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Confession is one of the most important church sacraments, during which Christians repent of their sins. Confession takes place in the presence of a priest, however, all sins are resolved by God himself.

Confession is of the utmost importance to anyone Orthodox Christian because repentance and atonement for sins are the work of his whole life. Without it, the laity are not allowed to the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion) and cannot partake of the Holy Gifts.

What is confession and what is it for

The Holy Fathers teach that sin is the main barrier between man and God. And this obstacle is so huge that people are not able to overcome it on their own. It is possible to cope with it only with God's help, but for this a person must first admit his sin and repent of it.

It is for deliverance from sin and there is the Sacrament of Confession. When our body is infected with a dangerous virus, we usually go to the hospital for medicine. However, sin is the same deadly virus, only infecting not the body, but the soul. And in order to be cured of it, a person needs the help of the church.

The sacrament of repentance is often compared to baptism. During the baptism of new converts, the Christian gets rid of original sin inherited from our forefathers - Adam and Eve. Confession helps to get rid of those sins that were committed after baptism and by the person himself.

Usually, for a Christian, repentance consists of three stages:

Repent immediately after a sin.
Ask God for forgiveness in the evening, before going to bed.
Go to confession, during which the Lord will finally resolve this sin.

You can also confess if your heart is heavy or your conscience is tormented. And here the Sacrament of Repentance plays the role of an ambulance, as it helps to get rid of the suffering caused by sin and to restore the lost mental health.

It is very important to learn to ask forgiveness from those whom we have offended. But even more important is repentance before God, because we have much more sins before Him than before any of the people.

Many people ask why it is necessary to go to church and confess in the presence of a priest. Isn't it enough that we ask God for forgiveness, that our conscience torments us, and we repent of what we have done?

No, not enough. Usually priests give this explanation: if a person, for example, gets dirty, he will not become clean only because he realized his dirt and was ashamed of it. For purification, he needs some kind of external source of water in which he can wash himself. The role of such a source for a Christian is just played by the Holy Church.

However, it is important to remember that confession is not only about repentance and deliverance from sin. It is also a firm determination to no longer repeat sinful deeds and to bring your life into real conformity with Christian teaching.

How is the sacrament going

Unlike other ordinances, confession does not require observance a large number rituals. For its implementation, neither long-term posts, nor any special conditions nor specific days. The sacrament of repentance can be performed always and everywhere: it requires only complete repentance and the presence of a priest. Any member of the Orthodox Church from 7 years of age and older can confess.

In the temple itself, this sacrament can be performed at different times:

After the evening service.
In the morning, just before the liturgy.
During the liturgy itself, before communion.

If there are too many people in the church, you can agree with the priest for another time. Confession begins with a priestly prayer and an appeal to the repentant ("Behold child, Christ ..."). Then the priest covers the head of the penitent with a bishop (optional), asks his name and what he wants to confess.

During confession, the priest can ask clarifying questions, give instructions or advice. In some cases, he imposes a penance, that is, it prescribes to perform certain actions aimed at atonement for sin. For example, if a repentant stole something, he may be asked to return the stolen or compensate for the damage. However, penance is rarely prescribed.

When the confession ends, the priest puts the edge of the epitrachelion on the person's head and says a prayer of absolution. After that, the parishioner kisses the Gospel and the cross, which are lying on the lectern, and asks for blessing from the priest.

You need to confess at least before each communion. A christian should receive communion from once a day to once every three weeks. There is no maximum for the number of confessions.

How to Prepare for the Sacrament of Repentance

Preparing for confession comes down to a careful analysis of all your actions, words and thoughts. However, they must be viewed not from the point of view of a person, but from the point of view of God's commandments.

Such introspection requires a person to be utterly honest with himself. By truthfully evaluating our deeds, a Christian must put aside pride and false shame, since these shortcomings make us keep silent about our sins and even justify them.

Preparing to Repentance Requires the Right Mind... It is necessary not only to mechanically remember everyday sins, but with all your soul to strive to ensure that they are left behind. It is also advisable to first make peace with those against whom we have sinned and ask them for forgiveness.

In order not to forget about your sins, you can write them down on a piece of paper. There is no need to create a detailed bureaucratic report - just a rough "cheat sheet" will be enough. It will help you quickly refresh your memory before confession and not forget anything.

If you are afraid of missing something important, use the special lists of sins for confession. In Orthodoxy, they play the role of a kind of "checklists" and allow us to notice what we, for some reason, did not pay attention to. This is the Pochaev Leaflet, which helps to remember sins in confession, lists for women, men, children and adolescents.

However, at the confession itself, you should not use any lists and texts. It is better to speak in your own words and from a pure heart , and reading from a piece of paper can turn a sacrament into an empty formality.

Another way to remember forgotten sins is this is to consider them by type:

Sins against God: unbelief, lack of faith, pride, violation of the commandments, mentioning the Lord in vain, turning to psychics, not going to church, and the like.
Sins against neighbor: theft, slander, gossip, offense and betrayal.
Sins against oneself: gluttony, drunkenness, prodigal sin, smoking, despondency and other deeds that destroy the body and soul.

Often Christians only remember what happened after the last confession. But to this it is imperative to add those actions that we were silent about last time because of shame or forgetfulness. Also at confession you can tell about those sins in which we confessed the last time without due repentance.

Some people ask: is it permissible to confess the same sin again? In principle, this is allowed, since the memory of past sins strengthens a person in humility. However, this is not at all necessary. if the repentance was truly sincere.

It is better to learn about the time of the Sacrament of Repentance in advance. If there are many who want to confess on this day, it is better to arrange a separate meeting with the priest.

How to prepare for your very first confession

The very first confession in the life of a Christian is called a general confession. It is necessary to prepare for it especially carefully, since it is she who washes away the most old and ingrained dirt from our soul. On it, it is customary to remember all your sins, and not only adults, but also children (starting from the age of six).

Before such a confession, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the Christian literature on this topic. But before buying books or downloading them from the Internet, you should definitely consult with your confessor. The fact is that some books on repentance may be too difficult for a layman, and some are of dubious origin and were written by sectarians.

If your church is large and there are many people gathering for Sunday services, it may be for a general confession. In this case, the priest simply lists the main sins, and the parishioners repeat after him. But such a short form of confession is not suitable for the first time, so it is better to visit the temple on a weekday, when there are usually few people in it.

Immediately before the sacrament, it is imperative to tell the priest that this is your first time at confession. In this case, he will prompt you and direct confession in the "right direction", and then tell you what to do next.

How to Confess Correctly

The main rule of confession is as follows: all actions should be as sincere as possible. During the sacrament, formalism should be avoided by all means, so as not to turn it into a ritual "for show." Here honesty is more important than following external prescriptions.

Dress for confession is the same as for a regular church visit. The man should wear long pants and a shirt that covers the elbows. For a woman - long skirt and clothing that covers the shoulders and neckline. When going to church, do not use cosmetics, especially lipstick. A woman must have a scarf on her head.

Arriving at the temple, you need to queue up for confession. At the same time, it is necessary to keep at some distance from the others, so as not to interfere with anyone and not to hear other people's repentant words.

After waiting for your turn, you need to go to the analogue (the table where the cross and the Gospel are) and bow your head. You can also kneel down, but it is not necessary at all. Remember that kneeling prayer is canceled on Sundays, great holidays, and from Easter to Trinity.

At confession, it is customary to talk not only about individual sinful acts, but also about the pernicious passions inherent in a person. For example, if a penitent is characterized by a love of money, then concrete manifestations of greed or avarice will be sins for him.

If you are unfamiliar with the church names of sins and passions, then simply retell everything in your own words. It is only necessary to name the sin itself, briefly and without unnecessary details. If necessary, the priest will clarify everything himself.

If the Lord sees sincere repentance, then he will forgive all sins, even those that we ourselves have forgotten. However, it is impossible to deliberately conceal sins, for in this case there will be no forgiveness.

How exactly should you talk about your sins? Here are some guidelines that priests usually give:

Do not approach confession formally. This is not a rite of "enumeration of sins": sincere repentance is more important here.
Avoid "blanks", that is, pre-memorized phrases and expressions. Most best words- these are those that come from a pure heart.
Do not make excuses and do not pass your sins onto others, for in this case the meaning of repentance itself disappears.
Don't just talk about your life. The purpose of confession is not to pour out the soul, but to get rid of the burden of sin.
Crying during confession is normal, but you don't need to do it on purpose and for show.

And the main thing: it is necessary to remember that in fact all sins are confessed before God. The priest only fulfills the duty of a witness and an intercessor before Him.

During the confession, the priest can sometimes ask or clarify something. In this case, you just need to calmly answer all the questions. And vice versa, if something of the priest's instructions remains incomprehensible, then ask him to explain.

After the priest has listened to the confession and is convinced of the sincerity of the person, he covers his head with the edge of the epitrachelion and reads the prayer of permission. After her, you need to cross yourself and kiss the cross and the Gospel.

Immediately after confession, they take a blessing from the priest. To do this, fold the hands, palms up, and place the right palm on the left. Then you need to bow your head and say: "Bless, father." The priest will make a blessing sign and place his palm on folded hands. The priest should kiss his hand with his lips as an image of the blessing right hand of the Lord.

If you plan to take the sacrament, you should also take a blessing for that. You can simply ask: "Father, do you bless to receive the Holy Communion?" In this case, the priest can clarify the observance of the fasts and prayers necessary for the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

What to do after confession

The very first thing to do is to thank the Lord for the forgiveness of sins. Unfortunately, some people forget about it. But this is His great gift, thanks to which the human soul is cleansed of defilement.

You also need to make a firm decision to change your life. It is not enough just to confess your sin before God: you need to try to never repeat it again. It is important to remember that for a Christian, repentance and struggle with sin is a lifelong work that never ends.

With sincere repentance in confession, all sins are forgiven. But this does not mean at all that you can immediately forget about them. No, one should always remember about sins committed earlier, for we need this for humility and for protection from possible falls in the future.

If you confess regularly enough, then over time it becomes difficult to remember your sins. But this does not mean that they do not exist: they simply begin to "hide" from us. In this case, you can ask the Lord to give us a vision of our own sins.

Holy fathers about repentance

One should not understand repentance and confession in the same way; repentance is one thing, and confession is another; there can be repentance without confession, but there can be no confession without repentance; repentance or repentance before God for one's sins can and should always be at all times, and confession can only be made before a spiritual father and in due time; repentance, or repentance for sins, brings a person closer to the Kingdom of Heaven and brings the Holy Spirit closer to a person, and confession without repentance and repentance does not in any way benefit a person, and not only does not bring any benefit, but feigned and not true confession destroys a person, making him big a criminal, because confession is and should be an act of repentance.

Saint Innocent

The beginning of a good journey is to confess to the priest with all your heart your sins.

Reverend Simeon the New Theologian

For the sins we have committed, we will not blame either our birth or anyone else, but only ourselves.

Venerable Anthony the Great

I ask you, most beloved brethren, that we confess every sin, while the sinner is still in this life, when his confession can be accepted, when the satisfaction and forgiveness performed by the priests is pleasing to the Lord.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage

Those who say: "Let us sin in our youth, but we will repent in old age" - will be deceived and will be ridiculed by the demons. As sinners arbitrarily, they will not be worthy of repentance.

Monk Ephraim the Syrian

Should we remember sins that have been confessed and forsaken with the help of God's grace? In the spirit of confession, there is again nothing to remember them, when they are already allowed ... And it is good to remember them in your prayer.

Sins after permission from them in confession by the spiritual father are immediately forgiven. But their trace remains in the souls, and it torments. After labors and deeds in resisting sin, these traces are blotted out. When the traces are blotted out, then the yearning will end.

Saint Theophan the Recluse

Pay attention to these words: the root of repentance is a good intention to confess sins, the leaves are the very confession of sins to God in the face of the spiritual father and the promise of correction, and the fruits of repentance are a virtuous life and works of repentance. By this fruit, true repentance is recognized.

Saint Gregory Dvoeslov

Warn the exodus of your soul by repentance and conversion, so that all the medicine of repentance does not remain useless for you when death comes, for repentance is effective only on earth, in hell it is powerless.

To receive forgiveness from God, it is not enough to pray two or three days; it is necessary to make a change in all life and, leaving vice, constantly abide in virtue.

A person's virtue is insignificant in comparison with his sins. Confessing your sins is the best way to propitiate and thank God.

I call repentance not only aversion from old bad deeds, but even more - the intention to do good deeds.

Saint John Chrysostom

So, brethren, seeing many examples of those who sinned and repented and were saved, hurry up to repent before the Lord, so that you may receive forgiveness for your sins, and qualify for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

A mortal sin is a sin in which if you do not repent and death finds you in it, then you go to hell, but if you repent of it, it is immediately forgiven you. It is called mortal because the soul dies from it and can only be revived by repentance.

Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina

For successful repentance, you need: sight of your sin, awareness of it, repentance for it, confession of it.

There is no end to repentance until death - for both the small and the great.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

He who repents of sins will rejoice in the Kingdom of God.

Saint Nile the Myrrh-streaming

By repentance, sins are destroyed and are not remembered anywhere: neither at ordeals, nor at the Judgment.

Elder George the Recluse

Until you express your sins in confession, nothing in the light will help you. And, God have mercy, - death will come? ..

Venerable Anatoly Optinsky

If you feel the weight of the struggle and see that you cannot cope with evil alone, run to spiritual father your own and ask him to commune you with the Holy Mysteries. It is a great and powerful weapon against strong temptations.

Yes, brothers and sisters, all your sins must be confessed, openly open to the priest, in order to receive through him from Christ our Savior forgiveness. And whoever hides his sins in confession or covers up and tries to forgive himself, there will be no forgiveness, because the Lord said to the apostles and their successors: they also have forgiven their sins, they will be forgiven: and they also hold, hold on (John 20:23). How can a priest forgive or not forgive sins, forgive or not, if sins are not revealed to him? Let us remember, brethren, that God Himself commands the priest to confess his sins.

Saint John of Kronstadt

How do we benefit from confession:

Forgiveness of sins, deliverance from eternal punishment, reconciliation with God, boldness in prayer.

The return of sanctifying grace.

Restoring peace of mind and peace of mind.

Weakening of bad inclinations and passions and refraining from new sins, cleansing the conscience, discerning the smallest sins by the mind.

Receiving instruction from a spiritual father.

The main means to avoid sins:

You must avoid all reasons for sin, all places, persons, things that may be tempting for you and inspire sinful desires.

One must always remember death, passing through ordeals, the Last Judgment and future life.

As often as possible, imagine the presence of God everywhere, reflect on the blessings of God, especially about the life of our Lord on earth, His suffering and death, and in general about the main truths of the Orthodox Christian faith.

Heartfelt and fervent prayer and frequent invocation of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ help to keep from sinning.

You need to listen to yourself, that is, stay awake, watch yourself, your feelings, desires and actions.

As often as possible, one should resort to the Sacrament of Penance and confess before the spiritual father, ask him for advice, and obey them, and worthily partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Not to omit the opportunity and opportunity to be present at church services and read spiritual books at home.

To meet and talk with people who are pious and reasonable and avoid talking with people who are immoral.

Constantly have any useful activity, to carry a position, to do some kind of work, so as not to be idle.

Reminder for those approaching Holy Communion

Those who come to the sacrament of the Holy Mysteries must fulfill the following:

Refrain from food and drink (in the evening).

Fulfill the prayer rule.

Pray on the eve at the all-night vigil.

Fasting (abstaining from food of animal origin).

In marriage, those who live to abstain from the matrimonial bed before and after the sacrament.

Ask for forgiveness who was offended.

PREPARATION FOR CONFESSION

Orthodox Christians of all times cleanse the soul from sin by going through a special Sacrament established by Christ Himself -

Sacrament of Penance.

To purify the soul in the Sacrament of Penance, it is necessary:

Realizing your sins and breaking your heart. Identifying the root causes of your sins. A sincere confession to a priest.

A confession of repentance helps to approach Holy Communion - worthily to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Union with Christ brings unspeakable peace to the soul, love and reconciliation with everyone.

Thus, from time immemorial, the Church formed the spiritual structure of pious generations, peacefulness, patience, and health.

The priest has been given authority from God to "knit and solve" our sins. "I forgive and forgive your sins ..." - says the priest to the one who comes to confession and repented of his sins. Anyone who is worthy to wash away their sins in the Sacrament of Repentance and to clear their conscience receives great relief. What the earthly judgment has forgiven is also forgiven by the heavenly one. How one must hurry to cleanse the soul of sin, for no one knows what is in store for him tomorrow and how much is left earthly path... Will we have time to be cleansed by repentance? Will we have time to realize our sinfulness? Hurry up, Christian. Remember: "Nothing unclean enters the Kingdom of Heaven." Numerous testimonies of reanimated patients who returned "from the other world" in our time suggest that we all have to give an answer for every little thing.

The doors of repentance are open to everyone, but will we have time to pass them? The most difficult thing is for the proud man to realize his impurity. Such do not see their sin and are in constant self-deception and exaltation of the mind. They are content with themselves and rarely look into the depths of their conscience. But conscience is hard to deceive. It is the voice of God Himself, convicting us.

Every living person is given free will. How will we dispose of it? Will our deeds and intentions bring us closer to God? Our good deeds - did we do them with a pure heart and love? The Lord always sees your heart, Christian. Is it humility or pride, patience or irritation?

Are our works pleasing to God? Nobody knows. Nobody knows what the final answer will be. Nobody knows which angel will come for us to lead us to the Highest Judgment. Will there be white or black wings behind him?

Remember, Christian: the robber who hung next to Christ on the cross repented with humility and entered paradise after the Lord. The Lord forgave and accepted him. Judas Iscariot was a disciple of Christ, but betrayed the Teacher and, unrepentant, went to hell out of his pride. God works in mysterious ways.

Believe, Christian, the Lord strengthens everyone who comes to Him in repentance. The Lord helps to resist sin and not repeat it.

In the sacrament of Holy Penance, we are given the opportunity to postpone the heavy burden of sin, to break the chains of sin, to see the "fallen and contrite tabernacle" of our soul renewed and light. How often should this saving ordinance be recalled? As often as possible, at least in each of the four posts.

Usually people who are inexperienced in spiritual life do not see the multitude of their sins, do not feel their heaviness and disgust for them. They say: “I didn’t commit anything special,” “I only have minor sins, like everyone else,” “I didn’t steal, I didn’t kill,” so many often begin confession. But our holy fathers and teachers, who left us prayers of repentance, considered themselves the first of sinners, cried out to Christ with sincere conviction: "Nobody else have sinned on earth from time immemorial, as if I sinned, you accursed and prodigal!" The brighter the light of Christ illumines the heart, the more clearly all the shortcomings, ulcers and wounds of the soul are recognized. And vice versa: people immersed in sinful darkness do not see anything in their hearts, and if they do see, they are not horrified, since they have nothing to compare with, for Christ is closed to them by the veil of sins. Therefore, in order to overcome our spiritual laziness and insensibility, the holy Church laid down preparatory days to the Sacrament of Repentance - fasting.

The period of fasting can last from three days to a week, if there is no special advice or prescription from the confessor. At this time, one should observe fasting, keep oneself from sinful deeds, thoughts and feelings, in general, lead a life of abstinence, repentance, diluted with deeds of love and Christian goodness. During the period of fasting, you need to attend church services as often as possible, more often to be diligent about home prayer, devote time to reading the works of the holy fathers, the lives of the saints, self-deepening and self-examination.

Understanding the moral state of your soul, you must try to distinguish between basic sins from their derivatives, roots - from leaves and fruits. One should also beware of falling into petty suspicion of every movement of the heart, losing the feeling of the important and unimportant, and getting confused in the little things. A repentant must bring to confession not only a list of sins, but, most importantly, a penitential feeling; not a detailed account of his life, but a broken heart.

Knowing your sins does not mean repenting of them. But what can we do if our hearts, dried up from a sinful flame, are not watered with the life-giving waters of tears? What if the spiritual weakness and “the flesh's sickness” are so great that we are not capable of sincere repentance? But this cannot be a reason to postpone confession in anticipation of a repentant feeling. The Lord accepts confession - sincere and conscientious - even if it is not accompanied by strong feelings of repentance. Only this sin - petrified insensibility - must be confessed courageously and frankly, without hypocrisy. God can touch the heart during confession itself - soften it, refine spiritual vision, awaken a repentant feeling.

The condition that we must certainly observe in order for our repentance to be accepted by the Lord is the forgiveness of the sins of our neighbors and reconciliation with everyone.

Repentance cannot be perfect without a verbal confession of sins. Sins can be forgiven only in the Church Sacrament of Repentance performed by a priest. Confession is a feat, self-compulsion. During confession, you do not need to wait for questions from the priest, but make an effort yourself. It is necessary to name sins accurately, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions. It is very difficult, while confessing, to avoid the temptation of self-justification, to abandon attempts to explain "extenuating circumstances" to the confessor, from references to third parties who allegedly led us into sin. All these are signs of self-love, a lack of deep repentance, and continued stagnation in sin. Confession is not a conversation about one's shortcomings, doubts, it is not a simple informing the confessor about oneself, although spiritual conversation is also very important and should take place in the life of a Christian, but confession is another, it is a sacrament, and not just a pious custom. Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for cleansing, this is the second baptism... In repentance, we die to sin and rise to righteousness, holiness.

After repentance, we must be confirmed internally in our determination not to return to confessed sin. The sign of perfect repentance is a feeling of lightness, purity, inexplicable joy, when sin seems as difficult and impossible as this joy was just distant.

An example of a general confession

Here is one of the options for listing sins in the general confession. They are named in the following order: sins against God, sins against your neighbor, sins against yourself. This list is presented not for copying, for a subsequent confession before a priest, but to remind the penitent person of the many wounds of the soul that can be healed with sincere repentance before God.

“I confess to the Lord God, glorified in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all my sins from my youth to the present day, committed by me in deed, word, thought and all my feelings, voluntarily or involuntarily.

I consider myself unworthy of forgiveness from God, but I do not give myself up to despair, I place all my hope on God's mercy and sincerely wish to correct my life.

He sinned with little faith, doubting what the faith of Christ teaches us. I sinned by indifference to faith, unwillingness to understand it and be convinced of it. He sinned by blasphemy - frivolous ridicule of the truths of faith, words of prayer and evangelism, church rites, as well as pastors of the Church and pious people, calling zeal for prayer, fasting and alms hypocrisy.

He sinned even more: with contemptuous and impudent judgments about faith, about the laws and regulations of the church, for example, about fasting and worship, about the veneration of holy icons and relics, about the miraculous manifestations of God's mercy or the wrath of God.

He sinned by deviating from the Church, considering it unnecessary for himself, believing himself capable of a good life, of achieving salvation without the help of the Church. Meanwhile, one must go to God not alone, but with brothers and sisters in faith, in the union of love, in the Church and with the Church: only where there is love, there is God; to whom the Church is not a Mother, to whom God is not a Father.

I sinned by renouncing the faith or hiding the faith because of fear, because of profit or out of shame before people, I did not heed the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: Whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Heavenly Father; whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Matt. 10:33; Mark 8:38).

I sinned by not trusting God, relying more on myself or on other people, and sometimes on untruth, deception, cunning, deceit.

He sinned in happiness by ingratitude towards God, the giver of happiness, and in misfortune - by despondency, cowardice, grumbling at God, anger at Him, blasphemous and impudent thoughts about the Providence of God, despair, the desire for death for himself and his loved ones.

I sinned with love for earthly goods, more than for the Creator, whom I must love most of all - with all my soul, with all my heart, with all my thoughts.

He sinned by forgetting God and insensibility of the fear of God; forgot that God sees and knows everything, not only deeds and words, but also our secret thoughts, feelings and desires, and that God will judge us by death and at His Last Judgment; that's why I sinned unrestrained and boldly, as if for me there would be no death, no judgment, no righteous punishment from God.

He sinned by superstition, unreasonable trust in dreams, omens, fortune-telling (for example, on cards).

I sinned in prayer by laziness, I skipped the morning and evening prayers, before and after taking food, at the beginning and end of every business.

In prayer, I sinned with haste, absent-mindedness, coldness and heartlessness, hypocrisy, I tried to appear to people more pious than I really was.

He sinned with a non-peaceful mood while praying: he prayed in a state of irritation, anger, malice, condemnation, murmur, disobedience to the Providence of God. He sinned by negligent and incorrect performance of the sign of the cross - from haste and inattention or from bad habit.

He sinned by not attending services on holidays and Sundays, by inattention to what is read, sung and performed in the church during the service, by failure to perform or reluctant to perform church rituals (bows, kissing the cross, the Gospel, icons).

He sinned with indecent, obscene behavior in the temple - worldly and loud conversations, laughter, arguments, quarrels, abuse, pushing and oppression of other pilgrims.

He sinned by frivolously mentioning the name of God in conversations - by an oath and God without extreme necessity or even a lie, as well as by failing to fulfill what he promised to do good to someone with an oath.

He sinned by negligent handling of the shrine - with the cross, the Gospel, icons, holy water, prosphora.

He sinned by not observing holidays, fasts and fasting days, by not observing spiritual fasting, that is, he did not try to free himself with God's help from his shortcomings, bad and idle habits, did not try to correct his character, did not force himself to diligently fulfill the commandments of God.

My sins are innumerable both against my neighbors and in relation to my duties to myself. Instead of love for my neighbors, selfishness prevails in my life with all its destructive fruits.

I sinned by pride, self-conceit, considering myself better than others, vanity - love of praise and honor, self-praise, lust for power, arrogance, disrespect, rude treatment of people, ingratitude towards those who do me good.

I sinned by condemnation, ridicule of the sins, shortcomings and mistakes of my neighbors, backbiting, gossip, they brought discord among my neighbors.

He sinned with slander - he spoke unjustly about people that was bad and harmful and dangerous for them.

He sinned with impatience, irritability, anger, obstinacy, stubbornness, contentiousness, impudence, disobedience.

He sinned with resentment, anger, hatred, rancor, vengefulness.

He sinned with envy, ill will, gloating; he sinned with abuse, foul language, quarrels, cursing both others (maybe even his children) and himself.

I sinned by disrespecting my elders, especially my parents, by not wanting to take care of my parents, to rest their old age; he sinned by condemning and ridiculing them, treating them rudely and impudently. He sinned by the rare remembrance at prayer of them and their other loved ones - the living and the dead.

He sinned with mercy, mercilessness towards the poor, sick, grieving, merciless cruelty in words and deeds, was not afraid to humiliate, offend, upset my neighbors, sometimes, perhaps, drove a person to despair.

He sinned by stinginess, avoiding helping those in need, greed, love of profit, he was not afraid to take advantage of other people's misfortunes and social disasters.

Sinned by addiction, attachment to things, sinned with regret for what was done good deeds, sinned by ruthless treatment of animals (starved them, beat them).

He sinned by misappropriating someone else's property - stealing, hiding what was found, buying and selling stolen goods. He sinned by neglecting or negligently performing work - his household and business affairs.

I sinned by lying, pretending, double-mindedness, insincerity in dealing with people, flattery, man-pleasing.

He sinned by eavesdropping, peeping, reading other people's letters, divulging confidential secrets, cunning, all dishonesty.

I sinned by laziness, love for idle time, idle talk, dreaminess.

He sinned by neglecting his own and other people's property. He sinned by intemperance in food and drink, eating too much, secretly eating, drinking, smoking. He sinned by being whimsical in clothing, excessive concern for his appearance, a desire to please, especially to persons of the opposite sex.

He sinned by immodesty, uncleanness, voluptuousness in thoughts, feelings and desires, in words and conversations, in reading, in eyes, in addressing persons of the opposite sex, as well as intemperance in marital relations, violation of marital fidelity, prodigal falls, marriage without church blessing , an unnatural gratification of lust.

Those who aborted themselves or others, or persuaded someone to this great sin - to infanticide, have sinned grossly.

I sinned by tempting other people to sin by my words and actions, and also succumbed to the temptation to sin from other people, instead of struggling with it.

He sinned by poor upbringing of children and even spoiling them with his bad example, excessive severity, or, conversely, weakness, impunity; did not teach children to prayer, obedience, truthfulness, hard work, frugality, servility, did not follow the purity of their behavior.

He sinned by neglect of his salvation, about pleasing God, insensibility of his sins and his unrequited guilt before God.

He sinned by laziness in the struggle with sin, the constant postponement of true repentance and correction.

I sinned by carelessly preparing for confession and communion, forgetting my sins, not knowing and not wanting to remember them in order to feel my sinfulness and condemn myself before God.

He sinned by very rarely approaching confession and communion.

I have sinned by not fulfilling the penances imposed on me.

He sinned by justifying himself in sins: instead of condemning - even in confession - by belittling his sins.

He sinned by accusing and condemning my neighbors in confession, pointing out the sins of others instead of his own.

He sinned if he deliberately concealed his sins in confession out of fear or shame.

I sinned if I proceeded to confession and communion without being reconciled with those whom I had offended or who had offended me.

Forgive me, Lord, my innumerable sins, cleanse, renew and strengthen my soul and body, so that I can steadily walk the path of salvation.

And you, honest father, pray for me to the Lord, the Most Pure Lady of the Theotokos and the holy saints of God, may the Lord have mercy on me with their prayers, he will grant me permission from my sins and grant me uncondemned communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Another example of a general confession, in a more abbreviated form.

This example can be taken as a basis in preparation for confession.

This is especially true for a person who has the custom to make a list of committed sins before confession. Of course, sins committed, but not included in this list of especially common sins, must be mentioned additionally. Let us remember, however, that before confession we make a list of sins not for "reporting" to the priest, or even better, to the Omniscient God, but only to remind ourselves of what we must say, what we must repent of. And the deeper and sincere the repentance, the stronger the degree of healing of the wounds of our soul.

He sinned in deed, in word, in thought, will and non-will, knowledge and ignorance, in reason and foolishness.

I have sinned with idle talk, idle talk, verbosity; words and speeches abusive, annoying, foul, blasphemous, frivolous, unreasonable, ridiculous, vain; recklessness, argumentativeness. Looking, listening, reading empty and soul-harmful. Conversations and laughter in the temple.

He sinned with lies, false words and speeches, failure to fulfill the promises given to God and people, incomplete confessions, false opinions, wrong advice.

He sinned by condemning neighbors, holy persons; os-screaming, backbiting, censure.

He sinned by gluttony, eating at the wrong time, not according to the Church Rule; non-observance of fasts and fasting days, did not always pray before and after eating food; satiety, overeating, secret eating, greed.

He sinned by laziness, idleness, bodily peace beyond his due, sleepiness. Rare attendance at Church services, especially the Divine Liturgy. Abandonment prayer rule and other soul-saving readings. During church and cell prayer - relaxation, lethargy, inattention; lateness to the beginning of services, premature leaving the church without a valid reason. Carelessness, despondency and neglect of your soul. Work on Sundays and holidays. Disobedience of parents, relatives, living and dead.

He sinned with a petty thief in everyday life and at work, not returning money debts or things given for a while.

He sinned by love of money, avarice, greed, waste unnecessarily.

He sinned by covetousness, greed, legal profit.

He sinned with falsehoods of various kinds, deceptions, evasion of payment for various services.

He sinned with envy, enmity, hatred, hostility, unreconciliation, malice, gloating; abuse of a neighbor's trust.

He sinned with pride, vanity, conceit, grandeur, man-pleasing, hypocrisy, double-mindedness, little soul, pride, glory, arrogance, humiliation of one's neighbor. Disobedience and failure to show due honor to parents, spiritual father; self-justification, honesty.

He sinned with anger, rage, irascibility, irritability, quarrelsomeness, reproach of neighbor, rudeness, impudence, bitterness, backbiting, vexation, cruelty.

He sinned with malice, memory malice, vindictiveness, because of unnecessary exactingness and severity towards his neighbors, his family members and relatives. By stressing others in anger, by unmoderate punishment of children.

I have sinned by superstitions of various kinds. Gambling, singing obscene songs.

He sinned with prodigal thoughts, unchaste behavior, unclean dreams, obscene conversations, incontinence in the flesh on fasting and feast days.

He sinned with little faith, careless performance of prayers, the sign of the cross, bows; frivolous mention of shrines. Unworthy preparation for the Mysteries of the Church: Repentance, Communion and others. By pronouncing the Name of God in vain. He did not wear a pectoral cross.

He sinned by insufficient trust in the Providence of God in various circumstances, by murmuring against God, ingratitude to God, lack of fear of God in the soul, disobedience to God, petrified insensibility.

He was a temptation for his neighbors in various circumstances.

About all these who are spoken, and forgetfulness for the sake of the ineffable - I repent.

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

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

Sacrament of Penance (Confession) The Orthodox catechism gives the following definition of this Sacrament: Repentance There is a Sacrament in which he who confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly released from sins by Jesus Christ Himself.

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

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

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

Confession preparation note

Scripture Repentance is a prerequisite for salvation: "If you do not 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 in heaven there will be more joy over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent” (Luke 15; 7).

In the continuous struggle with sin, which continues throughout the entire earthly life of a person, there are defeats and sometimes grave falls. But after them, the Christian must get up again and again, repent and, not succumbing to despondency, continue on his way, because God's mercy is infinite.

The fruit of repentance is reconciliation with God and people and spiritual joy from the revealed to man participation in the life of God. The forgiveness of sins is given to a person through the prayer and sacred action of a priest, who has been given the grace from 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 blotted out of a person's life and ceases to destroy his soul. Sacraments of Penance consists in the confession of sins offered to those who repent of God in the presence of the priest, and in the remission of sins committed by God through the priest.

It goes like this:
1. The priest reads preliminary prayers from the rite Sacraments of Penance, encouraging confessors to sincere repentance.

2. The repentant, standing before the cross and the Gospel lying on the analogue, as before the Lord Himself, verbally confesses all his sins, hiding nothing and not making excuses.
3. The priest, having accepted this confession, covers the head of the repentant with the epitrachelion and reads the prayer of absolution, through which in the name of Jesus Christ he allows the repentant from all those sins in which he confessed.

The invisible effect of God's grace consists in the fact that the penitent, with the visible evidence of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly released from sins by Jesus Christ Himself. As a result, 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 sacrament in the apostolic age were not developed in detail, but the main components of the liturgical-liturgical structure inherent in modern rites already existed.

They were next.
1. Oral confession of sins before a priest.
2. The instruction of the pastor on repentance is in accordance with the inner disposition of the recipient of the Sacrament.
3. The intercessory prayers of the shepherd and the prayers of repentance of the penitent.

4. Permission from sins. If the sins confessed to the repentant were grave, then serious ecclesiastical punishments could be imposed - temporary deprivation of the right to participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist; prohibition to attend 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 position only through sincere repentance. the ancient Church there were four categories of penitents, differing in the degree of severity of the penances imposed on them:

1. Crying. They did not have the right to enter the church and had to stay 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 narthex and were blessed by the bishop along with those preparing for Baptism. Listening with them at the words "Announcement, go out!" were removed from the temple.

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

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

Sins speaking in confession

sins speaking in confession

The confession of gross fleshly sins was made publicly if it was known for sure that the person had committed them. This happened only when the secret Confession and the prescribed 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 guilty were excommunicated from church communion for many years, and sometimes for life, and only near death could have caused the penance to be removed and the sacrament taught to the sinner.

Public Repentance practiced in the Church until the end of the 4th century. Its cancellation is connected with the name of the Patriarch of Constantinople Nektarios (+ 398), who abolished the post of presbyter-confessor who was engaged in public affairs. Penance.

Following this, the degrees gradually disappeared. Penance, and by the end of the 9th century the 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 the severity of morals and zeal for God were universal and even "natural." But later, many sinners began to avoid public Penance because of the shame associated with it.

Another reason for the disappearance of this form of the Sacrament was the fact that sins revealed publicly could serve as a temptation for Christians who were insufficiently established in the faith. So the secret Confession, also known from the first centuries of Christianity, became the only form Penance... Basically, the above changes took place already in the 5th century.

Currently, with a large crowd of confessors in some churches, the so-called "common" Confession... This innovation, which became possible due to the lack of temples and for other, less significant reasons, is illegal from the point of view of liturgical theology and church piety. It should be remembered that the general Confession- by no means a norm, but an assumption conditioned by the 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 most burdening his soul and conscience sins. By depriving a 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.

What to say in confession to a priest an example

Preparation for Confession
Preparation for Confession is not so much about remembering your sins fully, but about reaching a state of concentration and prayer, in which sins will become obvious to the confessor. The penitent, figuratively speaking, must bring on Confession not a list of sins, but a feeling of repentance and a broken heart.

Front Confession you need to ask for forgiveness from everyone to whom you consider yourself guilty. Start preparing for Confessions(fasting) must be 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 rejection of everything that interferes with inner concentration.

The most important component of such preparation should be focused, deep prayer, contributing to the awareness of their sins and aversion to them. In rank Penance 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 should listen to him attentively and once again note to himself what his conscience exposes. Approaching the priest after this "common" Confession, the repentant must confess the sins that he has committed.
Sins, confessed and forgiven by the priest earlier, repeat on Confessions does not follow, because after Penance they become "as if they were not."

But if from the moment of the previous Confessions they have been 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. While repenting, one should not name accomplices or those who, willingly or unwillingly, provoked sin. In any case, a person is responsible for his iniquities, committed by him through weakness or negligence.

Sins in Orthodoxy confession

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

We must learn to confess in such a way that Repentance in their sins, do not replace 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 the understatement of sins, especially with reference to their ubiquity, they say, "they still live like this." But it is obvious that the massive nature of sin does not in the least justify the sinner.

Some confessors, in order not to forget from the excitement or lack of collection of the committed sins, 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 recorded, but not mourned iniquities. A note of sins immediately after Confessions need to be destroyed.

In no case should you try to do Confession comfortable and go through it without straining your spiritual forces, saying general phrases such as "sinful in everything" or obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions, for example, "sinned against the 7th commandment." It is impossible, distracted by trifles, to keep silent about what really weighs on the conscience.

Provoking such behavior on Confessions false shame in front of a confessor is destructive for spiritual life. Having got used to bend the soul in front of God Himself, you can lose hope of salvation. A cowardly fear of seriously starting to understand the "quagmire" of your life can cut off any connection with Christ.

This dispensation of the confessor also becomes the reason for him to belittle his sins, which is by no means harmless, since it leads to a distorted view of himself and of his relationship with God and his neighbors. You need to carefully review your whole life and free it from the sins that have become habitual.

How to properly prepare for confession

Scripture explicitly names the consequences of hushing up sins and self-justification: "Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malaki, nor sodomy, nor thieves, nor covetous people, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor predators, will inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6; 9.10)."

Do 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 man. You cannot hide out of false shame or shyness on Confessions some shameful sins, otherwise this concealment will make the remission of other sins incomplete.

Therefore, the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ after such Confessions will be in "judgment and condemnation." The very widespread division of sins into “gross” and “light” sins is very conditional. Such habitual "light" sins as everyday lies, dirty, blasphemous and lustful thoughts, anger, polyphony, constant jokes, rudeness and inattention to people in case of their repeated repetition paralyze the soul.

It is easier to renounce a grave sin and sincerely repent of it than to realize the perniciousness of “petty” sins leading to enslavement of a person. The well-known patristic parable testifies that it is much more difficult to remove a pile of small stones than to move a large stone of equal weight. While confessing, one should not wait for "leading" questions from the priest, one must remember that the initiative in Confessions must belong to the penitent.

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

If it seems that this is not so, then here it is simply necessary to accept their attacks without resentment. Confession.

The 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 is so necessary." Dryly listing true and imaginary sins, such a confessor does not have the main thing - a penitential 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 receive communion", "holiday", "has not confessed for a long time", etc.). This attitude exposes a person's inattention to the inner life of the soul, a lack of understanding of their sins (even if only mental) and passionate movements. Formalization Confessions leads to the fact that a person resorts to the Sacrament "in judgment and in condemnation."

The problem of substitution for 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 (to read the rule, not to get hurt on a fast day, to go to church) is not a goal, but a means to achieve what Christ himself defined in the words: “By this all 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 by fasting, but “bites and eats away” his relatives, then this is a serious reason to doubt his correct understanding of the essence of Orthodoxy. Addictive to Confessions, like any shrine, leads to dire consequences. A person ceases to be afraid to offend God with his sin, because “there is always confession and one 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 a while, since no one (not even the Lord) experiences the joy of 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 for him throughout his life. Therefore, it is necessary with humility, asking for help from the One who can facilitate this struggle and make him the winner, to persist in this grace-filled path.

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

List of sins for confession for women and men

This is possible provided that the confessor
1) laments over their sins;
2) is determined to correct his life;
3) has an undoubted hope for the mercy of Christ. Crushing for sins.

At a certain point in his spiritual development, a person begins to feel the heaviness of sin, its unnaturalness and detriment to the soul. The reaction to this is sorrow of the heart and contrition for their sins. But this contrition of the penitent must stem not so much from the fear of punishment for sins, but from the love of God, whom he offended with his ingratitude.

The intention to fix your life. A strong determination to correct your life is a prerequisite for receiving the remission of sins. Repentance only in words, without an inner desire to correct your life, leads to even greater condemnation.

Saint Basil the Great discusses this in the following way: “He is not the one who confesses his sin who said, I have sinned, and then remains in sin; but he who, according to the words of the psalm, "found his sin and hated." What benefit will the patient receive from the care of a physician when the sick person holds fast to what is destructive to life?

So there is no benefit from forgiveness of untruths to the one who still does the lie, and from the apology of debauchery - to those who continue to live dissolutely ".

Faith in Christ and Hope in His Mercy

An example of undoubted faith and hope in God's infinite mercy is Peter's forgiveness after his threefold denial of Christ. From Sacred history It is known of the New Testament, for example, that for sincere faith and hope the Lord pardoned Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who washed the Savior's feet with tears, anointed them with myrrh and wiped them off with her hair (See: Luke 7; 36-50).

What sins to speak in confession

The tax collector Zacchaeus was also pardoned, distributing half of the property to the poor and returning to those whom he offended, four times more than that taken away (See: Luke 19; 1-10). The greatest saint of the Orthodox Church, the Monk Mary of Egypt, being a harlot for many years, through deep repentance changed her life so much that she could walk on waters, saw the past and future as the present, and was rewarded with communion with angels in the wilderness.

The sign of the perfect Penance expressed in a feeling of lightness, purity and inexplicable joy, when a confessed sin seems to be simply impossible.

Penances

Penance (Greek epitimion - punishment according to the law) - the voluntary execution of the penitent - as a moral and corrective measure - of certain deeds of piety ( long prayer, alms, increased fasting, pilgrimage, etc.).

The penance is appointed by the confessor and has no meaning of punishment or punitive measure, not implying deprivation of any rights of a member of the Church. Being only "spiritual medicine", it is appointed with the aim of eradicating the habits of sin. This is a lesson, an exercise that teaches you to spiritual deeds and gives birth to striving for it.

The deeds of prayer and good deeds assigned as penance should be in essence directly opposite to the sin for which they were assigned: for example, deeds of mercy are assigned to those subject to the passion of avarice; a person who is incontinent is assigned a fast beyond what is required for all; scattered and carried away by worldly pleasures - more frequent going to church, reading the Holy Scriptures, increased home prayer, and the like.

Preparing for confession list of sins

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

Penance should be regarded as the will of God, expressed through a priest, accepting it for obligatory execution. The penance should be limited to a precise time frame (usually 40 days) and should be performed as firmly as possible.

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

A special prayer of permission should be read over the person who performed the penance given to him, the priest who imposed it, called the prayer over what is permitted from prohibition.

How to Prepare for the Sacrament 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, it can be led to Confessions both a little earlier, and a little later, after consulting the priest on this topic.

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

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

Teenagers are not allowed to come to Confessions with a great delay. Such a violation is unacceptable and may lead to a refusal to commune the late in the event of repeated repetition of this sin.

Confession children and adolescents should bear the same fruits as with Repentance an adult: the repentant should 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 should form a conscious attitude of the child towards Confessions, excluding, if possible, a pedagogical, consumer attitude towards her and towards his Heavenly Father. The principle expressed by the simple formula: “You are for me, I am for you” is categorically unacceptable for a child's relationship with God. The child should not be called to “please” God in order to receive some benefit from Him.

It is necessary to 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 impurity. Children have vicious tendencies that need to be eradicated.

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

Confessionand Communion seriously ill at home

At that moment, when the life of an Orthodox Christian is approaching sunset and he is on his deathbed, it is very important that relatives, despite the difficult circumstances, often accompanying this, be able to invite a priest to him to instruct him in 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 affect his posthumous fate. Relatives need to keep this in mind not only when the sick person is a church person, but also if the dying person has been 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 even calls out criminals and detractors! Therefore, at the slightest opportunity for this, relatives need to help the sick person take this step towards the calling Christ and repent of their sins.

Usually the priest is called to the house in advance, having applied for a candle box, where they must write down the coordinates of the patient, setting, if possible, the time of a future visit right away. The patient must be psychologically prepared for the arrival of the father, set up to prepare for Confessions as far as his physical condition will allow.

Complete list of sins for confession

When the priest comes, the patient needs, if he has the strength to do so, ask him for a blessing. The patient's family can be at his bedside and take part in prayers until the beginning Confessions when they will naturally have to retire.

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 Book of the Book under the title "Chin, when it will soon happen to the sick man to give the sacrament."

If the patient knows by heart the prayers for Communion and is able to repeat them, then let him do it after the priest, who reads them in separate phrases. To receive the Holy Mysteries, the patient must be arranged on the bed so that he does not choke, it is better to recline. After Communion the patient reads himself if he can thanksgiving prayers... Then the priest pronounces the dismissal and gives the Cross for kissing to the sacrament and to all those present.

If the patient's family has a desire and if the state of the sacrament allows it, then they can invite the priest to the table and once again understand in conversation with him how to behave at the bedside of a seriously ill person, that it 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 focus on the subject of passion. Thanks to these properties, passion becomes the source and cause of sin in the human soul.

Orthodox asceticism has accumulated centuries-old experience of observation and struggle with passions, which allowed them to be brought into clear schemes. The primary source of these classifications is the schema St. John Cassiana the Roman, followed by Evagrius, Nilus of Sinai, Ephraim the Syrian, John Climacus, Maximus the Confessor and Gregory Palamas.

According to the aforementioned teachers of asceticism, 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. Despondency.

Stages of the gradual formation of passion:

1. Adiption or adition (glorious. To be fooled - to collide with something) - sinful impressions or representations that arise in the mind against the will of a person. Supplements are not considered a sin and are not imputed to a person if the person does not respond to them with sympathy.

2. Thought becomes a pretext that meets in the soul of a person first interest, and then sympathy for himself. This is the first stage in the development of passion. A thought is born in a person when his attention becomes favorable to an adposition. At this stage, the thought evokes a sense of anticipation of future pleasure. The Holy Fathers call this a combination or interview with a thought.

what sins to list in confession

3. The inclination to a thought (intention) arises when a thought completely takes possession of a person's consciousness and his attention is focused only on him. If a person by an effort of will cannot free himself from a sinful thought, replacing it with a good and godly thought, then the next stage begins when the will itself is carried away by a sinful thought and strives to implement it.

This means that the sin in intent has already been committed and it remains only to practically satisfy the sinful desire.

4. The fourth stage in the development of passion is called captivity, when passionate attraction begins to dominate the will, constantly drawing the soul to the realization of sin. A ripe and rooted passion is an idol to which a person subject to it, often unknowingly, 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, then in the soul of a person who has become akin to his passion, there is a process of imitation of a struggle with it. Abba Dorotheos distinguishes three states in a person in relation to the struggle with passion:

1. When he acts out of passion (carrying it out).
2. When a person resists her (not acting out of passion, but not cutting off, having it in him).
3. When he uproots it (by striving and doing the opposite of passion). Freed from passions, a person must acquire the virtues opposite to them, otherwise the passions that had left a person will surely return.

Sins

Sin is a violation of Christian moral law - this content is reflected in the Epistle of the Apostle John: "Everyone who commits sin also practices lawlessness"(1 John 3; 4).
The most serious sins, leading to the death of a person, with their impenitence, are called mortal. There are seven of them:

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

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 forming in the human soul. Everything that has been said in the chapter on 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 takes place on video

1. Sins against God.
2. Sins against your neighbor.
3. Sins against oneself.

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

Therefore, it is not worth it to engage in pedagogy, expressed in the weekly "confession" of countless sins and sins. “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; you will not despise a broken and humble heart, O God ”(Ps. 50; 19), - the divinely inspired prophet David speaks about the meaning of Repentance.

Paying attention to the movements of your soul and noting your wrongness before the Lord in the specific circumstances of life, you must always remember that you need to acquire in the Sacrament of Repentance a "broken heart", and not a "polyphonic" language.

Sins Against God

Pride: violation of the commandments of God; disbelief, lack of faith and superstition; lack of hope for the mercy of God; excessive reliance on the mercy of God; hypocritical worship of God, formal worship of him; blasphemy; lack of love and fear of God; ingratitude to God for all His good deeds, as well as for sorrow and illness; blasphemy and murmuring against the Lord; non-fulfillment of the vows given to Him; invoking the Name of God in vain (unnecessarily); taking oaths with the invocation of His name; falling into delight.

Lack of reverence for icons, relics, saints, Holy Scripture and any other shrine; reading heretical books, keeping them in the house; a disdainful attitude towards the Cross, the sign of the cross, the under-worn cross; fear of professing the Orthodox faith; failure to comply with the prayer rule: morning and evening prayers; omission of reading the Psalms, Holy Scriptures, and others Divine books; omissions without good reason on Sunday and holiday services; contempt for church service; prayer without diligence and diligence, absent-minded and formal.

Conversations, laughter, walking around the temple during a church service; inattention to reading and singing; being late for services and premature exits from the temple; going to the temple and touching its shrines in physical impurity.

What to say before confession video

Lack of zeal in the work of repentance, rare confession and deliberate concealment of sins; Communion without heartbreak and without proper preparation, not reconciled with neighbors, at enmity with them. Disobedience to your spiritual father; condemnation of clergy and monastics; murmur and resentment against them; disrespect for the feasts of God; bustle on the days of big church holidays; violation of fasts and constant fasting days - Wednesday and Friday - throughout the year.

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

Sins Against Neighbor

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

Refusal to help the weak, oppressed, in trouble; laziness for work and household chores; disrespect for someone else's work; unmercifulness; stinginess; inattention to the sick and to those in constrained life circumstances; lowering prayers for neighbors and enemies; animal cruelty and flora, consumer attitude towards them; contradiction and intransigence to neighbors; disputes; a deliberate lie for the "catchphrase"; condemnation; backbiting, gossip and gossip; disclosure of other people's sins; eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

What to do before confession and communion

Offense and insults; enmity with neighbors and scandals; cursing others, including your own children; insolence and impudence in dealing with neighbors; poor upbringing of children, lack of effort to plant the saving truths of the Christian faith in their hearts; hypocrisy, the use of neighbors for personal selfish purposes; anger; suspicion of others in unseemly actions; deception and perjury.

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

Sins against yourself

Despondency and despair arising from the development of vanity and pride; arrogance, pride, arrogance, arrogance; doing good deeds for show; thoughts of suicide; fleshly excesses: eating too much, eating sweetly, gluttony; abuse of bodily peace and comfort: a lot of sleep, laziness, lethargy, relaxation; addiction to a certain way of life, unwillingness to change it for the sake of helping one's neighbor.

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

Idleness, waste, attachment to things; a waste of your time; the use of the talents given by God is not for good; addiction to comfort, money-grubbing: picking up "for a rainy day" food, clothing, shoes, furniture, jewelry, etc .; addiction to luxury; multi-care, vanity.

Striving for earthly honors and glory; "Decorating" yourself with cosmetics, tattoos, piercings, etc. for the purpose of deceiving. Sensual, lustful thoughts; adherence to seductive shows, conversations; intemperance of mental and bodily feelings, delight and slowness in impure thoughts.

Sacrament of confession and communion video

Voluptuousness; an immodest view of people of the opposite sex; remembrance with delight of their former carnal sins; addiction to long-term viewing of television programs; watching pornographic films, reading pornographic books and magazines; pimping and prostitution; singing obscene songs.

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

Confession

Coming to Confessions, should know that the priest who receives it is not a simple interlocutor for the confessor, but is a witness to the mysterious conversation of the penitent with God.
The Sacrament takes place in the following way: the penitent, approaching the analogion, bows to the ground before the cross and the Gospel lying on the analogion. If there are many confessors, this bow is done in advance. During the interview, the priest and confessor stand by the analogion; or the priest sits, and the penitent is on his knees.

Those who are waiting for their turn should not come close to the place where the Confession is performed, so that the confessed sins may not be heard by them, and the secret would not be violated. For the same purpose, the interview should be done in an undertone.
If the confessor is a novice, then Confession can be structured as it is reflected in the Book: the confessor asks the penitent questions according to the list.

Confession Video Explained

In practice, however, the enumeration of sins is performed in the first, general, part Confessions... Then the priest pronounces the "Testament", in which he calls on the confessor not to repeat the sins he confessed. However, the text of the Testament in the form in which it was printed in the Trebnik is rarely read, for the most part the priest simply gives the confessor his instructions.

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

After that, the confessor kneels, and the priest, covering his head with an epitrachilus, reads a prayer of absolution, containing the secret formula: “Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, by the grace and compassion of His love for mankind, may forgive you, child (name), all your sins, and I, unworthy priest, given to me by His power, 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 blesses the head of the confessor with the sign of the cross. After that, the confessor gets up 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 Communion. In this case, a penance may be appointed for a certain period. Then the final prayers are read. "It is worthy to eat ...", "Glory, and now ..." and the priest makes a release.

Ends Confession the instructions of the confessor to the penitent and the appointment of him to read the canon against his sins, if the priest finds it necessary.

The material used chapters from the book (abridged) “Handbook of an Orthodox Person. Sacraments of the Orthodox Church "(Danilovsky evangelist, Moscow, 2007

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

Going to confess to a spiritual father, many believers ask themselves questions: how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest at the same time? This is especially interesting for those who go to repentance for the first time. Of course, this is very exciting, because a person must repent of all mortal sins. But after Father forgives all sins, the soul becomes easy and free.

Confession is often called the second baptism. Having been baptized for the first time, the believer is freed from original sin. And a person who repented takes away the sins committed in life after baptism. A person is a sinner, during his whole life unrighteous deeds move him further and further from God. To approach the saint, one must accept the sacrament of confession or repentance.

Soul salvation is the main goal of the confessing person. Only in repentance is the sinner reunited with the Father in heaven. Despite the fact that troubles and sorrowful moments happen in the life of every Christian, he should not complain, grumble about fate and be discouraged. This is one of the most serious sins.

To prepare for confession, you need to think it over and follow these steps:

forgive all your offenders and, if possible, make peace with them;
ask for forgiveness yourself from everyone whom you could offend by word or deed;
stop gossiping and judging others for their actions;
refuse to watch entertainment programs and magazines;
drive away from yourself all obscene thoughts;
study spiritual literature;
3 days before the sacrament, you need to eat only lean food;
attend church services.

Children under 7 years of age and those who have just received baptism are not subject to confession, as well as women who have their periods on this day, and young mothers who have not passed another 40 days after giving birth.

As soon as you come to the temple, you will see that the believers have gathered for confession. You should turn to them, look around everyone and say: "Forgive me a sinner!" To this, the parishioners should answer: "God will forgive, and we forgive."

After that, you need to go to the confessor, bowing your head in front of the analogue, impose a cross on yourself and bow. Now we should start confession. It may happen that the priest asks you to kiss the cross and the bible. It is necessary to do whatever he says.

What sins to tell a priest about?

If you are not repenting for the first time, there is no need to talk about previously committed sins. You should only mention those that you did after the previous confession.

The main sins committed by a person.

Sins against the Heavenly Father. These include pride, renunciation of the church and the Almighty, violation of the 10 commandments, false prayer, unworthy behavior during worship, fascination with fortune-telling or magicians, thoughts of suicide.
Sins against the Neighbor. These are resentments, anger, anger, indifference, slander. Bad jokes directed at others.
Sins against yourself. Despondency, melancholy. Games for money, passion for material assets... Smoking, alcoholism, gluttony.

If you truly consciously repent and repent, God will forgive all transgressions. Think back to the top 10 commandments and see if you have broken them. You can’t hide anything and say nothing. Most often, the priest will listen to you and forgive sins. Sometimes he will ask to elaborate on a particular case.

At the beginning of the conversation, the priest will ask: "In what way have you sinned before the Lord?" If you don't know the language of the Bible, you can start confessing in your own words. The main thing is that they come from the heart.

In conclusion, you must answer all the questions that your confessor will ask you. Do you repent of what you did? Have you made a decision to live the commandments and not commit further sins?

After your answers, the priest will cover you with an element of the holy garment called the epitrachelion. He will speak over you and tell you what to do next. You can take the sacrament, or the priest will recommend that you come to confession again.

Having made a decision to confess, first of all you need to contact your priest, who will reveal to you all the nuances of this sacrament. Only in this case you will not worry about how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest. Come to confession with a pure heart and openly tell about all the sins you have committed. Only then will the Lord be merciful and grant you forgiveness.

The importance of confession in the temple. List of sins and preparation for confession.

Human life is not only about daily affairs, family and material goals. It is also a way of realizing oneself, one's connection with God.

In every religious tradition you will find the instructions of the Lord that regulate the relationship between all beings on the planet and in the universe.

It so happens that we are drowning in:

routine
emotions
racing for survival and a better life in terms of material comfort
pleasures and desires to have at least something in this life

We forget that we rent from God everything that surrounds us and that comes according to fate. Only our landlord loves us unconditionally and infinitely, is merciful and supportive of any of our tricks, like a loving father to the mischief of his children.

We can give him the greatest satisfaction if we turn to face him, remember our connection, regularly pray sincerely and come to confession.

Let's talk about the last point in more detail in this article.

How to prepare for confession for the first time?

the girl came to ask the priest how to prepare for confession

Confession is the relief of the soul through sincere, humble pronunciation of the words of their bad deeds, which are contrary to the principles of life specified in the scriptures.

If you have never been to confession, and at the given moment decided to fill this gap and sincerely repent before God about your sins, use some tips:

find a temple / church inside which you feel peaceful and relaxed
find out the mode of her work - when services, confessions and communions are held
choose the day when the flow of people is least, or talk to the priest and ask him to appoint you a day and hour for confession. If you do not have enough spirit and strength to immediately repent of what you have done, ask the priest for help. He will schedule a time for a spiritual conversation with you and prepare you for confession.
take a notebook and a pen, write down everything you are ready to repent of
only write about the most serious things. For example, that you broke the fast or knitted on a big holiday, you can not remember, because similar actions tend to be repeated
speak simply and clearly, without trying to clothe your deeds in church words
if you are very far from understanding the types of sins, read the Bible, 10 commandments. Here are simply and succinctly presented those types of actions that are considered sinful and contradict the plan of God regarding the life of living beings with each other.
buy books from the church store that list the main sins. However, use this advice only as a last resort. Because there is nothing more important than your sincerity during confession, and the Lord always dwells in the heart of every person and knows much more about you than you say to the priest in confession.
before coming to church, you must wear a pectoral cross and clothes accepted for wearing by a Christian / Christian woman

Preparing for confession: list

father prays for the penitent during confession

Before coming to confession, it is appropriate to set aside time for preparation. You dive deeply into yourself, remember what you said, did and thought about other people or God.

It is a good practice to write down everything that you are willing to sincerely repent of in confession, namely:

the most serious mortal sins - apostasy from the faith in their religious tradition, murder and adultery, or illegal sex
serious destructive actions - theft, deception, intense anger and hatred towards other people and God
actions, words and thoughts directed against your neighbor, that is, any person you meet according to fate
words, thoughts, actions directed against God and saintly persons
remember only about your deeds without judging other people and evaluating their lives

If you have not been to confession for a very long time or have never been and during this time the gravest sins have accumulated, before coming to the temple for repentance, fast, read prayers of repentance, and perform penances. Find out more from your confessor what actions and for how long you should take.

What to say in confession?

Father helps during confession to correctly name sins

Before coming to the temple, think, realize and accept your imperfection in the form of actions, thoughts and words directed against or to the detriment of other people and beings.

During confession, you feel humble and responsible for not repeating sins in the future.

Talk to the priest only about your deeds, do not evaluate other people
Avoid long, detailed stories about a specific situation
Speak simply without excuses and explanations of the motives of your actions and words.
Do not immerse yourself in thinking that your story is appreciated by the father. Firstly, this is a sign of pride and self-exaltation over others, and secondly, the priest has listened to many repentant speeches from other people for his practice. It is difficult to surprise him with anything, and his task is different during the hearing of confession.

What should be said to the priest in front of the icons in the church?

about the gravest mortal sins
about strong negative emotions towards others
to repent of those deeds that you unintentionally forgot and therefore did not say aloud

What sins to call in confession: a short list

Scripture on the altar for the sacrament of confession

Before confession, reread or remember the 10 commandments that the Lord bequeathed to us. They will become a guideline, a hint and a measure of all your actions.

A brief list of sins voiced in confession looks like this:

Fornication is watching and listening to videos with erotica, physical adultery for those who are married, life in a civil marriage
Gluttony is a passion for satisfying hunger for body and tongue.
The love of money is a race for money, putting money on a pedestal and first place in life, instead of family and relatives
Anger - as a quality of character, the desire to control the life and actions of other people
Discouragement - any kind of laziness, especially in carrying out your daily duties
Sadness - long blues, regrets about past days and events
Vanity - the desire for fame, the desire to possess material goods and property
Pride is one of the most common sins of modern man. This is the erection of oneself on a pedestal, the lack of sensitivity to the life of another person, the humiliation of the voluntary and involuntary of the surrounding people, animals and other living beings

How to name sins in confession? Just a listing of sins

the woman in front of the altar prepares for confession to the priest

As described in previous section there are eight main passions harassing humanity. But just listing them during confession will not give any result. And the priest, as a mediator, will not understand what the sinfulness was and what you repent of, and you will not experience the relief of your soul.

Therefore, remember and just talk about your specific deed, thoughts and words.

First of all, remember and pronounce sins:

apostasy, doubt about the power of God, atheism
murders, including abortions even forced for medical reasons
fornication and adultery. By the way, any religious tradition condemns civil marriage, or cohabitation. Although modern man practices this form of relationship

What is the name of the sin of masturbation in confession?

a girl with a ready-made record of her sins in confession

Each sin has decryptions and names of its different forms.

So masturbation happens:

natural - fornication, adultery
unnatural - malakia, same sex, animal relationships and similar perversions

Fornication is called:

lustful glances at other women / men
sexual contacts of unmarried people
various touches of an intimate nature to the body of another person

Adultery is the sins of a husband or wife with other people.

Malakia refers to the sexual satisfaction of oneself without the help of anyone.

For a more detailed understanding of this issue, read the book of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov vol. 1, ch. "The Eight Major Passions with Their Divisions and Industries."

Human life in the material world is associated with emotions, thoughts and deeds, which in one way or another affect and violate the interests of other people. Remembering that we are all souls and after returning to spiritual world We deeply repent of what we did during our lifetime on earth, but we are unable to change anything, come to church more often and confess to the holy father. Learn to forgive all offenses to others, pray and may God protect you and your family!