The first confession is how to prepare for it. Confession in human life is important.

How to behave in confession and what is better not to do? How to call your sins to the priest? Learn the advice of the priest, and also read examples of how to confess and name your sins to the priest.

Confession is a Sacrament in which the Lord invisibly forgives sins with the visible expression of the will of the priest. The event is preceded by preparation - repentance takes place before going to church. For the first time, many are afraid and do not know what actions to call, how to behave correctly, what needs to be done for this. I will say more, even experienced Christians do not always understand what and how to confess.

God will see a broken heart

The significance of repentance is so great that it translates the sinner into the righteous. It is not easy to decide to lead a Christian life, to change, but this must be done so as not to die completely. Let the first time (second, third) confession be imperfect, is not it scary. It is much more dangerous to carry a heavy load, not to repent at all. The Lord sees our intentions, aspirations, attempts to lag behind passions, repentance. This will certainly count.

He confesses differently, as if the report on the sins done is handed over in 5 pages, and there is no affliction in the soul. Another will say three words, and will leave justified, like a publican, not daring to raise his eyes to heaven, saying: " God, be merciful to me a sinner. "It is important to see the abomination of their deeds and actions. Be terrified and hate them. Feel sincere disgust, with the determination not to repeat this anymore.

Lists of sins to help the penitent

When resorting to benefits, which are many on the Internet, you are more likely to get confused than get help. It is not difficult to make a long list of sins according to the model, but often they do not indicate at all clear things relating to monks. They are “loafers”, they have only two responsibilities: work and prayer, everything else is sin. To compare actions in the world, with such improvised means the priests do not advise. Sometimes it looks silly at all.

For example:

collecting stamps;
washed with scented soap;
did hairstyles;
washed on Sunday, etc.

You can borrow the brevity with which they call sin. This will help to create a personal list so as not to fall into verbosity, not to tell the story (novel) of your life. Do this: Write down the things you understand - they are bad. You regret it, you are ready not to repeat it (by the way, they do not happen so often, but they constantly remind of yourself, floating up in your memory).

For example:

Rude to parents.
Hit his wife.
He stole a bicycle (cassette, book, any thing), etc.
I did not visit a sick relative who needed it.

Continue on: take a look at your character. Seeing yourself as you are is not easy. Some even consider themselves normal, good, kind, always right. Take and write an icon from it. But just in such a person the sin of pride is already visible, having overthrown the devil from Heaven. This comes from ignorance of the laws of faith.

The more often you confess, comprehend the Orthodox teaching, approach God, the more you see in yourself the dirt that you need to get rid of. Know that if you have not found sins in yourself, then you are far from fulfilling the commandments. There is not a single saint who can be said to be sinless.

If it’s really tight, it doesn’t occur to anyone, ask your loved ones: What bad qualities will they name. From the side is always more visible. These traits are likely to be what you are looking for. Think, perhaps the list will be replenished with such sins:

angry, annoyed, thinking badly about someone;
cursed, answered rudely, condemned, hated;
did not know the measure in food (gluttony);
came home drunk;
cheated on his wife (husband), deceived, slandered, spread rumors;
did not help others, refused the request, mocked the workers;
gave (persuaded) consent to abortion;
too lazy to fulfill his duties both at work and at home, etc.

Tip:Before referring to any source with a list of sins, first try to write down that you remember well, that it burdens the soul, which you really regret. Such sins will surely be forgiven. Searching for shortcomings in yourself, resorting to benefits, do not strive for quantity (to cover everything at once), but for quality. They read, remembered, realized, lamented, promised themselves: do not do this again. They asked the Lord to help with this. Now put it on the sheet for confession.

You need to know about it, not get angry

When a person begins to prepare for the Sacrament, he may endure temptations. Someone constantly interferes, interrupts, distracts. In the temple, evil old women make comments: “why not in a skirt”, “why so put on”, “got up not there”. The priest once, dismissed, rudely answered, etc. Sometimes it is necessary for humility.

Demons will try to get you crazy, but pass the test with dignity: in your soul, for every opposition to a good cause, say: "I do not deserve the best." So disarm evil: drive them away, and draw near to God. This indicates that you are doing the right thing. Now, if everything is going smoothly and calmly - it’s worth considering, perhaps there is no spirit of repentance.

What is the will of God?

In preparation, meet the phrase that sin is a violation of God's will. At the time of baptism, a person (himself or his godparents) makes a vow: to do His will and keep the commandments. They made a promise, and immediately began to break it. First of all, due to the fact that we do not know either one or the other:

The will of God is the sanctification of man.
Through Moses, to discern sin, 10 commandments are given.

The Law of God (Moses) is the first guide to knowing ourselves that we have broken almost all commandments. Not one was executed as it should. Many people remember two words from the law: did not kill, did not steal. They consider themselves decent people. This is a primitive approach to the confession of an ignorant sinner. For example, you can kill:

in a word;
killing animals for fun, not for food;
giving wrong advice;
breaking safety precautions;
sending to death in his place another;
having an abortion, persuading him;
mocking the weak;
spreading slander;
without providing assistance on time, etc.

If a person does not see sins in himself, does not confess, does not lament for unseemly acts, does not receive communion, has no connection with God (prayers), he violates His will. For it is that we are sanctified, enlightened, do good deeds, that is, strive for righteousness and holiness. Everything that does not contribute to this, except for necessary duties and deeds (including rest, holidays, etc.) violates His will.

What is the plan for preparing for confession?

In order not to miss anything, it is customary to prepare according to a specific plan for choice. It is possible, if there is no time, but I really want to be forgiven, to confess for a particularly tormented sin: one or several. There is no special preparation required. They came, poured out their soul, explaining to the priest: Next time prepare properly. What to take as a basis:

Ten Commandments.
The nine commandments of bliss given by the Lord.
Confession can be built on 20 points of tribulation (blessed Theodora), which the soul passes through death.
By type of sin (a sample of the elder George the Recluse), etc.

More often use the 10 commandments, the so-called. Moses. Remember, each of them includes many sins, so the list will be large. To deal with this, use the "Experience of Confession Building" by John Krestyankin. He is our contemporary, his plan is the best assistant. A good guide "To help the penitent" was I. Bryanchaninov.

Important condition:Before proceeding to repentance (at home), to confession (in the temple), forgive everyone who was offended. This must be done wholeheartedly, without guile. As you forgive others, so the Lord will forgive you your transgressions and vice versa.

I am ashamed to call sin a priest

It happens that the confessor is embarrassed to name any sin. First, remember, which is embarrassing to admit, requires urgent confession. This is the voice of conscience, practically an indication of God, His call: repent of this. The Lord is waiting, and the priest, believe me, will forget you too, and the misdemeanor right there, right there, especially if there are a lot of people.

Usually hide things related:

with treason;
sexual perversions;
lustful thoughts and dreams;
masturbation;
participation in orgies, leading a depraved lifestyle.

Secondly, many people have such sins, but they don’t call in confession what destroys the soul. The father, during the period of service, has heard enough of everything, do not hit him, do not embarrass, do not push away with your confession. Most likely, the priest will be happy for you that you have gained the courage and voiced a grave sin. The Lord will immediately forgive, free the soul. Angels in heaven will rejoice. You’ll fly home like wings.

For your information:The Lord created the conditions so that we can accept the redemptive gifts of His achievement, that is, be transformed. All Sacraments, including Confession, are an instrument connecting people and God.

What you don’t have to do in confession

Confession can be turned against yourself if you treat it superficially with cunning. All sins, even those that are exactly repeated, such as smoking, should be called in the past tense, with the intention of getting rid. Sooner or later, the named passion will lose power over man. Not necessary:

Talk about others, and complain about life.
Call sins in common phrases: Sinful in everything.
List the petty sins in which repentance is brought in home evening prayer daily.
To keep silent about serious sins because of shame, indecision, because of unwillingness to seriously understand oneself.
Do not be afraid to call a spade a spade: fornication, adultery, theft, murder, etc.

A frank confession heals not only the soul, but also physical illnesses, eradicates passions, restores peace and tranquility. Do not be ashamed to reveal your abominations. And harlots become righteous if they do not return to the past. We do not convict ourselves here - at the Last Judgment, sins will convict us.

Conclusion:How to understand that sin is forgiven? If conscience is silent when recalling it, peace and tranquility remain in the soul, then it is forgiven. Of course, provided that you do not have a stony and insensitive heart, which is in the full power of the enemy of man and God, that is, the devil.

Example, Sorrows of Sin

Lord Sometimes I go to Your House, wanting to cleanse my soul from the burden of sin. I'm trying to unwind a snake ball that lies on my heart, but it’s scary to reveal my uncleanness before the priest. I try to disguise the essence of sins in general terms, put them in harmless clothes: as everyone sins, so do I, no worse. I wish you forgiveness and forgiveness, and I aggravate my fallen position by lying, trying to deceive you.

Laziness and indifference tied the soul: I do not pray to you either in the morning or in the evening. I stand in the temple like a soulless mannequin: there is no repentance in me, I only wait for the service to end faster. I do not understand the prayers uttered in the Temple. I do not seek to know the meaning of the days to which service is dedicated. I rarely go to church, and if I stood there, absent-mindedly baptizing, repeating the movements of true Christians, I believe that I have accomplished a feat and done a favor to you, Lord. Forgive this stone insensibility to your salvation.
I have no love for the living or the dead.Remembering them, I will not utter a tear, the prayer for them is cold, as if I knew their paradise. I think that the priest’s prayers are enough. I have neither sympathy for my relatives (including parents), nor desire for their sake to take even a tiny vow. I believe that the Lord is good, will save everyone, and so, without effort and sacrifice on my part. God forgive me.
Disgusting Sin Adultery. I am already old and sick, so the depraved past has departed from me, but this tribulation I can’t get through. All the filth of this sin has stuck to me, but there is no power to admit everything. I think Mary of Egypt, before leaving for the desert, was cleaner than me. I repent and hate myself for these vile deeds. Lord, forgive me, do not destroy me vile.
Prideand vanitymy constant companions. The Lord instructed me constantly. He admonished, made it possible to know humiliation and insults in order to reduce the arrogance of my nature. But I am so slow in correcting that I cannot reconcile even at the hand of the Lord. I see my fall, but pride does not leave me. Lord, have mercy and give strength to become a humble Christian, forgive me for the stubbornness of an ass.
False.She accompanies me everywhere. Previously, I didn’t even notice that I was lying about and without reason. I lied for fear of discovering the truth; for any benefit; just out of habit; for the sake of vanity, to embellish the mask, which is my real essence. Lies - a diabolical seed, has grown in me, like a huge tree, has taken root. Pernicious words fly off the tongue before I can comprehend them. Lord, forgive me, enlighten, get rid of this habit. Teach to tell the truth always and everywhere.
Conviction.Lord, from childhood I remember the phrase: Do not judge, but you will not be judged. But he never adhered to this instruction. I condemn everyone: acquaintances, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, authorities. From the height of my pride I will always find a flaw in others, but not in myself. I'm sorry, Lord. Help get rid of this in order to see only your sins, and not judge others. Teach humble repentance and prayer, etc., etc.

In order not to work in vain, think about your sins like this. This repentance, brought to the Lord, tunes the soul, leads to purification, in order to hate your deeds, not to repeat them every now and then. Having regret, you will notice how after confession it not only became easier, but the heart begins to turn away from many “amusements” of the flesh, affairs and relationships are getting better, illnesses go away.

Confession. Unfortunately, we really have a lot of things mixed up in our heads, and it seems to us that if a person cannot help but sin, he should confess almost every day.

Frequent confession is very useful at a certain stage of our life, especially when a person just takes the first steps in the faith, just begins to cross the threshold of the temple, and for him opens the space of a new life, almost unknown. He doesn’t know how to pray properly, how to build his relations with his neighbors, how to orient himself in this new life, therefore, he makes mistakes all the time, all the time, it seems to him (and not only him), does something not that.

Thus, a frequent confession for those people whom we call neophytes is a very important and serious stage in their recognition of the Church, understanding of all the foundations of spiritual life. Such people enter the life of the Church, including through confession, through conversation with the priest. Where else can you talk so close to a priest if not at a confession? Most importantly, they get here their main first Christian experience of understanding their mistakes, understanding how to build relationships with other people, with themselves. Such confession is often a spiritual, confessional conversation more than repentance of sins. You can say - catechetical confession.

But over time, when a person already understands a lot, knows a lot, gained some experience through trial and error, for him a very frequent and detailed confession can become an obstacle. Not necessarily for everyone: someone feels quite normal with frequent confession. But for someone it can become just a barrier, because a person suddenly learns to think something like this: “If I live all the time, then I sin all the time. If I sin all the time, then I must confess all the time. If I don’t confess, how can I approach the sacrament with sins? ” Here there is such, I would say, a syndrome of mistrust of God, when a person thinks that for his confessed sins he was honored to receive the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Of course, this is not so. The broken spirit with which we come to receive the Holy Communion of Christ does not cancel our confession. And confession does not cancel a broken spirit.

The fact is that a person cannot confess in such a way as to confess and state all his sins. Impossible. Even if he takes and simply rewrites a book listing all kinds of sins and perversions that only exist on Earth. This will not be a confession. This will be absolutely nothing but a formal act of distrust of God, which in itself, of course, is not very good.
The worst spiritual illness

Sometimes people come to confession in the evening, then in the morning they go to the temple, and here - oh! - at the Chalice itself they recall: “I forgot to confess this sin!” - and almost from the line to communion they run away to the priest, who continues the confession, in order to say what he forgot to say in confession. This, of course, is a disaster.

Or they suddenly begin to babble at the Chalice: "Father, I forgot to say such and such in a confession." What does a person come to communion with? With love or with disbelief? If a person knows and trusts God, then he knows that God has come into this world of sinners to save. “From them I am the first,” the priest says these words, and each of us speaks when he comes to confession. Not the righteous partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, but sinners, of which everyone who comes to the Chalice is the first because he is sinful. It means that he even goes to receive communion with sins.

He repents of these sins, laments for them; this contrition is the most important thing that gives a person the opportunity to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Otherwise, if a person confessed before the sacrament and felt confident that now he was worthy of communion, now he has the right to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then I think that nothing could be worse and worse.

As soon as a person feels worthy, as soon as a person feels the right to partake of communion, the most terrible spiritual illness will come that can only befall a Christian. Therefore, in many countries, communion and confession are not a necessary link. Confession is performed in due time and in its place; communion is performed during the Divine Liturgy.

Therefore, those who confessed, say, a week ago, two weeks ago, and their conscience is peaceful, they have good relations with their neighbors, and their conscience does not convict a person of some sins that would be like a terrible and unpleasant stain on his soul , he may, regretfully, approach the Chalice ... It is clear that each of us is in many ways sinful, each is imperfect. We realize that without the help of God, without the grace of God, we will not become different.

To list the sins that God knows about us — why do what is already clear? I repent that I am a proud person, but I cannot repent of it every 15 minutes, although every minute I remain the same pride. When I come to confession to repent of the sin of pride, I sincerely repent of this sin, but I understand that, moving away from the confession, I did not become humble, did not exhaust this sin to the end. Therefore, it would be pointless for me to come every 5 minutes and say again: “Sinned, sinful, sinful”.

My sin is my work, my sin is my work on this sin. My sin is constant self-reproach, daily attention to what I brought to God for confession. But I can’t tell God about it every time, He already knows that. I will say this the next time that this sin will again make me a bandwagon and again show me all my insignificance and all my isolation from God. Once again, I sincerely repent of this sin, but so far I know that I have been infected with this sin, until this sin forced me to turn away from God so much that I felt how much this estrangement was, this sin may not be the subject of my everlasting confession, but should be the subject of my everlasting struggle.

The same goes for everyday sins. Say, it’s very difficult for a person to live an entire day without judging anyone. Or live a whole day without saying a single idle word. From the fact that we will constantly call these sins confession, absolutely nothing will change. If every day in the evening, going to bed, we will check our conscience, not just read this memorized prayer, the last in the evening rule, where there is misery, extortion and any other incomprehensible "property" is charged with sin, but simply we’ll check our conscience and understand that today was again a step in our lives, that today we didn’t keep our Christian vocation at the highest level, then we will repent to God, this will be our spiritual work, this will be exactly the work that is from us the Lord is waiting.

But, if we list this sin every time we come to confession, but at the same time do absolutely nothing, then this confession turns out to be very doubtful.
Heavenly accounting does not exist

Every Christian can relate to the frequency of confession based on the realities of his spiritual life. But it’s strange to think of God as a prosecutor, to consider that there is a kind of heavenly bookkeeping that takes all our confessed sins into account and erases them from some ledger when we come to confession. Therefore, we are afraid, but what if we forgot, suddenly we didn’t say, and will not be erased with an eraser?

Well, forgot and forgot. Nothing wrong. We almost never know our sins. Whenever we spiritually come to life, we suddenly see ourselves as we had not seen ourselves before. Sometimes a person, having lived for many years in the Church, says to the priest: “Father, it seems to me that I was better before, I have never committed such sins as now.”

Does this mean that he was better? Of course not. Just then, many years ago, he did not see himself at all, did not know who he was. And over time, the Lord revealed to his person his essence, and then not to the end, but only to the very extent to which man is capable of this. Because if at the beginning of our spiritual life the Lord showed us all our incapacity for this life, all our weakness, all our inner ugliness, then perhaps we would be so desperate that we would not want to go anywhere further. Therefore, the Lord, by His grace, even reveals our sins gradually, knowing how sinful we are. But at the same time allows us to communion.
Confession is not training

I don’t think that confession is what a person trains himself in. We have spiritual exercises in which we, in a sense, train ourselves, adjust - this, for example, is fasting. Its regularity is asserted in the fact that a person during fasting tries to organize his life. Another spiritual “training” is the prayer rule, which also really helps a person to streamline his life.

But if we take the sacrament from this point of view, then this is a disaster. One cannot take communion regularly for the sake of regular communion. Regular communion is not exercise, not physical education. This does not mean that since I did not take communion, I lost something and must take communion in order to accumulate some spiritual potential. Everything is completely wrong.

A man takes communion because he cannot live without it. He has a thirst for communion, he has a desire to be with God, he has a true and sincere desire to open himself for God and become different, connecting with God ... And the sacraments of the Church cannot become any such physical education for us. They are not given for this, they are still not exercises, but life.

The meeting of friends and relatives does not occur because friends must meet regularly, otherwise they will not be friends. Friends meet because they are very attracted to each other. Friendship is unlikely to be beneficial if, say, people set themselves the task: “We are friends, therefore, in order for our friendship to grow stronger, we must meet every Sunday.” This is absurd.

The same can be said of the sacraments. “If I want to confess correctly and develop a true penitential feeling within myself, I must confess every week,” sounds absurd. Like this one: “If I want to become a saint and be with God forever, I have to receive Communion every Sunday.” Just ridiculous.

Moreover, it seems to me that there is a certain substitution in this, because everything is not in its place. A man confesses because his heart hurts, because his soul suffers from pain, because he has sinned, and he is ashamed, he wants to cleanse his heart. A man takes communion not because the regularity of the sacrament makes him a Christian, but because he strives to be with God, because he cannot but partake of the communion.
The quality and frequency of confession

The quality of the confession does not depend on the frequency of the confession. Of course, there are people who confess once a year, take communion once a year - and do it themselves without understanding why. Because it should be so and somehow it would be necessary, the time has come. Therefore, of course, they do not have some skill in confession, an understanding of its essence. Therefore, as I said, in order to enter the church life, to learn something, of course, at first you need regular confession.

But regularity doesn’t mean once a week. The regularity of confession can be different: 10 times a year, once a month ... When a person spiritually builds his life, he feels that he needs to confess.

This is how priests are: they each set for themselves a certain regularity of their confession. I even think that there is not even some kind of regularity, except that the priest himself feels the moment when he needs to already confess. There is an inner obstacle to communion, an inner obstacle to prayer, an understanding comes that life begins to crumble, and one needs to go to confession.

In general, a person must live like this in order to feel it. When a person does not have a sense of life, when a person measures everything with a certain external element, external actions, then, of course, he will be surprised: “How can one take communion without confession? Like this? This is some kind of horror! ”

about. Alexy Umninsky

Every believer knows that confession is one of the most important and iconic rites of the Christian church. The ability to first realize all your sins, sincerely repent of them and fully reveal to God through confession is a very important stage of spiritual development and self-improvement for every believer.

But, unfortunately, not everyone who is deeply religiously baptized in the church regularly confesses. In most cases, this is prevented by a feeling of embarrassment and awkwardness, some being stopped by pride.

All adults and children over 7 years old can come to church and repent, children under this age go to the sacrament.

Nowadays, many adults are not accustomed to repent of their sins, so they can not decide on this step and long delay the day of repentance. Moreover, the older a person becomes, the more difficult it is for him to decide on this step.

Often people first come to confess before baptism, or then, for a year, decide to legalize their marriage before the Lord, i.e. get married. Before the wedding, as a rule, an individual confession takes place, after which the father allows you to get married. Both future spouses must repent before the wedding.

In order to remove the burden from your soul, begin to talk with God and sincerely repent of all deeds, you need to learn how to go to confession in the church, because the ceremony should be performed according to certain rules. You can learn about the sacrament and confession from the temple staff, as well as in church shops usually located nearby.

What should she be like?

Confession is a special Sacrament, during which a believer through the priest sincerely tells God about all sins and asks forgiveness for them, and also promises to never commit such actions again in his life. In order for a person to feel how his soul was cleansed, why it became easy and light for him, it is necessary to take the conversation with the clergyman very seriously.

It is important to understand that the rite of absolution is not a monotonous listing of them aloud, for the Lord God already knows everything about them. He expects a completely different from a believer! He expects from him sincere, sincere repentance and a great desire to purify himself so that he no longer does this. Only with such feelings and desires you need to go to church.

« How is the confession going?"- this question worries everyone who wants to confess for the first time.

The sacrament takes place according to certain rules:

Cast aside your fear and shame to confess to the priest that you are an imperfect and sinful person;
The main components of the rite are sincere feelings, bitter repentance and faith in the forgiveness of the Almighty, who will certainly hear you;
To repent of your sins is necessary regularly and often. It is fundamentally wrong to believe that it is enough to come to church once, to tell the priest about everything at one time, and never to return here again;
It is necessary to conduct the ceremony seriously. If your soul is disturbed by the fact that bad thoughts come to your mind or you have committed a minor household misconduct, then in these acts you can repent of prayers at home before the icon;
You do not need to conceal your sins even when they seem very scary and shameful to you.

In the course of this rite, it is necessary to admit all misconduct, otherwise you will commit another sin - try to hide from God your actions and thoughts, deceive Him. Since the passage of confession and the sacrament is a very responsible matter, you need to carefully and meaningfully prepare for it.

Training

An important role in how well the ritual of absolution plays will be the correct preparation for it. It is necessary to tune in communication with the Almighty, on a sincere and frank conversation with the clergyman. Get ready internally and externally, think over every single moment.

Before going to confession, stay at home alone, in a relaxed atmosphere. Focus and try to be inspired by the idea that soon you will have to communicate with God in the church, in his Temple. Do not be distracted by anything around, because you are preparing to commit a very important act in your life. Prayer of John Chrysostom will help to tune in the right way and prepare.

Remember all your sins and sins, start with the mortals, then remember, you sinned with anger, pride or love of money, restore the picture of sin. Ministers recommend attuning to repentance for a long time and carefully, you need to pray a lot, remember sins in solitude, it is advisable to fast.

In order not to forget anything and not to miss any sin, you can write everything on a leaf. It is especially important to use such a cheat sheet for the very first frank conversation with the priest.

Going to confession, special attention must be paid to your appearance. Women need to wear a skirt below the knees and a sweatshirt with shoulders and hands closed, the head must be covered with a scarf.

It is better to refuse to apply cosmetics on this day, lips are generally forbidden to paint, because you will need to be applied to the cross. Men also should not be exposed, even if it’s hot outside in the shorts and a T-shirt, you should not go to church.

How is it going?

People who want to go to confession for the first time are worried how everything will happen. Orthodox churches and churches hold both general confessions, which everyone can visit, as well as individual conversations with parishioners.

At the general confession, the priest forgives sins to all believers who came to the temple, while he lists the sins and sins that people commit most often. This is to remind people of the sins they may have forgotten about.

Entering the church, you need to go to the lectern, a place where a line of people wanting to confess is built. While waiting for your turn, you need to pray and remember your sins. When your turn comes up, you need to go to the priest who will ask your name what you want to tell and what to repent of.

You need to tell everything as it is, without embarrassment and without hiding anything, you need to honestly answer the questions asked by the priest. It is important to remember that everything you tell, you will know only yourself and the priest.

During the confession, the clergyman covers a person’s head with a piece of his clothing that resembles an apron. This is an obligatory part of the ceremony, at this moment the priest will read the prayer. After which he will give his instructions and, possibly, will appoint penance, i.e., punishment.

A sincerely repentant person, his sins are forgiven forever. After the rite is over, you need to cross yourself and kiss the cross and the gospel. Then you need to ask the priest for blessings. Confession in churches takes place, as a rule, on certain days, which you need to know in advance.

It is important for every believer to know the following points.

Confession is a sacrament when a believer confesses his sins to a priest. A church representative is entitled to forgive sins on behalf of the Lord and Jesus Christ.

According to biblical tales, Christ endowed the apostles with such an opportunity that afterwards it was transferred to the clergy. During repentance, a person not only talks about his sins, but also gives the word not to commit them anymore.

What is confession?

Confession is not only purification, but also a test for the soul. It helps to lift the load and cleanse itself in the face of the Lord, reconcile with it and overcome internal doubts. You need to go to confession once a month, but if you want to do it more often, you should follow the urges of the soul and repent at any time you want.

For especially serious sins, a church representative may impose a special punishment called penance. It can be a long prayer, fasting or abstinence, which are ways to clear oneself. When a person violates the laws of God, it negatively affects his mental and physical condition. Repentance helps build strength and combat the temptations that push people to sin. The believer gets the opportunity to talk about his misconduct and take the burden of the soul. Before confession, it is necessary to compile a list of sins, with which you can correctly describe the sin and prepare the right speech for repentance.

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

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

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

It is believed that when these sins are committed, the human soul may perish. By performing them, a man moves farther and farther away from God, but all of them can be released during sincere repentance. It is believed that it was mother nature who laid them in every person, and only the most powerful in spirit can resist temptations and fight evil. But it is worth remembering that everyone can commit a sin while experiencing a difficult period in life. People are not safe from misfortunes and difficulties that can bring everyone to despair. You need to learn how to deal with passions and emotions, and then no sin can overcome you and destroy your life.

Confession Preparation

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

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

Vices against God:

These include blasphemy and insulting the Lord, blasphemy, interest in the occult sciences, superstition, thinking about suicide, excitement, and more.

Vices against the soul:

Laziness, deceit, the use of obscene words, impatience, unbelief, self-seduction, despair.

Vices against neighbors:

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

How to confess what to tell the priest at the beginning?

Before you approach the representative of the church, throw bad thoughts out of your head and get ready to open your soul. Confession can be started in the way it is right to confess what to tell the priest an example: “Lord, I have sinned before you,” and after that you can list your sins. There is no need to tell the priest about sin in the smallest detail, just say “committed adultery” or admit to another vice.

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

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

List of Sins for a Woman

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

She rarely prayed and came to the temple
During prayer I thought about pressing issues.
She had sex before marriage
Had unclean thoughts
Seeking help from fortune-tellers and magicians
Believed in superstition
I was afraid of old age
Abused alcohol, drugs, sweets
Refused to help other people
Had an abortion
Put on revealing clothes

List of sins for men

Hula on the Lord
Disbelief
Taunts Weaker
Cruelty, pride, laziness, greed
Evasion of Army Service
Insults and the use of physical force against others
Slander
Inability to resist temptations
Refusal to help relatives and other people
Theft
Rudeness, contempt, greed

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

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

The Importance of Confession in the Believer's Life

Many holy fathers call confession the second baptism. This helps establish unity with God and purify ourselves from filth. As the gospel says, repentance is a prerequisite for the purification of the soul. Throughout the course of his life, a person should strive to overcome temptations and prevent vice. During this sacrament, a person is freed from the shackles of sin, and all his sins are forgiven by the Lord God. For many, repentance is a victory over oneself, because only a truly believing person can admit that people prefer to remain silent.

If you have confessed before, then do not re-talk about old sins. They are already released and repenting of them no longer makes sense. When you are finished confessing, the priest will give his speech, give advice and guidance, and also utter a permissive prayer. After this, the person should cross himself twice, bow, bow to the crucifixion and the gospel, then cross himself again and receive a blessing.

How to confess for the first time - an example?

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

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

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

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

Every believer should understand that in a confession he confesses his actions to the Lord. Each of his sins must be blocked by a desire to atone for his guilt before the Lord, the only way to achieve his forgiveness.

If a person feels that it is hard on his soul, then it is necessary to go to church and pass the sacrament of confession. After repenting, you will feel much better, and a heavy burden will fall from your shoulders. The soul will become free and conscience will no longer torment you.

The essence of confession

The sacrament of repentance is called by the Holy Fathers the second baptism. In the first case, at Baptism, a person receives cleansing from the original sin of the ancestors of Adam and Eve, and in the second case, the repentant is washed from his sins committed after baptism. However, from the weaknesses of their human nature, people continue to sin, and these sins separate them from God, standing between them a barrier. On their own, they are not able to overcome this barrier. But the Sacrament of Penance helps to be saved and gain that communion with God acquired at Baptism.

The Gospel of repentance says that it is a prerequisite for the salvation of the soul. A person throughout his life must constantly struggle with his sins. And, despite all sorts of defeats and falls, he should not lose heart, despair and murmur, but all the time repent and continue to bear his life cross, which the Lord Jesus Christ laid on him.

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

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

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

It is believed that when these sins are committed, the human soul may perish. By performing them, a man moves farther and farther away from God, but all of them can be released during sincere repentance. It is believed that it was mother nature that laid them in every person, and only the most powerful in spirit can resist temptations and fight evil. But it is worth remembering that everyone can commit a sin while experiencing a difficult period in life. People are not safe from misfortunes and difficulties that can bring everyone to despair. You need to learn how to deal with passions and emotions, and then no sin can defeat you and ruin your life.

Confession Preparation

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

Vices against God:
These include blasphemy and insulting the Lord, blasphemy, interest in the occult sciences, superstition, thinking about suicide, excitement, and more.

Vices against the soul:
Laziness, deceit, the use of obscene words, impatience, unbelief, self-seduction, despair.

Vices against neighbors:
Disrespect for parents, slander, condemnation, vindictiveness, hatred, theft and so on.

How to confess what to tell the priest at the beginning?

Before you approach the representative of the church, throw bad thoughts out of your head and get ready to open your soul. You can start a confession like this: "Lord, I have sinned before you," and after that you can list your sins. There is no need to tell the priest about sin in the smallest detail, just say “committed adultery” or admit to another vice.

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

What sins to speak in confession and how to call them

Everyone who decides to go to confession for the first time thinks about how to behave properly. How to name sins in confession? It happens that people come to confession and in detail tell about all their life vicissitudes. This is not considered a confession. Confession contains such a thing as repentance. This is not a story about your life, and even with the desire to justify your sins.

Since some people simply do not know how to confess differently, the priest will accept this version of confession. But it will be more correct if you try to understand the situation and admit all the mistakes.

Many write their sins for confession list. In it, they try to list everything in detail and tell about everything. But there is another type of people who list their sins only in separate words. It is necessary to describe your sins not in general terms about the passion that is seething in you, but about its manifestation in your life.

Remember, confession should not be a detailed account of the incident, but should be a repentance of certain sins. But you should not be particularly dry in the description of these sins, unsubscribing in just one word.

Confession Behavior

Before you confess, you need to find out the time of the confession in the temple. In many churches, confession takes place on holidays and Sundays, but in large churches it can be on Saturday and on a weekday. Most often, a large number of people who want to confess come during Lent. But if a person confesses for the first time or after a long break, it is best to talk with the priest and choose a convenient time for calm and open repentance.

Before confession, it is necessary to endure a three-day fasting, spiritual and bodily: to give up sexual activity, not to 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 the confession, which can be found in the Prayer book or on specialized sites. You can read other literature on spiritual topics that the priest can recommend.

It is worth remembering that confession is primarily repentance, and not just a spiritual conversation with the priest. If you have questions, you should go to the priest at the end of the Service and ask for time.

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

You need to come to confession in modest clothes. Men should wear trousers or pants, and a shirt with long sleeves, preferably without images on it. The hat in the church should be removed. Women should dress as modestly as possible; pants, dresses with a neckline and bare shoulders are not acceptable. The length of the skirt is below the knee. A head scarf must be on the head. Any make-up, especially lipstick, is unacceptable, because you will need to kiss the Gospel and the Cross.