Confessional of sins. Sins committed against loved ones

29.09.2019

The sacrament of confession is a test for the soul. It consists of the desire to repent, verbal confession, repentance for sins. When a person goes against the laws of God, he gradually destroys his spiritual and physical shell. Repentance helps to cleanse. It reconciles man with God. The soul is healed and gains strength to fight sin.

Confession allows you to talk about your misdeeds and receive forgiveness. In excitement and fear, one can forget what one wanted to repent of. The list of sins for confession serves as a reminder, a hint. It can be read in full or used as an outline. The main thing is that the confession should be sincere and truthful.

Sacrament

Confession is the main component of repentance. This is an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for your sins, to be cleansed of them. Confession gives spiritual strength to resist evil. Sin is a discrepancy in thoughts, words, deeds with God's permission.

Confession is a sincere awareness of wicked deeds, a desire to get rid of them. No matter how difficult and unpleasant it is to remember them, you should tell the clergyman about your sins in detail.

For this sacrament, a complete interconnection of feelings and words is necessary, because the everyday enumeration of one's sins will not bring true purification. Feelings without words are just as ineffective as words without feelings.

There is a list of sins to confess. This is a large list of all indecent actions or words. It is based on the 7 deadly sins and 10 commandments. Human life is too diverse to be absolutely righteous. Therefore, confession is an opportunity to repent of sins and try to prevent them in the future.

How to prepare for confession?

Preparations for confession should take place in a few days. The list of sins can be written on a piece of paper. Special literature on the sacraments of confession and communion should be read.

One should not look for excuses for sins, one should be aware of their wickedness. It is best to analyze each day, sorting out what was good and what was bad. Such a daily habit will help to be more attentive to thoughts and actions.

Before confession, you should make peace with everyone who was offended. Forgive those who offended. Prior to confession, it is necessary to strengthen the prayer rule. Add to the evening reading the Penitential Canon, the canons of the Mother of God.

One should separate personal repentance (when a person mentally repents of his actions) and the sacrament of confession (when a person talks about his sins in a desire to be cleansed of them).

The presence of a third party requires a moral effort to realize the depth of the offense, it will force, through overcoming shame, to take a deeper look at wrong actions. Therefore, a list of sins is so necessary for confession in Orthodoxy. It will help to identify what was forgotten or wanted to be hidden.

If you have any difficulties in compiling a list of sinful actions, you can purchase the book "Full Confession". It is in every church shop. It is detailed there full list sins for confession, especially the sacrament. Samples of confession and materials for preparing for it have been published.

Rules

Is there a heaviness in your soul, do you want to speak out, ask for forgiveness? After confession, it becomes much easier. This is an open, sincere confession and repentance for committed misconduct. You can go to confession up to 3 times a week. The desire to be cleansed of sins will help overcome the feeling of constraint and awkwardness.

The rarer the confession, the more difficult it is to remember all the events and thoughts. The best option for the sacrament is once a month. Help in confession - a list of sins - will prompt the necessary words. The main thing is for the priest to understand the essence of the offense. Then the punishment for sin will be justified.

After confession, the priest imposes difficult cases penance. This is punishment, excommunication from the holy sacraments and God's grace. Its duration is determined by the priest. In most cases, the penitent will face moral and corrective work. For example, fasting, reading prayers, canons, akathists.

Sometimes the list of sins for confession is read out by the priest. You can write your own list of what has been done. It is better to come to confession after the evening service or in the morning, before the liturgy.

How is the sacrament

In some situations, you should invite the priest for confession to the house. This is done if the person is seriously ill or near death.

Upon entering the temple, it is necessary to take a queue for confession. During the entire time of the sacrament, the cross and the Gospel lie on the lectern. This symbolizes the invisible presence of the Savior.

Prior to confession, the priest may begin to ask questions. For example, about how often prayers are said, whether church rules are observed.

Then the mystery begins. It is best to prepare your list of sins for confession. A sample of it can always be purchased at the church. If the sins forgiven at the previous confession were repeated, then they should be mentioned again - this is considered a more serious offense. You should not hide anything from the priest or speak in hints. Should in simple words clearly explain the sins of which you repent.

If the priest tore up the list of sins for confession, then the sacrament is over and absolution has been given. The priest puts an epitrachelion on the penitent's head. This means the return of God's grace. After that, they kiss the cross, the Gospel, which symbolizes the readiness to live according to the commandments.

Getting Ready for Confession: A List of Sins

Confession is intended to comprehend one's sin, the desire to correct oneself. It is difficult for a person who is far from the church to understand what actions should be considered ungodly. That's why there are 10 commandments. They clearly spell out what not to do. It is better to prepare a list of sins for confession according to the commandments in advance. On the day of the sacrament, you can get excited and forget everything. Therefore, you should calmly re-read the commandments a few days before confession and write down your sins.

If confession is the first, then it is not easy to sort out the seven deadly sins and the ten commandments on your own. Therefore, you should approach the priest in advance, in a personal conversation, tell about your difficulties.

A list of sins for confession with an explanation of sins can be purchased at the church or found on the website of your temple. The decoding details all alleged sins. From this general list, one should single out what was done personally. Then write down your list of wrongdoings.

Sins committed against God

Unbelief in God, doubts, ingratitude.
The absence of a pectoral cross, unwillingness to defend the faith in front of detractors.
Oaths in the name of God, pronouncing the name of the Lord in vain (not during prayer or conversations about God).
Visiting sects, divination, treatment with all kinds of magic, reading and spreading false teachings.
Gambling, suicidal thoughts, foul language.
Non-attendance at the temple, lack of daily prayer rule.
Non-observance of fasts, unwillingness to read Orthodox literature.
Condemnation of the clergy, thoughts about worldly things during worship.
Waste of time for entertainment, watching TV, inactivity at the computer.
Despair in difficult situations, excessive hope in oneself or someone else's help without faith in God's providence.
Concealment of sins at confession.

Sins committed against neighbors

Hot temper, anger, arrogance, pride, vanity.
Lies, non-intervention, ridicule, stinginess, extravagance.
Raising children outside of faith.
Failure to return debts, non-payment for labor, refusal to help those who ask and those in need.
Unwillingness to help parents, disrespect for them.
Theft, condemnation, envy.
Quarrels, drinking alcohol at the wake.
Murder with a word (slander, bringing to suicide or illness).
Killing a child in the womb, persuading others to have an abortion.

Sins committed against yourself

Foul language, pride, idle talk, gossip.
The desire for profit, enrichment.
Showing off good deeds.
Envy, lies, drunkenness, gluttony, drug use.
Fornication, adultery, incest, masturbation.

List of sins for a woman's confession

This is a very delicate list, and many women refuse confession after reading it. Do not trust any information you read. Even if a pamphlet with a list of sins for a woman was purchased in a church shop, be sure to pay attention to the neck. There should be an inscription "recommended by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church."

Priests do not disclose the secret of confession. Therefore, it is best to go through the sacrament with a permanent confessor. The Church does not intrude into the sphere of intimate marital relations. Questions of contraception, which is sometimes equated with abortion, are best discussed with a priest. There are drugs that do not have an abortion effect, but only prevent the birth of life. In any case, all controversial issues should be discussed with the spouse, doctor, confessor.

Here is a list of sins to confess (short):

Rarely prayed, did not attend church.
I thought more about worldly things during prayer.
Allowed sexual intercourse before marriage.
Abortions, declining others to them.
She had impure thoughts and desires.
Watched movies, read pornographic books.
Gossip, lies, envy, laziness, resentment.
Excessive exposure of the body to attract attention.
Fear of old age, wrinkles, thoughts of suicide.
Addiction to sweets, alcohol, drugs.
Avoidance of helping other people.
Seeking help from fortune-tellers, soothsayers.
Superstition.

List of sins for a man

There is debate about whether to prepare a list of sins for confession. Someone believes that such a list harms the sacrament and contributes to the formal reading of offenses. The main thing in confession is to realize your sins, repent and prevent their repetition. Therefore, the list of sins may be a brief reminder or not at all.

A formal confession is not considered valid, since there is no repentance in it. Returning after the sacrament to the former life will add hypocrisy. The balance of spiritual life consists in understanding the essence of repentance, where confession is only the beginning of the realization of one's sinfulness. This is a long process consisting of several stages. inner work. The creation of spiritual resources is a systematic adjustment of conscience, responsibility for one's relationship with God.

Here is a list of sins for confession (short) for a man:

Sacrilege, conversations in the temple.
Doubt in faith, afterlife.
Blasphemy, mockery of the poor.
Cruelty, laziness, pride, vanity, greed.
Evasion from military service.
Avoidance of unwanted work, shirking duties.
Insults, hatred, fights.
Slander, disclosure of other people's weaknesses.
Seduction to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drugs, gambling).
Refusal to help parents, other people.
Theft, aimless collecting.
Tendency to boast, argue, humiliate one's neighbor.
Insolence, rudeness, contempt, familiarity, cowardice.

Confession for a child

For a child, the sacrament of confession can begin at the age of seven. Until this age, children are allowed to take Communion without this. Parents should prepare the child for confession: explain the essence of the sacrament, tell why it is performed, remember with him possible sins.

The child must be made to understand that sincere repentance is the preparation for confession. It is better for a child to write a list of sins himself. He must realize what actions were wrong, try not to repeat them in the future.

Older children themselves decide whether to confess or not. Do not limit the free will of a child, a teenager. The personal example of parents is much more important than all conversations.

The kid must remember his sins before confession. A list of them can be compiled after the child answers the questions:

How often does he read a prayer (in the morning, in the evening, before meals), which ones does he know by heart?
Does he go to church, how does he behave in the service?
Whether wears pectoral cross, distracted or not during prayers and worship?
Have you ever deceived your parents or father during confession?
Wasn't he proud of his successes, victories, wasn't he conceited?
Does he fight or not with other children, does he offend babies or animals?
Does he tell other children to shield himself?
Did you commit theft, did you envy someone?
Did you laugh at other people's physical imperfections?
Did you play cards (smoked, drank alcohol, tried drugs, used foul language)?
Is she lazy or helps her parents around the house?
Did he pretend to be sick to avoid his duties?

A person himself determines whether to confess or not, how many times to attend the sacrament.
Prepare a list of sins for confession. It is better to take a sample in the temple where the sacrament will take place, or find it yourself in church literature.
It is optimal to go to confession to the same clergyman who will become a mentor and will contribute to spiritual growth.
Confession is free.

First you need to ask what days confessions take place in the temple. You should dress appropriately. For men, a shirt or T-shirt with sleeves, trousers or jeans (not shorts). For women - a scarf on the head, no cosmetics (at least lipstick), a skirt no higher than the knees.

Sincerity of confession

A priest, as a psychologist, can recognize how sincere a person is in his repentance. There is a confession that offends the sacrament and the Lord. If a person mechanically talks about sins, has several confessors, conceals the truth - such actions do not lead to repentance.

Behavior, tone of speech, words used in confession - all this matters. Only in this way does the priest understand how sincere the penitent is. Pangs of conscience, embarrassment, worries, shame contribute to spiritual purification.

Sometimes the personality of a priest is important for a parishioner. This is not a reason to condemn and comment on the actions of the clergy. You can go to another temple or turn to another holy father for confession.

Sometimes it's hard to voice your sins. The emotional experiences are so strong that it is more convenient to make a list of unrighteous actions. Batiushka is attentive to every parishioner. If because of shame it is impossible to tell about everything and repentance is deep, then the sins, the list of which is compiled before confession, the clergyman has the right to release without even reading them.

The meaning of confession

Having to talk about your sins in front of a stranger is embarrassing. Therefore, people refuse to go to confession, believing that God will forgive them anyway. This is the wrong approach. The priest acts only as an intermediary between man and God. His task is to determine the measure of repentance. The priest has no right to condemn anyone, he will not expel a penitent from the church. At confession, people are very vulnerable, and the clergy try not to cause unnecessary suffering.

It is important to see your sin, to recognize and condemn it in your soul, to voice it before the priest. Have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds anymore, try to atone for the harm done by works of mercy. Confession brings the rebirth of the soul, re-education and access to a new spiritual level.

Sins (list), Orthodoxy, confession imply self-knowledge and the search for grace. All good deeds are done through force. Only by overcoming oneself, engaging in works of mercy, cultivating virtues in oneself, one can receive God's grace.

The significance of confession lies in understanding the typology of sinners, the typology of sin. At the same time, an individual approach to each penitent is akin to pastoral psychoanalysis. The sacrament of confession is the pain from the realization of sin, its recognition, the determination to voice and ask for forgiveness for it, the purification of the soul, joy and peace.

The person must feel the need for repentance. Love for God, love for oneself, love for one's neighbor cannot exist separately. The symbolism of the Christian cross - horizontal (love for God) and vertical (love for oneself and one's neighbor) - consists in the awareness of the integrity of spiritual life, its essence.

The desire to confess appears not only in people who bow before the law of God. Even the sinner is not lost to the Lord.

He is given the opportunity to change through the revision of his own views and the recognition of the sins committed, the correct repentance of them. Having cleansed himself of sins and embarked on the path of correction, a person will not be able to fall again.

The need to confess arises in someone who:

committed the gravest sin;
terminally ill;
wants to change the sinful past;
decided to get married;
preparing for communion.

Babies up to the age of seven, and parishioners who were baptized that day, can receive Communion for the first time without confession.

Note! It is allowed to come to confession at the age of seven.

It often happens that a person of mature age needs to confess for the first time. In this case, you need to remember your sins committed from the age of seven.

No need to rush, remember everything, write down the list of sins on a piece of paper. The priest is a witness to the Sacrament, he should not be embarrassed and ashamed, as well as the all-forgiving God himself.

God, in the person of the holy fathers, forgives even grave sins. But in order to receive God's forgiveness, you need to seriously work on yourself.

To atone for sins, a penitent person performs the penance imposed on him by a priest. And only after its fulfillment, the repentant parishioner is forgiven with the help of the "permissive prayer" of the clergyman.

Important! When preparing yourself for confession, forgive those who offended you and ask for forgiveness from the one you offended.

You can go to confession, if only you are able to drive obscene thoughts away from yourself. No entertainment and frivolous literature, it is better to remember the Holy Scriptures.

Confession proceeds in the following order:

wait your turn for confession;
turn to those present with the words: “Forgive me, a sinner,” having heard in response that God will forgive, and we forgive, and only then approach the priest;
in front of a high setup - an lectern, bow your head, cross yourself and bow, begin to confess correctly;
after listing the sins, listen to the clergyman;
then, crossing ourselves and bowing twice, we kiss the Cross and the holy book of the Gospel.

Think in advance how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest. An example, the definition of sins, can be taken from the Biblical Commandments. We begin each phrase with the words that she sinned and in what exactly.

We speak without details, we formulate only the sin itself, unless the priest himself asks about the details. If you need God's forgiveness, you must sincerely repent of your actions.

It is foolish to hide anything from the priest, he is the helper of the all-seeing God.

The goal of a spiritual healer is to help you repent of your sins. And if you have tears, the priest has achieved his goal.

What is considered a sin?

The well-known biblical commandments will help you determine which sins to name the priest during confession:

Types of sins	Sinful actions	Essence of sin
Attitude towards God	Doesn't wear a cross. Confidence that God is in the soul and there is no need to go to the temple. Celebration of pagan traditions, including Halloween. Attending sectarian meetings, bowing to wrong spirituality. Appeal to psychics, fortune tellers, horoscopes and signs. Pays little attention to the reading of Holy Scripture, does not teach prayer, neglects the observance of the Fasts and attendance at church services.	Unbelief, apostasy. Feeling of pride. A mockery of the Orthodox faith. Disbelief in the unity of God. Communication with evil spirits. Violation of the commandment to spend a day off.
Relationship with loved ones	Parent disrespect. arrogance and interference with personal and intimate life adult children. Deprivation of life of living beings and a person, mocking and violent actions. Extortion, illegal activities.	Violation of the commandment to honor parents. Violation of the commandment to respect loved ones. Violation of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." The sin associated with the corruption of adolescents and children. Violation of the biblical commandments associated with theft, envy and lies.
Attitude towards yourself	Cohabitation without marriage, sexual perversions, interest in erotic films. The use of obscene words and vulgar anecdotes in speech. Abuse of smoking, alcohol, drugs. Passion for gluttony and gluttony. Desire to flatter, talk, brag about good deeds, admire oneself.	Carnal sin - adultery, fornication. The sin of foul language. Disregard for what the Lord has given - to health. The sin of arrogance.

Important! The primary sins, on the basis of which others appear, include arrogance, pride and arrogance in communication.

An example of confession in the church: what sins to say?

Consider how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest, an example of confession.

A confession written on paper can be used if the parishioner is very shy. Even the priests allow this, but you don’t need to give the sample to the priest, we list it in our own words.

In Orthodoxy, an example of confession is welcomed:

approaching the priest, do not think about earthly affairs, try to listen to your soul;
turning to the Lord, it must be said that I have sinned before You;
list the sins, saying: “I have sinned ... (by adultery or lying or something else)”;
sins are told without details, but not very briefly;
having finished the enumeration of sins, we repent and ask for salvation and alms from the Lord.

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Discussion: 3 comments

And if there are still few sins, but it’s not very clean on my conscience, and I promised my MCH that I would definitely go to church. His first requirement is to go to confession and repent of all grave things. Luckily, I don't have many. And now I have a real problem. What if you confess online? Who thinks about this topic? Well, as I understand it, you post your site and there the priest prays for you and forgives sin. Not?

Answer

Excuse me, in my opinion it is not necessary to go to the temple at the request of the MCH. What is it for? This is done for GOD, for the purification of the soul, and not because someone "demands". As far as I understand, you do not have this need. God cannot be deceived - neither through the Internet, nor in the temple.

Answer

Reply to Christina. Christina, no, you can't confess over the Internet. I understand you are afraid of the priest, but think about it, the priest is only a witness to your repentance (after your death he will intercede for you before God and say that you repented if it was, in turn, the demons will talk about what you did not repent of ) do not complicate the future either for the father or for yourself. You don't need to hide sins, you don't need to hide them otherwise in this way you will increase them in number for yourself. We must honestly tell the whole truth about our evil deeds, not justifying ourselves, but condemning ourselves for them. Repentance is the correction of thoughts and life. After confession, you kiss the cross and the Gospel as a promise to God to fight the sins that you have confessed. Look for God! Guardian Angel!

Answer

Isn't it time for us all to learn how to confess correctly? - Resolutely and without hesitation, the employees of the portal "Orthodox Life" asked the confessor of the Kiev Theological Schools, teacher of the KDA, Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk).

Photo: Boris Gurevich fotokto.ru

– A large number of people do not know what to repent. Many go to confession and remain silent, waiting for leading questions from the priests. Why is this happening and what needs to be repented of Orthodox Christian?

– Usually people do not know what to repent of, for several reasons:

1. They lead a scattered life (busy with thousands of things), and they have no time to take care of themselves, look into their soul and see what is wrong there. Such people in our time 90%, if not more.

2. Many suffer from high self-esteem, that is, they are proud, and therefore are more inclined to notice and condemn other people's sins and shortcomings than their own.

3. Neither their parents, nor teachers, nor priests taught them what and how to repent.

And an Orthodox Christian should repent first of all of what his conscience convicts him of. It is best to build a confession according to the Ten Commandments of God. That is, during Confession, we first need to talk about what we have sinned against God (these can be the sins of unbelief, lack of faith, superstition, godliness, oaths), then repent of sins against neighbors (disrespect, inattention to parents, disobedience to them, deceit, cunning, condemnation, anger against neighbors, hostility, arrogance, pride, vanity, stinginess, theft, tempting others to sin, fornication, etc.). I advise you to familiarize yourself with the book "To Help the Penitent", compiled by St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). In the work of the elder John Krestyankin, an example of confession according to the Ten Commandments of God is presented. Focusing on these works, you can make your own informal confession.

– How much detail do you need to tell about your sins at confession?

– It all depends on the degree of your repentance for sins. If a person in his heart has gained the determination not to return to this or that sin, then he tries to uproot it and therefore describes everything to the smallest detail. And if a person repents formally, then he gets something like: "I have sinned in deed, word, thought." The exception to this rule is the sins of fornication. In this case, the details do not need to be described. If the priest feels that a person is indifferent even to such sins, then he can ask additional questions in order to shame such a person at least a little and move him to true repentance.

– If you don’t feel light after confession, what does it mean?

- This may indicate that there was no genuine repentance, confession was made without contrition of the heart, but only a formal enumeration of sins with an unwillingness to change one's life and not sin again. True, sometimes the Lord does not immediately give a feeling of lightness, so that a person does not become proud and immediately fall into the same sins again. Ease also does not come immediately if a person confesses old, deeply rooted sins. For lightness to come, it is necessary to shed a lot of tears of repentance.

– If you attended confession at Vespers, and after the service you managed to sin, is it necessary to go to confession again in the morning?

– If these are sins of fornication, anger or drunkenness, then you definitely need to repent of them again and even ask the priest for penance, so as not to commit the same sins so quickly. If sins of a different kind are committed (condemnation, laziness, verbosity), then during the evening or morning prayer rule, you should sincerely ask for forgiveness from the Lord for the committed offenses, and confess them at the next confession.

– If at confession I forgot to mention some sin, and then after a while I remembered it, do I need to go back to the priest and talk about it?

- If there is such an opportunity and the priest is not very busy, then he will even rejoice for your diligence, and if this is not possible, then you need to write down this sin so as not to forget it again, and repent of it during the next confession.

How can you learn to see your sins?

- A person begins to see his sins when he stops judging other people. In addition, to see one's weakness, as St. Simeon the New Theologian writes, teaches the careful fulfillment of God's commandments. As long as a person fulfills one thing and neglects the other, he will not be able to feel what a wound sins inflict on his soul.

– What to do with a sense of shame at confession, with a desire to obscure, hide your sin? Will this hidden sin be forgiven by God?

– Shame at confession is a natural feeling, which indicates that a person has a living conscience. Worse, when there is no shame. But the main thing is that shame should not reduce our confession to formality, when we confess one thing and hide the other. It is unlikely that the Lord will be pleased with such a confession. Yes, and every priest always feels when a person hides something and formalizes his confession. For him, this child ceases to be dear, one for which he is always ready to pray fervently. And vice versa, regardless of the gravity of the sin, the deeper the repentance, the more the priest rejoices for the penitent. Not only the priest, but also the angels in heaven rejoice for a sincerely penitent person.

– Is it necessary to confess a sin that you will absolutely commit in the near future? How to hate sin?

– The Holy Fathers teach that the greatest sin is unrepentant sin. Even if we do not feel the strength in ourselves to fight sin, we still need to resort to the Sacrament of Penance. WITH God's help If not immediately, then gradually we will be able to overcome the sin that has taken root in us. But don't overestimate yourself. If we lead a right spiritual life, we can never feel completely sinless. The fact is that we are all docile, that is, we very easily fall into all sorts of sins, no matter how many times we repent of them. Each of our confessions is a kind of shower (bath) for the soul. If we constantly take care of the purity of our body, then all the more we need to take care of the purity of our soul, which is much more precious than the body. So, no matter how many times we sin, we must not hesitate to run to confession. And if a person does not repent of repeated sins, then they will entail other, more serious offenses. For example, someone is accustomed to deceive on trifles all the time. If he does not repent of this, then in the end he can not only deceive, but also betray other people. Remember what happened to Judas. He first quietly stole money from the donation box, and then betrayed Christ Himself.

A person can hate sin only when he fully feels the sweetness of the grace of God. As long as a person's sense of grace is weak, it is difficult for him not to fall into the sin of which he has recently repented. The sweetness of sin in such a person is stronger than the sweetness of grace. Therefore, the holy fathers and especially Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky so insists that the main goal of the Christian life should be the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

– If a priest tore up a note with sins without looking into it, are these sins considered forgiven?

– If the priest is perspicacious and knows how to read what is written in the note without looking into it, then, thank God, all sins are forgiven. If the priest does this because of his haste, indifference and inattention, then it is better to go to confession to another or, if this is not possible, confess your sins aloud, without writing them down.

- Does it exist in Orthodox Church general confession? How to treat this practice?

– A general confession, during which special prayers from the Ribbon are read, is usually held before an individual confession. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt practiced general confession without individual confession, but he did this by necessity because of the multitude of people who came to him for consolation. Purely physically, due to human weakness, he did not have enough strength to listen to everyone. V Soviet time such confessions were also sometimes practiced, when there was one temple for a whole city or district. Now, when the number of temples and clergy has increased significantly, there is no need to make do with one common confession without individual. We are ready to listen to everyone, if only there was sincere repentance.

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova

Greetings, Dear friends on our Orthodox website. Today we will talk about how to confess correctly. I want to remind you that before confession you must read a prayer, repent of your sins and forgive all your offenders.

What sins to list in confession to the priest

Many of us think about what kind of sins to say in confession? Do I need to list everything? How to tell the priest about your shameful deeds? What to do if you forgot something?

First of all, remember the sins, write them down on a piece of paper so as not to forget, and if you remember something, write it down. Ask yourself questions using a list, repent of each one, and don't do any more of them in the future.

They will help to supplement the list of sins at confession. Try to remember as many sins as possible and in no case be afraid that the priest will condemn you for some sin. He listens to thousands of them every day, believe me, repent, and even if you are ashamed, anyway, tell me - you can’t hide sins in confession before God. God already knows and sees all your sins.

Confession is one of the most important sacraments Orthodox person. As you make a list, write down the sins you know and doubt. For example, you smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, did not marry, lived in fornication, had abortions, lied, lied, condemned, shouted at relatives and friends (raised your voice), did not keep fasts, gluttony, cursed, etc. As you make this list, be aware of each of your bad deeds without shielding yourself.

Do not bring huge sheets of pages to the priest, as this is a listing of your life, and not a confession, try to shorten it as much as possible, but so that everything is clear. The sacrament itself implies the complete repentance of a person and the understanding of his sins. Every person needs spiritual healing, cleanse yourself and do good.

What you need to do before going through the sacrament of confession

Before confession, fast for 3 days until Holy Communion, eating only fast food from Thursday to Sunday, observing the diet. Such a post is considered optional, but desirable.
Go to the evening service on Saturday the day before confession (if possible).
From midnight until communion, do not eat or drink water.
Come to the beginning of the service, and not to the time of confession.

What prayers to read before confession?

Before confession, read the prayer of Simeon the Theologian, find prayers of repentance, which are also recommended for reading. For communion, read the canons:

Repentant to Jesus Christ
Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos
Guardian Angel

How to prepare for confession for the first time?

The first thing I want to say - do not be afraid, no one will judge you. Do everything you need to do before confession and take the sacrament. It will become easy for you, your whole inner world will be cleansed. Write everything as it is, in your own words - it will be better, you will feel and realize your actions more strongly.

This is an inexplicable feeling when you understand that after confession your sins were forgiven, the Lord will forgive everything, but you must also forgive everyone you offended, also start correcting yourself immediately after confession. After confession, your mood will rise sharply, you will feel light and, most importantly, do not succumb again to what you confessed for.

An approximate list of sins in confession

Angry at family and friends. Was in anger. Hated people, took revenge.
Engaged in love without marriage and wedding. Fornicated.
Behaved badly in the temple, didn’t fast, didn’t pray, didn’t go to church.
He was (a) greedy (oh), greedy (oh), stingy (oh), created (a) an idol for himself, exalted (a) them.
Envy others, relatives, relatives.
Lazy (s), discouraged (a).
Was (a) proud. Exalted himself.
Was gorging on food.

You will have a completely different list of sins at confession. This is a simple example of how to describe your sins. This checklist will help you prepare for confession.

How is the confession going?

To begin with, you must prepare well, repent of your sins and do everything that is written above. Then, if you are completely ashamed, you can give the sheet with sins to the priest so that he reads to himself, ask him to read it.

You can read the sins yourself from the sheet. The father will listen and give you advice, listen to the advice. When the priest finishes, cross yourself twice, bow at the waist, kiss the Cross and the Gospel, then cross yourself again, bow.

If the sin is very serious, such as murder or abortion, the priest may give penance. This is such an exercise that will allow, by performing it, to realize the sin more deeply, to repent more deeply of the deed. Penances are different.

Confession in the words of a father

so The Lord God gives us the opportunity to be saved in this world only by kindness and truth to all living things. Do good deeds, do not get angry, do not swear with anyone. It won't get any better. Demons are insatiable creatures trying to get you hooked on constant sins, and just like that they will not back down.

Church life consists not only of attending worship services. This is only a small part of it. A true Christian must engage in spiritual work, for which the Lord established the sacrament of confession. But many are hindered by the usual embarrassment, people are lost in front of an unfamiliar priest. They do not know how to behave, what to say, how to correctly name sins on. Let's figure out how to prepare for this important event whether there are purely “male” and “female” faults, how to repent.

What is confession

The traditional confession of sins exists in the historic churches, Catholic and Orthodox. Some Protestant denominations also practice confession, but do not make it mandatory for everyone who wishes. Most other Christian denominations do not have confession as a sacrament at all. But this tradition is sacredly revered by the Orthodox.

Sometimes, a person just needs to pour out his soul. He does not always want to open up to close people - after all, they can find out something unpleasant for themselves, misunderstand. Confidential communication with strangers is not accepted. How to be in such a case? Believers can come to the temple to repent (this is confession).

How is confession

In order to reconcile with the Lord, to restore the state of peace to the soul, it is necessary to come to the temple and find out at what time the sacrament is held. Time in different temples is set in its own way.

Cleansing of conscience should not be confused with heartfelt conversation. For her, it is better to appoint a separate time.
It is necessary to name sins at confession honestly, without hiding anything, but avoiding unnecessary details, especially when it comes to carnal sins.
Answer the priest's questions briefly and without justification.
At the end, the clergyman will read the permissive prayer. After it, the conscience of a Christian is considered as pure as immediately after baptism.

As a rule, most parishioners are allowed to attend the next day, so they combine repentance and bodily fasting. This brings great spiritual fruit.

How to Prepare for Confession

Many do not know what to say in confession. But if you prepare properly, the question will not be so difficult. Everyone understands what sin is - an act committed against God's will, a violation of His commandments. Christians are also not to harm their neighbors - not only physically, but also morally. Even a bad word that has flown from the mouth in a moment of anger is disgusting. There are people who believe that if they have not robbed anyone, then they have no special sins. This is a deep delusion.

In order not to forget anything, many parishioners make a list of sins. It's not forbidden, but it shouldn't be a copy from someone else's.

What are the sins

Since the first centuries of Christianity, people have tried to understand what is sin and what is not. Spiritual fathers examined the human soul, explained how spiritual degradation occurs. After all, rebellion against the will of God does not happen overnight. First, a person sees something inappropriate, then thoughts arise (“what’s wrong with that”), then desires appear, and only then does a Christian decide to take the first step. That is why you should be very careful about everything in your life.

Many sins can be found in the works of the holy fathers, but in general they fall into two broad categories:

against the Lord;
against those around you.

Such a classification was established by Himself, as narrated by the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 22, verses 37-40). If a believer analyzes his actions from the point of view of his attitude towards the Lord and his neighbors, he will not have a question about how to repent. Such difficulties arise only from inattention to one's soul. Such parishioners tend to talk only about unimportant things, avoiding the serious problems that they have in life.

It takes a certain amount of courage to truly repent. After all, if you have recognized the difficulties, you will have to do something to resolve them, start fighting your passions, weaknesses, vices.

List of sins in confession for women

Although people are equal before God, He created them for different purposes. A man is called to be a mentor, a protector, a leader. The woman is responsible for the birth and upbringing of children. Therefore, her sins can be special. The most serious - termination of pregnancy, no matter how long. This is considered in Orthodoxy to be the murder of one's own child, even if there are medical indications. Here are some other sins.

Dissatisfaction with one's own life, the desire to acquire new clothes and household items (not out of necessity, but to show off to friends);
Predilection for sweets, special foods;
Vanity (the desire to receive praise from others, delight in one's own beauty, exhibiting one's photographs);
Women are especially greedy for gossip, condemnation of others, they seek out sins from their neighbors, condemn their weaknesses;
Today, unfortunately, many girls drink and smoke on a par with men, do not take care of their health. Destruction of one's own body is also a sin, because it is given by God in order to serve as the abode of the Holy Spirit.

According to the plan, a man is called upon to protect his mother, wife, sister. But they should treat him with respect, be obedient. Modern society imposes the stereotype of a cheeky, frankly dressed and shameless woman, a "hunter" for men. Following this example is also a sin.

List of sins in confession for men

As advised by the famous Orthodox archpriest A. Tkachev, you should not look for your sins using long lists consisting of hundreds of sins. Modern life gives each of us new opportunities to sin, today they are associated with the information space, social networks. If you plunge into the search, then a person can “dig up” a lot of sins. This is where the spiritual life of a man can end, because his soul will fall into a state of stupor.

It is impossible for a person on a sinful earth to achieve absolute holiness. Sins can be realized only by being in the light. Reference books do not help in this, you need to pray that he will send grace, let him understand his impurity. It is also impossible to completely consider yourself lost, because God is ready to extend a helping hand to the sinner. Therefore, first of all, one should not look for transgressions, but for the goodness and mercy of the Creator.

To better understand yourself, you can use the following list for men:

He had doubts about existence, showed little faith.
looked after married women seduced them.
He used foul language and verbally abused those around him.
He drank, drank family money, used drugs, smoked.
He got into fights, behaved defiantly.
He behaved inappropriately in the temple, was late for the service, left prematurely.

It is not the goal of a Christian to enumerate absolutely all existing sins. The root of most of them is the same - either lack of faith, or pride or commitment to other passions. Many of them today are not only not considered something shameful, but people compete to sin more (for example, who will drink more or seduce more girls).

The task of a man is to be a support for his wife and an example for children. Many modern fathers of the family tend to avoid their duties, beat their wives, get drunk, neglect the upbringing of their own children. And they visit the church only twice a year, at big holidays or at the christening of one of the relatives. They consider faith in the Lord almost a weakness, they do not want to keep the commandments. Such people should carefully reconsider their lives.

Even if after confession you don’t feel relief, you can’t give up. Sometimes