How to find a spiritual mentor? Does a person need a spiritual mentor? Why is Spiritual Guidance Necessary? Who is a confessor
Good afternoon, dear readers.
Not so long ago, one of my readers, Vasily, raised the question of the need / not the need for a Spiritual Orthodox person. Those. Vasily put it this way: ".... you need to consult with your confessor. He should guide your reading."
Until that moment, the thought of the Spiritual Spirit did not occur to me. And now I'm thinking.
So, do we, Orthodox (and just starting out) really need such a helper? Or can we ourselves, with the help of the Lord, go our own way?
As always, I'll start with a definition.
Wikipedia - Confessor or Spiritual Father - in the Orthodox Church, usually a priest as the performer of the sacrament of repentance.
Azbuka.ru - In the Orthodox Church, a priest is called a confessor as the performer of the sacrament of repentance.
It is customary to call a confessor in a monastery a special official whose duties include spiritual guidance brethren on the path to salvation. The main duty of the confessor is the pastoral care of the inhabitants of the monastery and their spiritual condition. He contributes to the fact that all the inhabitants of the monastery invariably go to confession and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. For the monks, private conversations of the spiritual father are also very useful, which will help them to better understand the meaning of the monastic path.
encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: this is what is called in rights. church priest as the performer of the sacrament of repentance. Confessor in fear of losing spirits. the dignity is forbidden to reveal the sins of the confessor or reproach him for them; after confession they should be forgotten by him. Two exceptions to this rule are allowed: a) if someone in confession announced malicious intent against the sovereign and public order without expressing a renunciation of such intent; b) if someone, although secretly, but deliberately, caused a temptation among the people (religious fiction, a false miracle) and did not express consent at confession by publicly announcing that the consequences of the temptation should be destroyed. It is forbidden during confession to make a distinction between noble and simple people, to please some and treat others strictly, to turn confession into a means of extortion and immodest requests. It is forbidden to confess several people at once, not only adults, but also children. During the confession of deaf-mutes and those who speak a language unknown to the spiritual father, he is allowed to contact his relatives to get acquainted with the moral state of the confessor, and also offer him to state his sins in writing; this record must be burned in his presence. When admonishing the penitent and appointing him a penance (see), D. is obliged to distinguish between venial sins (ignorance and weakness) and mortal sins, in case of impenitence, depriving a Christian of grace. D.'s signature as a witness on the spiritual will is recognized in known cases equal to the signatures of two outside witnesses.
Reading these lines, you understand that the help of such a person, the Confessor, would be very desirable to have. And, probably, I would like such a person to be always available to communicate with you.
Looking through my life and spiritual path, I understand that so far I don’t have such a Mentor....
What to do and whether it is worth taking any steps in search of the Confessor. The question is open.
If we look at the information on the Internet, then this is what we find.
priest Alexander DIAGILEV: "How to find a spiritual father? The question is not very simple. The fact is that in Orthodox ascetic literature the theme of the need to find an experienced spiritual mentor and how carefully one should fulfill his blessings, perceiving them as the will of God, is very often heard , avoiding arbitrariness, and regularly confess to him your sins and all thoughts.
However, this practice largely applies to monastics .... So the conclusion is simple: go to the church, of which you consider yourself a parishioner, find a priest from among those who serve in it, whom you spiritually trust, to whom you prefer to go to confession, and pray for him, so that the Lord through him would reveal to you His will"
Or here is another interesting resource, which is called duhovnik.ru, and on which there is a whole section "How to find a confessor":
Sorry, my dear readers, that I described my thoughts so chaotically. On the this moment and on this stage of my formation as an Orthodox Christian, I can’t say for sure whether I/we need a Confessor or not, whether it’s worth it (and how to do it) or not to look for him. I will be in thought. If you have experience in this matter, doubts or questions - write! Maybe together it will be easier to understand.
Who is a confessor? How not to make a mistake in choosing a spiritual mentor? On those difficult questions Bishop Panteleimon (Shatov) will answer you in this article.
Who is a confessor, a spiritual father? Is it better to look for a confessor from monks or from married clergy?
A confessor is usually called a priest, to whom they regularly go to confession (to whom they confess predominantly), with whom they consult in difficult life issues. The words of the confessor are taken as advice. That confessor who demands absolute submission to himself, insists on the literal, strict, strict implementation of his advice, claims to be an elder - can do much harm; the confessor must be chosen, as it seems to me, meek and humble.
A spiritual father is a confessor who has long known a person who comes to him for confession, is well acquainted with him, and has testified his love for him by his attentive attitude towards a person. I usually do not make a distinction between a confessor and a spiritual father, it seems to me that these concepts are basically the same, but a spiritual father is perhaps the confessor who, in more takes care of his spiritual children, devotes more time to them, whom the spiritual children themselves call the spiritual father.
How to choose a confessor?
The attitude towards the confessor should still be cautious. In our time, there are cases when priests shy away from being confessors, either out of false humility, or out of unwillingness to engage in pastoral work, and there is another extreme, when a person imagines himself to be a good confessor, and he likes to manage spiritual life one’s own children – such confessors, of course, must be avoided. The confessor must be both kind and humble, but also exacting and strict.
The confessor can be from the monks, and 
from the white clergy, everything depends on the person, and not on what class he belongs to. And in the world there is how very good priests, and negligent, and in the monastery there are people who give completely wrong advice, impossible penances and bows for already confessed sins, but there are wonderful elders. It also happens that monastics who went to the monastery in young age, they don't know well family life and sometimes they can make mistakes in their recommendations, not understanding all the subtleties of family problems.
It is better to confess only with your confessor, though there is such an extreme case when a person refuses, even in case of need (illness, long absence of a confessor), to confess to another priest.
There is a danger, especially for girls and women, of spiritual attachment to a confessor. Sometimes this leads to very serious consequences. Here it is necessary to distinguish spiritual attachment from spiritual connection with the confessor. How to distinguish emotional attachment? Its signs are: jealousy, envy of others (“the priest devotes more time to them, but less to me”), the desire for one kindness on the part of the confessor, resentment at his severity.
One should not allow spiritual attachment to the confessor, one must be very afraid of this. If there are any problems in the relationship with the confessor, you can approach the confessor of your confessor and try to resolve these issues with him.
Have you ever wondered: are there any differences between a spiritual father, a spiritual father, and an elder?
Let's immediately define terms with you and clarify who is called a confessor, spiritual father and elder. church people and church writers often use these terms interchangeably. And often the same clergyman is called all of them. In the future, I will adhere to the same tradition, but now it is important for you and me to define the narrow meaning of these concepts: confessor, spiritual father and elder. Moreover, some church writers make a clear distinction between these names.
Confessor.
Who is a spiritual father? All priests are confessors. Upon ordination, each of them is given the right to receive confession and give instruction to people who turn to them for advice. At the same time, priests, aware of their imperfection, of course, should not boldly take on the rights and duties of the holy elders. The priest's mentorship consists in accurately expounding to the people the doctrine of the Church.
Once a lawyer from Athens came to the elder Paisius of Athos. During the conversation, he took out a book and opened it. An old man sitting opposite asked:
− What do you have?
- Holy Scripture, elder. I want to ask you about some things.
- Take, child, paper, pencil and write! - Father Paisios said.
When the lawyer got ready to record, the perspicacious old man said:
- Write on this paper all your sins, go to your confessor, confess and cleanse your mind of sin. And after you clear and understand more, come here, ask whatever you want.
The lawyer was confused and quietly confessed:
- I don't have a confessor.
“I know, that’s why I’m telling you this.
However, the lawyer wanted to justify himself:
- You know, Geronda, we do not have good priests-confessors in Athens. Maybe you have someone in mind, advise me.
“Listen, child,” said Elder Paisios firmly, “all priest-confessors are good, because they wear epitrachelion. Divine grace is on them, and when they read the permissive prayer, God forgives everything. So, go to church and confess!
Elder Paisius often emphasized to his interlocutors that during confession, God Himself acts through the priest. Therefore, each of them has the opportunity to accept confession and forgive people's sins. However, the elder explained:
“If one needs a spiritual guide, then one should not go at random. Only those who have taken care of their own purification can instruct. Having gained experience through doing, they receive a commandment and teach.
Do you understand what Elder Paisios was talking about? A spiritually inexperienced priest in his sermons can perfectly expound the gospel teaching and church dogmas, but he is unable to solve a specific problem. He will teach you general rules, but he may not be able to apply them in your particular case.
What to do if there are no experienced shepherds nearby? For lack of experience, it is quite possible to seek advice from any priest. However, it is necessary to observe prudent prudence, which should be based on knowledge Holy Scripture and heritage of the Holy Fathers.
“Study the Divine Scriptures and the Scriptures of the Holy Fathers,” St. Simeon the New Theologian instructed, “in order to compare with them what your teacher teaches you, and in order to see, as in a mirror, how much they agree with each other. What agrees with the Scriptures must be assimilated and kept in thought, and what disagrees must be rejected so as not to be deceived: “For know that in these days many deceivers and deceivers have appeared” 13.
If you are surrounded only by spiritually immature priests, then this, of course, is sad. When Pyotr Alexandrovich Brianchaninov found himself in a similar situation, he received from his famous brother, Bishop Ignatius, letter. The saint wrote: “You are very prudent in not reducing your close acquaintance with any clergyman: such an acquaintance can very easily lead to harm and very, very rarely to good. Consult with the books of St. Tikhon, Dimitry of Rostov and George the Recluse, and from the ancient ones - Chrysostom; tell your confessor your sins - and nothing more. People of our century, whether they are in a cassock or a tailcoat, first of all inspire caution.
When you asked the priest for guidance, and then you had doubts about his words, you can also consult on the issue of interest to you with pious Christians close to you. Of course, this does not mean that you should be suspicious of the priests and discuss all their instructions. It's just that the proverb is appropriate here: "Trust, but verify." How to do it? When checking, of course, in no case do not give the name of the priest and what he told you, so as not to turn out to be an ordinary gossip. The question you asked him, ask others, listen to their answers and, after praying, make your choice.
Spiritual father.
Saint Theophan the Recluse distinguished between the concepts of "confessor" and "spiritual father". A confessor is a priest with whom they confess, a spiritual father is the shepherd, whose advice is also guided in life. “You can confess to any priest, but you need to be guided by the advice of one person,” said the remarkable ascetic of the 20th century, Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin).
My letters to you are actually devoted to the search for a spiritual father. How to find a spiritual father and live under his guidance is the goal of our conversation with you.
Do not expect your spiritual father to prophesy you every day and perform miracles before you. His task is quite different: he must constantly guide your life. This does not require a person who has attained holiness. Of course, it would be wonderful if you could find such a mentor. However, there were few saints at all times, especially since there are few of them in modern world. Therefore, a pious and spiritually experienced pastor, of which there are many in our Orthodox Russia, is quite suitable for you.
If a person sets himself the goal of finding only a holy guide, he may be on his own. life path and no spiritual guidance at all. Be humble in your aspirations, and the Lord will send you a true spiritual father. If miracles and prophecies are necessary for your salvation, the Savior will give you both through the most simple and humble clergyman.
I want to tell you that the history of eldership and confessorship goes back many centuries. Many books have been written about this church phenomenon. If you wish, you can read them. I will only note that modern clergy is the successor of the ancient eldership, which originated among the monks of the Egyptian deserts.
In Byzantium, and then in Russia, the centers of eldership were monasteries! AT Ancient Russia the spiritual fathers who served in the parishes, in their influence on their spiritual children, were almost no different from the monastic elders. Nowadays, when many church life changed, the majority of parish and monastery priests, of course, are not elders. Life under their guidance is in many ways reminiscent of “council living,” where the spiritual father acts as a more spiritually experienced brother in Christ to his flock.
I will tell you about how one Orthodox Christian woman was looking for a spiritual leader.
Olga Mikhailovna Chavchavadze in her youth really wanted to find a spiritual father. When the girl heard that Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev, 1894-1963), a pastor known for his spirituality, lives in Gzhatsk, she went to this city with hope.
Father Nikon received Olga Mikhailovna very kindly, but said that he would be her spiritual father, and not her spiritual father - he never calls himself that.
Olga Mikhailovna recalled: “In addition, Father Nikon almost immediately noticed that it was not useful to live next to a person who knows how to live, but does not live like that. He spoke this out of great humility, but with great simplicity.
Hegumen Nikon led the spiritual life of many people. At the same time, his ideas about spirituality were so high that he did not find himself entitled to call anyone a spiritual father. In one of his letters, hegumen Nikon explained: “My opinion should have been printed in your mind that I cannot lead in spiritual life in any way, because I do not consider myself anyone’s spiritual father and I do not recognize anyone as my spiritual children; why? Because I see not only myself incapable of spiritual guidance, but in all my life I have not seen anyone capable of this, and I have not seen a single “child” capable of obedience and life under the guidance of a spiritual “father”. Maybe that's why there are no fathers, because there are no capable children.
Despite all his fertile experience and spiritual authority, Father Nikon tried until the end of his life to be not a father, but a brother for his numerous spiritual children. I wish you that in your search for a spiritual father, you will be guided by such personalities as the ever-memorable Abbot Nikon.
Elder.
The well-known church writer Ivan Mikhailovich Kontsevich wrote that one experienced priest, speaking about spiritual guidance and emphasizing the difference between eldership and clergy, put it this way: the spiritual father directs on the path of salvation, and the elder leads along this path.
Do you want to know how the relationship between the elder and his disciple is built? It can be said that a spiritual contract is concluded between them: the elder takes upon himself the obligation to save the soul of the disciple, and the latter gives himself into complete obedience to the elder, cutting off his will in all life circumstances.
The elder guides every step the student takes in his life. The disciple must unquestioningly and without reasoning fulfill all the orders of his mentor, since the will of God is revealed directly through him. The elder accepts the confession of a disciple who tells him about all his thoughts, feelings and deeds without exception. The elder punishes and encourages the disciple according to his will, moved by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as you understand, it is not enough for an elder to be a righteous man. To fulfill his mission, he needs the special gifts of God.
Ivan Mikhailovich Kontsevich noted that “elderhood is a special gift of grace, charisma, direct guidance by the Holy Spirit, special kind holiness."
Probably, you have already heard a lot about the elders and about what many Christians believe it is happiness to live under their guidance?
Sometimes people, having read about the elders in books, begin to look for such spiritual leaders for themselves. At the same time, they often do not realize that they themselves are unable, in their spiritual development, to bend their souls under the good and unquestioning yoke of obedience. That is why the Lord does not give elders to immature Christians. But where can one find elders when there are not enough people ready for obedience.
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) believed that obedience to the elders in the form in which it existed among ancient monasticism was not given to our time. True obedience is a high spiritual Sacrament. “Comprehension of it and complete imitation of it has become impossible for us: only reverent, prudent consideration of it is possible, assimilation of its spirit is possible.”
If a person unreasonably persists in looking for an old man, he may mistake a false old man for one, to whom unclean spirits will lead him.
I advise you not to think about the old man for the time being. If there is a need, the Lord Himself will send you a true elder. Now look for a good spiritual father. Obedience to him is not unconditional. Therefore, if your preceptor suddenly turns out to be unskilled in spiritual guidance, you will not suffer much harm. With complete obedience to the false elder, the damage done to you may be irreparable.
You may ask: why, telling you mainly about spiritual father, I often give examples from the life of various famous elders? Because these cases are very bright and instructive. The relationship between a true elder and a true disciple is ideal. In relation to your spiritual father, you should focus on them.
Archpriest Vyacheslav Tulupov
Confessor
Confessor or Spiritual father- in the Orthodox Church, the priest as the performer of the sacrament of repentance.
At the confessor Orthodox Christian regularly confesses, being in relation to him a “spiritual child”. The confessor not only guides the spiritual life of the child, consoles him in sorrows and helps him with advice to resolve various everyday issues, but usually also prays for his child. The main qualities of a confessor, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, are humility, prudence and love.
Confessor in fear of loss priesthood it is forbidden to reveal the sins of the confessor or to reproach him for them; after confession they should be forgotten by him. Prior to 1917, two exceptions to this rule were allowed:
- if someone in confession announced an evil intent against the sovereign and public order, without expressing a renunciation of such intent;
- if someone, although secretly, but deliberately produced a temptation among the people (religious fiction, a false miracle) and did not express consent at confession by publicly announcing that the consequences of the temptation should be destroyed.
At present, sins revealed during confession are not subject to publicity under any circumstances, including when giving evidence during investigation and in court.
It is forbidden during confession to make a distinction between noble and simple people, to please some and treat others strictly, to turn confession into a means of extortion and immodest requests. It is forbidden to confess several people at the same time, not only adults, but also children. During the confession of deaf-mutes and those who speak a language unknown to the spiritual father, he is allowed to contact his relatives to get acquainted with the moral state of the confessor, and also offer him to state his sins in writing; this record must be burned in his presence. When admonishing the penitent and appointing him a penance, the confessor is obliged to distinguish between venial sins (ignorance and weakness) and mortal sins, in case of impenitence, depriving a Christian of grace.
Notes
Sources
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
Synonyms:See what "Confessor" is in other dictionaries:
Confessor, priest, spiritual father Dictionary of Russian synonyms. confessor spiritual father, confessor Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011 ... Synonym dictionary
confessor- (confessor not recommended) ... Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian
Confessor, confessor, husband. (church.). A priest who receives confession (in relation to the confessing person). Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
Confessor, a, husband, whose or whom. Priest who accepts confession from someone Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
Confessor- Priest Orthodox Church who performs the sacrament of repentance, the spiritual father of a Christian or educational institution Orthodox orientation. He accepts confessions, instructs, gives advice, blesses, participates in religious holidays,… … Fundamentals of spiritual culture (encyclopedic dictionary of a teacher)
Confessor- (or spirit. o., tracing paper from Greek) in Orthodoxy. churches of the holy (monastic or married) conducting confession and performing the sacrament of repentance. Under the threat of losing the holy dignity, D. is forbidden to disclose the sins of the confessor or reproach him for them ... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
Confessor- [spiritual father; Greek πνευματικὸς πατήρ], in Orthodoxy. Church priest or elder monk (in ancient times he often did not have ordination, but had spiritual authority), regularly taking secret confession and helping the spiritual child on the way to ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
That's what it's called in law. church priest as the performer of the sacrament of repentance. Confessor in fear of losing spirits. the dignity is forbidden to reveal the sins of the confessor or reproach him for them; after confession they should be forgotten by him. Exceptions from ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
M. 1. A priest who constantly takes confession from the confessing person (in the Orthodox Church). 2. Spiritual mentor. Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern dictionary Russian language Efremova
confessor, confessors, confessor, confessors, confessor, confessors, confessor, confessors, confessor, confessors, confessor, confessors (
As a shepherd, performer of the sacrament of repentance; 2) spiritual mentor; 3) a special official in, whose duties include the spiritual guidance of the brothers (sisters) on the way to (the main duty of such a confessor is the pastoral care of the inhabitants of the monastery and their spiritual condition; he helps to ensure that all the inhabitants of the monastery go to confession and commune with the Saints Mysteries of Christ; private conversations of the spiritual father are also very useful for the monks, which will help them to better understand the meaning of the monastic path).
Confessor
Candidate of Theology, Lecturer at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Archpriest Alexander Glebov
Leading.
Who is a confessor, why is he needed, and is it necessary for every believer to have his own confessor?
Father Alexander. The question of a confessor, or spiritual father, is very complicated, and within the boundaries of our transmission, it is quite difficult to give an exhaustive answer to this question. Therefore, I will draw the attention of our viewers to several topics that seem to me the most important.
First: who is a confessor? The confessor guides and instructs a person in his spiritual life, in the matter of salvation. It is clear that the confessor must first of all have spiritual experience himself. He must also have the ability to communicate this experience to other people. Not every priest can be a confessor. Priests should not be reproached for this, because it is impossible to learn how to be a confessor either in a seminary or in an academy; this is not given to a person in the Sacrament of the Priesthood. This is a kind of charisma, a certain ability. Not every person has this ability, therefore it is better to be left without a confessor at all, than to choose a person who does not have this ability, a person inexperienced in spiritual life, as a spiritual guide. In order to be a leader, in order to lead someone, you need to know the goal to which you are leading this person. You also need to know the road that leads to this goal. You need to lead to where you yourself have already been, otherwise, it will turn out, according to Christ: “If the blind lead the blind, then both of them will fall into the pit.”
Second: the sphere of activity of a confessor is exclusively the spiritual, religious life of a person. A confessor is not an oracle; you should not ask him questions that are beyond his competence. Confessor does not solve problems family well-being, questions related to professional activity people, health and so on. If the confessor is experienced, then his advice can be authoritative only in the field of spiritual life. On all other issues, he can, like any person, express his own opinion, but this does not mean that his opinion will be correct. Let me give you an example: many people choose a member of the monastic clergy as their spiritual mentor. They come to his monastery and begin to ask questions about how to enter this or that life situation. For example: how to establish a family life and relationships with a spouse, or how to establish a business, or how to raise children? Well, tell me, what does the monk understand about this? What does a monk understand about how to raise children, even if he is a holy man? It is necessary to ask a mother of many children, and not a monk - this is completely natural. If the confessor is inexperienced, then he can advise such that if a person takes everything seriously, then he can simply cripple his life. Who and whom to marry, who to get divorced, who to accept monasticism, who to leave secular work and take holy orders, which doctors to treat or not to be treated at all, what kind of education to give children, and so on. If you perceive all these recommendations as a voice from heaven, then you can do a lot of trouble, but you don’t need to address such questions to the confessor - this is not his field of activity.
Third: when a person becomes a member of a church community, he should not look for a confessor, he should look for Christ. And in order to find Christ in your heart, you do not need any special recommendations and advice - everything is written in the Gospel. In practice, quite the opposite happens. People wander from one monastery to another, trying to find somewhere a special spirituality, a special grace. They are busy looking for an elder who will solve all their problems, answer all their questions, and at the same time they forget, or perhaps they don’t know at all, the words of the saint that a change of place does not bring us closer to God. The Lord quite clearly said in the Gospel that the Kingdom of Heaven is not in Jerusalem, not on Mount Athos, it is in the heart of man. In order to find this Kingdom in your heart, it is enough to regularly go to church, confess, take communion and do what the Lord commands: to live according to His commandments. Then the person will acquire that “spirit of peace” that he pointed to as the goal Christian life. If this spirit lives in a person, if it acts in a person, then the Lord will show the person from within how to act in this or that life situation.
Leading.
Does this mean that the confessor's advice is optional? How then to be with church discipline, with obedience?
Father Alexander. In answer to your question, I will read out a quote from an interview with the deceased. This interview was given by Vladyka back in 1999, and it dealt specifically with abuses in the practice of clergy. Vladyka Anthony says: “Obedience does not mean slavishly following the instructions of the priest, even if they are given in the form of advice. Obedience - from the word "listening", and the purpose of obedience is to teach a person to break away from his own thoughts, from his own attitude to things and listen to what the other person says to him. This is where obedience begins, and it applies not only to church practice, but to all relationships between people.” I really have nothing to add to this, I can only comment. Obedience, indeed, is not a blind fulfillment of everything that your confessor or priest tells you. Each of us has our own view of things, each of us has our own opinion. We always believe that we are right, not our opponents, and so, obedience is an attempt to look at the world through the eyes of another person. Do not withdraw into yourself, listen to the opinion of another, and Vladyka Anthony is right when he says that obedience concerns not only church discipline. Without obedience, no community at all is possible, no community of people is possible if we do not take into account the opinion of those who are close to us. Why do conflicts arise? Why do families break up? Because people often just do not hear those who are next to them. Especially in matters of spiritual life. It is imprudent to rely only on one's own opinion in spiritual life, on one's own ideas, which are sometimes very distorted. It is necessary to listen to the experience of other people, perhaps to take something from someone else's experience into your life - this is what is called obedience.
Leading.
If there is no confessor, then before communion one has to confess to any priest who may be younger, and people who come to confession may be more experienced in spiritual life. Can a confession be considered successful if the priest who receives it is inexperienced in the spiritual life?
Father Alexander. The question of the relationship between the personal qualities of a clergyman and the reality of those Sacraments that he performs has been raised in the Church since ancient times. Already in the first centuries, such a doctrine arose, according to which the Sacrament is valid only when it is performed by a person worthy in his own way. moral character clergyman. If the clergyman is unworthy, then no Sacrament is performed. refuted this doctrine as heresy, and this is why: what does worthy or unworthy mean? What is meant by dignity? After all, every person, regardless of what hierarchical level he occupies, has his own shortcomings, weaknesses, limitations. If by dignity we understand a certain impeccability of a person or his sinlessness, then in this sense, worthy people simply do not exist. The holy fathers often slip the idea that saints are sinners who have realized themselves, who are aware of themselves as sinners. All people are sinners, but those people who realize their sin, bring repentance to God, try to correct themselves - something works out for them, something they don't - that's what we call them saints. But these saints are still sinners, still people with their own shortcomings. Practically in each of the prayers of the rank of the Liturgy there is an appeal from a clergyman, bishop or priest to God that the Lord, despite his personal unworthiness, perform the Sacrament of Transubstantiation. This is expressed most clearly in the rite of the Liturgy in Prayer. There are such words: “Yes, not for my sins, forbid the grace of Your Holy Spirit from the Gifts presented.”
The sacrament is performed by the Lord. The priest is not the performer of the Sacrament, he is the minister of the Sacrament. He is a clergyman, not a clergyman, and in this case the personal qualities of the priest have nothing to do with the reality of the Sacrament. As the saint said back in the fourth century: “It doesn’t matter which print from the seal is gold or clay, the seal is still the same.” The same applies to the Sacrament of Confession. A priest is neither a judge nor an interrogating investigator. The function of a priest in the Sacrament of Confession, in prayer from this rank, is defined as a witness. “Christ stands invisibly, but I am only a witness,” the priest reads a prayer. This testimony at the Sacrament of Confession was compared with the testimony of a friend of the groom, which happens at a wedding. You know that when a marriage is concluded, there is always a witness on the part of the groom and on the part of the bride, who puts his signature, certifying that the marriage took place. Indeed, this parallel is very appropriate, since a wedding is a joyful event and a person's repentance is also a joyful event. The Lord said that he more joy from the conversion of one sinner, from his repentance, than from ninety-nine righteous who have no need of this repentance. The function of a witness at a wedding is not paramount. It simply indicates that the marriage is concluded. The priest also testifies to the sincerity of a penitent person. A priest may be young, and inexperienced, and poorly educated, but in order to share the joy of repentance with a person, to pray with him, one does not need to graduate from universities for this. The Sacrament of Repentance, that is, the renewal of a person, the cleansing of his soul from the disease of sin, is performed by the Lord in response to the repentance and prayer of the person who comes to confession. The personal qualities of the priest in this case are not decisive, as, indeed, in the rest of the Church Sacraments.
Confessor
A hieromonk of an honest and charitable life, endowed by God with spiritual reasoning and diligent in reading the Word of God and patristic writings, is appointed to the position of the Confessor of the monastery. The duty of the Confessor is to perform the sacrament of Penance and to guide the brethren on the path to salvation. The confessor must keep a record of who and when communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ, so that everyone would steadily approach this great sacrament. Also, the Confessor is obliged, according to his indispensable duty, to visit the sick, comforting and encouraging them in mental and physical illnesses.
If the Confessor, due to the multitude of brethren or due to weakness, does not have time to receive all his spiritual pets, then with the permission of the Rector, some of them are allowed to be handed over to an experienced spiritual elder, but the Confessor is responsible for the correctness of the spiritual guidance from the elder.
In addition, with the blessing of the Rector, other hieromonks or simple monks, experienced in spiritual life, who are subordinate to the main Confessor of the monastery, accepting fatherly advice and instructions from him, may be appointed elders or mentors over novice monks.
In addition to the elders-mentors, confessors-hieromonks who confess pilgrims are subordinate to the confessor of the monastery, among whom one can be senior and responsible for the common work of confession of the confessors. In the great, responsible and difficult task of spiritual leadership, the Confessor is guided by the Word of God, the God-wise patristic writings, the rules of the Holy Church and the rules laid down in the Charter of the monastery. In perplexed matters, the Confessor asks the Rector and his reasoning and will follow.
From the Charter of the Holy Trinity Monastery