The rarest element in the universe. Chemical records. The strongest superfluidity

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

What is confession?

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

The meaning of confession is in the purification of the soul, but at the same time it is a test for it. It helps a person to remove the burden of his sins, receive forgiveness and appear before God completely clean: thoughts, deeds, soul. Confession is also a wonderful religious tool for those who want to overcome inner doubts, learn to listen to their intuition and repent of committed misdeeds.

It is important to know that if a person has committed serious sins, the priest can assign him a punishment - penance. It may consist of long tedious prayers, strict aftercare, or abstaining from all worldly things. Punishment should be accepted humbly, understanding that it helps your soul to be cleansed.

It is known that any violation of God's commandments negatively affects both the physical health of a person and the state of his soul. That is why repentance is needed - in order to gain the strength necessary to resist temptations and temptations, to stop sinning.

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

What to say in confession to a priest: an example

You should know that pouring out your soul to the priest and repenting of your sins in every detail is not at all necessary, even undesirable. Just take a look at this list of sins and write down the ones that are yours.

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

1. Envy of success and achievements, the benefits of other people.
2. Vanity, which manifests itself to selfishness, narcissism, inflated self-esteem and narcissism.
3. Despondency, which is also identified with such concepts as depression, apathy, laziness and despair, lack of faith in one's own strengths.
4. The love of money, which modern language we call greed, stinginess, fixation only on material goods. When a person sets himself goals aimed only at enrichment, but does not devote a single minute of time to spiritual development.
5. Anger directed at people. This also includes any manifestations of temper, irritation, vindictiveness and vindictiveness.
6. Fornication - betrayal of your partner, frequent change of sexual partners, infidelity to your beloved in thoughts, words or actions (not just a physical act).
7. Gluttony, gluttony, excessive love of food and the absence of any restrictions in food.

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

Only sincere repentance at confession will help to be cleansed of all this. We must understand that we are all not without sin. And there is no need to reproach yourself if you recognize yourself in this list. Only God does not make mistakes, and an ordinary person is not always able to resist temptations and temptations, not to let evil into his body and soul. Especially if some difficult period occurs in his life.

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

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

It can be very difficult for you to confess your sins. A feeling of heaviness, depression, a lump in the throat, a tear - any reaction is completely normal. Try to overcome yourself and tell everything. Batiushka will never judge you, because he is a guide from you to God and simply does not have the right to give value judgments.

Watch an instructional video on how to start confession before a priest:

How to Prepare for Confession

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

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

Before confession, read the Penitential Canon, which will set you in the right state and free your thoughts from all that is superfluous. Also, write out a list of sins in advance on a separate piece of paper, so that on the day of confession you don’t forget anything from excitement.

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

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

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

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Preparation for Confession- a test of conscience before.

Unlike the magical rite of purification, which allows the blind execution of the instructions of a “clergy” sorcerer or magician, the Sacrament of Penance implies the presence of faith, the awareness of personal guilt before God and neighbors, a sincere and conscious desire to be freed from the power of sin.
The Sacrament of Penance cannot be approached mechanically. The forgiveness and absolution of sins is not a legal act of declaring the sinner innocent. Everyone who has confessed at least once in his life could pay attention to what kind of prayer is read over him: "reconcile and unite the saints of your Church." Through the Sacrament of Penance, a person is reconciled with, restores himself as a member.

Repentance for sin consists of 3 stages: Repent of sin as soon as it is committed; remember him at the end of the day and again ask God for forgiveness for him; confess it in the Sacrament of Repentance (Confession) and receive permission from this sin.

From the Sacrament of Penance should be distinguished:
— a confidential spiritual conversation with a priest;
- a repentant conversation before (optional).

Where and when can you confess?

You can confess anywhere on any day of the year, but confession is generally accepted at a scheduled time or by agreement with. The confessor must be baptized.

It is better not to come to the first confession or confession after a long break on Sundays or the days of great church holidays, when the churches are full of prayers and the line for confession is long. It is also advisable to come to the Sacrament in advance.

The First Confession should not be combined with the First Communion in order to fully experience the impressions of this great event in our lives. However, this is just advice.

How to prepare for Confession?

In preparation for confession, in contrast to preparation for the Sacrament of Communion, the church charter does not require any special or special prayer rule.

Before going to confession it is appropriate:
- Focus on prayers of repentance.
- Carefully examine thoughts, thoughts, deeds; note, if possible, all your sinful traits (as an auxiliary tool, bring those accusations that came from relatives, friends, and other people).
- If possible, seek forgiveness from those who were offended by sin, offended by inattention, indifference.
- Consider the plan of confession, and, if necessary, prepare questions for the priest.
- In case of serious sins or rare confession, an additional fast may be recommended.

- Sins are confessed from the moment of the last confession, if they have never been confessed, then from the moment of Baptism.
- In the Sacrament, all sins are forgiven, with the exception of those deliberately hidden. If you forgot to name some minor sin, then don't worry. The sacrament is called the sacrament repentance, but not " The sacrament of listing all the sins committed ".
- First of all, you need to confess what you are ashamed of! Tactically, confession should always be very substantive and specific. You can’t repent that you are “proud” - it’s pointless. Because after such your repentance nothing changes in our life. We can repent of having arrogantly looked at or said some words of condemnation to a particular person. Because, having repented of this, the next time we will think about whether it is worth doing this. It is impossible to repent "in general", abstractly. Subject confession allows you to simultaneously draw up a plan to combat certain passions. At the same time, pettiness should be avoided; there is no need to list a large number of sins of the same type.
Don't use sly generalizations. For example, under the phrase dealt unjustly with one's neighbor can be understood as involuntary grief, and murder.
- It is not necessary to describe sexual sins in detail, it is enough to name them. For example: sinned ( , ).
In preparation for and at Confession, self-justification should be avoided.
- If you do not feel your sins, it is recommended to turn to God with " Lord, grant me to see my sins».

Is it possible to write down sins so as not to forget them at confession?

What to do if you do not consider yourself a sinful person? Or if the sins are ordinary, like everyone else.

You should compare yourself first of all with, then your own spiritual health will not look so rosy.
A clear conscience is a sign of a short memory...

Is it worth confessing if you will surely sin again with some sins?

Is it worth it to wash if you know for sure that you will get dirty again? Repentance is a desire to be reborn, it does not begin with confession and does not end with it, it is the work of a lifetime. Repentance is not only a listing of sins before the testimony of a priest, it is a state that hates sin and avoids it.
Repentance should not be easy emotional discharge, this is a systematic, meaningful work on oneself, with the goal of approaching God in one's qualities, becoming like Him in. Orthodoxy has an inexhaustible ascetic heritage, compiled by holy ascetics, which must be studied for proper organization.
Our goal is not just to be cleansed of sins and passions, but to acquire. It is not enough, for example, to stop stealing, it is necessary to learn mercy.

Gross sins have already been overcome, and at every confession one has to repeat practically the same sins. How to get out of this vicious circle?

Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov): “For people who have been churched for a long time, the “list” of sins, as a rule, is approximately the same from confession to confession. There may be a sense of some formal spiritual life. But at home we often sweep the floor, and, thank God, not every time we have to rake the Augean stables. It's just not a problem. The trouble is that you begin to notice how the life of some Christians becomes duller and duller over the years. But it should be the opposite: it should become more and more saturated and more and more joyful.

I confess to the Lord God Almighty, in the Holy Trinity, glorified and worshiped by the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit in all my sins, the evil I have committed in thought, word, deed, and all my feelings.

I have sinned before the Lord and Savior with my self-love, carnal pleasure, voluptuousness, gluttony, gluttony, laziness, self-pity, pride, conceit, humiliation of others, envy, hostility, hatred, malice, lust, fornication, impurity, self-will, disobedience, disobedience, rudeness, impudence , harshness, obstinacy of temper, unbelief, lack of faith, ingratitude, greed, cruelty, stinginess, greed, greed, sneak, deceit, slyness, slander, perjury, swearing, perjury, hypocrisy, captiousness, oppression, abduction, appropriation of someone else's, abuse, indulgence sins, indulgence, vain pastime, idle talk, idle talk, foul language, vanity, luxury, malevolence, malevolence, malevolence, vindictiveness, coldness, negligence, negligence in prayer and good deeds.

Disrespect for old age, disrespect for parents, unfaithfulness, inconstancy in virtue, frivolity, vanity, fearfulness, grumbling, despondency, cowardice, despair, anger, passion for reading empty books, negligence for reading the Holy Gospel and other spiritual books, inventing an excuse for one’s own sins and self-justification instead of condemnation and self-accusation, dishonest performance of official duties, malevolence, negligence, incitement to evil, cursing one's neighbor, swearing, superstition, fortune-telling.

In all these iniquities I have sinned, and by them I have immeasurably offended my All-holy Lord and Benefactor, of which I admit that I am guilty, I repent and regret.

I grieve bitterly for sins and henceforth, with God's help, I will beware of them.

GENERAL, CONFESSION ON PERSON OF THE PENITENT

Innumerable, Merciful God, are my sins, voluntary and involuntary, open and secret, great and small, committed by word, deed, mind and thought, day and night, and in all hours and minutes of my life until this day and hour.

I have sinned before the Lord God with ingratitude for His great and countless good deeds and His good providence.

I have sinned, Lord, before You by not keeping the vows of Baptism. He sinned with lies and self-will.

He sinned by violating the Lord's Commandments and the traditions of the Holy Fathers.

He sinned with rudeness, impudence, disobedience, self-conceit, severity, timidity, arrogance, humiliation of others, carnal pleasure, obstinacy of temper, disorderly screaming, irritability, beating, quarrels, cursing.

He sinned with slander, negligence, haste, malice, enmity, hatred, incitement, jealousy not according to reason.

He sinned with vengeance, rancor, voluptuousness, hostility, impurity, daydreaming, self-will, self-will, intemperance, drunkenness, whim, gluttony.

He sinned with absent-mindedness, jokes, witticisms, laughter, ridicule, insane fun, covetousness, sleeping much, doing nothing, leaving prayer, service, fasting and good deeds.

He sinned with bewilderment, cooling, stinginess, greed, contempt for the poor and the poor.

He sinned with greed, treachery, negligence, idleness, self-pity, deceit, craftiness, carelessness, disrespect for old age, disobedience to superiors, spiritual father and elder brothers.

He sinned with unbelief, blasphemy, doubt, inconstancy, frivolity, indifference, insensitivity, unbelief, indifference to the Holy Orthodox Faith and the Holy Sacraments, infidelity, inattention to prayer and worship, to fasting and good deeds.

He sinned with immeasurable sorrow, sadness, despondency, conceit, despair, all sorts of nasty, crafty and bad thoughts.

I have sinned by calling on the name of God falsely and in vain.

He sinned with lack of faith, cowardice, hopelessness, scolding, hypocrisy, bribery, partiality, captiousness, oppression, punishment, covetousness, appropriation of someone else's.

I have sinned by abusing the gifts of God, indulgence in sins, idle talk, extravagance, coldness towards God and neighbor, incitement to evil, secret eating, secret drinking.

He sinned with a vain pastime, spreading his false and blasphemous opinions, pronouncing deliberately and thoughtlessly various kinds of curses on people, cattle, animals and birds.

I have sinned by allowing every thought that is unrighteous, impure, filthy and ungodly.

I have sinned by dreaming, ambition, charm, pretense, malice, creeping my tongue into ungodly words, spending time in unsimilar deeds, mockery, temptation, dancing, gambling, laughter.

He sinned by omitting prayer before going to bed and upon rising from sleep. He sinned by forgetting to make the sign of the cross before eating food. He sinned by eating food after sunset, by foul language and idle talk without a twinge of conscience.

I have sinned with jealousy, wrong advice, flattery, lasciviousness, voluptuousness, and pickiness in food.

I sinned by reading romance novels, watching seductive films.

I have sinned by negligence in reading the Gospel, the Psalter and other books of spiritual and religious content.

I have sinned by inventing excuses for my sins and self-justification instead of self-judgment and self-condemnation.

I have sinned by dishonest fulfillment of the assignments and obediences entrusted to me, by bearing false witness against my neighbor.

I have sinned with pride, vanity, arrogance, arrogance, an increased interest in clothing and fashion, a desire for honor, petrification of the heart, crafty thoughts and human pleasing.

I have sinned with various impurity, by the action of the enemy, in a sleepy dream. He sinned with lustful and fornicating deeds by nature and through nature.

Often I sinned by omitting services in God's temple, being late for church services. He sinned by visiting churches of other faiths. He sinned by leaving God's temple before the dismissal of the church. He sinned by omission and non-fulfillment of the prayer rule, an impure confession and an unworthy acceptance of the Body and Blood of the Lord.

I sinned by giving alms with a cold, crafty heart, bitterness towards the poor. He sinned by not fulfilling the Lord's commandments about visiting the sick, who are in prison.

He sinned by not doing the deeds commanded by the Lord: he did not satisfy the hungry, he did not give drink to the thirsty, he did not clothe the naked, he did not bury the dead.

He sinned by not paying due honor to holidays and Sundays.

He sinned by not praying as he should on the Lord's and Mother of God feasts.

He sinned by forgetting the memory of the holy saints of God and drunkenly celebrating holidays in general.

I have sinned by slandering and condemning the highest in position, by age, by slandering friends, benefactors, by not maintaining fidelity and love.

I have sinned by going to the church of God without a humble disposition of heart; sinned by impious standing in the temple: walking, sitting, reclining and untimely presence from it, idle conversations during worship.

I remembered in vain the name of the Lord my God, even, it happened, I swore by His holy, terrible name; often lied and boldly and shamelessly reproached my neighbor. I often hesitated to get out of a state of anger and insulted, irritated my neighbor. He was magnified by good deeds, which he did not have at all. He often resorted to cunning, flattery and was two-faced and crafty in relations with people.

Every day I sinned with impatience, cowardice, many times ridiculed the sin of my neighbor, grieving him secretly and openly, gloated over his deeds and misfortune, many times carried enmity, malice, hatred and envy in my heart.

He sinned with insane laughter, witticisms, obscene jokes, disorderly noisy conversation; often spoke thoughtlessly.

He created fornication in a dream vision, was stung by the beauty of the human body, nourished the imagination and heart with voluptuous feelings. He sinned with a passionate look at beautiful faces.

He sinned with my tongue, uttering atrocities, blasphemy, vulgarity about objects of voluptuousness, fornicated, inflamed with passionate kisses and did inappropriate things.

He sinned with voluptuousness and gluttony, enjoyed delicacies, desired variety in food, enjoyed drinks and wines. Hastily yielded to his desires and fulfilled his whims.

He often did not spare money in order to please the requirements and decency of the world, and spared a penny for the poor.

Often mercilessly condemned and reproved others, despised poverty and abhorred it. He sinned with a hostile attitude towards a person because of his face, appearance. He was greedy and greedy. He often went to God's temple in uncleanness and in this form venerated holy things, took holy prosphora and drank holy water, stood reverently in the temple, tempting others with this.

In home prayer, he was cold, absent-minded, often prayed briefly and hastily, without zeal and reverence, did not overcome his laziness, indulged in bliss and inactivity, spent time in idle pursuits and pleasures, cheerful conversations, games. He spent precious time on chatter, gossip, gossip, censure of his neighbor. He sinned with despondency, despair in his salvation and the mercy of God.

He uttered blasphemous words, sang shameless, reckless songs, resorted to divination and divination, not realizing the severity of this sin. He sinned with ignorance, petrification of the heart. Often he sinned willingly, in full understanding and consciousness, of his own free will, and deliberately inclined others to sin, violating all the covenants and commandments of God.

I have sinned with all my feelings, willingly and unwillingly, knowledge and ignorance, by myself and through others I have been tempted in all these and other iniquities.

I consider myself guilty before the face of God more than all people, therefore I humbly pray to you, honest father, on the Day of Judgment be my witness. I truly regret these falls and have the will to continue, as far as possible, hoping for God's mercy and help, to guard myself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.

Forgive me, honest father, forgive me from all my sins and iniquities and pray for me, a sinful and unworthy slave (you can ask for penance).

GENERAL CONFESSION,

COMPILED ON THE WORKS OF EP. JUSTINA

I confess to the Lord God the Almighty, in the Holy Trinity, glorified and worshiped by the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit ... in all my sins.

I confess that I have sinned against all the commandments of God.

I have sinned: lack of faith and unbelief, doubt in faith; superstition and arrogance, negligence in one's own salvation, forgetfulness of God's justice and lack of devotion to the will of God; a stubborn desire to have everything my way; impatience and murmuring.

I have sinned: self-interest, pride, servility to the spirit of the times and worldly customs; sinned against conscience, hypocrisy.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: with blasphemy and blasphemy, with a false oath and breaking an oath, with swearing, contempt and ridicule of pious people, with shame to appear pious and generally a Christian in the circle of worldly people.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: by disrespecting church holidays, by standing in church without reverence, by being lazy in prayer, in reading the Word of God and other soulful books; careless image of the sign of the cross; non-observance of fasts according to the charter of the Church; laziness to work and unfair performance of work and deeds according to the position of service; idleness and wasting a lot of time in indecent amusements, feasts. I have sinned, Lord, by concealing my sins at confession.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: disrespect for parents and coldness towards relatives, disrespect for those in authority and disrespect for elders, ingratitude towards benefactors; obstinate treatment of subordinates and cruel acts with them.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: by killing (moral or physical) myself or another; oppression of the neighbor and deprivation of his means of life, insulting the neighbor with anger, obstinacy in treatment, slander, hatred, harm to the neighbor, enmity, rancor, temptation to sin, stubborn resistance to the truth, bitterness.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned with carnal sins: fornication, adultery, voluptuousness in all its forms: passionate kisses, impure touch, looking at beautiful faces with lust, foul language, shameless body movements, pandering, arbitrary lustful kindling, excess in carnal pleasures, intemperance in fasting, on Sundays. and holidays, satiety in food and drink, reading soul-corrupting books and looking at seductive pictures.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: by theft, embezzlement of other people's property, deceit, false testimony, selling bad goods instead of good, measuring, calculating, concealing the found thing, hiding the thief and theft, arson, parasitism, covetousness, sacrilege, lack of mercy to the poor, failure to give mercy or help to those in need , stinginess, luxury, drunkenness, greed, infidelity, injustice, hardness of heart.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: false denunciation, false testimony, slander, denigration of the good name and honor of my neighbor, disclosure of the sins and weaknesses of my neighbor, suspicion, doubt about the honor of my neighbor, reinterpretation of his words and actions for the worse, condemnation, gossip, duplicity, gossip, ridicule, obscene jokes, lies, slyness, deceit, hypocrisy, hypocritical treatment of others, laziness, talkativeness, idle talk.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me!

I have sinned: with bad desires and thoughts, envy, lust for power and pride, self-interest and carnal pleasure. I have sinned, Lord, by sight, by hearing; With impure desires and criminal deeds, I remove myself from Your presence. But I recognize myself as guilty before You, Lord, and I confess all my sins, which I have committed by will and not by will, by knowledge and ignorance, by words, deeds and thoughts. I am guilty, unanswerable before the Lord my God; I repent of all the sins of my soul and body, with which I angered my God and the Creator, unjustified my neighbor and denigrated myself. I sincerely repent of everything and will make efforts to ensure that I do not sin like that again. But as weak and powerless in itself for pleasing and holy deeds, with tears I pray to You, Lord God, my Savior: help me to be affirmed in my intention to live the rest of my life godly and holy, and forgive my past sins by Your mercy and resolve from all my sins, like a good and philanthropist!

CONFESSION WRITTEN IN THE OPTINA PUSTINA

I confess to the Lord God Almighty, in the Holy Trinity, glorified and worshiped by the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, about all my sins:

I confess that I was conceived in sins, born in sins, brought up in sins and from the very baptism until now living in sins.

I confess that I have sinned against all the commandments of God with little faith and unbelief, doubt and free opinion, superstition, divination, arrogance, negligence, despair in my salvation, hope in myself and people more than in God.

Forgetting about the justice of God and lack of sufficient devotion to the will of God.

Disobedience to the orders of God's Providence.

A stubborn desire for everything to be "my way."

Human pleasing and partial love for the creature.

Not trying to reveal in yourself the full knowledge of God and His will, faith in Him, reverence for Him, fear of Him, hope in Him, love for Him and zeal for His glory.

He sinned: by enslaving himself to passions: voluptuousness, greed, pride, self-love, vanity, servility to the spirit of the times, worldly customs against conscience, in violation of the commandments of God, covetousness, gluttony, delicacy, overeating, drunkenness.

I have sinned: by blasphemy, by a false oath, by breaking an oath, by not fulfilling vows, by forcing others to worship, by swearing, by disrespect for sacred things and piety, by blasphemy against God, against saints, against every holy thing, by blasphemy, blasphemy, calling on the name of God in vain, in bad deeds, desires, jokes and fun.

I have sinned: by disrespecting the holidays and doing things that degrade the honor of the holidays, by standing in church without reverence, by talking and laughing, by being lazy in prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures, by abandoning morning and evening prayers, by concealing sins at confession, by not diligently about proper preparation for communion of the Holy Mysteries, disrespect for sacred objects and careless depiction of the sign of the cross. Non-observance of posts according to the charter of the Church, laziness to work and unscrupulous performance of assigned work and deeds on duty, wasting a lot of time in vain in idleness, absent-mindedness.

I have sinned: not by honoring parents and superiors, by disrespect for elders, spiritual shepherds and teachers.

He sinned: in vain anger, insulting neighbors, hatred, harming neighbors, enmity, rancor, temptation, advice to sin, arson, not saving a person from death, poisoning, killing (children in the womb) - advice to this.

Sinned: sins of the flesh - fornication, adultery, voluptuousness, passionate kisses, impure touch, looking at beautiful faces with lust.

He sinned: foul language, indulgence in impure dreams, arbitrary lustful irritation, intemperance on fasts, Sundays and holidays, incest in spiritual and carnal kinship, excessive panache with a desire to please and seduce others.

Sinned: by theft, appropriation of someone else's property, deceit, concealment of a found thing, acceptance of someone else's thing, failure to pay a debt for false reasons, obstruction in the benefits of others, parasitism, covetousness, sacrilege, lack of compassion for the unfortunate, lack of mercy for the poor, stinginess, wastefulness, luxury, game in cards, in general, a disorderly life, greed, infidelity, injustice, hardness of heart.

He sinned: by false denunciation and testimony at the trial, slander and denigration of the good name of his neighbor and his honor, disclosure of their sins and weaknesses. Suspicion, doubt in the honor of one's neighbor, condemnation, duplicity, gossip, ridicule, witticisms, lies, cunning, deceit, hypocritical treatment of others, flattery, groveling before the highest in office and having advantages and power; talkativeness and idle talk.

I do not have: straightforwardness, sincerity, simplicity, fidelity, truthfulness, respectfulness, degree, caution in words, prudent silence, guarding and defending the honor of others.

He sinned: with bad desires and thoughts, envy, internal adultery, selfish and proud thoughts and desires, self-interest and carnal pleasure.

I do not have: love, abstinence, chastity, modesty in words and deeds, purity of heart, selflessness, non-acquisitiveness, generosity, mercy, humility, I do not diligently care about eradicating a sinful disposition in myself and asserting myself in virtues.

I sinned: despondency, sadness, sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, unclean lust and all my feelings, thoughts, words, desires, deeds and in my other sins, which I did not mention because of my unconsciousness.

I repent that I have angered the Lord my God, I sincerely regret this and wish to repent and continue not to sin and refrain from sins in every possible way.

With tears, I beg You, Lord my God, help me to establish myself in my intention to live like a Christian, and forgive my confessed sins, as Good and Humanitarian.

I also ask you, honest father, in whose presence I confessed all this, that you be my witness on the day of judgment against the devil, the enemy and hater of the human race, and that you pray for me, a sinner, to the Lord my God.

I ask you, honest father, as having the power from Christ God to allow those who confess and forgive their sins, forgive me, allow me and pray for me a sinner.

SINS AGAINST THE LORD GOD

Proud; did not fulfill the holy will of God, violated the Commandments; sinned by unbelief and lack of faith, doubt in faith; had no hope for God's mercy, despaired; continuing to sin, excessively hoped for the mercy of the Lord; hypocritically worshiped God; had no love and fear of God; did not thank the Lord for all His blessings, for sorrows, illnesses; turned to psychics, astrologers, fortune-tellers, soothsayers; was engaged in black and white magic, witchcraft, divination, spiritualism; sinned with superstition: he believed in dreams, omens, wore talismans; blasphemed and murmured against the Lord in soul and in words; did not fulfill the vows given to God; called on the name of God in vain (without reverence, in inappropriate conversations), falsely swore by the name of the Lord; ate the blood of animals;

Without proper reverence (blasphemously) treated icons, relics, candles, saints, Holy Scripture, etc.; read heretical books and kept them at home, watched heretical TV shows; was ashamed to be baptized and profess the Orthodox faith; did not wear a cross; casually baptized;

Did not fulfill or poorly fulfilled the prayer rule: morning and evening prayers, other prayers, bows, etc., did not read the Holy Scriptures, spiritual literature;

Missed Sunday and holiday services without a valid reason; walked the temple without zeal and diligence; he was lazy to pray, he prayed absent-mindedly and coldly; talked, dozed, laughed, walked around the temple during the church service; inattentively, distractedly listened to readings and chants, was late for the service and left the church before the leave;

She went to church in uncleanliness, touched icons and candles in uncleanliness;

Rarely confessed sins, deliberately concealed them; :

Communion without contrition and fear of God, without proper preparation (3 days of fasting, reading canons and akathists, prayers for Holy Communion), without reconciling with others;

Did not refrain from conjugal cohabitation before communion; communed without repentance after fornication;

He did not obey his spiritual father, condemned the clergy, monastics, grumbled and took offense at them, was jealous;

He did not honor the feasts of God, he worked on holidays;

He violated fasts, did not observe fasting days - Wednesday and Friday;

He listened to Western preachers, sectarians, was fond of Eastern religions; accepted heretical baptism;

Thought about suicide and tried to kill myself

SINS AGAINST NEIGHBORS

He had no love for his neighbors, did not love enemies, hated them, wished them harm;

He did not know how to forgive, he repaid evil for evil;

Not respectful to elders and superiors (bosses), to parents; upset and offended parents;

Did not fulfill the promise;

Did not pay debts; explicitly or secretly appropriated someone else's property;

Beaten, attempted on someone else's life;

She poisoned, killed babies in the womb (abortions, pills, spirals ...), advised others to do them;

Robbed, engaged in extortion, set on fire;

He refused to stand up for the weak and innocent, to help the drowning, freezing, burning, in trouble;

Sinned by laziness in work;

Did not respect other people's work;

Poorly raised children: outside the Christian faith, cursed children; sinned unmercifully: despised and condemned the poor; he sinned with avarice, did not give alms;

He did not visit the sick in hospitals and at home; sinned with hardness of heart; was cruel to animals, birds, in vain killed cattle, birds, destroying trees; he argued, did not yield to his neighbors, argued; slandered, condemned, slandered, gossiped, recounted other people's sins; offended, insulted, enmity with neighbors; scandalized, arranged hysterics, cursed, impudently, behaved arrogantly and freely towards his neighbor;

He was a hypocrite, spoke taunts; angry; irritated, suspected neighbors of unseemly deeds; deceived, gave false evidence;

Behaved seductively, wanting to seduce; jealous;

idle talk; told indecent jokes;

He did not pray for mentors, relatives, enemies;

He corrupted his neighbors (adults and minors) with his actions; sinned by selfish friendship and treason.

SINS AGAINST YOURSELF

He was proud, conceited, considered himself the best; proud;

He wished harm to his neighbor, vengeful; sinned by lack of humility and obedience, self-confidence; lied; envied;

Idle talk, swear; irritated, indignant, remembered evil; shrew; offended, upset; despondent, longing, sad; did good deeds for show; stingy; lazy;

Spent time in idleness, slept a lot and ate (gluttony, secret eating, delicacy); he forgot about Christian humility, virtues, about death and hell, he lived carelessly and negligently, did not correct himself; loved the earthly, the material more than the heavenly, the spiritual; addicted to money, things, luxury, pleasures; overly attentive to the flesh; strove for earthly honors and glory;

Smoked, used drugs, alcohol (drank drunk); played cards, gambling;

Adorned himself to seduce; engaged in pandering, prostitution; sang obscene songs, told jokes, cursed, laughed, danced; watched pornographic films, read pornographic books, magazines; accepted fornication thoughts, defiled himself in a dream; sinned fornication (outside church marriage) (name, quantity); sinned by adultery (changed during a married marriage); allowed liberties to the crown and perversion in marriage; sinned by masturbation, avoided conception by eruption of the seed (the sin of Onan), allowed fornication perversions in marriage; sodomy (fornication of a man with a man), lesbianism (fornication of a woman with a woman), bestiality (fornication with cattle);

Despondency, sadness, sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, lust, impurity and all my feelings, thoughts, words, desires, deeds (you need to name the sins that were not listed and burden the soul), and in other sins.

MANUAL FOR GENERAL CONFESSION

(compiled according to the instructions of Archpriest A. Vetelev)

Our repentance must be sincere and sincere; must come from the depths of the soul, fully conscious of its guilt before God.

Examples: David and the prophet Nathan (50th psalm of David). Ap. Peter and Judas.

Brothers and sisters! Confession is God's judgment upon us. This judgment is the more merciful for us, the deeper and sincerely we repent..., experience...

The Lord says to each of us: "I, I Myself blot out your transgressions for My own sake... Remember... you speak, that you may be justified" (Isaiah 43:25-26).

You may ask, how can one speak, name sins, when we now have not a private, but a general confession? Yes, we have a common confession. But it is also necessary to transform a general confession into a private one, as it were. To do this, each confessor, listening to the listed common sins, should recognize his own among them and, naming them, repent of each of them. For example, a spiritual father speaks of the sin of judging others. The confessor, imbued with the consciousness of his personal sin, says: “I also condemned ... - forgive me, Lord!” In addition, after a general confession, approaching the permissive prayer, the confessor can name those special, personal sins that torment his conscience.

As we begin confession, let us pray: “Lord! Open my soul to repentance and accept my confession.” “Lord, I have sinned against heaven and before You!...

- (see Prayers before confession in the temple).

We confess, many-sinners (name your names), to the Lord God Almighty, in the Holy Trinity, glorified and worshiped by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all our sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, or deed, or thought.

We sinned: by not keeping our vows given by us at baptism, but in everything we lied and transgressed and made ourselves indecent before the face of God.

They sinned: lack of faith, unbelief, doubt, wavering in faith, planted from the enemy against God and the holy Church, self-conceit and free opinion, superstition, divination, arrogance, negligence, despair in one’s salvation, hope in oneself and in people more than in God.

They sinned: by forgetting about the justice of God, by lack of sufficient devotion to the will of God; disobedience to the actions of God's providence, a stubborn desire for everything to be my way, pleasing to people and partial love for creatures and things; not trying to reveal in oneself the full knowledge of His will, faith in Him, good will towards Him, fear of Him, hope in Him and zeal for His glory.

They sinned: ingratitude to the Lord God for all His great and unceasing blessings, poured out in abundance on each of us and on the whole human race, and forgetting about them, grumbling at God, cowardice, despondency, hardening of one’s heart, lack of love for Him below fear and failure to fulfill His holy will.

They sinned: by enslaving themselves to passions: voluptuousness, greed, pride, pride, vanity, ambition, covetousness, gluttony, delicacy, secret eating, overeating, drunkenness, addiction to games, spectacles and amusements.

They have sinned: by swearing, by not fulfilling vows, by forcing others to swear and swear, by imperviousness to holy things, by blasphemy against God, against saints, against every holy thing, by blasphemy, invoking the name of God in vain, in bad deeds, desires.

They have sinned: by not honoring the feasts of God, by not going to the temple of God out of laziness and carelessness, by standing in the temple of God without reverence, by talking, laughing, by not paying attention to reading and singing, by distraction of the mind, by wandering thoughts, by walking around the temple during divine services, by premature exits from the temple, in uncleanness they came to the temple and touched its shrines.

They sinned: negligence in prayer, abandoning morning and evening prayers, neglecting attention during prayer, abandoning the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Psalter and other Divine books.

They sinned: by concealing sins at confession, by self-justifying them and diminishing their severity, by repentance without contrition of heart and by not diligently about proper preparation for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, without reconciling with their neighbors, they came to confession and in such a sinful state dared to come to communion.

They sinned: by breaking fasts and not keeping fasting days - Wednesdays and Fridays, by intemperance in food and drink, by a careless and irreverent image of the sign of the cross.

They sinned: disobedience, arrogance, self-righteousness, self-will, self-justification, laziness to work and unscrupulous performance of assigned work and deeds on duty.

They sinned: by disrespecting their parents and their elders in age, by impudence, self-righteousness and disobedience.

Sinned: lack of love for one's neighbor, impatience, resentment, irritability, anger, causing harm to one's neighbor, obstinacy, enmity, evil for evil retribution, unforgiveness of offenses, rancor, jealousy, envy, malevolence, vindictiveness, condemnation, slander, covetousness, lack of compassion for the unfortunate , unmercifulness to the poor, stinginess, extravagance, greed, infidelity, injustice, hardness of heart.

They sinned: by deceit against their neighbors, by deceiving them, by insincerity in dealing with them, by suspiciousness, double-mindedness, gossip, ridicule, witticisms, lies, hypocritical treatment of others, and flattery.

Sinned: forgetting about the future eternal life, forgetfulness of his death and the Last Judgment and unreasonable partial attachment to earthly life and its pleasures.

They sinned: intemperance of their tongue, idle talk, idle talk, laughter, disclosure of the sins and weaknesses of their neighbor, seductive behavior, liberty, insolence.

They sinned: intemperance of their spiritual and bodily feelings, addiction, voluptuousness, indiscreet look at persons of the opposite sex, free treatment of them, fornication and adultery and excessive panache with a desire to please and seduce others.

They sinned: lack of straightforwardness, sincerity, simplicity, fidelity, truthfulness, respectfulness, degree, caution in words, prudent silence, guarding and defending the honor of others, lack of love, temperance, chastity, modesty in words and deeds, purity of heart, non-possessiveness, mercy and humility.

We sinned: despondency, sadness, sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, lust, impurity and all our feelings, thoughts, words, desires, deeds and our other sins, which we did not remember because of our forgetfulness.

We repent that we have angered the Lord our God with all our sins, we sincerely regret this and wish to refrain from our sins in every possible way.

Lord our God, with tears we pray to You, our Savior, help us to establish ourselves in the holy intention to live as a Christian, and forgive the sins we have confessed, as Good and Humanitarian.

The grave sins not listed here must be confessed to the confessor in a special way.

The first commandment of the law of God commands:

They sinned: lack of faith, unbelief, doubt, despair in their salvation, hope in themselves and people more than in God (excessive hope in God's mercy), forgetfulness of God's justice, i.e. impenitence.

Disobedience to the will of God, disobedience to the orders of God's Providence. A stubborn desire for everything to be "my way."

Impatience and murmuring when something is done not according to my desire.

Human pleasing and passionate love for people, creatures, things, occupations.

Unwillingness and negligence to reveal in oneself the memory of God and His will, faith and reverence for Him and fear of Him, hope in Him and devotion to His will, and obedience to Him, love for Him, striving for Him with all one’s being and zeal for glory His. Apostasy. Not having love for God.

2. “DO NOT MAKE YOUR IDOLS”, i.e. fictional god - an idol.

Sinned: Pride, vanity, self-love, voluptuousness, greed, hypocrisy, gluttony, overeating, voluptuousness, servility to the spirit of the times and worldly customs, against conscience with violation of the commandments of God, drunkenness, secret eating.

3. "DO NOT SAY THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN."

They sinned: blasphemy, blasphemy, swearing, swearing, breaking an oath, cursed themselves and others. Violation of vows, disrespect for goodness and pious people. Contempt, mockery of them. Shame to seem like a devout Christian, idle talk, they uttered the name of God in proverbs. “The Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain” (Ex. 20:7).

They sinned: By disrespecting the holidays, not attending the temple out of laziness. Laziness to prayer and reading the Word of God and holy books.

Irreverent standing in church and inattention to reading and singing, wandering thoughts, talking and laughter in church.

Abandoning morning, evening and other prayers.

Concealment of sins at confession and neglect of proper preparation for communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Disrespect for sacred places, careless depiction of the sign of the cross.

Non-observance of posts according to the charter of the church.

Laziness to work and unfair performance of assigned work and deeds by position. Loss of a lot of time in vain in idleness, absent-mindedness, fun, feasts.

Visiting parties, theater, cinema for great holidays.

5. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER, THAT YOUR DAYS ON THE EARTH LONG.

Sinned: By disrespecting parents and relatives. Disrespect for elders. Ingratitude to benefactors.

Carelessness about the upbringing of children, indulgence or obstinate treatment of them, neglect of their well-being and cruel deeds with them.

6. "Thou shalt not kill."

Sinned: Moral or physical murder of oneself or another.

Oppression and deprivation of the means of life of one's neighbor.

Non-giving help to save the life of a neighbor from premature death.

Anger, insult, slander, hatred, wrecking, enmity, rancor. Tempted to sin. Inactivity, satiety, stubborn resistance to the truth. Bitterness in sins.

Revenge for evil. Complete impenitence. Animals were tortured and killed.

Not accustoming oneself not only not to offend anyone, but also to treat everyone meekly, politely, friendly, edifying, reconcile with the angry, endure and forgive insults. Benefit everyone, even enemies.

7. "DO NOT ADULTY"

They sinned: By foul language, reading immoral books, looking at pictures and actions, lust, pimping, coquetry, fornication, adultery (this kind of sins speak to confessors separately and only in private).

8. "DO NOT STEAL"

Sinned: Theft, deceit, parasitism, covetousness, unmercifulness to the poor, avarice, drunkenness, wastefulness, playing cards and other games of chance, luxury, dishonesty, injustice, hardheartedness, greed, greed.

9. "DO NOT BRING A FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR."

Sinned: False testimony, slander, disclosure of the sins of others, suspicion, condemnation and praise, gossip, doubt in the honor of others, duplicity, gossip, ridicule, obscene jokes, lies, slyness, flattery, dishonesty, insincerity.

10. "DO NOT DESIRE YOUR NEIGHBOR'S WIFE ... NOTHING THAT YOUR NEIGHBOR HAS"

Sinned: Bad desires, thoughts, envy.

Let's check our lives according to the commandments of the Beatitudes.

They did not have poverty of spirit and humility.

They did not have the consciousness of their sinfulness, contrition and weeping for their sins.

They did not live according to the truth of God and did not seek it.

They were not merciful.

They were not pure in heart.

BRIEF CONFESSION

From the penitent is required: the consciousness of their sins. Condemnation of oneself in them. Crush and tears. Self-denunciation before the confessor. Repentance is not only in word, but also in deed, i.e. fix - new life. Faith in the forgiveness of sins. Hatred of past sins.

I confess I am a sinner (name) to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ and to you, honest father, all my sins and all my evil deeds, even when I have done all the days of my stomach and even thought even to this day.

He sinned: He did not keep the vows of Holy Baptism, he did not keep his monastic (or his) promise, but he lied in everything and made himself indecent before the Face of God.

Forgive us, Merciful Lord (for general confession). Forgive me, honest father (for private confession).

I have sinned: before the Lord with lack of faith and slowness in thoughts, from the enemy planted against faith and the Holy Church; ingratitude for all His great and unceasing good deeds, invoking the name of God without need - in vain.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: lack of love for the Lord, lower than fear; non-fulfillment of His holy will and holy commandments, careless depiction of the sign of the cross, irreverent veneration of St. icons; did not wear a cross, was ashamed to be baptized and confess the Lord.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: he did not keep love for his neighbor, he did not feed the hungry and thirsty, he did not clothe the naked, he did not visit the sick and prisoners in dungeons; From laziness and neglect, I did not learn the Law of God and the Holy Fathers traditions.

Forgive me, honest father.

I have sinned: church and private rules by non-fulfillment, going to the temple of God without zeal, with laziness and neglect; leaving morning, evening and other prayers; during the celebration of divine services, he sinned with idle talk, laughter, drowsiness, inattention to reading and singing, distraction of the mind, leaving the temple during the service and not going to the temple of God due to laziness and negligence.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: boldness in impurity (mental and bodily) to enter the temple of God and touch the shrines.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: by disrespecting the feasts of God; violation of St. fasting and non-keeping of fasting days - Wednesdays and Fridays; intemperance in food and drink, polyphagy, secret eating, poly-eating, drunkenness, dissatisfaction with food and drink, clothing, parasitism (tuna - for free, illegal; poison - eating; parasitism - there is bread for free); own will and mind by fulfillment, self-righteousness, self-will and self-justification; improper veneration of parents, neglect of children in the Orthodox faith, cursing their children and their neighbors.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: unbelief, superstition, doubt, despair, despondency, blasphemy, false worship, dancing, smoking, playing cards, divination, witchcraft, sorcery, gossip, commemorated the living for repose, ate the blood of animals (VI Ecumenical Council, rule 67. Acts St. Apostles, ch. 15.).

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: pride, conceit, arrogance, vanity, ambition, envy, arrogance, suspicion, irritability.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: condemnation of all people - living and dead, slander and anger, remembrance of malice, hatred, evil for evil by retribution, slander, reproach, deceit, laziness, deceit, hypocrisy, gossip, disputes, stubbornness, unwillingness to yield and serve one's neighbor; he sinned with malevolence, malevolence, mourning, insult, mockery, reproach and pleasing to people.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: intemperance of spiritual and bodily feelings; impurity of soul and body, pleasure and slowness in impure thoughts, addiction, voluptuousness, an immodest look at wives and young men; in a dream, prodigal desecration of the night, intemperance in married life.

Forgive me, honest father.

I have sinned: impatience with sickness and sorrow, love for the comforts of this life, captivity of the mind and petrification of the heart, not forcing myself to do any good deed.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: by inattention to the promptings of his conscience, negligence, laziness in reading the Word of God and negligence in acquiring the Jesus Prayer. He sinned with covetousness, love of money, unrighteous acquisition, theft, theft, stinginess, attachment to all sorts of things and people.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: by condemning and disobeying the spiritual fathers, grumbling and resentment against them and not confessing his sins before them out of forgetfulness, negligence and out of false shame.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: unmercifulness, contempt and condemnation of the poor; going to the temple of God without fear and reverence, deviating into heresy and sectarian teaching.

Forgive me, honest father.

I have sinned: by laziness, relaxation with it, love of bodily peace, many sleeps, voluptuous dreams, partial views, shameless body movements, touching, fornication, adultery, corruption, masturbation, unmarried marriages, those who have aborted themselves or others, or persuaded someone, have sinned grievously to this great sin - infanticide. He spent his time in empty and idle pursuits, in empty talk, jokes, laughter and other shameful sins.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: despondency, cowardice, impatience, murmuring, despair in salvation, lack of hope in God's mercy, insensitivity, ignorance, arrogance, shamelessness.

Forgive me, honest father.

I have sinned: by slandering my neighbor, by anger, insult, irritation and ridicule, non-reconciliation, enmity and hatred, contradiction,
peeping into other people's sins and eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

Forgive me, honest father.

He sinned: by coldness and insensitivity at confession, by diminishing sins, by blaming others, and not by condemning himself.

Forgive me, honest father..

He sinned: against the Life-Giving and Holy Mysteries of Christ, approaching them without proper preparation, without contrition and fear of God.

Forgive me, honest father.

I have sinned: in word, thought and all my senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, willingly or not, knowledge or ignorance, in reason and foolishness, and do not list all my sins according to their multitude. But in all these, as well as in indescribable oblivion, I repent and regret, and henceforth, with the help of God, I promise to be observed.

But you, honest father, forgive me and forgive me from all these and pray for me a sinner, and on that judgment day testify before God about the sins I have confessed. Amen.

How to prepare for the first confession? This question worries many beginning Orthodox Christians. You will find out the answer to this question if you read the article!

With the help of the following simple tips, you can take the first steps.

How to confess and receive communion for the first time?

Confession in the church

The only exception may be the most concise "reminder" of major sins, which are often not recognized as such.

An example of such a note:

a. Sins against the Lord God:

- disbelief in God, recognition of any significance for other "spiritual forces", religious doctrines, in addition to the Christian faith; participation in other religious practices or rituals, even “for company”, as a joke, etc.;

- nominal faith, not expressed in any way in life, that is, practical atheism (you can recognize the existence of God with your mind, but live like a non-believer);

- the creation of "idols", that is, putting in the first place among the values ​​of life something other than God. Anything that a person really "serves" can become an idol: money, power, career, health, knowledge, hobbies - all this can be good when it takes the appropriate place in the personal "hierarchy of values", but, becoming the first , turns into an idol;

- an appeal to various kinds of fortune-tellers, soothsayers, sorcerers, psychics, etc. - an attempt to "subdue" spiritual forces in a magical way, without repentance and personal effort to change life in accordance with the commandments.

b. Sins against neighbor:

- neglect of people, resulting from pride and selfishness, inattention to the needs of the neighbor (the neighbor is not necessarily a relative or acquaintance, it is every person who is next to us at the moment);

- condemnation and discussion of the shortcomings of others ("From your words you will be justified and from your words you will be condemned," says the Lord);

- fornication sins of various kinds, especially adultery (violation of marital fidelity) and unnatural sexual intercourse, which is incompatible with being in the Church. Prodigal cohabitation also includes the so-called common today. "civil marriage", that is, cohabitation without registration of marriage. However, it should be remembered that a registered but unmarried marriage cannot be regarded as fornication and is not an obstacle to being in the Church;

- abortion - deprivation of the life of a human being, in fact, murder. You should repent even if the abortion was made for medical reasons. It is also a serious sin to persuade a woman to have an abortion (by her husband, for example). Repentance for this sin implies that the penitent will never consciously repeat it again.

- appropriation of someone else's property, refusal to pay other people (ticketless travel), retention wages subordinate or hired workers;

- lies of various kinds, especially - slandering one's neighbor, spreading rumors (as a rule, we cannot be sure of the veracity of rumors), incontinence of the word.

This is an approximate list of the most common sins, but we emphasize once again that such "lists" should not be carried away. It is best to use the ten commandments of God in further preparation for confession and listen to your own conscience.

• Talk only about sins, and your own.

It is necessary to speak at confession about your sins, not trying to minimize them or show them as excusable. It would seem that this is obvious, but how often priests, when taking confession, hear life stories about all relatives, neighbors and acquaintances instead of confessing sins. When in confession a person talks about the offenses caused to him, he evaluates and condemns his neighbors, in fact, justifying himself. Often in such stories, personal transgressions are presented in such a way that it would seem impossible to avoid them at all. But sin is always the fruit of personal choice. It is extremely rare that we find ourselves in such collisions when we are forced to choose between two kinds of sin.

• Do not invent a special language.

Speaking about your sins, you should not worry about how they would be called “correctly” or “according to the church”. It is necessary to call a spade a spade, in the usual language. You are confessing to God, who knows even more about your sins than you do, and by naming the sin as it is, you certainly will not surprise God.

Do not surprise you and the priest. Sometimes penitents are ashamed to tell the priest this or that sin, or there is a fear that the priest, having heard the sin, will condemn you. In fact, a priest has to listen to a lot of confessions over the years of service, and it is not easy to surprise him. And besides, the sins are not all original: they have not changed much over the millennia. Being a witness of sincere repentance for serious sins, the priest will never condemn, but will rejoice in the conversion of a person from sin to the path of righteousness.

• Talk about the big things, not the little things.

It is not necessary to start confession with such sins as breaking the fast, not attending church, working on holidays, watching TV, wearing/not wearing certain types of clothing, etc. Firstly, these are definitely not your most serious sins. Secondly, it may not be a sin at all: if a person has not come to God for many years, then why repent of non-observance of fasts, if the “vector” of life itself was directed in the wrong direction? Thirdly, who needs endless digging into everyday minutiae? The Lord expects from us love and giving of heart, and we to him: “I ate a fish on fasting day” and “embroidered it on a holiday.”

The main attention should be paid to the relationship with God and neighbors. Moreover, according to the Gospel, neighbors are understood not only as people who are pleasant to us, but all who we meet on the path of life. And above all, our family members. The Christian life for family people begins in the family and is tested by it. Here is the best field for cultivating Christian qualities in oneself: love, patience, forgiveness, acceptance.

• Start changing your life even before confession.

Repentance on Greek sounds like "metanoia", literally - "change of mind". It is not enough to admit that in life you have committed such and such misdeeds. God is not a prosecutor, and confession is not a confession. Repentance should be a change of life: the penitent intends not to return to sins and tries with all his might to keep himself from them. Such repentance begins some time before confession, and coming to the temple to see a priest already “captures” the change taking place in life. This is extremely important. If a person intends to continue sinning after confession, then maybe it is worth postponing confession?

It should be noted that when we talk about changing one's life and renouncing sin, we mean first of all the so-called "mortal" sins, according to the words of the Apostle John, that is, incompatible with being in the Church. Since ancient times, the Christian Church considered such sins as renunciation of the faith, murder and adultery. Sins of this kind can also include the extreme degree of other human passions: anger at one's neighbor, theft, cruelty, and so on, which can be stopped once and for all by an effort of the will, combined with God's help. As for petty sins, the so-called “everyday” ones, they will be repeated in many ways even after confession. One must be ready for this and accept it humbly as an inoculation against spiritual exaltation: there are no perfect people among people, only God is sinless.

• To be at peace with everyone.

“Forgive and you will be forgiven,” says the Lord. “With what judgment you judge, you will be judged.” And even more strongly: “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” . If we ask God for forgiveness, then we ourselves must first forgive the offenders. Of course, there are situations when it is physically impossible to ask for forgiveness directly from a person, or this will lead to an aggravation of an already difficult relationship. Then it is important, at least, to forgive on your part and not have anything in your heart against your neighbor.

A few practical recommendations. Before you come to confession, it would be nice to find out when confession is usually held in the temple. In many churches they serve not only on Sundays and holidays, but also on Saturdays, and in large churches and monasteries - on weekdays. The greatest influx of confessors occurs during Great Lent. Of course, the Lenten period is mainly a time of repentance, but for those who come for the first time or after a very long break, it is better to choose a time when the priest is not very busy. It may turn out that they confess in the temple on Friday evening or on Saturday morning - these days there will certainly be fewer people than during the Sunday service. It is good if you have the opportunity to personally contact the priest and ask him to appoint a convenient time for confession.

There are special prayers expressing a repentant "mood". It is good to read them the day before confession. The repentant canon to the Lord Jesus Christ is printed in almost any prayer book, except for the shortest ones. If you are not used to praying in Church Slavonic, you can use the translation into Russian.

During confession, the priest can assign you a penance: refraining from communion for a while, reading special prayers, bowing down to the ground, or deeds of mercy. This is not a punishment, but a means to get rid of sin and receive full forgiveness. Penance can be appointed when the priest does not meet the proper attitude towards serious sins on the part of the penitent, or, conversely, when he sees that a person has a need to do something practically to "get rid" of sin. Penance cannot be indefinite: it is appointed for a certain time, and then must be terminated.

As a rule, after confession, believers receive communion. Although confession and communion are two different sacraments, it is better to combine the preparation for confession with the preparation for communion. What this preparation is, we will tell in a separate article.

If these little tips have helped you prepare for confession, thank God. Do not forget that this sacrament must be regular. Don't put off your next confession for years. Confession at least once a month helps to always be “in good shape”, to be attentive and responsible to your Everyday life in which, in fact, our Christian faith should be expressed.

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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 protection of his own confessor, 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 neglect of 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 their 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.