How to Prepare for Confession and the Sacrament? Preparation for confession and communion, especially for the first time, raises many, many questions. I remember my first communion. How difficult it was for me to understand everything. In this article you will receive answers to the questions: what to say to a priest in confession - an example? how to receive communion and confess correctly? the rules of the sacrament in the church? how to confess for the first time? how to prepare for the sacrament? The answer to these questions is given by the modern Greek preacher, Archimandrite Andrew (Konanos) and other priests.
Other helpful articles:The sacrament was instituted by Jesus Christ Himself at his last meal with the Apostles. The modern Greek preacher and theologian Archimandrite Andrew (Konanos) says, if people realized what Gift of union with God they receive during the sacrament, because now the blood of Christ flows in their veins ... if they realized this fully, their life would have changed a lot!
Unfortunately, most people during the sacrament are like children playing with precious stones and not understanding their value.
The rules of the sacrament can be found in any Temple. They are usually set out in a small book called HOW TO PREPARE FOR HOLY COMMONMENT. These are the simple rules:
- Before communion you need Fast 3 days- eat only plant foods (give up meat, dairy products and eggs).
- Necessary be at evening service the day before communion day.
- Necessary confess either at the evening service or on the day of the sacrament at the very beginning of the liturgy (the morning service during which the sacrament takes place).
- It takes a few days more pray hard- for this, read the morning and evening prayers and read the canons: Canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ ,
Prayer Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos,
Canon to the Angel of Christ,
Follow-up to Holy Communion *. * If you have never read the Canons (in Church Slavonic), you can listen to the audio (available on the prayer book sites at the indicated links). - You need to take communion on an empty stomach (do not eat or drink anything in the morning). An exception is made for sick people, such as diabetics, for whom food and medicine are vital.
If you begin to receive communion at each liturgy, every Sunday, your confessor will be able to allow you to fast less and not read everything. specified prayers... Do not be afraid to ask the priest and consult with him.
How is the sacrament in church?
Suppose you decide to receive the Holy Communion on Sunday. So, the night before (Saturday) you need to come to the evening service. Usually, the evening service in the Temples begins at 17:00. Find out at this time the liturgy (morning service) begins on Sunday, during which the communion itself will take place. Usually, the morning service at the Temples starts at 9:00 am. If there was no confession at the evening service, then confess at the beginning of the morning service.
Around the middle of the service, the Priest will take the Chalice out of the altar. All who were preparing for the sacrament gather near the cup and fold their hands on their right chest over the left. They approach the bowl carefully so as not to turn it over. With a spoon, the priest gives the sacraments the Holy Gifts - a piece of the body and blood of Christ under the guise of bread and wine.
After that you need to go to the end of the Temple, where you will be given a drink. This is water diluted with wine. You need to drink it down so that not a single drop or crumb of the Eucharist is lost. Only then can you cross yourself. At the end of the service, you need to listen to prayers of thanks.
How to Prepare for Confession? What is an example to say to a priest in confession? List of sins
The main rule in confession, which priests always remind about, is not to retell sins. Because if you start retelling the story of how you committed a sin, then you will involuntarily begin to justify yourself and blame others. Therefore, in confession, sins are simply named. For example: pride, envy, foul language, etc. And in order not to forget anything, use a list of sins against God, against neighbors, against yourself(usually such a list is in the booklet "HOW TO PREPARE FOR HOLY COMMONMENT".
Write your sins on a piece of paper so you don't forget anything. Come to the Temple early in the morning so as not to be late for confession and for common prayer before confession. Before confessing, go to the priest, cross yourself, attach to the Gospel and to the cross, and start listing the previously recorded sins. After confession, the priest will read a prayer of permission and say whether you are allowed to take the sacrament.
It very rarely happens when a priest for your correction does not admit you to communion. This is, among other things, a test of your pride.
It is important during confession, when naming a sin, to make a promise not to repeat it. It is very important on the eve of communion to come to terms with enemies and forgive your offenders.
How to confess for the first time?
The first confession is often called the general confession. As a rule, practically all sins from the list of sins against God, neighbor and oneself are included in the leaflet with the list of sins. Father will surely understand that you have come to confession for the first time and will help you with advice on how to try not to repeat sins and mistakes.
Hopefully the article "How to Prepare for Confession and Communion?" will help you decide and go to confession and communion. This is important for your soul, because confession is the purification of the soul. We wash our bodies every day, but we don't care about the purity of our souls!
If you have never confessed or received communion and it seems to you that it is very difficult to prepare, I recommend that you do this feat anyway. The reward will be great. I assure you you have not experienced anything like this before. After the sacrament, you will experience an extraordinary and incomparable spiritual joy.
The most difficult thing usually seems to be reading the canons and following up to Holy Communion. Indeed, it is difficult to read the first time. Take advantage of the audio recording and listen to all these prayers for 2-3 evenings.
Listen to the story of priest Andrei Tkachev in this video about how long (usually several years) separates a person from the desire to go to the first confession until the moment of the first confession.
I wish everyone to enjoy life and thank God for everything!
Alena Kraeva
In which he who sincerely confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly released from sins by God Himself. A priest accepts confession or.
Why is it necessary to confess in the presence of a priest, and not just ask God for forgiveness?
Sin is filth - and so, confession is a bathhouse that washes the soul from this spiritual filth. Sin is poison to the soul - and so, confession is the treatment of a poisoned soul, cleansing it from the poison of sin. A person will not take a bath in the middle of the street, he will not be cured of poisoning on the go: for this, appropriate institutions are needed. In this case, such an institution established by God is the Holy Church. They will ask: “But why is it necessary to confess in the presence of a priest, in the setting of a church sacrament? Doesn't God see my heart? If I have done badly, sinned, but I see it, I am ashamed of it, I ask God for forgiveness - is it not enough? " But, my friend, if, for example, a person has fallen into a swamp and, having got to the shore, is ashamed of being covered in mud, is that enough to become clean? Has he already bathed himself with one feeling of disgust? An external source is needed to wash away the dirt pure water, and clean washing water for the soul is the grace of God, the source from which the water is poured is the Church of Christ, the process of washing is the Sacrament of Confession.
A similar analogy can be drawn when looking at sin as a disease. Then the Church is a hospital, and confession is a cure for a disease. Moreover, the confession itself in this example can be considered as an operation to remove a tumor (sin), and the subsequent communion of the Holy Gifts - the Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist - as a postoperative therapy for healing and restoring the body (soul).
How easy it is for us to forgive a repentant, how we ourselves need to repent before those whom we have offended! .. But is not our repentance before God - the Heavenly Father all the more necessary? We do not have such a sea of sins before Him before any other person.
How does the Sacrament of Penance take place, how to prepare for it and how to start it?
Order of confession : the beginning of the usual, priestly prayers and an appeal to the repentant " Behold, Christ is invisibly standing, accepting your confession ...", Actually confession. At the end of the confession, the priest puts the edge on the head of the penitent and reads the prayer of permission. The penitent kisses the Gospel and the cross lying on the analogue.
It is customary to make confession after the evening or in the morning, just before, since the laity is traditionally allowed to receive communion after confession.
The preparation for confession is not outwardly formal. Unlike the other great Sacrament of the Church, confession can be performed always and everywhere (if there is a legal secretary - an Orthodox priest). In preparation for confession, the church charter does not require either special fasting or special prayer rule, but only faith and repentance are needed. That is, the person confessing must be a baptized member. Orthodox Church consciously believers (recognizing all the foundations of the Orthodox faith and recognizing themselves as a child of the Orthodox Church) and repenting of their sins.
Sins must also be understood in a broad sense - as inherent in the fallen human nature passion, and more specifically - as actual cases of transgression of the commandments of God. The Slavic word "repentance" means not so much "apology" as "change" - the determination not to allow committing the same sins in the future. Thus, repentance is a state of uncompromising self-condemnation for one's past sins and the desire to continue to stubbornly struggle with passions.
So, getting ready for confession means looking at your life with a repentant glance, analyzing your deeds and thoughts from the point of view of God's commandments (if necessary, and writing them down for memory), praying to the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and the granting of true repentance. As a rule, for the period after the last confession. But you can also confess past sins - either previously, out of forgetfulness or false shame, not confessed, or confessed without due repentance, mechanically. At the same time, you need to know that sincerely confessed sins are always and irreversibly forgiven by the Lord (the dirt is washed, the disease is healed, the curse is removed), in this immutability is the meaning of the Sacrament. However, this does not mean that sin should be forgotten - no, it remains in the memory for humility and protection from future falls; it can disturb the soul for a long time, just as a healed wound can disturb a person - no longer fatal, but still perceptible. In this case, it is possible to re-confess the sin (to pacify the soul), but not necessarily, since it has already been forgiven.
And - go to the temple of God to confess.
Although, as already mentioned, you can confess in any setting, but it is generally accepted to confess in church - before or at a time specially appointed by the priest (in special cases, for example, for a patient's confession at home, you need to individually agree with the clergyman).
The usual time for confession is before. Usually they confess at the evening service, sometimes they set a special time. It is advisable to find out about the time of confession in advance.
As a rule, the priest confesses in front of a lectern (anala is a table for church books or icons with an inclined upper surface). Those who come to confession stand one after another in front of the analogion, where the priest confesses, but at some distance from the analogion, so as not to interfere with someone else's confession; stand quietly listening church prayers lamenting in my heart about my sins. When their turn comes, they come to confession.
Approaching the analogue, bow your head; at the same time, you can kneel (optional; but on Sundays and great holidays, as well as from Easter to the day of the Holy Trinity, kneeling is canceled). Sometimes the priest covers the head of the penitent with a bishop's head (Epitrakhil is a detail of the priest's vestment - a vertical strip of fabric on his chest), prays, asks the name of the confessor and what he wants to confess before God. Here the penitent must confess, on the one hand, a general awareness of his sinfulness, especially naming the passions and weaknesses most characteristic of him (for example: lack of faith, love of money, anger, etc.), and on the other hand, name those specific sins that he is for sees himself, and especially those that lie like a stone on his conscience, for example: abortions, insults to parents or loved ones, theft, fornication, the habit of swearing and blasphemy, non-observance of the commandments of God and church regulations, etc., etc. The section "General Confession" will help you to understand your sins.
The priest, having heard the confession, as a witness and intercessor before God, asks (if he considers it necessary) questions and speaks admonition, prays for the forgiveness of the sins of the repentant sinner and, when he sees sincere repentance and striving for correction, reads the “permissive” prayer.
The Sacrament of the forgiveness of sins itself is performed not at the moment of reading the "permissive" prayer, but by the entire set of rites of confession, however, the "permissive" prayer is, as it were, a seal certifying the performance of the Sacrament.
So - the confession is complete, with sincere repentance the sin is forgiven by God.
The forgiven sinner, crossing himself, kisses the cross, the Gospel and takes a blessing from the priest.
To take a blessing is to ask the priest by his priestly authority to send down the strengthening and sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit on himself and on his deeds. To do this, you need to fold your hands, palms up (right to left), bow your head and say: "Bless, father." The priest baptizes the person with the sign of the priestly blessing and puts his palm on the folded palms of the person being blessed. You should kiss the priest's hand with your lips - not as a human hand, but as an image of the blessing right hand of the Giver of all the blessings of the Lord.
If he was preparing for the sacrament, he asks: "Bless me to take the sacrament?" - and with a positive answer, he goes to prepare for the reception of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Are all sins forgiven in the Sacrament of Repentance, or just named?
How often should you confess?
Minimum - before each Communion (by church canons faithful receive communion no more than once a day and at least once every 3 weeks), the maximum number of confessions has not been established and is left to the discretion of the Christian himself.
At the same time, it should be remembered that repentance is a desire to be reborn, it does not begin with confession and does not end with it, it is the work of a lifetime. Therefore, the Sacrament is called the Sacrament of Penance, and not the "Sacrament of enumeration of sins." Repentance of sin consists of three stages: Repentance of sin as soon as you commit it; remember him at the end of the day and again ask God for forgiveness for him (see the last prayer in the Evening); confess it and receive permission from sins in the Sacrament of Confession.
How can you see your sins?
At first it is not difficult, but with regular Communion and, accordingly, confession it becomes more and more difficult. You need to ask God for this, because seeing your sins is a gift from God. But you need to be ready for temptations if the Lord fulfills our prayer. At the same time, it is useful to read the lives of the saints and study.
Can a priest refuse to accept confession?
Apostolic Canons (Canon 52) " If anyone, a bishop or a presbyter, does not receive a person who turns from sin, let him be cast out of the holy order. For [he] grieves Christ, who said: Joy is in heaven over one repentant sinner ()».
You can refuse to confess if, in fact, there is none. If a person does not repent, does not consider himself guilty of his sins, does not want to be reconciled with his neighbors. Also, the unbaptized and excommunicated cannot receive permission from sins.
Can I confess by phone or in writing?
In Orthodoxy, there is no tradition of confessing sins over the phone or via the Internet, especially since this violates the secret of confession.
It should also be borne in mind that the sick can invite the priest home or to the hospital.
Those who have left for distant countries cannot justify themselves by this, because falling away from the Holy Sacraments of the Church is their choice and it is inappropriate to profane the Sacrament for the sake of this.
What rights does a priest have to impose a penance on a penitent?
How to behave in confession and what is better not to do? What is the correct way to call your sins to a priest? Learn the advice of the priest, and also read examples of how to correctly confess and name your sins to the priest.
Confession is a Sacrament in which the Lord invisibly forgives sins with the visible will of the priest. The event is preceded by preparation - repentance takes place before going to church. For the first time, many are afraid and do not know what actions to call, how to behave correctly, what needs to be done for this. I will say more, even experienced Christians do not always understand what and how to confess.
A broken heart God will see
The significance of repentance is so great that it transforms the sinner into the righteous. It is not easy to decide to lead a Christian life, to change, but this must be done in order not to perish completely. Let the first time (second, third) confession be imperfect, this is not terrible. It is much more dangerous to carry a heavy load in oneself, not to repent at all. The Lord sees our intentions, aspirations, attempts to lag behind passions, repentance. This will definitely count.
Someone confesses, as if the report on the sins he has done is handing over 5 pages, but there is no contrition in his soul. Another will say three words, and leave justified, like a publican who does not dare to raise his eyes to heaven, saying: “ God, have mercy on me, a sinner. " It is important to see the abomination of your deeds and actions. Terrified and hate them. Feel genuine disgust, with the determination not to repeat it again.
Lists of sins to help the penitent
Using tutorials, of which there are many on the Internet, are more likely to get confused than get help. It is not difficult to compile a long list of sins according to a model, but often they contain incomprehensible things related to monastics. They are "idlers", they have only two responsibilities: work and prayer, everything else is sin. Priests do not advise comparing actions in the world with such improvised means. Sometimes it looks completely silly.
For example:
- collected stamps;
- washed with scented soap;
- did hair;
- washed on Sunday, etc.
You can borrow the brevity with which sin is called. This will help you make a personal list so as not to fall into verbosity, not to tell the story (novel) of your life. Do this: Write down actions that you know are bad. You regret this, we are ready not to repeat it (by the way, they do not happen so often, but they constantly remind of themselves, emerging in memory).
For example:
- I was rude to my parents.
- Hit his wife.
- Stole a bicycle (cassette, book, any thing), etc.
- Didn't visit a sick relative who needed it.
Continue on: take a look at your character. Seeing yourself as you are is not easy. Some even consider themselves normal, good, kind, always right. Take and paint an icon from him. But it is in such a person that the sin of pride is already visible, which overthrew the devil from Heaven. This comes from ignorance of the laws of faith.
The more often you confess, comprehend Orthodox teaching, draw closer to God, the more you will see the dirt in yourself, from which you need to get rid of. Know that if you have not found sins in yourself, then you are far from fulfilling the commandments. There is not a single saint about whom it can be said that he is sinless.
If it's really tight, nothing comes to mind, ask close people: What bad qualities they will name. From the side it is always more visible. These traits are likely to be what you are looking for. Think, perhaps the list will be replenished with such sins:
- angry, irritated, thought badly of someone;
- swore obscenities, answered rudely, condemned, hated;
- did not know the measure in food (gluttony);
- came home drunk, raged;
- cheated on his wife (husband), deceived, slandered, spread rumors;
- did not help others, refused a request, scoffed at the workers;
- gave (persuaded) consent to an abortion;
- was lazy to fulfill his duties both at work and at home, etc.
Advice: Before turning to any source with a list of sins, try to first write down that you remember well what weighs your soul, which you really regret. Such sins will definitely be forgiven. Looking for shortcomings in yourself, resorting to the manual, strive not for quantity (to cover everything at once), but for quality. We read, remembered, realized, crushed, gave ourselves our word: not to do this anymore. They asked the Lord to help in this. Now fill in on your confession sheet.
You need to know about this, not get angry
When a person begins to prepare for the Sacrament, he may endure temptations. Someone constantly interferes, interrupts, distracts. In the church, evil old women make remarks: "why not in a skirt", "why did she put on her makeup like that", "she got up in the wrong place." Father has no time, waved it off, answered rudely, etc. Sometimes this is necessary for humility.
Demons will try to piss you off, but pass the test with dignity: in your soul, for every opposition to a good deed, say: "I don't deserve anything better." So disarm the evil spirits: drive them away, and draw near to God. This indicates that you are doing the right thing. Now, if everything goes smoothly and calmly, it is worth considering, perhaps there is no spirit of repentance.
What is the will of God?
In the process of preparation, you will come across the phrase that sin is a violation of the will of God. At the moment of baptism, a person (himself or his godparents) makes a vow: to do His will, and to keep the commandments. They made a promise, and immediately began to break it. First of all, due to the fact that we do not know either one or the other:
- The will of God is the sanctification of man.
- Through Moses, to discern sin, 10 commandments are given.
The Law of God (Moses) is the first guide to knowing ourselves that we have broken practically all the commandments. Not a single one was performed properly. Many remember two words from the law: he did not kill, he did not steal. Consider themselves decent people. This is a primitive approach to the confession of an ignorant sinner. For example, you can kill:
- word;
- killing animals for entertainment, not food;
- giving wrong advice;
- violating safety regulations;
- sending another to die in his place;
- having an abortion, persuading him to;
- mocking the weak;
- spreading slander;
- not providing assistance on time, etc.
If a person does not see sins in himself, does not confess, does not lament about unseemly actions, does not receive communion, has no connection with God (prayer) - he violates His will. For it consists in the fact that we are sanctified, enlightened, do good deeds, that is, strive for righteousness and holiness. Anything that does not contribute to this, except for the necessary duties and deeds (including rest, holidays, etc.) violates His will.
What is the plan to prepare for confession
In order not to miss anything, it is customary to prepare according to a specific plan to choose from. It is possible, if there is no time, but really want to receive forgiveness, to confess for a particularly tormented sin: one or several. No special preparation is required here. They came and poured out their souls, explaining to the priest: next time, prepare properly. What to take as a basis:
- Ten Commandments.
- Nine Beatitudes given by the Lord.
- You can build a confession according to 20 points of ordeals (of Blessed Theodora), which the soul goes through after death.
- By the type of sin (the sample of Elder George the Recluse), etc.
More often they use 10 commandments, the so-called Moses. Keep in mind that each of them includes many sins, so the list will be long. To deal with this, use the "Experience of Building Confession" by John Krestyankin. He is our contemporary, his plan is the best assistant. A good guide "To help the penitent" was made by I. Bryanchaninov.
An important condition: Before you begin to repentance (at home), to confession (in the temple), forgive everyone you have had an offense against. This must be done with all your heart, without guile. As you forgive others, so the Lord will forgive your sins and vice versa.
Ashamed to call sin to the priest
It happens that the confessor is ashamed to name any sin. First, remember that you are ashamed to confess, requires an urgent confession. This is the voice of conscience, practically an indication of God, His call: repent of this. The Lord is waiting, and the priest, believe me, will forget both you and the named offense right there, especially if there are a lot of people.
Usually they hide things related:
- with treason;
- sexual perversion;
- lustful thoughts and dreams;
- handjobs;
- participation in orgies, leading a depraved lifestyle.
Secondly, many people have such sins, but they do not name them in confession, as they destroy the soul. Father, during the period of his service, he listened to everyone, do not amaze him, do not embarrass him, do not alienate him with your confession. Most likely, the priest will be glad for you that you have gained courage and voiced a grave sin. The Lord will immediately forgive, free the soul. The angels in heaven will rejoice. You will fly home as if on wings.
For your information: The Lord created the conditions so that we could accept the redemptive gifts of His feat, that is, to be transformed. All Sacraments, including Confession, are an instrument that connects people and God.
What not to do in confession
Confession can be turned against yourself if you treat it superficially with slyness. All sins, even those that will definitely repeat, for example, smoking, must be named in the past tense, with the intention of getting rid of. Sooner or later, the named passion will lose power over a person. Not necessary:
- Talk about others and complain about life.
- To call sins with general phrases: Sinful in everything.
- List the minor sins in which repentance is offered in home evening prayer every day.
- To keep silent about grave sins because of shame, indecision, because of unwillingness to seriously understand oneself.
- Do not be afraid to call things by their proper names: fornication, adultery, theft, murder, etc.
Frank confession heals not only the soul, but also physical illnesses, eradicates passions, restores peace and tranquility. Don't be ashamed to reveal your abominations. And harlots become righteous if they do not return to the former. Let us not convict ourselves here - at the Last Judgment sins will convict us.
Conclusion: How do you know that sin is forgiven? If, when remembering him, the conscience is silent, peace and tranquility remain in the soul, then it is forgiven. Of course, provided that you do not have a stony and insensitive heart, which is in the complete power of the enemy of man and God, that is, the devil.
Example, contrition for sins
God! Sometimes I go to Your House, wanting to cleanse my soul from the burden of sin. I try to unwind the snake ball that lies on my heart, but I’m scared to open my impurities before the priest. Trying to disguise in general terms the essence of sins, I clothe them in harmless clothes: as everyone sins, so do I, no worse. I wish you forgiveness and forgiveness, and by lying I aggravate my fallen position, trying to deceive You.
- Laziness and indifference tied the soul: I do not pray to You either in the morning or in the evening. In the church I stand like a soulless mannequin: there is no repentance in me, I just wait for the service to end faster. I don't understand the prayers spoken in the Temple. I am not trying to find out the meaning of the days to which the ministry is dedicated. I rarely go to church, and if I stood there, absentmindedly baptizing myself, repeating the movements of true Christians, I believe that I have accomplished a feat, done you a favor, Lord. Forgive this stony insensitivity to your salvation.
- I have no love for either the living or the dead. Remembering them, I do not shed a tear, prayer for them is cold, as if I know their heavenly fate. I think that the prayer of the priest is enough. I have neither sympathy for my relatives (including my parents), nor a desire for them to take on even a tiny vow. I believe that the Lord is kind, will save everyone and so, without effort and sacrifice on my part. Lord, forgive me.
- Disgusting sin Adultery... I am already old and sick, so the depraved past has moved away from me, but I cannot go through this ordeal. All the dirt of this sin stuck to me, but I have no strength to confess everything. I think Mary of Egypt, before leaving for the desert, was cleaner than me. I repent and hate myself for these heinous deeds. Lord, forgive me, do not destroy me vile.
- Prideand vanity my constant companions. The Lord taught me constantly. Enlightened, made it possible to know humiliation and insults in order to reduce the arrogance of my nature. But I am so slow to correct that I cannot humble myself even under the hand of the Lord. I see my fall, but my pride does not leave me. Lord, have mercy and give strength to become a humble Christian, forgive me for the stubbornness of the donkey.
- Lie. She accompanies me everywhere. Previously, I did not even notice that I was lying about and without reason. I lied for fear of discovering the truth; to obtain any benefit; just out of habit; for the sake of vanity, to embellish the mask that is my true identity. A lie is a devil's seed, it has grown in me like a huge tree, has taken root. Harmful words fly off the tongue before I can comprehend them. Lord, forgive me, give some reason, get rid of this habit. Teach to tell the truth always and everywhere.
- Condemnation. Lord, from childhood I remember the phrase: Do not judge, but you will not be judged. But I never followed this instruction. I condemn everyone: acquaintances, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, authorities. From the height of my pride, I will always find a flaw in others, but not in myself. I'm sorry Lord. Help get rid of it so that you can only see your own sins, and not judge others. Teach humble repentance and prayer, etc., etc.
In order not to work in vain, think about your sins like this. This repentance, brought to the Lord, tunes the soul, leads to purification, in order to hate your deeds, not to repeat them every now and then. Having contrition, notice how after confession it not only became easier, but the heart begins to turn away from many "fun" of the flesh, business and relationships improve, illnesses go away.