How to confess for the first time is an example. Preparation for confession. An example of a general confession

It's no secret that none of us can, unfortunately, call ourselves a completely sinless person. All of us from time to time are faced with various vices that have a certain effect on us. It became very interesting for me to find out what are the main human vices and how to get rid of their negative impact. Therefore, in this article, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of sins for confession.

Confession is a real spiritual test. Initially, it provokes the desire to repent, to confess verbally in their bad deeds.

After all, when people cease to adhere to the commandments of God, the inevitable destruction of their spiritual and physical bodies occurs. And through repentance, they gain the opportunity to purify themselves.

Confession promotes reconciliation between the individual and God. The healing of the soul is observed and the person receives an additional portion of strength to overcome his sins. In the process of this sacrament, a person frankly talks about his bad deeds and seeks forgiveness.

However, if the parishioner is very worried the day before, he may forget about what he wants to repent of. And here the list of sins for confession in Orthodoxy comes to the rescue. It is compiled in advance and is a kind of hint, reminder. The list of sins at confession can be read out in full or used as a plan.

In this case, the most important condition will be the maximum sincerity and truthfulness of the individual.

But in order for the sacrament of confession to be effective, it is important to have full contact of feelings with words, because simply mechanical reading of one's sins does not yet mean real healing from them. Feelings without words are just as ineffective as words without feelings.

What is the list of sins for confession? This is an extensive list that includes all obscene words or deeds. It is based on the seven deadly sins and the ten commandments.

There is too much diversity in human life now, so it is rarely righteous. This means that confession is an opportunity to sincerely repent of your sins and strive to prevent them in the future.

The Proper Process of Preparing for Confession

Prepare for the ritual should be in advance. You can write down a list of your bad deeds on a piece of paper and take it with you. Also, it would not be superfluous to read special literature concerning the sacrament of confession and communion. At the same time, do not try to justify your sins, just be aware that they are wicked.

The ideal option is to give an analysis to each of your days, establishing what are bad and what good actions you have taken. Through this healthy habit, you will begin to pay more attention to your thoughts, words, and actions.

Even before you go to confession, make peace with all the people you offended, and also sincerely forgive all your offenders.

There is a difference between personal repentance (when an individual mentally repents of committed deeds) and the sacrament of confession (when a person talks about his unseemly misdeeds and seeks to cleanse himself of them). Telling an outsider about your unseemly actions already means making moral efforts in order, firstly, to realize the depth of your misconduct, and secondly, to cope with inner shame.

If you encounter some difficulties in compiling a list of falls, then the publication "The Complete Confession" can help you. It is offered now by every church shop, it reveals in detail all types of sins for confession and the features of the ritual. The book is also supplemented with examples and materials to help prepare yourself for the ceremony.

What are the rules for confession?

Do you suffer from a stone in your soul, do you want to speak out to someone and find forgiveness? Confession greatly facilitates the moral state. She acts as an open, most sincere confession and repentance of her sins.

Confession is allowed up to three times a week. The desire to eliminate your sins helps to cope with stiffness and awkwardness. The less often a person goes to confession, the more difficult it is for him to resurrect in his memory all the bad deeds he has committed. The most important rule is that the priest understand the true meaning of the sin in order to assign an adequate punishment.

In especially difficult situations, penance is imposed. Penance is a punishment, excommunication from the sacred sacraments and the grace of God. How long it will last in time is decided by the priest.

As a rule, punishment is understood as the observance of moral and corrective works - for example, fasting, reciting prayers, canons and akathist. In some cases, the list of punishments may vary.

If a person becomes seriously ill or dies, then the holy father is invited directly to the house for confession.

Overview of the sacrament of confession

Arriving at the temple, get in line to confess. During the ritual, on the lectern there is a cross with the Gospel - symbols of the constant presence of Christ. Before the ceremony, the clergyman may ask how often you pray, whether you adhere to the basic church rules and ask similar questions.

After this, the process of the sacrament itself begins. If a person repeats the sins that were forgiven him at the last confession, it is imperative to stipulate this moment, in such a case the offense will be more severe.

In confession, do not seek to hide any information or speak with the help of hints. Speak in understandable terms so that it is clear what exactly you repent of.

At the end, the priest breaks the list of sins for confession - this means that it is completed and you have been forgiven for your sins. Also, at the end, an epitrachelion is superimposed on the head - a symbol of the mercy of God. Then you need to kiss the cross with the Gospel, which will be a manifestation of the desire to adhere to the basic commandments.

Proper Preparation for Confession

The rite of confession is designed to enable a person to comprehend his sins and correct them. If you are far from church life, then it may be difficult for you to realize which of the actions are classified as ungodly. For this purpose, ten commandments were invented, clearly prescribing what should not be done categorically.

In the case when a person goes to confession for the first time, it can be problematic for him to sort out the seven main sins and commandments on his own. Then it is better to visit the priest first, talking with him personally and sharing your difficulties with him. Thanks to this, you will greatly facilitate the process of preparing for the sacrament of confession.

We have dealt with the rules for preparing for the sacrament of the church, and now we will study the list of sinful actions.

Sins committed against the Lord

distrust of God, doubt in his power, lack of gratitude;
refusal to wear a pectoral cross and protect one's faith;
taking oaths in the name of the Lord in vain;
sectarianism, magic, the practice of false teachings;
craving for gambling;
desire to commit suicide, foul language;
unwillingness to attend church or read prayers daily;
refusal to observe fasting, the study of Orthodox literature;
bad attitude towards the holy fathers;
thoughts about worldly things during worship;
loss of your precious time for idleness, lack of action;
a state of despair when difficulties occur in life. More hope for yourself or outside help, without faith in divine mercy;
hiding their sins in the process of confession.

Sins committed against loved ones

states of aggressiveness, anger, arrogance, pride and vanity;
hiding the truth, refusing to help others, ridiculing other people;
greed or extravagance;
raising children without faith;
unwillingness to repay debts, pay for someone else's work, help those who ask and need it;
refusal to help their parents, showing disrespect towards them;
theft, slander, envy;
conflicts;
verbal killings (conviction, driving to suicide or pathology);
abortion or their propaganda.

Sins committed against oneself

foul language;
excessive self-love, idleness, breeding gossip;
the desire to profit, enrich;
excessive demonstration of their good actions;
states of envy, lies, alcoholism, gluttony, drug addiction;
states of fornication, adultery, incest and masturbation.

Complete list of sins for confession for women

It acts as a rather delicate list, and most of the women refuse to continue confession when they study it.

It should be noted that many of the fears and prejudices of the fair sex are completely unfounded. Priests are forbidden to share the secret of confession with anyone else.

Also, for your greater psychological comfort, it would be better if you find yourself one permanent confessor.

You also need to remember that the church never involves the intimate sphere of life between spouses. Therefore, you can also ask the clergyman questions about contraception. There are many remedies that do not have an abortifacient effect, they can only prevent the birth of life. Be that as it may, all controversial points must be discussed with your loved one, physician or spiritual father.

rare prayers, refusal to visit the temple;
thoughts about worldly things during prayers;
sexual extramarital affairs;
abortion and its promotion;
the presence of bad thoughts and desires;
viewing and reading pornography;
slander, slander, laziness, resentment;
exposing one's body in order to attract attention;
fear of growing old, wrinkles;
thoughts about suicide;
abuse of sweets, alcohol, drugs;
refusal to help those in need;
divination, divination;
superstition.

List of male sins

Many people cannot come to an unambiguous conclusion whether a list of sins is important for confession. Some say that such a list will harm the sacrament and turn it into a formal reading of offenses.

The most important thing in the process of confession is the awareness of one's sins, sincere repentance and rejection of them in the future. This means that the list of sins can turn into only a brief reminder, or you can do without it if you do not feel a special need for it.

The balance of spiritual life lies in the realization of the essence of repentance, in which confession is only the beginning of the realization of one's sinfulness. Confession is a long process, which consists of several stages of work on oneself.

sacrilege, conversations in the church;
lack of faith, doubt that there is life after death;
blasphemous behavior, ridicule of the poor;
manifestations of rigidity, laziness, pride, vanity and greed;
refusal to serve in the army;
refusal to perform unwanted work, their duties;
insulting other people, manifestations of hatred;
lying, discussing the weaknesses of other people;
inclination to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drug addiction, gambling);
refusal to help parents and other people;
theft of someone else's property;
boasting, disputes, humiliation of neighbors;
manifestation of arrogance, rudeness, contempt, familiarity, cowardice.

Confession for children

The Church allows confession for children from the age of seven. Parents will have to prepare their baby for confession in advance: explain to him the essence of the sacrament, explain the purpose for which they resort to it and help the child remember all his probable sins.

It is important that the baby realizes that he must speak only the truth in confession. It is better if the child himself makes a list of his bad deeds. He should understand which of his actions were wrong and not repeat them in the future.

Older children should already be able to decide for themselves whether they want to go to confession. Do not try to limit the free will of teenagers. Sometimes personal examples of parents are much more important than any conversations.

To help your child make a list of sins for confession, you must first ask him a series of questions:

Does the baby pray (in the morning and evening, before eating). What prayers does he know?
Does he visit the temple?
Has he ever lied to his parents?
Was it not such that he put his successes and victories above the successes of others (he began to become conceited)?
Does he get into fights with other kids, does he offend them?
Is he lying against other kids to save himself?
Did you ever steal, did you show envy?
Did he ridicule the physical flaws of others?
Did he resort to smoking, alcohol, drugs, foul language?
Is he too lazy to help his parents?
Does he sometimes play sick in order not to fulfill his duties?

The Importance of Sincerity in Confession

The priest in the process of confession also takes on the role of a psychologist, he is able to recognize the degree of sincerity of a person in his repentance. After all, there may be such types of confessions that offend the sacrament and God.

If, for example, an individual in a mechanical form simply remembers his sins, confesses to several confessors at once, seeks to hide the truth - with the help of such actions, repentance cannot be achieved.

At the same time, great importance is given to behavior, the tone of speech with which a person confesses. This (plus the presence of pangs of conscience) helps the priest to be convinced of the sincerity of the penitent.

Also, in some cases, the identity of the clergyman matters for a person. But this should not become a reason for condemning or commenting on the actions of the clergy. If for some reason your spiritual father is unpleasant to you, you can always change it by contacting another temple.

Some sins and bad actions cause so much moral suffering to a person that he does not even dare to voice them out loud. In such cases, the option of compiling a list of sins and releasing them by the clergyman is allowed, even without reading and viewing.

A Brief Instruction Before Confession (Based on materials from Orthodox publications)

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! As we prepare to begin the great sacrament of holy confession, looking at the mercy of God, let us ask ourselves whether we have shown mercy to our neighbors, whether we have reconciled with everyone, whether we have enmity in our hearts against anyone, remembering the cherished words of the Holy Gospel: "if you forgive a man their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14). This is the condition that we must understand and observe in the salvific work of holy repentance. However, in order to repent and receive the remission of sins, it is necessary to face your sin. And it's not that easy. Self-love, self-pity, self-justification interferes with this. A bad deed, in which our conscience convicts us, we are inclined to consider it an "accident", to blame circumstances or neighbors for it. Meanwhile, every sin in deed, word or thought is a consequence of the passion living in us - a kind of spiritual illness.

If it is difficult for us to recognize our sin, then it is even more difficult to see the passion that has taken root in us. So, you can live without suspecting the passion of pride in yourself, until someone hurts us. Then the passion will be revealed through sin: a wish for evil to the offender, a harsh insulting word, and even revenge. The fight against passions is the main thing for every Christian.

Usually people who are inexperienced in spiritual life do not see the multitude of their sins, do not feel their heaviness, their aversion to them. They say: “I didn’t do 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, with sincere conviction appealed to Christ: "No one has sinned on earth from the beginning, as I have sinned, accursed and prodigal!" The brighter the light of Christ illuminates the heart, the more clearly all the shortcomings, ulcers and wounds of the soul are recognized. And vice versa: people immersed in the darkness of sin do not see anything in their hearts, and if they see, they are not horrified, since they have nothing to compare with, for Christ is closed to them by a veil of sins. Therefore, in order to overcome our spiritual laziness and insensitivity, the holy Church laid down preparatory days for the sacrament of repentance, and then for Communion - fasting. The fasting period can last from three days to a week, unless there is special advice or instructions from the confessor. At this time, one should observe fasting, keep oneself from sinful deeds, thoughts and feelings, in general, lead a temperate, repentant life, dissolved by deeds of love and Christian goodness. During the fasting period, you need to attend church services as often as possible, pray at home more than usual, devote time to reading the works of the holy fathers, the lives of saints, self-deepening and self-examination.

Understanding the moral state of your soul, you must try to distinguish between the main sins from their derivatives, the roots - from leaves and fruits. One should also beware of falling into petty suspicion of every movement of the heart, losing the sense of what is important and unimportant, getting entangled in trifles. The penitent must bring to confession not only a list of sins, but, most importantly, a feeling of repentance; not a detailed account of his life, but a broken heart.

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

The condition that we must certainly observe in order for our repentance to be accepted by the Lord effectively is the forgiveness of the sins of our neighbors and reconciliation with everyone. Repentance cannot be perfect without verbal confession of sins. Sins can only be permitted 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 exactly, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions. It is very difficult, when confessing, to avoid the temptation of self-justification, to give up attempts to explain to the confessor "extenuating circumstances", from references to third parties who allegedly led us into sin. All these are signs of self-love, lack of deep repentance, continuing stagnation in sin.

Confession is not a conversation about one's shortcomings, doubts, it is not a simple awareness of the confessor about oneself, although spiritual conversation is also very important and should take place in the life of a Christian, but confession is different, it is a sacrament, and not just a pious custom. Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for purification, this is the second baptism. In repentance we die to sin and are resurrected to righteousness and holiness.

Having repented, we must be strengthened inwardly in the determination not to return to confessed sin. The sign of perfect repentance is hatred and aversion to sin, a feeling of lightness, purity, inexplicable joy, when sin seems just as difficult and impossible as this joy was just far away.

Human life is so diverse, the depth of our soul is so mysterious that it is difficult to even list all the sins and sins that we commit. Therefore, when approaching the sacrament of holy confession, it is useful to remind ourselves of the fundamental violations of the moral law of the Holy Gospel. Let us carefully check our conscience and repent of our sins before the Lord God. The sacrament of holy repentance has the main goal - to awaken our spiritual consciousness, to open our eyes to ourselves, to come to our senses, to deeply understand what a destructive state our soul is in, how it is necessary to seek salvation from God, to ask tearfully and contritely for forgiveness of our countless sins before Him. The Lord Jesus Christ expects from us a sincere awareness of our deviations from His holy will and humble conversion to Him, as His unworthy servants, who have sinned many times and offended His Divine love for us.

We need to remember and deeply believe in the infinite mercy of God, which extends its arms to every converting sinner. There is no sin that God, in His inexpressible mercy, would not forgive a person who has shown sincere repentance for his sins, a firm determination to correct his life and not return to his former sins. Coming to confession, let us pray to God that with His almighty help He would open the doors of repentance for us, reconcile and unite us with Himself, grant the Holy Spirit for a new and renewed life. Amen!

An example of a confession.

I confess, the sinful (s) servant (a) of God (s) (name ...), to the Lord God Almighty, in the Holy Trinity glorified and worshiped by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and to you, honest father, all my sins are voluntary and involuntary, committed by word, or deed, or thought.

I sinned by not keeping the vows given by me at baptism, but I lied and transgressed in everything, and made myself indecent before the face of God.

He sinned with little faith, unbelief, doubt, wavering in faith, slowing down in thoughts, from the enemy planted, against God and the Holy Church, blasphemy and mockery of the shrine, doubt in the existence of God, superstition, turning to "grandmothers", healers, psychics, fortune telling, playing cards, arrogance, negligence, despair in his salvation, hope in himself and in people more than in God, forgetfulness of God's justice and lack of sufficient devotion to the will of God, did not thank God for everything.

I sinned with rebelliousness to the actions of God's providence, a stubborn desire for everything to be in my opinion, pleasing people, partial love for things. He did not try to know the will of God, did not have reverence for God, fear of Him, hope in Him, zeal for His glory, for He is glorified by a pure heart and good deeds.

He sinned with ingratitude to the Lord God for all His great and unceasing blessings, forgetting about them, grumbling at God, cowardice, despondency, hardening of his heart, lack of love for Him and failure to fulfill His holy will.

He sinned by enslaving himself to passions: voluptuousness, greed, pride, laziness, self-love, vanity, ambition, covetousness, gluttony, delicacy, secret eating, gluttony, drunkenness, smoking, drug addiction, addiction to games, spectacles and amusements.

He sinned with God, failure to fulfill vows, forcing others to worship and swearing, lack of reverence for the shrine, blasphemy against God, the saints, every shrine, blasphemy, invoking the name of God in vain, in bad deeds, desires, thoughts.

He sinned by disrespecting church holidays, did not go to the temple of God due to laziness and negligence, in the temple of God he stood reverently; he sinned with talking and laughter, inattention to reading and singing, absent-mindedness, wandering thoughts, vain memories, walking around the temple during worship without need; left the temple before the end of the service.

He sinned by negligence in morning and evening prayers, by abandoning the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Psalter and other Divine books, and patristic teachings.

He sinned by forgetting sins at confession, by self-justification in them and by diminishing their severity, by concealing sins, by repentance without contrition of heart; he did not make efforts to properly prepare for the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, without reconciling with his neighbors, he came to confession and, in such a sinful state, dared to come to Communion.

He sinned by breaking fasts and not keeping fasting days - Wednesdays and Fridays, which are equated with the days of Great Lent, as days of remembrance of the sufferings of Christ. He sinned with intemperance in food and drink, careless and irreverent overshadowing himself with the sign of the cross.

He sinned by disobedience to superiors and elders, self-will, self-justification, laziness to work and unscrupulous performance of assigned tasks. He sinned by disrespecting his parents, by abandoning prayers for them, by not raising children in the Orthodox faith, by not honoring his elders, by impudence, willfulness and disobedience, rudeness, stubbornness.

He sinned with the lack of Christian love for one's neighbor, impatience, resentment, irritability, anger, harming one's neighbor, fights and quarrels, intransigence, enmity, retribution evil for evil, unforgiveness of insults, rancor, jealousy, envy, malevolence, vindictiveness, condemnation, slander, theft , preparation and sale of moonshine, "rewinding" the electric meter, appropriation of state property.

He sinned with mercilessness towards the poor, did not have compassion for the sick and crippled; sinned by avarice, greed, extravagance, covetousness, infidelity, injustice, hardness of heart, thoughts and attempts to commit suicide.

He sinned with deceit in relation to his neighbors, deceit, insincerity in dealing with them, suspicion, duplicity, gossip, ridicule, witticisms, lies, hypocritical treatment of others and flattery, human pleasing.

He sinned by forgetting about the future eternal life, not remembering his death and the terrible judgment, and by an unreasonable, partial attachment to earthly life and its pleasures and deeds.

He sinned with the intemperance of his tongue, idle talk, idle talk, foul language, laughter, told jokes; they sinned by divulging the sins and weaknesses of their neighbor, seductive behavior, liberty, insolence, immoderate TV watching, passion for gambling and computer games.

He sinned with intemperance of his spiritual and bodily feelings, addiction, voluptuousness, indiscreet look at persons of the opposite sex, free treatment of them, fornication and adultery, intemperance in married life, various carnal sins, a desire to please and seduce others.

He sinned with the lack of straightforwardness, sincerity, simplicity, fidelity, truthfulness, respect, gravity, caution in words, prudent silence, did not guard and did not defend the honor of others. They sinned by lack of love, temperance, chastity, modesty in words and deeds, purity of heart, non-possessiveness, mercy and humility.

We sinned with despondency, longing, sadness, sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, lust, impurity and all our feelings, thoughts, words, desires, deeds. I also repent of my other sins, which I forgot and did not remember.

I repent that I angered the Lord my God with all my sins, I sincerely regret this and wish to refrain from my sins in every possible way and to correct myself. Lord our God, with tears I pray to You, our Savior, help me to establish myself in the holy intention to live as a Christian, and forgive the sins I have confessed, as Good and Humanitarian. Amen.

You need to name only your committed sins from those listed here. The sins that are not listed here should be specifically said to the confessor. For convenience, sins can be written down on a piece of paper and read in front of a priest. Sins that were previously confessed and resolved should not be named at confession, for they have already been forgiven, but if we repeat them again, then we need to repent of them again. It is also necessary to repent of those sins that were forgotten, but are now remembered. Speaking of sins, one should not give unnecessary details and names of other persons - accomplices of sin. They must repent for themselves. Habits for sin are eradicated by prayer, fasting, abstinence, good deeds. Confession is made in the temple after the evening service or by agreement with the priest at any time. How often should one resort to this saving sacrament? As often as possible, at least in each of the four posts.

Confession is a sacrament when a believer confesses their sins to a priest. The representative of the church is empowered to forgive sins in the name of the Lord and Jesus Christ.

According to biblical legends, Christ endowed the apostles with such an opportunity, which was later transferred to the clergy. During repentance, a person not only talks about his sins, but also gives a word not to commit them again.

What is confession?

Confession is not only purification, but also a test for the soul. It helps to remove the burden and purify before the face of the Lord, reconcile with it and overcome inner doubts. It is necessary to go to confession once a month, but if you want to do it more often, you should follow the calls of the soul and repent at any time you want.

For especially grave sins, a representative of the church may prescribe a special punishment, which is called penance. It can be a long prayer, fasting or abstinence, which are ways to cleanse. When a person violates the laws of God, this negatively affects his mental and physical condition. Repentance helps to gain strength and fight the temptations that push people to sin. The believer gets the opportunity to talk about his misdeeds and remove the burden from the soul. Before confession, it is necessary to make a list of sins, with which you can correctly describe the sin and prepare the right speech for repentance.

How to start a confession before the priest with what words?

The seven deadly sins, which are the main vices, look like this:

gluttony (gluttony, excessive food abuse)
fornication (dissolute life, infidelity)
anger (temper, vindictiveness, irritability)
love of money (greed, desire for material values)
despondency (laziness, depression, despair)
vanity (selfishness, narcissism)
envy

It is believed that when committing these sins, the human soul can die. By committing them, a person moves further and further away from God, but all of them can be released during sincere repentance. It is believed that it was mother nature who laid them in every person, and only the strongest in spirit can resist temptations and fight evil. But it is worth remembering that every person can commit a sin, experiencing a difficult period in life. People are not immune from misfortunes and difficulties that can drive everyone to despair. You need to learn how to deal with passions and emotions, and then no sin can overcome you and break your life.

Preparation for confession

Repentance must be prepared in advance. First you need to find a temple in which the ordinances are held and choose a suitable day. Most often they are held on holidays and weekends. At this time, there are always a lot of people in the temple, and not everyone will be able to open when strangers are nearby. In this case, you need to contact the priest and ask him to make an appointment for another day, when you can be alone. Before repentance, it is recommended to read the Penitential Canon, which will allow you to tune in and put your thoughts in order.

You need to know that there are three groups of sins that you can write down and take with you to confession.

Vices directed against God:

These include blasphemy and insult to the Lord, blasphemy, interest in the occult sciences, superstition, suicidal thoughts, gambling, and so on.

Vices against the soul:

Sloth, deceit, use of obscene words, impatience, disbelief, self-delusion, despair.

Vices against neighbors:

Disrespect for parents, slander, condemnation, rancor, hatred, theft, and so on.

How to confess correctly what to say to the priest at the beginning?

Before approaching the representative of the church, put bad thoughts out of your head and prepare to open your soul. You can start confession in the same way as it is correct to confess what to say to the priest, an example: “Lord, I have sinned against you,” and after that you can list your sins. There is no need to tell the priest about the sin in great detail, it is enough just to say "Committed adultery" or confess to another vice.

But to the enumeration of sins, you can add "I sinned with envy, I constantly envy my neighbor ..." etc. After listening to you, the priest will be able to give valuable advice and help you do the right thing in a given situation. Such clarifications will help to identify your greatest weaknesses and fight them. The confession ends with the words “I repent, Lord! Save and have mercy on me a sinner!

Many confessors are very ashamed to talk about anything, this is an absolutely normal feeling. But at the moment of repentance, you need to overcome yourself and understand that it is not the priest who condemns you, but God, and that it is to God that you tell about your sins. The priest is just a conductor between you and the Lord, do not forget about it.

List of sins for a woman

Many of the fair sex, having familiarized themselves with it, decide to refuse confession. It looks like this:

Rarely prayed and came to the temple
While praying, I thought about pressing issues.
Had sex before marriage
Had impure thoughts
Turned for help to fortune-tellers and magicians
believed in superstition
I was afraid of old age
Abuse of alcohol, drugs, sweets
Refusing to help other people
Performed abortions
Wearing revealing clothes

List of sins for a man

Blasphemy against the Lord
Disbelief
Taunting those who are weaker
Cruelty, pride, laziness, greed
Military service evasion
Insults and use of physical force against others
Slander
Inability to resist temptations
Refusal to help relatives and others
Theft
Rudeness, contempt, greed

A man needs to take a more responsible approach to this issue, since he is the head of the family. It is from him that children will take an example to follow.

There is also a list of sins for the child, which can be compiled after he answers a series of specific questions. He must understand how important it is to speak sincerely and honestly, but this already depends on the approach of the parents and their preparation of their child for confession.

The Importance of Confession in the Life of a Believer

Many holy fathers call confession a second baptism. This helps to establish unity with God and cleanse oneself of filth. As the Gospel says, repentance is a necessary condition for the purification of the soul. Throughout the life path, a person should strive to overcome temptations and prevent vice. During this sacrament, a person receives liberation from the shackles of sin, and all his sins are forgiven by the Lord God. For many, repentance is a victory over oneself, because only a true believer can confess what people prefer to keep silent about.

If you have confessed before, then you should not talk about old sins again. They have already been released and there is no point in repenting of them anymore. When you finish confessing, the priest will give his speech, give advice and instructions, and also say a permissive prayer. After that, a person must cross himself twice, bow, venerate the crucifix and the Gospel, then cross himself again and receive a blessing.

How to confess for the first time - an example?

The first confession may seem mysterious and unpredictable. People are frightened by the expectation that they may be condemned by a priest, experience a sense of shame and embarrassment. It is worth remembering that the representatives of the church are people who live according to the laws of the Lord. They do not condemn, do not wish harm to anyone and love their neighbors, trying to help them with wise advice.

They will never express a personal point of view, so you should not be afraid that the words of the priest can somehow offend, offend or shame you. He never shows emotion, speaks in a low voice and very little. Before repentance, you can approach him and ask for advice on how to properly prepare for this sacrament.

There is a lot of literature in church shops that can also help and give a lot of important information. During repentance, you should not complain about others and about your life, you need to talk only about yourself, listing the vices that you succumbed to. If you fast, then this is the best moment for confession, because by limiting yourself, people become more restrained and improve, contributing to the purification of the soul.

Many parishioners end their fast with a confession, which is a logical conclusion to a long abstinence. This sacrament leaves in the human soul the most vivid emotions and impressions that are never forgotten. Relieving the soul from sins and receiving their forgiveness, a person gets a chance to start life anew, resist temptations and live in harmony with the Lord and his laws. The article was found on alabanza.ru

Going to confession to the confessor, many believers ask themselves questions: how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest in this case? 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 the Father forgives all sins, the soul becomes light 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 has repented removes from himself the sins committed in life after baptism. A person is sinful, throughout his life, unrighteous deeds further and further alienate him from God. To approach a saint, one must accept the sacrament of confession or repentance.

The salvation of the soul is the main goal of the confessor. Only in repentance is the sinner reunited with the Heavenly Father. 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 well and do the following:

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

Children under 7 years of age and those who have just been baptized are not subject to confession, and women who have their period on this day, and young mothers who have not yet passed 40 days after giving birth, are not allowed to confess.

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

After that, you need to approach the confessor, bowing your head in front of the lectern, put a cross on yourself and bow. Now you should start confession. It may happen that the priest asks you to kiss the cross and the bible. You must do whatever he says.

What sins to tell the priest about?

If you do not repent for the first time, there is no need to talk about previously committed sins. You should only mention those that you have made since the last confession.

The main sins committed by man.

Sins against the Heavenly Father. These include pride, renunciation of the church and the Almighty, violation of the 10 commandments, false prayer, misbehavior during worship, passion for fortune-telling or magicians, thoughts of suicide.
Sins against the neighbor. These are insults, anger, anger, indifference, slander. Evil jokes directed at others.
Sins against yourself. Despondency, melancholy. Games for money, passion for material values. Smoking, alcoholism, gluttony.

If you really consciously repent and repent, God will forgive all sins. Remember the main 10 commandments and think about whether you have violated them. Nothing can be hidden and nothing can be said. Most often, the priest will listen to you and forgive your sins. Sometimes he will ask to elaborate on any case.

At the beginning of the conversation, the priest will ask: “In what way have you sinned against the Lord?” If you do not 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 the confessor will ask you. Are you remorseful for what you did? Have you made a decision to live according to the commandments and not commit further sins?

After your answers, the priest will cover you with a piece of holy robe called stole. He will speak over you and tell you what to do next. You can take communion, or the priest will recommend that you come to confession again.

Having made the decision to confess, first of all you need to contact your clergyman, 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 that you have committed. Only then will the Lord be merciful and grant you forgiveness.

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 of. Many go to confession and remain silent, waiting for leading questions from the priests. Why is this happening and what should an Orthodox Christian repent of?

– 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. That is why the holy fathers and especially St. Seraphim of Sarov so insist 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.

—Is there a common confession in the Orthodox Church? 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. In Soviet times, such confessions were also sometimes practiced, when one temple was for a whole city or district. Now, when the number of churches and clergy has increased significantly, there is no need to make do with one general confession without an individual one. We are ready to listen to everyone, if only there was sincere repentance.

Interviewed by Natalya Goroshkova