Preparation for confession and communion. How to prepare for nursing communion? Internal state before the Eucharist

CONFESSION AND COMMUNION

how to prepare for them

Sacrament of Confession

Confession (repentance) is one of the seven Christian Sacraments, in which the penitent, confessing his sins to the priest, with visible forgiveness of sins (reading a prayer of absolution), is invisibly absolved from them by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This sacrament was established by the Savior, who said to His disciples: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and what do you allow ( untie) on earth, it will be resolved in heaven" ( Gospel of Matthew, ch. 18, verse 18). And in another place: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him" ( Gospel of John, ch. 20, verses 22-23). The apostles transferred the power to “bind and loose” to their successors - the bishops, who in turn, when performing the sacrament of ordination (priesthood), transfer this power to the priests.

The Holy Fathers call repentance the second baptism: if at baptism a person is cleansed from the power of original sin, transmitted to him at birth from our first parents Adam and Eve, then repentance washes him from the filth of his own sins, committed by him after the Sacrament of Baptism.

In order for the Sacrament of Repentance to take place, on the part of the penitent there must be awareness of his sinfulness, sincere heartfelt repentance for his sins, a desire to leave the sin and not repeat it, faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy, faith that the Sacrament of Confession has power cleanse and wash away, through the prayer of the priest, sincerely confessed sins.

The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” ( 1st Epistle of John, ch. 1, verse 8). At the same time, we hear from many: “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t commit adultery, so what should I repent of?” But if we carefully study God’s commandments, we will discover that we sin against many of them. Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.

Sins against God

- Failure to fulfill God's commandments.

- Ingratitude to God.

- Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying one's disbelief through an atheistic upbringing.

- Apostasy, cowardly silence when they blaspheme the faith of Christ, not wearing a cross, visiting various sects.

- Taking the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned neither in prayer nor in pious conversation about Him).

- An oath in the name of the Lord.

— Pride (indomitability of spirit, self-will, conceit, arrogance, etc.)

— Vanity (attributing the virtues and talents bestowed by the Lord to oneself, and not to God, and self-satisfaction in this).

— Fortune telling, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.

— Superstitions: belief in various signs that supposedly influence life.

- Thoughts about suicide.

— Playing cards and other gambling games.

— Failure to comply with the morning and evening prayer rules.

- Failure to visit the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.

— Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.

- Careless (non-daily) reading of the Holy Scriptures and soul-helping literature.

— Violation of vows given to God.

— Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in God’s Providence, fear of old age, poverty, illness.

— Murmuring against God, rejection of the cross of life given by the Lord for the salvation of our soul.

— False shame of confessing oneself as a Christian (shame of wearing a cross, praying before and after meals, etc.)

— Absent-mindedness during prayer, thoughts about everyday things during worship.

— Condemnation of the Church and its ministers.

- Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.

— Continuation of a sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy, that is, excessive reliance on God’s forgiveness.

— It’s a waste of time watching TV shows, reading entertaining books to the detriment of time for prayer, reading the Gospel and spiritual literature.

— Concealing sins during confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.

- Arrogance, self-reliance, that is, excessive hope in one’s own strength and in someone else’s help, without trusting that everything is in God’s hands.

Sins against neighbors

— Raising children outside the Christian faith.

- Hot temper, anger, irritability.

- Arrogance.

- Schadenfreude.

- Excessive curiosity.

- Perjury.

- Revenge.

- Mockery.

- Stinginess.

- Non-repayment of debts.

- Failure to pay money earned for work.

- Failure to provide assistance to those in need.

- Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.

- Disrespect for elders.

- Cruelty to animals or passionate attachment to them.

- Lack of diligence in your work.

- Condemnation.

— Appropriation of someone else’s property is theft.

- Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.

- Killing your child in the womb (abortion), inducing others to commit murder (abortion).

- Murder by word - bringing a person through slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.

- Drinking alcohol at funerals for the dead instead of intense prayer for them.

Sins against yourself

- Verbosity, gossip, idle talk.

- Unreasonable laughter.

- Foul language, cursing.

- Self-love.

- False humility.

- Doing good deeds for show.

- Love of money (love of money, gifts, addiction to various objects, passion for hoarding, desire to get rich).

- Envy.

- Lie.

- Drinking, smoking, drug use.

- Gluttony.

- Fornication - inciting lustful thoughts, unclean desires, lustful touching, watching erotic films and reading such books.

— Fornication is physical intimacy between persons not related by marriage.

— Adultery is a violation of marital fidelity.

- Unnatural fornication - physical intimacy between persons of the same sex, masturbation.

- Incest - physical intimacy with relatives or nepotism.

Although the above sins are conditionally divided into three parts, ultimately these are all sins both against God (since they violate His commandments and thereby offend Him) and against their neighbors (since they do not allow the true ones to be revealed). Christian relationships and love), and against themselves (because they interfere with the saving structure of the soul).

How to prepare for confession

Anyone who wants to repent before God for their sins must prepare for the Sacrament of Confession. You need to prepare for confession in advance: it is advisable to read literature on the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, remember all your sins, you can write them down on a separate piece of paper to look at it before confession. Sometimes a piece of paper with the listed sins is given to the confessor to read, but the sins that especially burden the soul must be told out loud. There is no need to tell the confessor long stories; it is enough to state the sin itself. For example, if you are at enmity with relatives or neighbors, you do not need to tell what caused this enmity - you need to repent of the very sin of judging your relatives or neighbors. What is important to God and the confessor is not the list of sins, but the repentant feeling of the person being confessed, not detailed stories, but a contrite heart. We must remember that confession is not only awareness own shortcomings, but above all - a thirst to be cleansed of them. In no case should you justify yourself

- this is no longer repentance! Elder Silouan of Athos explains this way: real repentance:“This is the sign of the forgiveness of sins: if you hated sin, then the Lord has forgiven you your sins.”

It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with your confessor. It is necessary to reconcile with your neighbors and ask for forgiveness from everyone you have offended. When preparing for confession, it is advisable to strengthen your evening prayer rule for several days by reading the Canon of Repentance, which is found in the Orthodox prayer book.

To confess, you need to find out when the Sacrament of Confession takes place in the church. In those churches where services are performed every day, the Sacrament of Confession is also celebrated every day. In those churches where there are no daily services, you must first familiarize yourself with the service schedule.

How to prepare children for confession

Children under seven years of age (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great Sacrament from very early childhood. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the ordinariness of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare infants 2-3 days in advance for the upcoming Communion: read the Gospel, lives of saints, and other soul-helping books with them, reduce, or better yet completely eliminate, watching TV (but this must be done very tactfully, without causing negative associations in the child with preparation for Communion), follow their prayer in the morning and before bed, talk with the child about the past days and bring him to an awareness of his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that There is nothing more effective for a child than the personal example of parents.

Starting from the age of seven, children (adolescents), like adults, begin the Sacrament of Communion only after completing the Sacrament of Confession. In many ways, the sins listed in the previous sections are also inherent in children, but still, children's confession has its own characteristics. To set children up for sincere repentance, you can let them read the following list of possible sins:

—Didn’t you lie in bed in the morning and therefore skip the morning prayer rule?

“Didn’t you sit down at the table without praying, and didn’t you go to bed without praying?”

— Do you know by heart the most important Orthodox prayers: “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice”, a prayer to your Heavenly patron, whose name you bear?

— Did you go to church every Sunday?

—Didn’t you get carried away with various amusements on church holidays instead of visiting the temple of God?

- Did you behave properly? church service, didn’t he run around the temple, didn’t he have empty conversations with his peers, thereby leading them into temptation?

—Didn’t you pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?

—Are you performing the sign of the cross correctly, are you not in a hurry, are you not distorting the sign of the cross?

— Were you distracted by extraneous thoughts while praying?

— Do you read the Gospel and other spiritual books?

- Do you wear pectoral cross and aren't you ashamed of him?

- Aren't you using a cross as a decoration, which is sinful?

— Don’t you wear various amulets, for example, zodiac signs?

- Didn’t you tell fortunes, didn’t you tell fortunes?

—Didn’t you hide your sins before the priest in confession out of false shame, and then receive communion unworthily?

— Were you not proud of yourself and others of your successes and abilities?

—Have you ever argued with someone just for the sake of gaining the upper hand in the argument?

— Did you deceive your parents out of fear of being punished?

— During Lent, didn’t you eat something like ice cream without your parents’ permission?

— Did you listen to your parents, didn’t you argue with them, didn’t you demand an expensive purchase from them?

— Did you hit anyone? Did he incite others to do this?

- Did you offend the younger ones?

— Did you torture animals?

— Did you gossip about anyone, did you snitch on anyone?

— Have you laughed at people who have any physical disabilities?

—Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue or using drugs?

- Didn't you use foul language?

- Didn't you play cards?

— Didn’t you engage in handjobs?

— Did you appropriate someone else’s property for yourself?

—Have you had the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?

— Weren’t you too lazy to help your parents around the house?

“Did you pretend to be sick to evade your responsibilities?”

— Were you jealous of others?

The above list is only a general outline of possible sins. Each child may have his own, individual experiences associated with specific cases. The task of parents is to prepare the child for repentant feelings before the Sacrament of Confession. You can advise him to remember his misdeeds committed after the last confession, write his sins on a piece of paper, but you should not do this for him. The main thing: the child must understand that the Sacrament of Confession is a Sacrament that cleanses the soul from sins, subject to sincere, sincere repentance and the desire not to repeat them again.

How does confession happen?

Confession is performed in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. Under no circumstances should you be late for the start of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rite, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rite, the priest turns to the penitents so that they say their names - everyone answers in a low voice. Those who are late for the start of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if possible, at the end of confession reads the rite for them again and accepts confession, or schedules confession for another day. Women cannot begin the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.

Confession usually takes place in a church with a crowd of people, so you need to respect the secret of confession, not crowd next to the priest receiving confession and not embarrass the person confessing, revealing his sins to the priest. Confession must be complete. You cannot confess some sins first and leave others for next time. Those sins that the penitent confessed in previous confessions and which have already been forgiven are not mentioned again. If possible, you should confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a feeling of false shame prevents your familiar confessor from revealing. Those who do this by their actions try to deceive God Himself: in confession, we confess our sins not to our confessor, but together with him to the Savior Himself.

In large temples, due to large quantity penitents and the inability of the priest to accept confession from everyone, a “general confession” is usually practiced, when the priest lists out loud the most common sins, and the confessors standing in front of him repent of them, after which everyone, in turn, comes up for a prayer of absolution. Those who have never been to confession or have not gone to confession for several years should avoid general confession. Such people must undergo private confession - for which they need to choose either a weekday, when there are not many confessors in the church, or find a parish where only private confession is performed. If this is not possible, you need to go to the priest during a general confession for a prayer of permission, among the last, so as not to detain anyone, and after explaining the situation, open up to him about your sins. Those who have grave sins should do the same.

Many devotees of piety warn that a grave sin, which the confessor kept silent about during general confession, remains unrepentant, and therefore not forgiven.

After confessing sins and reading the prayer of absolution by the priest, the penitent kisses the Cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern and, if he was preparing for communion, takes a blessing from the confessor for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

In some cases, the priest may impose penance on the penitent - spiritual exercises prescribed to deepen repentance and eradicate sinful habits. Penance must be treated as the will of God, spoken through a priest, requiring mandatory fulfillment for the healing of the soul of the penitent. If it is impossible to various reasons To perform penance, you should contact the priest who imposed it to resolve the difficulties that have arisen.

Those who wish not only to confess, but also to receive communion must prepare for the Sacrament of Communion with dignity and in accordance with the requirements of the Church. This preparation is called fasting.

How to prepare for communion

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meal food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. If circumstances permit, you should attend church services on these days. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is celebrated in the church - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to visit the evening service. In the evening, before reading prayers for bedtime, three canons are read: Repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read before the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to perform such a prayer rule in one day, take the priest’s blessing to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

It is quite difficult for children to follow all the prayer rules for preparing for communion. Parents, together with their confessor, need to choose the optimal number of prayers that the child can handle, then gradually increase the number of necessary prayers needed to prepare for communion, up to the full prayer rule for Holy Communion.

For some, it is very difficult to read all the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, others do not confess or receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparing for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers read) with preparing for communion. Such people can be recommended to begin the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing your sins, ask your confessor for advice on how to adequately prepare for communion to the best of your weak strength. We need to pray to the Lord to help us overcome difficulties and give us strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o’clock at night they no longer eat or drink. The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years, and if possible earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule.

In the morning, they also don’t eat or drink anything, you can only brush your teeth. After reading the morning prayers, prayers for Holy Communion are read. If it is difficult to read prayers for Holy Communion in the morning, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the night before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, you must arrive on time, before confession begins. If confession was made the night before, then the person confessing comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

Sacrament of Communion

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is a Sacrament established by the Savior Himself during the Last Supper: “Jesus took bread and, blessing it, broke it and, giving it to the disciples, said: Take, eat: this is My Body. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” ( Gospel of Matthew, ch. 26, verses 26-28).

During the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed - bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ and the participants, receiving Them during Communion, mysteriously, incomprehensible to the human mind, are united with Christ Himself, since He is all contained in each Particle of the Sacrament .

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary to enter eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks about this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day..." ( Gospel of John, ch. 6, verses 53-54).

The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary cleansing by the Sacrament of Repentance; the only exception is infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation required for the laity. Women need to wipe off lipstick from their lips. Women are not allowed to receive communion during their menstrual cleansings. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the cleansing prayer of the fortieth day is read over them.

When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, the communicants make one prostration (if it is a weekday) or a bow (if it is a Sunday or a holiday) and carefully listen to the words of the prayers read by the priest, repeating them to themselves. After reading the prayers, the communicants, folding their hands crosswise on their chests (right over left), decorously, without crowding, in deep humility approach the Holy Chalice. A pious custom has developed to let children go first to the Chalice, then men come up, and then women. You should not be baptized at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally touch it. Having said his name out loud, the communicant, with his lips open, accepts the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. After communion, the deacon or sexton wipes the communicant’s mouth with a special cloth, after which he kisses the edge of the Holy Chalice and goes to a special table, where he takes the drink (warmth) and eats a piece of prosphora. This is done so that not a single particle of the Body of Christ remains in the mouth. Without accepting the warmth, you cannot venerate either the icons, the Cross, or the Gospel.

After receiving the warmth, the communicants do not leave the church and pray with everyone until the end of the service. After the dismissal (the final words of the service), the communicants approach the Cross and listen carefully to the prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion. After listening to the prayers, the communicants ceremoniously disperse, trying to preserve the purity of their souls, cleansed of sins, for as long as possible, without wasting time on empty talk and deeds that are not good for the soul. On the day after communion of the Holy Mysteries, no prostrations are performed. The rest of the day must be spent piously: avoid verbosity (it is better to remain silent in general), watch TV, and exclude marital intimacy. It is advisable to read prayers of thanksgiving at home after Holy Communion. It is a prejudice that you cannot shake hands on the day of communion. Under no circumstances should you receive communion several times in one day.

In cases of illness and infirmity, you can receive communion at home. For this purpose, a priest is invited to the house. Depending on his condition, the sick person is adequately prepared for confession and communion. In any case, he can receive communion only on an empty stomach (with the exception of dying people). Children under seven years of age do not receive communion at home, since they, unlike adults, can only receive communion with the Blood of Christ, and the reserve Gifts with which the priest administers communion at home contain only particles of the Body of Christ, saturated with His Blood. For the same reason, infants do not receive communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on weekdays during Great Lent.

Each Christian either himself determines the time when he needs to confess and receive communion, or does this with the blessing of his spiritual father. There is a pious custom of receiving communion at least five times a year - on each of the four multi-day fasts and on the day of your Angel (the day of remembrance of the saint whose name you bear).

How often it is necessary to receive communion is given by the pious advice of the Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain: “True communicants are always, following Communion, in a tactile state of grace. The heart then tastes the Lord spiritually.

But just as we are constrained in body and surrounded by external affairs and relationships, in which we must take part for a long time, the spiritual taste of the Lord, due to the splitting of our attention and feelings, day by day, is weakened, obscured and hidden...

Therefore, zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are tasting the Lord again.”

How to write a note with sins and what to say to the priest? Confession is the most important religious Sacrament, which is present not only in Orthodoxy and Christianity, but also in other religions, such as Islam and Judaism. It is a key point in the spiritual life of a believer in these spiritual traditions.

A story in the presence of a witness - a clergyman - about sins committed before God cleanses from them, God, through the priest, forgives sins, and atonement for sins occurs. After repentance, the burden is removed from the soul, life becomes easier. Usually confession takes place before, but it is possible separately.

Sacrament of Repentance (Confession) The Orthodox Catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Repentance there is a Sacrament in which one who confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself.

This Sacrament is called the second Baptism. IN modern Church it, as a rule, precedes the Sacrament of Communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, since it prepares the souls of the repentant to participate in this Great Table. Need for Sacrament of Penance is connected with the fact that a person who has become a Christian in the Sacrament of Baptism, which washed away all his sins, continues to sin due to the weakness of human nature.

These sins separate man from God and put a serious barrier between them. Can a person overcome this painful gap on his own? No. If it weren't for Repentance, a person would not be able to be saved, would not be able to preserve the unity with Christ acquired in the Sacrament of Baptism. Repentance- this is spiritual work, the effort of a sinned person aimed at restoring a connection with God in order to be a partaker of His Kingdom.

Repentance implies such spiritual activity of a Christian, as a result of which the sin committed becomes hateful to him. A person’s repentant effort is accepted by the Lord as the greatest sacrifice, the most significant of his daily activities.

Preparing for confession note

In Holy Scripture Repentance is a necessary condition for salvation: “Unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way” (Luke 13:3). And it is joyfully accepted by the Lord and pleasing to Him: “So there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent” (Luke 15: 7).

In the continuous struggle against sin, which continues throughout a person’s earthly life, there are defeats and sometimes serious falls. But after them, a Christian must get up again and again, repent and, without giving in to despondency, continue on his way, because God’s mercy is endless.

The fruit of repentance is reconciliation with God and people and spiritual joy from the revealed participation in the life of God. Forgiveness of sins is given to a person through prayer and the sacrament of a priest, who is given the grace by God in the Sacrament of the Priesthood to forgive sins on earth.

The repentant sinner receives justification and sanctification in the Sacrament, and the confessed sin is completely erased from a person’s life and ceases to destroy his soul. The visible side Sacraments of Penance consists in the confession of sins brought to God by the repentant in the presence of a priest, and in the resolution of sins performed by God through the clergy.

It happens like this:
1. The priest reads preliminary prayers from the service Sacraments of Penance, prompting confessors to sincere repentance.

2. The penitent, standing in front of the cross and the Gospel, lying on a lectern, as if before the Lord Himself, verbally confesses all his sins, without hiding anything and without making excuses.
3. The priest, having accepted this confession, covers the penitent’s head with an epitrachelion and reads a prayer of absolution, through which in the name of Jesus Christ he absolves the penitent from all the sins of which he confessed.

The invisible effect of God's grace consists in the fact that the repentant, with visible evidence of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from sins by Jesus Christ Himself. As a result of this, the confessor is reconciled with God, the Church and his own conscience and is freed from punishment for confessed sins in eternity.

confession and communion for the first time

Establishment of the Sacrament of Penance

Confession as the most important part Sacraments of Penance, has been performed since the time of the apostles: “Many of those who believed came, confessing and revealing their deeds (Acts 19; 18)”. The ritual forms of the celebration of the Sacrament in the apostolic age were not developed in detail, but the main components of the liturgical and liturgical structure inherent in modern rites already existed.

They were next.
1. Oral confession of sins to a priest.
2. The pastor’s teaching on repentance is in accordance with the internal structure of the recipient of the Sacrament.
3. Intercessory prayers of the shepherd and repentant prayers of the penitent.

4. Resolution from sins. If the sins confessed by the penitent were grave, then serious church punishments could be imposed - temporary deprivation of the right to participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; prohibition from attending community meetings. For mortal sins - murder or adultery - those who did not repent of them were publicly expelled from the community.

Sinners subjected to such severe punishment could change their situation only on condition of sincere repentance. In the ancient Church there were four classes of penitents, differing in the degree of severity of the penances imposed on them:

1. Crying. They had no right to enter the temple and had to remain at the porch in any weather, with tears asking for prayers from those going to the service.
2. Listeners. They had the right to stand in the vestibule and were blessed by the bishop along with those preparing for Baptism. Those who listen to the words “The Announcement, come forth!” are with them! were removed from the temple.

3. Appearing. They had the right to stand at the back of the temple and participate with the faithful in prayers for the penitents. At the end of these prayers, they received the bishop's blessing and left the temple.

4. Worth purchasing. They had the right to stand with the faithful until the end of the Liturgy, but could not partake of the Holy Mysteries. Repentance in the early Christian Church could be performed both publicly and secretly. Public Confession was a kind of exception to the rule, since it was appointed only in cases where a member of the Christian community committed grave sins, which in themselves were quite rare.

Sins spoken in confession

sins spoken in confession

Confession of grave carnal sins was made publicly if it was known for certain that the person had committed them. This happened only when the secret Confession and the assigned penance did not lead to the correction of the penitent

The attitude towards such mortal sins as idolatry, murder and adultery in the ancient Church was very strict. The perpetrators were excommunicated from church communion for long years, and sometimes for life, and only near death could be the reason that penance was lifted and Communion was taught to the sinner.

Public Repentance practiced in the Church until the end of the 4th century. Its abolition is associated with the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nektarios († 398), who abolished the position of presbyter-spiritual priest in charge of public affairs. Repentance.

Following this, the degrees gradually disappeared Repentance, and by the end of the 9th century public Confession finally left the life of the Church. This happened due to the impoverishment of piety. Such a powerful tool as public Repentance, it was appropriate when strict morals and zeal for God were universal and even “natural.” But later, many sinners began to avoid public Repentance because of the shame associated with it.

Another reason for the disappearance of this form of the Sacrament was that sins revealed publicly could serve as a temptation for Christians who were not sufficiently established in the faith. Thus, secret Confession, also known since the first centuries of Christianity, became the only form Repentance. Basically, the changes described above occurred already in the 5th century.

Currently, with a large gathering of confessors in some churches, the so-called “general” Confession. This innovation, which became possible due to the lack of churches and for other, less significant reasons, is unlawful from the point of view of liturgical theology and church piety. It should be remembered that the general Confession- is by no means a norm, but an assumption due to circumstances.

Therefore, even if, with a large crowd of penitents, the priest conducts a general Confession, he must, before reading the prayer of permission, give each confessor the opportunity to express the sins that most burden his soul and conscience. Depriving the parishioner of even such a brief personal Confessions under the pretext of lack of time, the priest violates his pastoral duty and humiliates the dignity of this great Sacrament.

Example of what to say in confession to a priest

Preparation for Confession
Preparation for Confession is not so much about remembering your sins as fully as possible, but rather about achieving a state of concentration and prayer in which the sins will become obvious to the confessor. The penitent, figuratively speaking, must bring Confession not a list of sins, but a repentant feeling and a contrite heart.

Before Confession you need to ask forgiveness from everyone to whom you consider yourself guilty. Start preparing for Confessions(fasting) must be done a week or at least three days before the Sacrament itself. This preparation should consist of a certain abstinence in words, thoughts and actions, in food and entertainment, and in general in the renunciation of everything that interferes with inner concentration.

The most important component of such preparation should be concentrated, in-depth prayer, promoting awareness of one’s sins and aversion to them. In rank Repentance to remind those who came to Confessions their sins, the priest reads a list of the most significant sins and passionate movements inherent in man.

The confessor must listen to him carefully and once again note to himself what his conscience accuses him of. Approaching the priest after this “general” Confession, the penitent must confess the sins that he has committed.
Sins previously confessed and absolved by the priest are repeated on Confessions should not be because after Repentance they become “as if they were not.”

But if since the previous Confessions they were repeated, then it is necessary to repent again. It is also necessary to confess those sins that were forgotten earlier, if they are suddenly remembered now. When repenting, one should not name accomplices or those who voluntarily or unwittingly provoked the sin. In any case, a person himself is responsible for his iniquities, committed by him out of weakness or negligence.

Sins in Orthodoxy confession

Attempts to shift the blame onto others only lead to the confessor aggravating his sin by self-justification and condemnation of his neighbor. Under no circumstances should one indulge in long stories about the circumstances that led to the confessor being “forced” to commit a sin.

We must learn to confess in such a way that Repentance do not replace your sins with everyday conversations, in which the main place is occupied by praising yourself and your noble deeds, condemning loved ones and complaining about the difficulties of life. Self-justification is associated with downplaying sins, especially with reference to their ubiquity, as if “everyone lives like this.” But it is obvious that the mass nature of sin does not in any way justify the sinner.

Some confessors, in order not to forget the sins they have committed due to excitement or lack of collection, come to Confession with a written list of them. This custom is good if the confessor sincerely repents of his sins, and does not formally list the iniquities recorded but not mourned. A note with sins immediately after Confessions needs to be destroyed.

Under no circumstances should you try to do Confession comfortable and go through it without straining your spiritual powers, saying general phrases such as “sinful in everything” or obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions, for example, “sinned against the 7th commandment.” You cannot be distracted by trifles and remain silent about what really weighs on your conscience.

Provoking such behavior Confessions False shame in front of a confessor is destructive for spiritual life. Having become accustomed to lying before God Himself, you can lose hope of salvation. A cowardly fear of seriously beginning to understand the “quagmire” of one’s life can sever any connection with Christ.

This arrangement of the confessor also becomes the reason for him to downplay his sins, which is by no means harmless, since it leads to a distorted view of himself and his relationship with God and his neighbors. We must carefully reconsider our entire life and free it from sins that have become habitual.

How to properly prepare for confession

Scripture directly names the consequences of covering up sins and self-justification: “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6; 9, 10).”

One should not think that killing an unborn fetus (abortion) is also a “minor sin.” According to the rules of the ancient Church, those who did this were punished in the same way as the murderers of a person. You cannot hide out of false shame or shyness Confessions some shameful sins, otherwise this concealment will make the remission of other sins incomplete.

Consequently, the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ after such Confessions will be in “trial and condemnation.” The very common division of sins into “heavy” and “light” is very arbitrary. Such habitual “light” sins as everyday lies, dirty, blasphemous and lustful thoughts, anger, verbosity, constant jokes, rudeness and inattention to people in case of their repetition paralyze the soul.

It is easier to renounce a grave sin and sincerely repent of it than to realize the harmfulness of “minor” sins that lead to the enslavement of a person. A well-known patristic parable demonstrates that removing a pile of small stones is much more difficult than moving a pile of equal weight. big Stone. When confessing, you should not expect “leading” questions from the priest; you must remember that the initiative is in Confessions must belong to the penitent.

It is he who must make a spiritual effort on himself, freeing himself in the Sacrament from all his iniquities. Recommended when preparing for Confessions, remember what other people, acquaintances and even strangers, and especially close and family members usually accuse the confessor of, since very often their claims are fair.

If it seems that this is not so, then here too it is simply necessary to accept their attacks without bitterness. After a person’s churching reaches a certain “point,” he has problems of a different order associated with Confession.

That habit of the Sacrament, which arises as a result of repeated appeal to it, gives rise, for example, to formalization Confessions when they confess because “it’s necessary.” While dryly listing true and imaginary sins, such a confessor does not have the main thing - a repentant attitude.

Confession and Communion rules

This happens if there seems to be nothing to confess (that is, a person simply does not see his sins), but it is necessary (after all, “it is necessary to take communion”, “holiday”, “haven’t confessed for a long time”, etc.). This attitude reveals a person’s inattention to the inner life of the soul, lack of understanding of his sins (even if only mental ones) and passionate movements. Formalization Confessions leads to the fact that a person resorts to the Sacrament “in court and in condemnation.”

A very common problem is substitution Confessions their real, serious sins, imaginary or unimportant sins. A person often does not understand that his formal fulfillment of “the duties of a Christian (reading the rule, not fasting on a fast day, going to church) are not a goal, but a means to achieving what Christ himself defined in the words: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Therefore, if a Christian does not eat animal products during fasting, but “bites and devours” his relatives, then this is a serious reason to doubt his correct understanding of the essence of Orthodoxy. Getting used to Confessions, like any shrine, leads to severe consequences. A person ceases to be afraid of offending God with his sin, because “there is always Confession and you can repent.”

Such manipulations with the Sacrament always end very badly. God does not punish a person for such a mood of the soul, he simply turns away from him for the time being, since no one (not even the Lord) experiences joy from communicating with a double-minded person who is not honest either with God or with his conscience.

A person who has become a Christian needs to understand that the struggle with his sins will continue throughout his life. Therefore, one must humbly, turning for help to the One who can ease this struggle and make him a winner, and persistently continue this grace-filled path.

Conditions under which a confessor receives absolution Repentance- this is not just a verbal confession of sins to a priest. This is the spiritual work of the penitent, aimed at receiving Divine forgiveness, destroying sin and its consequences.

List of sins for confession for women and men

This is possible provided that the confessor
1) laments his sins;
2) is determined to improve his life;
3) has undoubted hope in the mercy of Christ. Contrition for sins.

At a certain moment in his spiritual development, a person begins to feel the severity of sin, its unnaturalness and harmfulness to the soul. The reaction to this is grief of the heart and contrition for one’s sins. But this contrition of the penitent should stem not so much from fear of punishment for sins, but from love for God, whom he offended with his ingratitude.

The intention to improve your life. A firm determination to correct one's life is a necessary condition for receiving the forgiveness of sins. Repentance only in words, without an inner desire to correct one’s life, leads to even greater condemnation.

Saint Basil the Great discusses this as follows: “It is not he who confesses his sin who said: I have sinned, and then remains in sin; but the one who, in the words of the psalm, “found his sin and hated it.” What benefit will a doctor's care bring to a sick person when the person suffering from illness clings tightly to something that is destructive to life?

So there is no benefit from forgiving someone who commits injustice, and from apologizing for debauchery to someone who continues to live dissolutely.”.

Faith in Christ and hope in His mercy

An example of undoubted faith and hope for God's endless mercy is the forgiveness of Peter after his three-fold denial of Christ. From the Sacred History of the New Testament it is known, for example, that for sincere faith and hope the Lord had mercy on Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who washed the Savior’s feet with tears, anointed them with myrrh and wiped them with her hair (See: Luke 7; 36-50).

What sins to talk about in confession

The publican Zacchaeus was also pardoned, having distributed half of his property to the poor and returning to those whom he had offended four times more than what had been taken away (See: Luke 19; 1-10). The greatest saint of the Orthodox Church, Reverend Mary The Egyptian, having been a harlot for many years, through deep repentance changed her life so much that she could walk on water, saw the past and future as the present, and was awarded communication with angels in the desert.

Perfect sign Repentance is expressed in a feeling of lightness, purity and inexplicable joy, when the confessed sin seems simply impossible.

Penance

Penance (Greek epithymion - punishment under the law) - voluntary performance by the penitent - as a moral and corrective measure - of certain works of piety (prolonged prayer, alms, intensive fasting, pilgrimage, etc.).

Penance is prescribed by the confessor and does not have the meaning of punishment or punitive measure, without implying the deprivation of any rights of a member of the Church. Being only “spiritual medicine”, it is prescribed for the purpose of eradicating the habits of sin. This is a lesson, an exercise that teaches spiritual feat and gives rise to a desire for it.

Feats of prayer and good deeds, assigned as penance, must be in essence directly opposite to the sin for which they are assigned: for example, works of mercy are assigned to someone who is subject to the passion of love of money; an intemperate person is assigned a fast beyond what is prescribed for everyone; absent-minded and carried away by worldly pleasures - more frequent going to church, reading the Holy Scriptures, intensive home prayer, and the like.

Preparing for confession list of sins

Possible types of penance:
1) bows during worship or reading a home prayer rule;
2) Jesus Prayer;
3) getting up for the midnight office;
4) spiritual reading (Akathists, Lives of Saints, etc.);
5) strict fasting; 6) abstinence from marital intercourse;
7) alms, etc.

Penance must be treated as the will of God expressed through the priest, accepting it for mandatory fulfillment. Penance should be limited to a precise time frame (usually 40 days) and, if possible, performed according to a strict schedule.

If the penitent, for one reason or another, cannot fulfill the penance, then he must seek a blessing on what to do in this case from the priest who imposed it. If the sin was committed against a neighbor, then a necessary condition that must be met before performing penance is reconciliation with the one whom the penitent offended.

A special prayer of permission, called the prayer of permission from prohibition, must be read over the person who has fulfilled the penance given to him, by the priest who imposed it.

How to prepare for communion and confession

Children's Confession

According to the rules of the Orthodox Church, children should begin to confess at the age of seven, since by this time they are already able to answer before God for their actions and fight their sins. Depending on the degree of development of the child, he can be brought to Confessions both a little earlier and a little later than the specified period, after consulting with the priest on this topic.

The rite of Confession for children and adolescents is no different from the usual, but the priest, naturally, takes into account the age of those coming to the Sacrament and makes certain adjustments when communicating with such confessors. Communion of children and adolescents, like adults, should be done on an empty stomach.

But if, for health reasons, the child needs to eat in the morning, Communion, with the blessing of the priest, can be given to him. Parents should just not deliberately and unreasonably violate the rule about Communion on an empty stomach, since such actions can offend the holiness of this great Sacrament and it will be “in court and condemnation” (primarily for parents who condone lawlessness).

Teenagers are not allowed to come to Confessions very late. Such a violation is unacceptable and can lead to a refusal to give communion to a latecomer if this sin is repeated several times.

Confession children and adolescents should produce the same results as with Repentance adult: the repentant must no longer commit confessed sins, or at least try with all his might not to do so. In addition, the child should try to do good deeds, voluntarily helping parents and loved ones, caring for younger brothers and sisters.

Orthodoxy confession and communion

Parents must form a conscious attitude of the child towards Confessions, excluding, if possible, a chastising, consumerist attitude towards her and towards her Heavenly Father. The principle expressed by the simple formula: “You to me, I to you” is categorically unacceptable for a child’s relationship with God. A child should not be encouraged to “please” God in order to receive some benefits from Him.

We must awaken in a child’s soul its best feelings: sincere love for the One who is worthy of such love; devotion to Him; natural aversion to all uncleanness. Children are characterized by vicious tendencies that need to be eradicated.

These include such sins as mockery and ridicule (especially in the company of peers) of the weak and crippled; petty lies into which an ingrained habit of empty fantasies can develop; cruelty to animals; appropriation of other people's things, antics, laziness, rudeness and foul language. All this should be the subject close attention parents who are called to the daily painstaking work of raising a little Christian.

ConfessionAnd Communion seriously ill patient at home

At that moment when the life of an Orthodox Christian is approaching sunset and he lies on his deathbed, it is very important that his relatives, despite the difficult circumstances that often accompany this, are able to invite a priest to him to guide him into Eternal Life.

If the dying man can bring the last Repentance and the Lord will give him the opportunity to receive communion, then this mercy of God will greatly influence his posthumous fate. Relatives need to keep this in mind not only when the patient is a church person, but also if the dying person has been a person of little faith all his life.

The last illness greatly changes a person, and the Lord can touch his heart already on his deathbed. Sometimes in this way Christ calls even criminals and blasphemers! Therefore, at the slightest opportunity for this, relatives need to help the sick person take this step towards the calling Christ and repent of his sins.

Usually the priest is called to the house in advance, turning to the “candle box”, where they must write down the coordinates of the patient, immediately setting, if possible, the time for the future visit. The patient must be psychologically prepared for the priest’s arrival, set up to prepare for Confessions, as far as his physical condition allows.

Complete list of sins for confession

When the priest comes, the patient needs, if he has the strength to do so, to ask him for a blessing. The patient’s relatives can be at his bedside and take part in prayers until the start of the Confessions when they naturally have to leave.

But after reading the prayer of permission, they can re-enter and pray for the communicant. Chin Confessions patients at home differs from the usual and is placed in the 14th chapter of the Breviary entitled “The Rite, when it soon happens that the sick person will be given communion.”

If the patient knows the prayers for Communion by heart and is able to repeat them, then let him do this after the priest, who reads them in separate phrases. To receive the Holy Mysteries, the patient must be placed on the bed so that he does not choke, preferably reclining. After Participles the patient, if possible, reads prayers of gratitude himself. Then the priest pronounces the dismissal and gives the Cross to be kissed by the communicant and all those present.

If the patient’s relatives have a desire and if the condition of the communicant allows it, then they can invite the priest to the table and once again clarify in a conversation with him how to behave at the bedside of a seriously ill person, what is preferable to discuss with him, how to support him in this situation.

Passion as the root and cause of sin

Passion is defined as a strong, persistent, all-encompassing emotion that dominates a person’s other impulses and leads to concentration on the object of passion. Thanks to these properties, passion becomes the source and cause of sin in the human soul.

Orthodox asceticism has accumulated centuries of experience in observing and combating passions, which has made it possible to reduce them into clear patterns. The primary source of these classifications is the scheme of St. John Cassian the Roman, followed by Evagrius, Nilus of Sinai, Ephraim the Syrian, John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor and Gregory Palamas.

According to the above-mentioned ascetic teachers, there are eight sinful passions inherent in the human soul:

1. Pride.
2. Vanity.
3. Gluttony.
4. Fornication.
5. Love of money.
6. Anger.
7. Sadness.
8. Dejection.

Stages of gradual formation of passion:

1. Prediction or attack (glory: hit - collide with something) - sinful impressions or ideas that arise in the mind against the will of a person. Addictions are not considered a sin and are not charged against a person if the person does not respond to them with sympathy.

2. A thought becomes a thought that first meets interest in a person’s soul, and then compassion for oneself. This is the first stage of passion development. A thought is born in a person when his attention becomes favorable to the pretext. At this stage, the thought evokes a feeling of anticipation of future pleasure. The Holy Fathers call this a combination or conversation with a thought.

what sins to list in confession

3. Inclination towards a thought (intention) occurs when a thought completely takes possession of a person’s consciousness and his attention is focused only on it. If a person, through an effort of will, cannot free himself from a sinful thought, replacing it with something good and pleasing to God, then the next stage begins when the will itself is carried away by the sinful thought and strives for its implementation.

This means that the sin in intention has already been committed and all that remains is to practically satisfy the sinful desire.

4. The fourth stage of the development of passion is called captivity, when passionate attraction begins to dominate the will, constantly dragging the soul towards the realization of sin. A mature and deep-rooted passion is an idol, which a person subject to it, often without knowing it, serves and worships.

The path to liberation from the tyranny of passion is sincere repentance and determination to correct your life. A sign of passions formed in a person’s soul is the repetition of the same sins at almost every Confession. If this happens, it means that in the soul of a person who has become close to his passion, a process of imitation of the struggle with it is taking place. Abba Dorotheos distinguishes three states in a person in relation to his struggle with passion:

1. When he acts according to passion (bringing it to fulfillment).
2. When a person resists it (not acting out of passion, but not cutting it off, having it in himself).
3. When he eradicates it (by struggling and doing the opposite of passion). Freeing himself from passions, a person must acquire virtues that are opposite to them, otherwise the passions that had left the person will definitely return.

Sins

Sin is a violation of the Christian moral law - its content is reflected in the Epistle of the Apostle John: “Whoever commits sin also commits iniquity”(1 John 3; 4).
The most serious sins, which, if unrepentant, lead to the death of a person, are called mortal. There are seven of them:

1. Pride.
2. Gluttony.
3. Fornication.
4. Anger.
5. Love of money.
6. Sadness.
7. Dejection.

Sin is the realization of passion in thoughts, words and deeds. Therefore, it must be considered in a dialectical connection with the passion that has formed or is being formed in the human soul. Everything said in the chapter devoted to passions is directly related to human sins, as if revealing the fact of the presence of passion in the soul of a sinning person. Sins are divided into three categories, depending on whom they are committed against.

How confession happens video

How confession happens on video

1. Sins against God.
2. Sins against one's neighbor.
3. Sins against oneself.

Below is an approximate, far from complete list of these sins. It should be noted that very widespread in Lately tendency to see a goal Repentance in the most detailed verbal enumeration of sins, it contradicts the spirit of the Sacrament and profanes it.

Therefore, it is not worth engaging in scolding, expressed in the weekly “confession” of countless sins and transgressions. “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God” (Ps. 50:19)- says the inspired prophet David about the meaning of Repentance.

Paying attention to the movements of your soul and noting your wrongdoing before the Lord in specific circumstances of life, you must always remember that to acquire in the Sacrament of Repentance you need a “contrite heart” and not a “much-verbal” tongue.

Sins against God

Pride: breaking God's commandments; unbelief, lack of faith and superstition; lack of hope in God's mercy; excessive reliance on God's mercy; hypocritical veneration of God, formal worship of him; blasphemy; lack of love and fear of God; ingratitude to God for all His blessings, as well as for sorrows and illnesses; blasphemy and murmuring against the Lord; failure to fulfill promises made to Him; calling on the Name of God in vain (unnecessarily); pronouncing oaths invoking His name; falling into delusion.

Disrespect for icons, relics, saints, Holy Scripture and any other shrine; reading heretical books, keeping them in the house; irreverent attitude towards the Cross, the sign of the cross, the pectoral cross; fear of professing the Orthodox faith; failure to fulfill the prayer rule: morning and evening prayers; omission of reading the Psalter, Holy Scripture, and other Divine books; absences without good reason Sunday and holiday services; neglect of church services; prayer without zeal and diligence, absent-minded and formal.

Conversations, laughter, walking around the temple during church services; inattention to reading and singing; being late for services and leaving church early; going to the temple and touching its shrines in physical uncleanness.

What to say before confession video

Lack of zeal in repentance, rare Confession and deliberate concealment of sins; Communion without heartfelt contrition and without proper preparation, without reconciliation with neighbors, at enmity with them. Disobedience to one's spiritual father; condemnation of clergy and monastics; grumbling and resentment towards them; disrespect for the feasts of God; bustle on major church holidays; violation of fasts and constant fasting days - Wednesdays and Fridays - throughout the year.

Watching heretical TV shows; listening to non-Orthodox preachers, heretics and sectarians; passion for Eastern religions and creeds; turning to psychics, astrologers, fortune tellers, fortune tellers, “grandmothers”, sorcerers; practicing “black and white” magic, witchcraft, fortune telling, spiritualism; superstitions: belief in dreams and omens; wearing “amulets” and talismans. Suicidal thoughts and attempts to commit suicide.

Sins against one's neighbor

Lack of love for your neighbors and your enemies; unforgiveness of their sins; hatred and malice; responding evil to evil; disrespect towards parents; disrespect for elders and superiors; killing babies in the womb (abortion), advising your friends to have abortions; attempt on someone else's life and health; causing bodily harm; robbery; extortion; appropriation of someone else's property (including non-repayment of debts).

Refusal to help the weak, oppressed, and in trouble; laziness towards work and household responsibilities; disrespect for other people's work; unmercifulness; stinginess; inattention to the sick and to those in cramped conditions life circumstances; omission of prayers for neighbors and enemies; cruelty to animals and flora, consumer attitude towards them; contradiction and intransigence to neighbors; disputes; a deliberate lie for the “eloquent word”; condemnation; slander, gossip and gossip; disclosure of other people's sins; eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

What to do before confession and communion

Infliction of insults and insults; enmity with neighbors and scandals; cursing others, including one’s own children; insolence and arrogance in relations with neighbors; bad upbringing of children, lack of effort to plant the saving truths of the Christian faith in their hearts; hypocrisy, using others for personal gain; anger; suspicion of neighbors of unseemly actions; deception and perjury.

Seductive behavior at home and in public; the desire to seduce and please others; jealousy and envy; foul language, retelling of indecent stories, obscene jokes; intentional and unintentional (as an example to follow) corruption of others by one’s actions; the desire to gain self-interest from friendship or other close relationships; treason; magical actions with the aim of harming a neighbor and his family.

Sins against yourself

Dejection and despair arising from the development of vanity and pride; arrogance, pride, self-confidence, arrogance; doing good deeds for show; thoughts of suicide; carnal excesses: gluttony, sweet eating, gluttony; abuse of bodily peace and comfort: excessive sleeping, laziness, lethargy, relaxation; addiction to a certain way of life, reluctance to change it for the sake of helping one’s neighbor.

Drunkenness, drawing non-drinkers, including minors and the sick, into this vicious passion; smoking, drug addiction, as a type of suicide; playing cards and other games of chance; lies, envy; love for the earthly and material more than for the heavenly and spiritual.

Idleness, wastefulness, attachment to things; wasting your time; using God-given talents not for good; addiction to comfort, acquisitiveness: saving for a rainy day food products, clothes, shoes, furniture, jewelry, etc.; passion for luxury; over-concern, vanity.

Desire for earthly honors and glory; “decorating” oneself with cosmetics, tattoos, piercings, etc. for the purpose of seducing. Sensual, lustful thoughts; commitment to seductive sights and conversations; incontinence of mental and physical feelings, pleasure and procrastination in unclean thoughts.

Sacrament of Confession and Communion video

Voluptuousness; immodest views of people of the opposite sex; recollection with delight of one’s former carnal sins; addiction to prolonged viewing of television programs; watching pornographic films, reading pornographic books and magazines; pimping and prostitution; singing obscene songs.

Indecent dancing; defilement in a dream; fornication (outside of marriage) and adultery (adultery); free behavior with persons of the opposite sex; masturbation; immodest view of wives and young men; incontinence in married life (during fasting, on Saturdays and Sundays, church holidays).

Confession

Coming to Confessions, must know that the priest receiving it is not a simple interlocutor for the confessor, but is a witness to the mysterious conversation of the penitent with God.
The Sacrament occurs as follows: the penitent, approaching the lectern, bows to the ground before the cross and the Gospel lying on the lectern. If there are many confessors, this bow is done in advance. During the interview, the priest and confessor stand at the lectern; or the priest is sitting, and the penitent is kneeling.

Those waiting their turn should not come close to the place where Confession is being performed, so that the sins being confessed are not heard by them, and the secret is not broken. For the same purposes, the interview should be conducted in a low voice.
If the confessor is a novice, then Confession can be structured as reflected in the Breviary: the confessor asks the penitent questions according to the list.

Confession with video explanations

In practice, however, the enumeration of sins is done in the first, general part. Confessions. The priest then pronounces the “Testament,” in which he urges the confessor not to repeat the sins he has confessed. However, the text of the “Testament” in the form in which it is printed in the Trebnik is rarely read; for the most part, the priest simply gives his instructions to the confessor.

After Confession finished, the priest reads the prayer “Lord God, the salvation of Thy servants...”, which precedes the secret prayer Sacraments of Penance.

After this, the confessor kneels, and the priest, covering his head with the stole, reads a prayer of permission, containing the secret formula: “Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, by the grace and generosity of His love for mankind, forgive you, child (name), all your sins, and I, an unworthy priest, by His power given to me, forgive and absolve you from all your sins, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Then the priest makes the sign of the cross over the head of the confessor. After this, the confessor rises from his knees and kisses the Holy Cross and the Gospel.

If the confessor considers it impossible to forgive confessed sins due to their severity or other reasons, then the prayer of absolution is not read and the confessor is not allowed to receive Communion. In this case, penance may be assigned for a certain period. Then the final prayers are read “Worthy to eat...”, "Glory, and now..." and the priest administers the dismissal.

Ends Confession instructions from the confessor to the penitent and assigning him to read the canon against his sins, if the priest finds this necessary.

The material uses chapters from the book (abbreviated) “Handbook of an Orthodox Person. Sacraments of the Orthodox Church" (Danilovsky Evangelist, Moscow, 2007

We hope you liked the article about confession and communion: how to write a note with sins and what to say to the priest and a video on this topic. Stay with us on the portal of communication and self-improvement and read other useful and interesting materials on this topic!

Christianity is not always clear not only to newcomers, but also to those who have been baptized for a long time and even regularly attend church with their loved ones. However, priests consider such an approach to serving Christ unacceptable, because having accepted faith, we, along with eternal life and blessing, receive a number of rules that we must fulfill. In Christianity it is impossible to classify the sacraments by degree of importance. All of them bring only benefit to the human soul, which means every believer should take part in them. If you ask a clergyman a question about the sacraments and their sequence, they will most likely answer you that the first step on the path to the Lord is baptism, but the second, which carries enormous cleansing power, can be considered communion. Preparing for it takes quite a long period of time and requires a serious approach. A believer who wishes to receive communion must perform a series of manipulations and rituals in order to be admitted to one of the great sacraments. Our article is entirely devoted to the issue of preparation for communion. For beginners, this text can be a quality guide that will help you do everything on time and accordingly. church canons.

Communion: the essence of church rite

Preparing for communion includes several stages, but any church minister will advise you not to go through them thoughtlessly. In this case, the sacrament loses its importance and becomes a useless ritual, and such an attitude towards the sacrament is considered sinful. Therefore, those who are going to perform the ritual for the first time are recommended to learn in more detail about the very essence of the sacrament and its features before studying information about preparing for communion.

If we talk in general phrases, then communion is special moment in the spiritual life of the believer, when he can unite with the Creator, thus receiving assurance of his eternal life. We can say that during the ritual, a Christian eats the Body and Blood of Christ in order to get closer to him. This tradition was started by Jesus himself, saying goodbye to his disciples at the Last Supper.

The Gospel describes how he broke the bread and distributed it to those present, and then poured wine into cups, calling it his blood. Each of the disciples tasted the bread and wine, thus receiving communion for the first time. Today, believers who want to have eternal life must regularly perform this sacrament. Without it it is impossible to be saved. This moment especially noted by Jesus Christ himself.

A quick glance at the ritual we are describing will not allow us to understand its essence and depth. From the outside it seems that parishioners are simply eating bread and drinking wine, but in fact, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, these products are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is perceived as a real miracle that every true believer in God can touch.

The main meaning of the sacrament is that in the process a Christian receives spiritual food, as well as a guarantee of the immortality of his soul. The sacred texts say that only those who managed to unite with Jesus during their lifetime can be sure of eternal life. Naturally, even after death the soul will be able to do this.

Preparation for communion mandatory includes reading the Gospel to remember the very first communion of believers in the history of Christianity.

Holy Communion: preparation

As noted earlier, it is necessary to prepare for the ceremony in several stages. Moreover, each of them must be carried out consciously and assessed from the point of view of the spiritual, and not the worldly. Unfortunately, not all believers approach the sacrament in this way, so even after joining the church they cannot always name all the items on the list of preparation for such an important Christian ritual.

We have compiled a list that includes all the manipulations and actions necessary to approach communion in full accordance with the rules prescribed by the church:

home prayer (preparation for communion includes church prayers);
fasting;
acquiring and maintaining spiritual purity;
confession;
attending the liturgy.

In addition, there are features of the communion procedure itself, as well as behavior after it. We will definitely mention all this in the future.

Number of communions: how many times do you need to participate in the sacrament?

Preparation for communion and confession is very important, but usually those who have only recently acquired faith have a reasonable question about the possible frequency of participation in the ritual. Many people realize that the sacrament can be performed more than once, which significantly distinguishes it from baptism. But it still remains unclear how regular a ritual should be that requires such careful preparation.

The clergy advise doing this at least once a month. It’s even better if you begin to receive communion weekly. To some Christians, such a number seems excessive, but in fact it is difficult to imagine how the opportunity to unite with Christ and feel his closeness can be considered a burdensome duty. Of course, for beginners, preparing for communion and confession is not easy work, requiring the exertion of all spiritual strength and partly being a real test of faith. However, over time, the feeling of goodness that covers a person after the ritual becomes literally a necessity, without which it is difficult to exist in the world.

Therefore, beginners can perform the sacrament four times a year. It is recommended to do this during large fasts, when the soul is ordered to work and voluntarily undergo certain restrictions. Preparation for communion in church on the eve of Easter is especially important. In that great holiday Every believer must perform the sacrament. It is believed that without this ritual, a Christian cannot be fully imbued with the light that Jesus gave to all people on earth with his resurrection from the dead.

If you have just recently come to the temple, then know that in every action the regularity of its implementation is important. For example, many take communion for the first time after baptism, and then forget about this need for a long time, believing that they have already fulfilled everything prescribed for believers. However similar attitude to the sacrament is fundamentally wrong, so try not to lose the feeling of goodness, lightness and light received in the process of partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. Keep in mind that the Lord sees not only our actions, but also our intentions, and therefore their purity must not be forgotten. In the modern world, it is very easy to get dirty about gossip, intrigue, anger and envy, for example. You can remove such a burden from yourself only through participation in the ritual we describe.

Prayer Rule

In the process of preparing for communion, prayers are very important element, which sets a person in the right mood and clearly characterizes his intentions. Let's say right away that they are secretly divided into home and church. Both of them have great power, so the priests instruct parishioners in such a way that they must come to church, where the collective power of turning to the Lord increases several times, but at the same time devote time to home prayer.

The fact is that in church every person feels the presence of higher powers, and the vibrations caused by the words spoken at the service and the mental appeals of ordinary parishioners are a real energy flow. It is able to calm and heal mental wounds, and also literally “wash away” any negative energy from a person.

At home, prayer is structured a little differently. It naturally has some healing and cleansing power, but at the same time it requires more concentration. Indeed, among worldly affairs and worries, it is quite difficult for an ordinary person to abandon all matters and completely surrender to communication with the Lord.

If your goal is to prepare for communion, you should read the canons daily. Some believers read them only the day before the Sacrament, but it would still be correct to start doing this at least ten days before the ceremony. Three canons are important:

to Jesus Christ;
to the Mother of God;
to your guardian angel.

The text of the listed prayers can be found in the prayer book or on the relevant information resources. But usually believers know them well by heart, although they are quite difficult for beginners to understand. For example, the canon to the Guardian Angel includes eight songs, three troparions and a prayer - and this is not all of its components. Therefore, at first it is allowed in the process home prayer read the canons from sight.

If you find it difficult to pronounce all the lyrics in their entirety, then try taking one song from each canon. They can be pronounced in any order, alternating with each other.

Among the prayers, it is customary to highlight Follow-up. It consists of psalms and directly prayer texts. The beginning of this appeal to the Lord is as follows:

In the process of preparing for communion, the canons and the Follow-up are read every day at any time convenient for the Christian. But it would still be better to do this in the evening hours just before going to bed, when there is an opportunity to analyze the past day.

Keeping the fast

At all stages of preparation for communion and confession, prayer, even daily, will not be enough. Therefore, fasting is a prerequisite for admission to the Sacrament. Both men and women must observe it, but children under seven years old can take part in the ritual without preliminary preparation. In addition, children are allowed to receive communion first.

Fasting is a conscious action necessary in order to understand the importance of the upcoming ritual. Priests always condemn mechanical adherence to rules, and they even recommend special fasting for some parishioners. In the original understanding of the word “fast” there is a limitation. For the sake of enlightenment and glorification of God, a person must give up what is necessary and important to him. In ancient times, food served as this value, so people fasted, limiting themselves to it. Today, church ministers recommend giving up what is very dear to you. For example, one should close everything social media for a certain period of time, and others - to give up the Internet or shopping.

However, preparation for communion and confession includes a classic version of fasting. Three days before the Sacrament, dairy and meat products, as well as eggs and dishes using them, are prohibited. In order to support yourself, you can eat vegetables and fish. However, in the evening hours before communion, seafood also becomes forbidden. From midnight, believers must abstain from all food and liquid. It is believed that the Body and Blood of Christ purify a person and sanctify him only if the conditions described above are met.

A few words about spiritual purity

Preparing for confession and communion involves abstaining from all kinds of entertainment activities. The Church does not forbid its parishioners to have fun and be in a good mood, but, unfortunately, in the process of preparing for the sacrament, any such events do not contribute to the preservation of spiritual purity.

Believers should not only refrain from going to visit people, the theater, or the cinema, but also significantly limit their TV viewing. It is better if you can avoid television completely.

It is especially worth paying attention to your mood and state of mind. In the process of preparing for confession and communion, it is important to maintain purity of thoughts. Believers must control feelings such as envy, anger, blame, and so on. Avoid judging your loved ones and unfamiliar people, negative statements and swear words. Nothing should come from your mouth that could offend any other person. Controlling your mood is usually the hardest thing to do. Try to be in an even and calm mood, avoiding outbursts of emotions.

It is recommended to spend your free time praying and reading church books. How much effort to spend on this activity is decided by the person himself. There are no special regulations or rules in the church on this issue. Preparation for communion also implies the renunciation of intimacy between spouses on the eve of the ceremony. The ban does not apply to the time interval preceding this evening.

Confession

Repentance and awareness of one's imperfection are an indispensable condition for the performance of the Sacrament. In the process of preparing for communion, everyone who plans to take part in the ritual must voice their sins to the priest. Reconciliation with the Lord is possible only through the process of confession, which can be imagined as listing your sins before a priest. He, in turn, will pray for their redemption, which significantly distinguishes confession from an ordinary conversation with a church minister. If you have a lot of questions for a church minister, try to arrange a meeting and conversation in advance. Usually quite a lot of people gather for confession, and therefore a detailed conversation may not work out. Therefore, newcomers who are preparing for communion and confession for the first time remember the sins they have committed over the years of their lives in advance and come to church with full awareness of their bad deeds.

Any person who thinks about confession for the first time understands that he does not always do the right thing. The commandments given by the Lord to Moses list all aspects that a Christian must adhere to. If you do not comply with at least one of them, then you are close to sinful behavior, which means it is time to come to church with repentance.

It is interesting that many people, in the process of preparing for confession and communion, think about how to compile a complete list of sins. However, church ministers strongly condemn this approach to the sacraments. The fact is that in the modern world of information technology it is customary to treat everything mechanically. Therefore, ready-made registers of sins are often used. In the process of preparing for confession and communion (many don’t even think about how to compile such a list on their own), such an attitude towards the great sacrament is condemned and cannot be a characteristic of a worthy Christian.

Keep in mind that during the confession process there is no need to be embarrassed and invent correct names sins. Oddly enough, many try, even during confession, to “keep it up” and not lose face in front of the priest. However, you should not behave this way. From century to century, the list of sins practically does not change, and church ministers have heard about various sins, so it is difficult to surprise or amaze them with anything.

Even those who prepare for confession and communion more than once (prayers, fasting, awareness of sins, and so on) cannot always put together all the rules that will help them confess to the Lord with a full understanding of what they have done.

First of all, it is worth understanding that in the literal sense of the word, confession or repentance sounds like “a change of mind.” Therefore, you need to understand that changes in your life begin even before coming to the temple. If you are willing to take the time to recognize the unrighteousness of life, then by the time you meet the priest, change has already begun.

Do not forget that repentance mainly concerns mortal sins, such as adultery, theft, renunciation of one’s faith, and so on. Of course, during confession it is necessary to list the minor sins that we commit every day and do not even always realize that we are doing wrong. Rest assured that we will make such mistakes all the time, and we need to be prepared for this. Quite often, church ministers advise us to accept our sinfulness humbly, because only the Lord has no sin, and everyone else is more or less prone to mistakes.

Keep in mind that it is impossible to fully repent of sins if you are in a quarrel with someone. Of course, the priest will accept your repentance and you will be able to receive communion, but in reality the confession will be incomplete. Try to resolve all conflict situations before going to the temple. If this cannot be done due to the other person’s categorical refusal, then mentally ask him for forgiveness and forgive him for everything yourself.

Keep in mind that after confession, the priest may assign you penance. Many see it as a punishment, but in reality it is an opportunity to cleanse and prepare for the sacrament. Penance is prescribed for a certain period of time and can consist of abstinence, reading special prayers, or, for example, performing certain acts related to charity.

When we talk about communion, confession must take place on the eve of the sacrament. As a last resort, this can be done in the morning on the day of communion. But in this situation, you must know for sure that the clergyman will be able to devote time to you. Otherwise you will not take part in the sacrament.

Divine Liturgy

After fulfilling all the above conditions, believers must come to the liturgy. This service is held from the very early morning and those who plan to receive communion come to it with an empty stomach. You need to endure the service to the end and in its final part accept the gifts, which will symbolize the Blood and Body of Christ.

Rules of conduct during and after communion

Having defended the liturgy, the faithful accept the gifts with respect. At the same time, you should not cross yourself near the chalice, but it would be more convenient and correct to fold your hands on your chest in a cross. When accepting gifts, it is important to say your name. Moreover, keep in mind that it should be the same with which you were baptized.

After you move away from the bowl, approach the table with the prosphora. Take one and eat it right away. Then it is recommended to move away from the table so as not to interfere with the rest of the parishioners to bring the sacrament to its logical conclusion.

However, after all the manipulations have been completed, you cannot leave the church. No less important than accepting gifts is saying prayers of thanks, as well as kissing the cross. The priest walks around the flock with him at the very end of the service.

Only after all this can we consider that the sacrament has been accomplished. Church ministers recommend trying by any means possible to preserve the feeling received during the process of communion. Moreover, they claim that each successive communion makes it easier and easier to do this. In the future, the believer will be able to maintain spiritual purity and light after communion literally every day.

Prohibition of communion: we list the categories of Christians who will be denied participation in the sacrament

Not everyone will be able to take part in communion. And everyone who plans to begin preparing for the sacrament needs to know about these categories of persons. For example, believers who neglected confession will not be allowed to receive gifts. They are not given the opportunity to touch the great Christian sacrament.

Those who are in an insensitive state will also be denied the ritual. Also, spouses who had intimacy the day before will have to forget about communion. This interferes with the preservation of spiritual purity, and therefore cannot be considered a godly act.

Women with monthly menstrual bleeding should also wait to receive communion. The same applies to people recognized as possessed. If during seizures they fall into unconsciousness and blaspheme, then the clergy will ban their participation in the sacrament.

Preparing for Communion: a reminder

So, we think that you have already fully realized how difficult the process of preparing for communion is. Therefore, it is quite easy to get confused in the rules established by the church for those who plan to take part in the sacrament. To sum up our article, we have compiled a small reminder.

Before visiting the temple, work on understanding your sins and classifying them. Sincerely repent of what you have done and only then go to confession. Be sure to maintain spiritual purity before the sacrament through prayer and fasting, as well as after it with good deeds.

In church, never push or try to be the first to accept gifts. Women must carefully observe a certain style of clothing: covered shoulders, long skirts, and a head covered with a headscarf. Do not wear bright makeup or lipstick.

Remember that communication with the Lord is a very valuable gift that every Christian can use. Communion can completely change your life, so don't waste time and take this important step towards light and spiritual rebirth.

Confession (repentance) is one of the seven Christian Sacraments, in which the penitent, confessing his sins to the priest, with visible forgiveness of sins (reading a prayer of absolution), is invisibly absolved from them. By the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This sacrament was established by the Savior, who said to His disciples: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (untie) on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 18). And in another place: “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, their sins are forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him” (Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 22-23). The apostles transferred the power to “bind and loose” to their successors - the bishops, who in turn, when performing the Sacrament of ordination (priesthood), transfer this power to the priests.

In order for the Sacrament of Repentance to be accomplished, the following are necessary on the part of the penitent: awareness of his sinfulness, sincere heartfelt repentance for his sins, the desire to leave the sin and not repeat it, faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy, faith that the Sacrament of Confession has the power to cleanse and wash away, through the prayer of the priest, sincerely confessed sins.

The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1st Epistle of John, chapter 1, verse 7). At the same time, you hear from many: “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t

I commit adultery, so what should I repent of?” But if we carefully study God’s commandments, we will discover that we sin against many of them. Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.

Ingratitude to God.

Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying one's disbelief through an atheistic upbringing.

Apostasy, cowardly silence when the faith of Christ is blasphemed, not wearing a cross, visiting various sects.

Taking the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned not in prayer or in pious conversation about Him).

Oath in the name of the Lord.

Fortune telling, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.

Thoughts about suicide.

Playing cards and other gambling games.

Failure to comply with morning and evening prayer rules.

Failure to visit the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.

Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.

Careless (non-daily) reading of the Holy Scriptures and soul-helping literature.

Breaking vows made to God.

Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in God's Providence, fear of old age, poverty, illness.

Absent-mindedness during prayer, thoughts about everyday things during worship.

Condemnation of the Church and its ministers.

Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.

Continuation of a sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy, that is, excessive trust in God.

It’s a waste of time watching TV shows and reading entertaining books to the detriment of time for prayer, reading the Gospel and spiritual literature.

Concealing sins during confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.

Arrogance, self-reliance, i.e. excessive hope in one’s own strength and in someone else’s help, without trusting that everything is in God’s hands.

Raising children outside the Christian faith.

Hot temper, anger, irritability.

Arrogance.

Perjury.

Mockery.

Stinginess.

Non-repayment of debts.

Failure to pay money earned for work.

Failure to provide assistance to those in need.

Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.

Disrespect for elders.

Lack of diligence in your work.

Condemnation.

Appropriation of someone else's property is theft.

Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.

Killing your child in the womb (abortion), inducing others to commit murder (abortion).

Murder with words is bringing a person through slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.

Drinking alcohol at funerals for the dead instead of intense prayer for them.

Verbosity, gossip, idle talk. ,

Reasonless laughter.

Foul language.

Self-love.

Doing good deeds for show.

Vanity.

The desire to get rich.

Love of money.

Envy.

Drunkenness, drug use.

Gluttony.

Fornication - inciting lustful thoughts, unclean desires, lustful touching, watching erotic films and reading such books.

Fornication is the physical intimacy of persons not related by marriage.

Adultery is a violation of marital fidelity.

Unnatural fornication - physical intimacy between persons of the same sex, masturbation.

Incest is physical intimacy with close relatives or nepotism.

Although the above sins are conditionally divided into three parts, ultimately they are all sins both against God (since they violate His commandments and thereby offend Him) and against their neighbors (since they do not allow true Christian relationships and love to be revealed ), and against themselves (because they interfere with the salvific dispensation of the soul).

a separate piece of paper to review before confession. Sometimes a piece of paper with the listed sins is given to the confessor to read, but the sins that especially burden the soul must be told out loud. There is no need to tell the confessor long stories; it is enough to state the sin itself. For example, if you are at enmity with relatives or neighbors, you do not need to tell what caused this enmity - you need to repent of the very sin of judging your relatives or neighbors. What is important to God and the confessor is not the list of sins, but the repentant feeling of the person being confessed, not detailed stories, but a contrite heart. We must remember that confession is not only an awareness of one’s own shortcomings, but, above all, a thirst to be cleansed of them. In no case is it acceptable to justify yourself - this is no longer repentance! Elder Silouan of Athos explains what real repentance is: “This is a sign of the forgiveness of sins: if you hated sin, then the Lord forgave you your sins.”

It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with your confessor. It is necessary to reconcile with your neighbors and ask for forgiveness from everyone who was offended. When preparing for confession, it is advisable to strengthen your evening prayer rule by reading the Canon of Repentance, which is found in the Orthodox prayer book.

Children under seven years of age (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary from early childhood to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great

Sacrament. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the ordinariness of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare infants 2-3 days in advance for the upcoming Communion: read the Gospel, lives of saints, and other soul-helping books with them, reduce, or better yet completely eliminate, television viewing (but this must be done very tactfully, without developing negative associations in the child with preparation for Communion ), follow their prayer in the morning and before bed, talk with the child about the past days and lead him to a feeling of shame for his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing more effective for a child than the personal example of parents.

Starting from the age of seven, children (adolescents) begin the Sacrament of Communion, like adults, only after first performing the Sacrament of Confession. In many ways, the sins listed in the previous sections are also inherent in children, but still, children's confession has its own characteristics. To motivate children to sincere repentance, you can pray for them to read the following list of possible sins:

Did you lie in bed in the morning and therefore skip the morning prayer rule?

Did you not sit down at the table without praying and did you not go to bed without praying?

Do you know by heart the most important Orthodox prayers: “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary”, a prayer to your Heavenly patron, whose name you bear?

Did you go to church every Sunday?

Have you been carried away by various amusements on church holidays instead of visiting the temple of God?

Did you behave properly at church services, did you not run around the church, did you not have empty conversations with your peers, thereby leading them into temptation?

Did you pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?

Are you performing the sign of the cross correctly, are you not in a hurry, are you not distorting the sign of the cross?

Were you distracted by extraneous thoughts while praying?

Do you read the Gospel and other spiritual books?

Do you wear a pectoral cross and are you not embarrassed by it?

Aren't you using a cross as a decoration, which is sinful?

Do you wear various amulets, for example, zodiac signs?

Didn’t you tell fortunes, didn’t you tell fortunes?

Didn’t you hide your sins before the priest in confession out of false shame, and then receive communion unworthily?

Were you not proud of yourself and others of your successes and abilities?

Have you ever argued with someone just to gain the upper hand in the argument?

Did you deceive your parents for fear of being punished?

During Lent, did you eat something like ice cream without your parents’ permission?

Did you listen to your parents, didn’t you argue with them, didn’t you demand an expensive purchase from them?

Have you ever beaten anyone? Did he incite others to do this?

Did you offend the younger ones?

Did you torture animals?

Did you gossip about anyone, did you snitch on anyone?

Have you ever laughed at people with any physical disabilities?

Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue or using drugs?

Didn't you use foul language?

Didn't you play cards?

Have you ever engaged in handjobs?

Did you appropriate someone else's property for yourself?

Have you ever had the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?

Weren't you too lazy to help your parents around the house?

Was he pretending to be sick to evade his responsibilities?

Were you jealous of others?

Confession is performed in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. Under no circumstances should you be late for the start of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rite, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rite, the priest turns to the penitents so that they say their names - everyone answers in an undertone. Those who are late for the start of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if there is such an opportunity, at the end of confession reads the rite for them again and accepts confession, or schedules it for another day. Women cannot begin the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.

previous confessions and those that were already released to him are not mentioned again. If possible, you should confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a feeling of false shame prevents your familiar confessor from revealing. Those who do this by their actions try to deceive God Himself: in confession, we confess our sins not to our confessor, but together with him to the Savior Himself.

In large churches, due to the large number of penitents and the impossibility of the priest to accept confession from everyone, a “general confession” is usually practiced, when the priest lists out loud the most common sins and the confessors standing in front of him repent of them, after which everyone, in turn, comes up for a prayer of absolution . Those who have never been to confession or have not gone to confession for several years should avoid general confession. Such people must undergo private confession - for which they need to choose either a weekday, when there are not many people confessing in the church, or find a parish where only private confession is performed. If this is not possible, you need to go to the priest during a general confession for a prayer of permission, among the last, so as not to detain anyone, and, having explained the situation, open up to him about your sins. Those who have grave sins should do the same.

Many devotees of piety warn that a grave sin, about which the confessor remained silent during general confession, remains unrepentant, and therefore not forgiven.

In some cases, the priest may impose penance on the penitent - spiritual exercises intended to deepen repentance and eradicate sinful habits. Penance must be treated as the will of God, expressed through the priest, requiring mandatory fulfillment for the healing of the soul of the penitent. If it is impossible for various reasons to perform penance, you should contact the priest who imposed it to resolve the difficulties that have arisen.

Those who wish not only to confess, but also to receive communion, must prepare worthily and in accordance with the requirements of the Church for the Sacrament of Communion. This preparation is called fasting.

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meal food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and watching television. If circumstances permit, you should attend church services on these days. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is celebrated in the church - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion. In the evening, before reading prayers for bedtime, three canons are read: Repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read before the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to perform such a prayer rule in

one day, take a blessing from the priest to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

For some, it is very difficult to read the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, others do not confess or receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers read) and preparation for communion. Such people can be recommended to begin the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing your sins, ask your confessor for advice. We need to pray to the Lord to help us overcome difficulties and give us strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o'clock at night they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years, and if possible earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule.

In the morning, they also don’t eat or drink anything and, of course, don’t smoke, you can only brush your teeth. After reading the morning prayers, prayers for Holy Communion are read. If reading prayers for Holy Communion in the morning is difficult, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the evening before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, you must arrive on time, before confession begins. If confession was made the night before, then the person confessing comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

During the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is performed - bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ and the communicants, receiving Them during Communion, mysteriously, incomprehensible to the human mind, are united with Christ Himself, since He is all contained in every Particle of the Sacrament .

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary to enter eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks about this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day...” (Gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 53 - 54).

The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary cleansing by the Sacrament of Repentance; the only exception is infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation required for the laity. Women need to wipe off lipstick from their lips. Women should not receive communion during the period of monthly cleansing. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the cleansing prayer of the fortieth day is read over them.

private traders, folding their hands on their chests crosswise (right over left), decorously, without crowding, in deep humility approach the Holy Chalice. A pious custom has developed to let children go to the Chalice first, then men come up, and then women. You should not be baptized at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally touch it. Having said his name out loud, the communicant, with his lips open, accepts the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. After communion, the deacon or sexton wipes the communicant’s mouth with a special cloth, after which he kisses the edge of the Holy Chalice and goes to a special table, where he takes the drink (warmth) and eats a piece of prosphora. This is done so that not a single particle of the Body of Christ remains in the mouth. Without accepting the warmth, you cannot venerate either the icons, the Cross, or the Gospel.

After receiving the warmth, the communicants do not leave the church and pray with everyone until the end of the service. After the emptiness (the final words of the service), the communicants approach the Cross and listen carefully to the prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion. After listening to the prayers, the communicants ceremoniously disperse, trying to preserve the purity of their souls, cleansed of sins, for as long as possible, without wasting time on empty talk and deeds that are not good for the soul. On the day after communion of the Holy Mysteries, bows to the ground are not made, and when the priest gives a blessing, they are not applied to the hand. You can only venerate icons, the Cross and the Gospel. The rest of the day must be spent piously: avoid verbosity (it is better to remain silent in general), watch TV, exclude marital intimacy, it is advisable for smokers to abstain from smoking. It is advisable to read prayers of thanksgiving at home after Holy Communion. It is a prejudice that you cannot shake hands on the day of communion. Under no circumstances should you receive communion several times in one day.

In cases of illness and infirmity, you can receive communion at home. For this purpose, a priest is invited to the house. Depending

Based on his condition, the sick person is adequately prepared for confession and communion. In any case, he can receive communion only on an empty stomach (with the exception of dying people). Children under seven years of age do not receive communion at home, since they, unlike adults, can only receive communion with the Blood of Christ, and the reserve Gifts with which the priest administers communion at home contain only particles of the Body of Christ, saturated with His Blood. For the same reason, infants do not receive communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated on weekdays during Great Lent.

But just as we are constrained in body and surrounded by external affairs and relationships in which we must take part for a long time, the spiritual taste of the Lord, due to the splitting of our attention and feelings, is weakened day by day, obscured and hidden...

Therefore, zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are tasting the Lord again.”

Published by the Orthodox parish in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Novosibirsk.

The most important thing is not to change your mind and not to put off for later what your soul asks for and what your soul strives for. Try to carefully remember your life from adolescence, from the time when you began to distinguish between white and black, bad and good, and everything that your conscience reproaches you with, all those pages that you want to turn over as quickly as possible. Try to find out in advance about the church where you are going to go to confession, when there is an opportunity to confess in detail. It’s even better to agree with the priest in advance, warning him that this will be your first time at confession.

You can record confession in advance, starting at the age of 7. Repeated sins can be simply named, or the situations that led to the sin can be described. Sometimes a person painfully feels that under some circumstances his soul was severely crippled by sin, and wounds remained on his heart, the touch of which causes acute pain or pain dulled by time.

It really takes courage to reveal to a priest what is sometimes painful and embarrassing to talk about. But if not revealed, then hidden sin will continue to destroy the soul and heart from the inside. It happens that some sins cannot be remembered, and some actions or thoughts may not have seemed a sin, then regular further confessions and fervent prayer will lead them out of the darkness of oblivion.

You must come to confession, especially the first one, when the priest has enough time to talk with you, i.e. at the evening service. Having accepted your confession, the priest will decide whether you are ready to receive communion, or whether you need to fast, pray, or go to church. But you can resolve all this with him directly in conversation. As for tears during confession, they are natural for a penitent. May the Lord and your Guardian Angel help you overcome all obstacles that hinder the purification of your soul.

How often should a person go to confession to a priest?

The best option is once every two to three weeks, plus major church holidays.

During confession there is no need to describe sins in detail. But fornication is one of the grave sins, so confession alone is not enough. It is necessary to constantly and fervently repent to the Lord about the sin you once committed and pray to him for forgiveness, to monitor the state of your soul. Confess regularly about your sins, even everyday ones. Trust in God's mercy.

Remember: there is no sin that cannot be cleansed by repentance! Remember the joy that happens in Heaven about repentant sinners - repent and this joy will touch your heart too!

A sin once confessed does not need to be confessed again unless you commit it again. When confessing prodigal sins, it is usually not recommended to describe in detail what was committed, so if you did not name some details, then this is not a “non-disclosure”, much less a “concealment.” I advise you not to confess your confessed sins a second or third time, but if your thoughts confuse you, then you need to pray and repent before the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness.

What is important for the Lord is not the meticulous listing of sins, but the depth and sincerity of the repentant feeling. The Lord is a Hearer, not an accountant. But if some sin torments your conscience, you can name it at the next confession.

In confession, you repent not to the priest, but to the Lord; the priest only serves as a witness to your repentance.

Sacrament of Confession

“The Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Prov. 3:34). Remember these words especially when you go to confession. Nothing like pride makes you want to say: sinful. Humble yourself before the Lord, do not spare yourself, do not be afraid of a person’s face. Reveal your shame so that you may be washed; show your wounds so that you may be healed; tell all your lies, so that you may be justified. The more merciless you are towards yourself, the more pity the Lord will show you, and you will leave with a sweet feeling of mercy. This is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, given from Him to those who humble themselves by sincere confession of their sins.

What kinds of sins are there?

Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.

Sins against God

· Ingratitude to God.

· Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying one's disbelief through an atheistic upbringing.

· Apostasy, cowardly silence when the faith of Christ is blasphemed, not wearing a cross, visiting various sects.

· Taking the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned not in prayer or in pious conversation about Him).

· Oath in the name of the Lord.

· Fortune telling, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.

· Thoughts about suicide.

· Playing cards and other gambling games.

· Failure to comply with morning and evening prayer rules.

· Failure to visit the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.

· Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.

· Careless (non-daily) reading of the Holy Scriptures and soul-helping literature.

· Violation of vows made to God.

· Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in God's Providence, fear of old age, poverty, illness.

· Absent-mindedness during prayer, thoughts about everyday things during worship.

· Condemnation of the Church and its ministers.

· Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.

· Continuation of a sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy, that is, excessive trust in God.

· A waste of time watching TV shows, reading entertaining books to the detriment of time for prayer, reading the Gospel and spiritual literature.

· Concealing sins during confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.

· Arrogance, self-reliance, i.e. excessive hope in one’s own strength and in someone else’s help, without trusting that everything is in God’s hands.

Sins against neighbors

· Raising children outside the Christian faith.

· Hot temper, anger, irritability.

· Arrogance.

· Perjury.

· Mockery.

· Stinginess.

· Non-repayment of debts.

· Failure to pay money earned for work.

· Failure to provide assistance to those in need.

· Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.

· Disrespect for elders.

· Lack of diligence in your work.

· Condemnation.

· Appropriation of someone else’s property is theft.

· Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.

· Killing your child in the womb (abortion), inducing others to commit murder (abortion).

· Murder with words – bringing a person through slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.

· Drinking alcohol at funerals for the dead instead of intense prayer for them.

Sins against yourself

· Verbosity, gossip, idle talk. ,

· Unreasonable laughter.

· Foul language.

· Self-love.

· Doing good deeds for show.

· Vanity.

· Desire to get rich.

· Love of money.

· Envy.

· Drinking, drug use.

· Gluttony.

· Fornication – inciting lewd thoughts, unclean desires, lustful touching, watching erotic films and reading such books.

· Fornication – physical intimacy of persons not related by marriage.

· Adultery – violation of marital fidelity.

· Unnatural fornication – physical intimacy between persons of the same sex, masturbation.

· Incest - physical intimacy with relatives or nepotism.

How to prepare for confession

It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with your confessor. It is necessary to reconcile with your neighbors and ask for forgiveness from everyone who was offended. When preparing for confession, it is advisable to strengthen your evening prayer rule by reading the Canon of Repentance, which is found in the Orthodox prayer book.

How to prepare children for confession

Children under seven years of age (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great Sacrament from very early childhood. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the ordinariness of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare infants 2-3 days in advance for the upcoming Communion: read the Gospel, lives of saints, and other soul-helping books with them, reduce, or better yet completely eliminate, television viewing (but this must be done very tactfully, without developing negative associations in the child with preparation for Communion ), follow their prayer in the morning and before bed, talk with the child about the past days and lead him to a feeling of shame for his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing more effective for a child than the personal example of parents.

· Did you lie in bed in the morning and therefore skip the morning prayer rule?

· Did you sit down at the table without praying or go to bed without praying?

· Do you know by heart the most important Orthodox prayers: “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice”, a prayer to your Heavenly patron, whose name you bear?

· Did you go to church every Sunday?

· Did you indulge in various amusements on church holidays instead of visiting the temple of God?

· Did you behave properly at church services, did you not run around the church, did you not have empty conversations with your peers, thereby leading them into temptation?

· Did you pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?

· Are you performing the sign of the cross correctly, are you not in a hurry, are you not distorting the sign of the cross?

· Were you distracted by extraneous thoughts during prayer?

· Do you read the Gospel and other spiritual books?

· Do you wear a cross and aren’t you embarrassed by it?

· Are you using a cross as a decoration, which is sinful?

· Do you wear various amulets, for example, zodiac signs?

· Didn’t you tell fortunes or tell fortunes?

· Didn’t you hide your sins before your priest in confession out of false shame, and then receive communion unworthily?

· Were you not proud of yourself and others of your successes and abilities?

· Have you ever argued with someone just to gain the upper hand in the argument?

· Did you deceive your parents out of fear of being punished?

· During Lent, did you eat something small, such as ice cream, without your parents’ permission?

· Did you listen to your parents, argue with them, or demand an expensive purchase from them?

· Have you ever beaten anyone? Did he incite others to do this?

· Did you offend the younger ones?

· Did you torture animals?

· Did you gossip about anyone, did you snitch on anyone?

· Have you laughed at people who have any physical disabilities?

· Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue or using drugs?

· Did you use foul language?

· Have you played cards?

· Have you engaged in handjob?

· Did you appropriate someone else's property?

· Have you had the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?

· Weren't you too lazy to help your parents around the house?

· Did you pretend to be sick to evade your responsibilities?

· Were you jealous of others?

How does confession happen?

Confession is performed in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. Under no circumstances should you be late for the start of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rite, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rite, the priest turns to the penitents so that they say their names - everyone answers in an undertone. Those who are late for the start of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if there is such an opportunity, at the end of confession reads the rite for them again and accepts confession, or schedules it for another day. Women cannot begin the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.

Confession usually takes place in a church with a crowd of people, so you need to respect the secret of confession, not crowd next to the priest receiving confession, and not embarrass the person confessing, revealing his sins to the priest. Confession must be complete. You cannot confess some sins first and leave others for next time. Those sins that the penitent confessed in previous confessions and which have already been forgiven are not mentioned again. If possible, you should confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a feeling of false shame prevents your familiar confessor from revealing. Those who do this by their actions try to deceive God Himself: in confession we confess our sins not to our confessor, but together with him to the Savior Himself.

Many devotees of piety warn that a grave sin, which the confessor kept silent about during general confession, remains unrepentant, and therefore not forgiven.

How to prepare for communion

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meal food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and watching television. If circumstances permit, you should attend church services on these days. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.

Since it is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o’clock at night they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years, and if possible earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule.

Sacrament of Communion

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary to enter eternal life. The Savior Himself speaks about this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day...” (Gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 53 – 54).

The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary cleansing by the Sacrament of Repentance; the only exception is infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation required for the laity. Women need to wipe off lipstick from their lips. Women should not receive communion during the period of monthly cleansing. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the cleansing prayer of the fortieth day is read over them.

When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, the communicants make one prostration (if it is a weekday) or a bow (if it is a Sunday or holiday) and carefully listen to the words of the prayers read by the priest, repeating them to themselves. After reading the prayers, the communicants, folding their hands crosswise on their chests (right over left), decorously, without crowding, in deep humility approach the Holy Chalice. A pious custom has developed to let children go to the Chalice first, then men come up, and then women. You should not be baptized at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally touch it. Having said his name out loud, the communicant, with his lips open, accepts the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ. After communion, the deacon or sexton wipes the communicant’s mouth with a special cloth, after which he kisses the edge of the Holy Chalice and goes to a special table, where he takes the drink (warmth) and eats a piece of prosphora. This is done so that not a single particle of the Body of Christ remains in the mouth. Without accepting the warmth, you cannot venerate either the icons, the Cross, or the Gospel.

Therefore, zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are tasting the Lord again.”

"How to prepare for Confession and Communion"
About preparing for Communion

1. On the eve of Communion, you should try to be at the evening service, which usually consists of a combination of Vespers and Matins. In the daily liturgical circle of the Orthodox Church, there is one more service - Little Compline, which is usually not served in parish churches, and therefore there is a pious custom on the eve of Communion to read at home three canons from this Compline: the penitential canon, the canons of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Guardian Angel. On the morning of the day of communion, “Following to Holy Communion” is read.

2. Preparation for Communion in church practice is usually combined with abstinence in food (fasting)

3. On the day of Communion, out of reverence for this Sacrament, it is customary not to eat or drink anything before communion.

4. On the eve of Communion, spouses must abstain from marital relations. It is not customary for women to receive the Holy Sacraments during their menstrual cycles.

Service Schedule

5. Liturgy - the service at which the consecration of the Holy Gifts and Communion takes place - is served on Sundays and holidays at 8 o'clock in the morning.

6. Before Communion, the sacrament of Confession is performed. It is better to confess the day before at the evening service, which begins at 16:00. If necessary, you can confess in the morning before the Divine Liturgy, on the day of Communion.

Briefly about the sacrament of Confession

7. We must prepare for confession: try to understand our sin, so that later in church we can confess it before the Cross and the Gospel.

8. There is no need to try to explain anything to the priest, think about the impression we make on him, mention justifying circumstances, talk about the sins of other people or the details of our sins. We must, with the fear of God, remember that we stand before God, Who does not need to tell or explain anything, for He knows everything that was, is, and what will be.

9. No person can justify himself before God: we can only repent and confess our sins. But sins must be confessed firmly, without hiding anything.

10. If a person deliberately keeps silent about any of his sins during confession, then he makes his spiritual state even more painful and hopeless. If we do not find the strength within ourselves to repent of all our sins, then we need to try, through prayer from a contrite and humble heart, to ask God for gracious help in our spiritual impotence.

11. “Listen,” the priest addresses the penitents before the sacrament of confession, “for you have come to the hospital (where you can receive healing from your suffering), so that you do not leave unhealed.”

About what we sin (for those who come to church for the first time for confession)

12. When we begin the sacrament of confession for the first time, we repent of our sins before God:

13. Unbelief, blasphemy, blasphemy, denial of the existence of God.

14. A serious sin is attempts to communicate with fallen spirits (demons): fortune telling, magic, meditation, turning to psychics, conspiracies, coding, belief in omens (superstition); joining sects, accepting false philosophical and religious systems; blasphemous, anti-church, ridiculous deeds and words associated with this.

15. We sin: gluttony, not keeping fasts, drunkenness.

16. A serious sin is the use of drugs with the aim of causing hallucinations or other changes in one’s psyche.

17. We sin: prodigal sins, extramarital cohabitation, betrayal of husband, wife; unnatural carnal sins; accepting lustful thoughts and dreams, reading, looking at seductive magazines, photographs, newspapers, TV shows, etc. Shameless words, gestures, touches.

18. It is a sin to use contraceptives and otherwise avoid childbearing in married life.

19. The grave sin of infanticide is abortion.

20. Divorce, on the one hand, is always a consequence of gross violation of the commandments; on the other hand, this is a violation of the commandment in itself. The consequences of divorce, as a rule, are already difficult to correct, but we must at least deeply and sincerely repent of everything

21. We sin: love of money, addiction to money and things, stinginess, refusal to help those in need. Appropriation of someone else's or government property (theft); not by paying or prolonging debts.

22. Mindless waste is also a sin.

23. You must also know that a sin is the careless handling of things or the careless performance of official duties, one’s duties in the family, and others.

24. It is a sin to work on Sundays and major holidays.

25. We sin: anger towards people, memory malice, enmity. Insult by action or word. Intentional infliction of torture and injury; murder, or attempted murder, robbery. Cursing your neighbor. Cruelty to animals.

26. Envy.

27. We sin: despondency, cowardice, despair, melancholy. Attempted suicide.

28. Foul language, idle talk, cynical, humiliating laughter, etc. Low, shameful actions (eavesdropping, spying, blackmail, etc.). Unscrupulous, cynical, seductive actions.

29. We sin: arrogance, vanity, seeking fame, special acquaintances and favor from superiors, careerism. The desire to possess things that cause envy in others. Behavior that humiliates and insults others. Internal exaltation over people, pride, condemnation.

30. Disrespect for parents and elders in general, rudeness or familiarity with them. Neglecting them, refusing attention and help. Hatred, proud disobedience to any authority, slandering them.

31. Wives sin by not recognizing their husband as the head of the family, husbands sin by voluntarily or involuntarily evading responsibility for the family (due to drunkenness, weak character, etc.).

32. We sin: lies, deception, slander, perjury. Treason of oath, oath; betrayal.

33. Promoting or drawing others into sin, especially young or weak-willed people, is a serious sin.

About preparing for Communion

On the eve of Communion, you should try to be at the evening service, which usually consists of a combination of Vespers and Matins. In the daily liturgical circle of the Orthodox Church, there is one more service - Little Compline, which is usually not served in parish churches, and therefore there is a pious custom on the eve of Communion to read three canons at home: the penitential canon, the canons of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Guardian Angel. On the morning of the day of communion, “Following to Holy Communion” is read.

Preparation for Communion in church practice is usually combined with abstinence in food (fasting). There are no specific requirements regarding fasting in the days before communion. It is better to consult your parish priest about this. But on the day of Communion, out of reverence for this Sacrament, it is customary not to eat or drink anything before communion. On the eve of Communion, spouses must also abstain from marital relations. It is not customary for women to receive the Holy Sacraments during their menstrual cycles.

About the Sacrament of Confession

During confession, we don’t need to think about what impression we make on the priest, or what other parishioners in the church think about us. There is no need to try to explain anything to the priest, tell stories, or details of your sins. Moreover, there is no need to talk about the sins of other people, or about the circumstances that justify our sins. No person can justify himself before God: we can only repent. Also, God does not need to tell or explain anything. He knows much better than us everything that was, is, and what will be. Of all that has happened, it is necessary to single out your own sin. This is the preparation for confession. I must try to understand exactly what I sinned in, and the most in simple words repent of this before the cross and the Gospel. But you can only confess deeply, sincerely, and to the end. Confession is not a listing of sins. This is the sacrament of reconciliation with God. It either happens or it doesn't. “Listen,” the priest addresses the penitents before performing this sacrament, “for you have come to the hospital (where your soul can receive healing), and do not leave unhealed.”

About the sacraments of confession and communion

The basis of the life of a believer is direct prayerful and active participation in the communion of the Holy Gifts at the Divine Liturgy. And this main thing, key point Today it receives little attention in the daily life of the parish. It is necessary to raise the issue of more conscious participation of parishioners in church sacraments. It is no secret that for many the Divine Liturgy remains a secret behind seven seals. There are several issues that I would like to discuss. This is the more frequent Communion of parishioners and the associated need for mandatory confession before Communion. It is clear that everyone has certain thoughts and feelings about this in their soul, depending on how we prepare to participate in these sacraments. I understand all the responsibility that comes with talking about this topic. But it’s better to speak than to remain silent, because this concerns not only me personally, but many of us. And for someone this conversation will be important and useful, because they themselves do not dare to start it...

In the Russian Orthodox Church there is a rule that everyone who wants to begin the sacrament of Communion must prepare in a certain way: fasting, prayer, confession. Then again: fasting, prayer, confession. If a person takes only the first steps in the temple, then this does not cause any special problems. There is something to confess, because serious sins are very easily pointed out by a vigilant conscience. The first confession is the most sincere and complete precisely because it is the first. Then, as one becomes churched, (a verb we often use and a separate topic can be opened about it in general. For example, “Turkishness as a path. The path to Christ God or from Him?”) over time, if a person lives according to the charter of the Church, i.e. . observes all fasting days throughout the year, and prayer becomes not a mandatory rule of preparation, but a natural need of the soul, then a person always has a desire to receive Communion in his soul, but sometimes he doesn’t want to confess, because he doesn’t feel the need for it. And I really don’t want to turn the sacrament of confession into an empty formality.

A sacrament is any sacred action in which the grace of God is mysteriously and invisibly manifested, the Holy Spirit descends on us. This is precisely why the Sacraments differ from ordinary prayers: when we pray, we ask for the Lord’s help, but we don’t know whether we will receive it. And during the Sacraments we certainly receive God's grace. Another question is whether we deserve it or not.

Sacrament of Confession or Sacrament of Repentance

This is a sacrament in which the believer confesses his sins to God in the presence of a priest and through the priest receives forgiveness of his sins from the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The Savior Jesus Christ gave his disciples (the Holy Apostles, and through them the priests) the power to forgive sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him” (John 20:22-23)

Preparing for Confession

When preparing for confession, the church charter does not require either a special fast or a special prayer rule - only faith and repentance are needed. However, a Christian is recommended to prepare spiritually for the sacrament of confession. This recommended preparation consists of reciting prayers of repentance, reading spiritual books and reflecting on one's sinfulness. You need to take a repentant look at your life and your soul, analyze your actions, thoughts and desires from the point of view of God’s commandments (it’s better to even write down your sins so as not to miss anything during the sacrament). Fasting before confession is also possible.

Ritual of confession of sins

You can confess in any setting, but it is generally accepted to confess in church - during a divine service or at a time specially appointed by the priest (at special cases, for example, to confess a patient at home, you need to make an individual agreement with the clergyman). The person confessing must be a baptized member of the Orthodox Church, a conscious believer (recognizing all the fundamentals of Orthodox doctrine and recognizing himself as a child of the Orthodox Church) and repenting of his sins. Only an Orthodox priest is a legal celebrant. The priest is obliged to keep the secret of confession, that is, he cannot tell anyone what he heard in confession. The priest, as a rule, confesses in front of a lectern on which there is a cross and a gospel. Those who come to confession line up one after another at some distance from the lectern (so as not to interfere with or hear someone else’s confession). They stand quietly, when it is their turn, they approach confession. Approaching the lectern, you need to bow your head or, if desired, kneel (but on Sundays and great holidays, as well as from Easter to the day of the Holy Trinity, kneeling is canceled). Usually the priest covers the penitent's head with an epitrachelion, prays, asks what the confessor's name is and what he wants to confess before God. Next, the penitent must confess his sins. On the one hand, the confessor needs to show a general awareness of his sinfulness, especially highlighting the passions and infirmities most characteristic of him (for example: lack of faith, love of money, anger, and the like); and on the other hand, it is necessary to name those specific sins that he sees behind himself, and especially those that weigh most heavily on his conscience. Usually, sins against the Ten Commandments of God are first named, then sins against the nine Gospel Beatitudes, and then sins against the nine Church Commandments. If the confessor hesitates or has forgotten his sins, then the priest can ask leading questions. After hearing the confession, the priest, as a witness and intercessor before God, asks questions if he considers it necessary and gives instructions, then prays for the forgiveness of the sins of the penitent and, when he sees sincere repentance and a desire for correction, reads a “permissive” prayer. Although the forgiveness of sins itself is performed not at the moment of reading the prayer of absolution, but throughout the entirety of the rites of confession. Confession is required for the sacrament of communion.

DURING CONFESSION, THE PENITENT SHOULD NOT:

- pronounce those sins for which you previously repented, received remission and did not repeat them;

- remember other people who have been involved in their sins, and only condemn yourself;

- to pronounce sins with all the circumstance, you need to admit them in general, so that by privately analyzing them you do not arouse temptation in yourself and in your confessor.

List of deadly sins

1. Pride, despising everyone, demanding servility from others, ready to ascend to heaven and become like the Most High; in a word, pride to the point of self-adoration.

2. An insatiable soul, or Judas’s greed for money, combined for the most part with unrighteous acquisitions, not allowing a person even a minute to think about spiritual things.

3. Fornication, or the dissolute life of the prodigal son, who squandered all his father’s estate on such a life.

4. Envy leading to every possible crime against one's neighbor.

5. Gluttony, or carnalism, not knowing any fasting, combined with a passionate attachment to various amusements, following the example of the evangelical rich man, who had fun all day long.

6. Anger unapologetic and deciding to commit terrible destruction, following the example of Herod, who in his anger beat the infants of Bethlehem.

7. Laziness or complete carelessness about the soul, carelessness about repentance until the last days of life, as, for example, in the days of Noah.

Preparation for confession and communion. How to prepare for nursing communion? Internal state before the Eucharist

Preparing for confession note

Sins spoken in confession

Sins in Orthodoxy confession

How to properly prepare for confession

Confession and Communion rules

Passion as the root and cause of sin

Sins

How confession happens video

Sins against one's neighbor

Sins against yourself

Confession

Confession with video explanations

Communion: the essence of church rite

Holy Communion: preparation

Number of communions: how many times do you need to participate in the sacrament?

Prayer Rule

Keeping the fast

A few words about spiritual purity

Confession

Divine Liturgy

Rules of conduct during and after communion

Prohibition of communion: we list the categories of Christians who will be denied participation in the sacrament

Preparing for Communion: a reminder

How often should a person go to confession to a priest?

Sacrament of Confession

What kinds of sins are there?

Sins against God

Sins against neighbors

Sins against yourself

How to prepare for confession

How to prepare children for confession

How does confession happen?

How to prepare for communion

Sacrament of Communion

"How to prepare for Confession and Communion" About preparing for Communion

Service Schedule

Briefly about the sacrament of Confession

About what we sin (for those who come to church for the first time for confession)

About preparing for Communion

About the Sacrament of Confession

About the sacraments of confession and communion

Sacrament of Confession or Sacrament of Repentance

Preparing for Confession

Ritual of confession of sins

DURING CONFESSION, THE PENITENT SHOULD NOT:

List of deadly sins

"How to prepare for Confession and Communion"
About preparing for Communion