means (spiral, pills do not prevent conception, but kill the child at an early stage). Killed (a) their children (abortions).
• By advice (forcing) others to have an abortion (men, with tacit consent, or forcing wives ... to have an abortion are also child killers. Abortion doctors are murderers, and assistants are accomplices).

Sinned :

• destroyed 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 church and home prayer, fasting, humility, obedience.
• Did not develop a sense of duty, honor, responsibility ...
• I didn’t watch what they do, what they read, with whom they are friends, how they behave).
• He punished (a) them too cruelly (venting anger, and not for correction, called names, cursed (a).
• He seduced (a) children with his sins (intimate relationships with them, swearing, foul language, watching immoral television programs).

Sinned :

• joint prayer or transition to a schism (the Kyiv Patriarchate, the UAOC, the Old Believers ...), a union, a sect. (Prayer with schismatics and heretics leads to excommunication from the Church: 10, 65, Apostolic Canons).
• Superstition (belief in dreams, signs ...).
• Appeal to psychics, "grandmothers" (pouring wax, swinging eggs, draining fear ...).
• He defiled himself with urine therapy (in the rituals of Satanists, the use of urine and feces has a blasphemous meaning. Such a “treatment” is a vile desecration and a devilish mockery of Christians), the use of “slandered” by soothsayers ... Divination on cards, divination (for what?). I was afraid of sorcerers more than God. Coding (from what?).

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Fascination with Eastern religions, occultism, Satanism (specify what). Attending sectarian, occult... meetings.

Doing yoga, meditation, dousing according to Ivanov (it is not dousing itself that is condemned, but Ivanov's teaching, which leads to the worship of him and nature, and not God). Oriental martial arts (worship of the spirit of evil, teachers, and the occult teaching about the disclosure of "internal capabilities" leads to communication with demons, possession ...).

Reading and storage of 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's "Diagnostics of Karma", Andreev's "Rose of the World", Aksenov, Klizovsky, Vladimir Megre, Taranov, Sviyazh , Vereshchagin, 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 in-depth communication with demons, falls away from God and destroys his soul, and mental disorders will be the due retribution for pride and arrogant flirting with demons).

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

Sinned :

• theft, sacrilege (theft of church goods).
• Covetousness (addiction to money and wealth).
• Non-payment of debts (wages).
• Greed, stinginess for alms and the purchase of spiritual books ... (and I spend money on whims and entertainment without stint).
• Covetousness (using someone else's, living at someone else's expense ...). Wanting to get rich, he gave money at interest.
• Trade in vodka, cigarettes, drugs, contraceptives, immodest clothes, porn ... (this helped the demon to destroy himself and people, an accomplice of their sins). Spelled (a), weighed (a), gave out (a) a bad product for a good one ...

Sinned :

• self-love, envy, flattery, slyness, insincerity, hypocrisy, philanthropy, suspicion, malevolence.
• Forcing others to sin (to lie, steal, peep, eavesdrop, inform, drink alcohol ...).

Desire for fame, respect, gratitude, praise, primacy ... Doing good for show. Boasting and self-love. Showing off in front of people (wit, appearance, abilities, clothes ...).

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Sinned :

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

Sinned :

• pride, resentment, rancor, irascibility, anger, revenge, hatred, irreconcilable enmity.
• Insolence and insolence (climbed (la) out of turn, pushed (las).
• Cruelty to animals
• Insulted at home, was (a) the cause of family scandals.
• Not carrying out joint work on raising children and maintaining the household, parasitism, drinking money, handing over children to an orphanage ...
• Engaging in martial arts and sports (professional sports damage health and develop pride, vanity, a sense of superiority, contempt, a thirst for enrichment ...), for the sake of fame, money, robbery (racketeering).
• Rough treatment of others, causing them harm (what?).
• Bullying, beating, murder.
• Not protecting the weak, beaten, women from violence ...
• Violation of traffic rules, drunk driving ... (thus endangering people's lives).

Sinned :

• careless attitude to work (public position).
• He used his social position (talents ...) not for the glory of God and the benefit of people, but for personal gain.
• Harassment of subordinates. Giving and accepting (extortion) bribes (which could lead to harm to public and private tragedies).
• He plundered state and collective property.
• Having a leading position, he did not care (was) about the suppression of teaching immoral subjects in schools, non-Christian customs (corrupting the morality of the people).
• Did not provide assistance in the spread of Orthodoxy and the suppression of the influence of sects, sorcerers, psychics ...
• He was seduced by their money and rented out premises to them (which contributed to the death of people's souls).
• He did not protect church shrines, did not provide assistance in the construction and repair of temples and monasteries ...

Indolence to every good deed (did not visit (a) lonely, sick, prisoners ...).

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

Gave advice without knowing whether it was pleasing to God. With a passionate love for people, things, activities ... He tempted (a) those around him with his sins.

I justify my sins with worldly needs, illness, weakness, and that no one taught us faith in God (but we ourselves were not interested in this).

He seduced people into unbelief. Attended a mausoleum, atheist events…

Cold and insensitive confession. I sin consciously, trampling on a convicting conscience. There is no firm determination to correct your sinful life. I repent that I offended the Lord with my sins, I sincerely regret it and I will try to improve.

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 vile, and one must speak about it carefully.

The Apostle Paul says: "fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness must not even be named among you" (Eph. 5:3). However, through television, magazines, advertisements... it has entered the lives of even the youngest so that fornication is not considered a sin by many. Therefore, it is necessary to speak about this at confession and call everyone to repentance and correction.

- Father Vadim, let's discuss a very important topic - the meaning of the sacrament of Repentance or Confession in the spiritual life of a modern Orthodox Christian. Sometimes, even in the church media, opinions begin to be expressed that the modern practice of Confession is flawed, that one should confess only when an internal need arises, and one should take communion more often, preferably at every liturgy, at every visit to the temple. There are calls not to link the celebration of these Sacraments in church practice. What can you say, Father Vadim, about the meaning of the sacrament of Confession?

– I can only say what the Church has been testifying to for centuries: Repentance is one of the seven most important Sacraments that ensure the fullness of a person’s spiritual life and his salvation. Salvation is impossible without repentance. This is the foundation of the spiritual life. The Holy Fathers call the sacrament of Penance the second Baptism, for in it the human soul is cleansed and reborn and becomes capable of receiving the grace-filled gifts of other Church Sacraments, including the Eucharist. Whoever ignores this Sacrament to some extent or neglects it, and such trends have begun to appear in our time, runs the risk of turning his entire spiritual life into a hypocritical farce.

I think that these aspirations to belittle the significance of Confession for the spiritual life of a Christian arose in the Orthodox milieu under the influence of Protestantism on church consciousness. Unfortunately, Protestantism in the West deformed the consciousness of Catholicism, and now it has reached Orthodoxy. Confession is a necessary condition for bringing the soul into a God-pleasing state. We read from the Holy Fathers that all The spiritual life of a person is based on Repentance. Confession is the main means for deep repentance. Saint Ignatius Bryanchaninov noted in his writings that the importance of Confession in the life of an Orthodox Christian is growing and will continue to grow, as people less and less use other spiritual means. We do not know how to pray and we do not show diligence, we do not show zeal for fasting, we easily succumb to sinful temptations. If we still push Confession to the periphery of our spiritual life, then we can be taken with our bare hands.

– But here the question immediately arises: I can repent at home during personal prayer, why is Confession necessary in the church?

– Let’s immediately separate these concepts – personal repentance, which the Lord undoubtedly hears, and Church Confession as a sacrament. Yes, the Lord hears and often forgives a person many sins that he mourned in his personal prayer. And when we say in the Church: “Lord, have mercy,” the Lord forgives us a lot. Nevertheless, this does not replace the sacrament of Confession, because a person needs not only to receive the forgiveness of sins, but also grace is required to heal a sinful wound, and grace-filled power is also needed so that the sin committed is no longer repeated. These gifts are given in the Church Confession, in this greatest Sacrament of spiritual rebirth, therefore it is extremely necessary in the life of a Christian. I’ll tell you from my own experience: when I studied at the seminary, I had the opportunity to confess every week at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and I remember my inner state then, how deeply and subtly everything sinful was experienced in my personal life and it was easier to resist it. Then came another period in my life, when I began to go to confession less often, maybe once every two or three weeks. And it was already a different state. It was as if all my senses were hardened and dulled. Consciousness fixes sin, and there are fewer internal forces for resistance. To a person who doubts the truth, effectiveness and usefulness of the Confession, I suggest trying it from personal experience, what it is, approaching it with the utmost responsibility and seriousness.

—But, Father Vadim, how do they say that in some other Local Orthodox Churches, say in Greece, it happens that believers receive communion regularly, but confess not so often. Although at the same time it must be admitted that in the Greek monasteries much attention is paid to frequent regular Confession. In this regard, I am reminded of the work of the Serbian professor Vladeta Jerotic, who writes that in order to receive a worthy Communion, one must resort to regular Confession, so that Confession necessarily precedes Communion. But what to do when we are given as an example the practice of other Churches, where they do not necessarily confess before communion. So maybe we don't need to confess?

– In the Russian Orthodox Church, there is a wonderful tradition of confessing before every Communion, and God forbid that it be preserved for a long, long time. Of course, this issue has its own nuances. There can be no formal approach here. But generally speaking, Confession before Communion is a very important and useful spiritual principle. Yes, indeed, in some Local Churches this practice looks a little different than in ours. Sometimes the Russian tradition is compared with the Greek one, where people go to Confession when they feel the need for it. It should be noted that the history of the emergence of this tradition in Greece is a separate special and controversial issue. For example, in the XIV century. St. Gregory Palamas in his sermon “On the Holy and Terrible Mysteries of Christ” directly points to the need for Confession before Communion: God, before we correct ourselves according to the rule of piety, we proceed [to the Holy Mysteries], then, of course, we do this to our own judgment and to eternal torment, pushing away from ourselves both God’s bounties and His patience towards us.” A detailed discussion of the history of the emergence of the divided practice of Confession and Communion in the Greek-speaking environment is beyond the scope of our conversation. Let's agree that it really exists now. But why is this tradition, in my opinion, not applicable to modern church life in Russia? First of all, because the Greek people did not survive such a period of godlessness that we got. Modern Greeks grow up in Orthodox families. For the most part, they know what sin is and what virtue is. Orthodoxy is their state religion. They have been brought up in Orthodox traditions for several generations, and this tradition has not been interrupted. Therefore, many important principles of spiritual life are rooted in their minds from childhood. Without special instructions, they understand that if I have sinned today, then I cannot take communion today, I must go to the confessor for Confession.

In our Fatherland, which has gone through a terrible period of persecution of the Church, people sincerely reached out to the temple. It is wonderful. But due to their spiritual ignorance, most of them do not understand the gravity of the sins they commit, most often they do not see them at all. A lot of Orthodox literature is being published now, which is great, but how much of it is read by those people who are taking their first steps towards the church? A modern person reads very little, so the educational possibilities of printed matter should not be overestimated. In such a situation without mandatory Confession before Communion is indispensable. Any priest has repeatedly come across such examples: a person comes to Confession, repents of the recently committed sin of fornication, adultery or abortion, and immediately says: father, bless me to take communion, I haven’t eaten anything since morning. A person says this sincerely, he does not intend to partake in condemnation or deliberately neglect the principles of spiritual life, he simply does not know them. Or another, even more common example: a person does not see a single sin in himself or formally calls some general phrase without the slightest contrition or self-reproach and strives for the Holy Chalice. If we did not have the tradition of confessing before Communion, then who, when and where would help such people? Let us remember the formidable words of the Apostle Paul about unworthy communion: “Whoever eats this Bread or drinks the Cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and thus let him eat from this Bread and drink from this Cup. For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, he eats and drinks condemnation to himself, not considering the Body of the Lord. That is why many of you are weak and sick and many die.”(1 Corinthians 11:27-30). If we give even a little thought to these apostolic words, where do they lead us? To Confession. If now we reject the principle of the relationship between Confession and Communion and give everyone the opportunity to decide the issue of Confession based on personal considerations, then we will become like an unreasonable mother who gave birth to a child, and then took him out into the street, laid him down at a crossroads and, leaving him, said: hands, you have legs, you have a head, there is a temple, here is a house, behind a hillock there is a garden - go work, eat and live pleasing to God.

Of course, the principle of the relationship between Confession and Communion must be used with reason, as it is said in the Gospel: "the Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath". There are periods in church life when the relationship between Confession and Communion may not be so unambiguous. For example, during the period of Passion Week, when there are long, intense services and many parishioners zealously attend them. At this time, in many churches, it is prudently invited to parishioners to confess during Holy Week and then take communion both on Great Thursday and Holy Easter, it is also invited to take communion on Bright Week. However, it seems to me that it would be thoughtless and wrong to mechanically transfer this practice to the entire church year.

“Sometimes you just hear such voices that no matter how many times you come to the church, to the liturgy, take communion as many times. And to confess - well, maybe twice a year or even less often. And they also say: but priests, when they serve the Liturgy, they rarely go to confession before it, don't they?

— The question of the frequency of communion is very important and purely personal. There can be no simple stamped answers here. There are certain general rules in the church tradition, but they are not a strict template for everyone without exception. This issue must be resolved individually at Confession. St. John Chrysostom clearly expressed the main condition for the periodicity of Communion: “The only time for approaching the Mysteries and Communion is a clear conscience,” and Confession is the main means for cleansing the conscience. In the life of the Church one has to deal with a variety of examples. There are people who once a year prepare, go to confession and take communion. This, of course, is not enough, but one should also rejoice and pray for this spark so that the flame of love for the Lord ignites from this spark. It is clear that for such people there can be no Communion without careful Confession. There are those who show diligence in every multi-day fast - also, thank God, strengthen them, Lord, and for them Confession is necessary before Communion. There are those who prepare and take communion once a month, or on every twelfth feast day, or at least once every three weeks—great, may their zeal not weaken, but without regular Confession before Communion, it will hardly last. Some Christians are especially zealous and strive to receive communion even every Sunday. If this is done not as a tribute to the liturgical "fashion", not as a kind of "renovation duty", not as a habit, but with the blessing of the confessor "with the fear of God and faith ...", then, undoubtedly, they will reap their good fruit. If a parishioner is in regular contact with his confessor, slightly different forms of the relationship between Confession and Communion are possible, but there is no doubt that Confession should be frequent. However, the last example concerns sufficiently experienced Christians, "whose senses have been accustomed by skill to distinguish between good and evil"(Heb. 5:14).

Priests are, in theory, people from the category of experienced Christians. In addition, the specifics of priestly service are often such that he does not have the opportunity to confess before each liturgy, for example, if he is alone in the parish. In such situations, priests confess at every other opportunity. The laity often do not see how the clergy confess to each other in the altar before Communion, and therefore they think that the priests do this very rarely. Let us not forget that priests in the Sacrament of Ordination are granted the grace of “… the infirm healer and replenisher of the impoverished…”, which the laity do not have and by virtue of which the priest has the opportunity to celebrate the Liturgy, and, accordingly, to receive communion more often than the laity. For these gifts and opportunities, he bears an incomparably greater responsibility before God than any of the laity - “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, more will be exacted from him”(Luke 12:48). Therefore, the spiritual life of a layman and a priest has never been considered in the Church in exactly the same way.

— Thank you, father Vadim, for the answer. There were deeply informative articles about this in the journal "Blessed Fire". But let's consider this situation. Suppose, when people want to take communion, they first go to Confession, stand in line, wait for them to come to the priest, tell everything, then accept the absolution of sins. Doesn't Confession, in this case, serve as an obstacle to a deeper assimilation of the Liturgy, when one has to stand still and delve into the prayers? What do you say? Such opinions are expressed today.

— The problem you have outlined is not doctrinal, not canonical, not liturgical, but purely organizational. You just need to streamline parish life in the church, including Confession, find a place and time for this. His Holiness the Patriarch gave his blessing that there should be priests on duty in every church, it is necessary to announce this to people, to say that on such and such days we have a priest on duty, come and confess. It is not necessary to make Confession only during the Vespers or before the Liturgy, and it is highly undesirable during the Liturgy. In addition, priests can instruct penitents so that when they confess, they express the essence of a sinful act and really bring repentance for what they have done, and not just retell their lives, leaving no time for others to confess. In this case, confession will be meaningful, effective, beneficial and will not take a lot of time.

“But how does it happen that from this purely organizational problem sometimes conclusions of a different nature are drawn, they say: let’s abolish Confession altogether, the main thing is to take communion more often, and Confession is something of secondary importance; Let's separate these two Sacraments. Although we know that the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation inextricably follow one after the other, and in general in the Church the Sacraments are connected with each other. It seems to me that here it is impossible to break so easily. Sometimes they say this: take communion more often, and only Confession ... if necessary. Although in the letters of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) we read: "It is impossible to take communion without confession." What can you say in this regard?

- If you separate Confession and Communion, then, without a doubt, people will confess less. I doubt that this will benefit them, but it will be most convenient for us, the priests, because Confession is the heaviest Sacrament in the Church for the clergy. Why? Imagine that for several hours people express their sins and pains to you, and this is done several days a week. They do not just repent, but need your compassion and advice. Without the grace of God, this cannot be endured. It's very hard. Therefore, it is clear that in solving this issue, someone humanly tries to find easier ways. I confess that such thoughts sometimes come to me myself, but at the same time a phrase from the Holy Scriptures immediately comes to mind: “Woe to the shepherds who shepherd themselves! Shouldn't shepherds tend the flock?(Ezek. 34, 2).

It should be noted that this problem was already outlined by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy at two Diocesan meetings that took place in Moscow. He drew attention to a strange practice that arose in some Moscow parishes. In particular, at the Diocesan meeting in 2005, he said: “In addition, parishioners are required to take communion as often as possible, at least once a week. To the timid objections of believers that it is difficult to adequately prepare for the reception of the Holy Mysteries on a weekly basis, such priests claim that they take full responsibility. As a result, the reverence and fear of God characteristic of Orthodox people before Holy Communion is lost. It becomes something familiar, ordinary and everyday. At the next diocesan meeting in 2006, His Holiness the Patriarch again turned to this topic. In one of the notes, he was asked the following question: “At the last Diocesan meeting, Your Holiness, you warned about the danger of losing reverence for the Holy Mysteries with very frequent communion, for example, once a week. The same concern is expressed in the Orthodox Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow, which recommends that the laity take communion no more than once a month. The same fears can be found in the writings of St. Theophan the Recluse and the last Glinsk Elders. Why is it that in some Moscow churches, despite your warnings, weekly and even more frequent communion of the laity is still practiced, as a result of which the parishioners lose their reverence and fear of the Holy Sacrament? His Holiness the Patriarch replied: “Apparently, those who allow such a practice are unfamiliar with the Orthodox Catechism of St. Philaret, as well as with the works of St. Theophan the Recluse, and do not show any desire to get acquainted with them.” It seems to me that reformers in this area need to heed the words of His Holiness the Patriarch.

In conclusion, I will say that the Orthodox Church is the great heir of Christ and the Apostles, and Orthodoxy is an invaluable treasure in which we, by the grace of God, have become partakers. However, the significance of the spiritual experience of Orthodoxy is realized not so much through abstract reasoning and theologizing, but through personal experience of life. If we have questions or doubts about this or that church statement or tradition, then we need to enter into it, get used to it, start living in accordance with this teaching. Only then will it be revealed how deep and spiritual the practice of Orthodox life is, and all questions will be removed by themselves.

With Priest Vadim Leonov
interviewed by Valery Dukhanin

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.

Training

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 serious 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.