First confession in the church.  Parish of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. What to tell the priest

The holy mysteries - the body and blood of Christ - are the greatest shrine, a gift from God to us sinners and unworthy. It’s not for nothing that they are called holy gifts.

No one on earth can consider himself worthy to be a communicant of the holy mysteries. By preparing for communion, we cleanse our spiritual and physical nature. We prepare the soul through prayer, repentance and reconciliation with one’s neighbor, and the body through fasting and abstinence. This preparation is called fasting.

Prayer Rule

Those preparing for communion read three canons: 1) repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ; 2) prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos; 3) canon to the guardian angel. The Follow-up to Holy Communion is also read, which includes the canon for communion and prayers.

All these canons and prayers are contained in the Canon and the ordinary Orthodox prayer book.

On the eve of communion, you must be at the evening service, because the church day begins in the evening.

Fast

Before communion, fasting, fasting, fasting - bodily abstinence are attributed. During fasting, food of animal origin should be excluded: meat, dairy products, and eggs. During strict fasting, fish is also excluded. But lean foods should also be consumed in moderation.

During fasting, spouses must abstain from physical intimacy (5th rule of St. Timothy of Alexandria). Women who are in purification (during menstruation) cannot receive communion (7th rule of St. Timothy of Alexandria).

Of course, it is necessary to fast not only with the body, but also with the mind, sight and hearing, keeping your soul from worldly entertainments.

The duration of the Eucharistic fast is usually negotiated with the confessor or parish priest. This depends on the physical health, spiritual state of the communicant, and also on how often he approaches the holy mysteries.

The general practice is to fast for at least three days before communion.

For those who receive communion frequently (for example, once a week), the duration of fasting can be reduced with the blessing of the confessor to 1-2 days.

Also, the confessor can weaken the fast for people who are sick, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and also taking into account other life circumstances.

Those preparing for communion no longer eat after midnight, as the day of communion arrives. You need to take communion on an empty stomach. Under no circumstances should you smoke. Some people mistakenly believe that you shouldn’t brush your teeth in the morning so as not to swallow water. This is completely wrong. In the "Teaching News" every priest is prescribed to brush his teeth before the liturgy.

Repentance

The most important point in preparing for the sacrament of communion is the cleansing of your soul from sins, which is accomplished in the sacrament of confession. Christ will not enter into a soul that is not cleansed from sin and not reconciled with God.

You can sometimes hear the opinion that it is necessary to separate the sacraments of confession and communion. And if a person regularly confesses, then he can begin communion without confession. In this case, they usually refer to the practice of some Local Churches (for example, the Greek Church).

But our Russian people have been in atheistic captivity for more than 70 years. And the Russian Church is only just beginning to gradually recover from the spiritual catastrophe that befell our country. We have very few Orthodox churches and clergy. In Moscow, for 10 million inhabitants, there are only about one thousand priests. People are unchurched and cut off from traditions. Community and parish life is practically absent. The life and spiritual level of modern Orthodox believers are incomparable with the life of Christians of the first centuries. Therefore, we adhere to the practice of confession before each communion.

By the way, about the first centuries of Christianity. The most important historical monument of early Christian writing, “The Teaching of the 12 Apostles” or in Greek “Didache”, says: “On the day of the Lord (that is, on Sunday. - O. P.G.), having gathered together, break bread and give thanks, having confessed your sins in advance, so that your sacrifice may be pure. Let anyone who has a quarrel with his friend not come with you until they are reconciled, so that your sacrifice is not desecrated; for this is the name of the Lord: in every place and at all times a pure sacrifice must be offered to Me, for I am a great King, says the Lord, and My name is wonderful among the nations” (Didache 14). And again: “Confess your sins in church and do not approach your prayer with a bad conscience. This is the way of life! (Didache, 4).

The importance of repentance and cleansing from sins before communion is undeniable, so let’s dwell on this topic in a little more detail.

For many, the first confession and communion was the beginning of their churching, their formation as Orthodox Christians.

In preparation for welcoming our dear guest, we try to better clean our house and put it in order. Moreover, we must prepare with trembling, reverence and care to receive into the home of our souls the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” The more closely a Christian follows spiritual life, the more often and more diligently he repents, the more he sees his sins and unworthiness before God. It is not for nothing that holy people saw their sins as countless as the sand of the sea. One noble citizen of the town of Gaza came to the Monk Abba Dorotheos, and the Abba asked him: “Eminent gentleman, tell me who you consider yourself to be in your city?” He replied: “I consider myself great and the first in the city.” Then the monk asked him again: “If you go to Caesarea, who will you consider yourself to be there?” The man replied: “For the last of the nobles there.” “If you go to Antioch, who will you consider yourself to be there?” “There,” he answered, “I will consider myself one of the common people.” - “If you go to Constantinople and approach the king, who will you consider yourself to be?” And he answered: “Almost like a beggar.” Then the abba said to him: “This is how the saints, the closer they come to God, the more they see themselves as sinners.”

Unfortunately, we have to see that some perceive the sacrament of confession as a kind of formality, after which they will be allowed to receive communion. When preparing to receive communion, we must take full responsibility for the cleansing of our soul in order to make it a temple for the acceptance of Christ.

The Holy Fathers call repentance second baptism, baptism of tears. Just as the waters of baptism wash our soul from sins, tears of repentance, crying and contrition for sins, cleanse our spiritual nature.

Why do we repent if the Lord already knows all our sins? God expects repentance and recognition from us. In the sacrament of confession we ask Him for forgiveness. This can be understood with the following example. The child climbed into the closet and ate all the candy. The father knows perfectly well who did this, but he waits for his son to come and ask for forgiveness.

The very word “confession” means that the Christian has come tell, confess, tell your sins yourself. The priest in prayer before confession reads: “These are Your servants, in a word be kind to me." The person himself is resolved from his sins through the word and receives forgiveness from God. Therefore, confession should be private, not general. I mean the practice when the priest reads a list of possible sins, and then simply covers the confessor with a stole. “General confession” was an almost universal phenomenon in Soviet times, when there were very few functioning churches and on Sundays, holidays, and also during fasting, they were crowded with worshipers. It was simply unrealistic to confess to everyone who wanted to. Conducting confession after the evening service was also almost never allowed. Now, thank God, there are very few churches left where such confession is held.

In order to prepare well for the cleansing of the soul, you need to think about your sins and remember them before the sacrament of repentance. The books help us with this: “To help the repentant” by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “The Experience of Constructing a Confession” by Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) and others.

Confession cannot be perceived as just a spiritual wash or shower. You don’t have to be afraid of messing around in the dirt and soil; everything will be washed off in the shower later anyway. And you can go on sinning. If a person approaches confession with such thoughts, he is confessing not for salvation, but for judgment and condemnation. And having formally “confessed,” he will not receive permission for sins from God. It's not that simple. Sin and passion cause great harm to the soul, and even after repenting, a person bears the consequences of his sin. This is how a patient who has had smallpox ends up with scars on his body.

It is not enough to simply confess sin; you must make every effort to overcome the tendency to sin in your soul and not return to it again. So the doctor removes the cancerous tumor and prescribes a course of chemotherapy to defeat the disease and prevent relapse. Of course, it is not easy to immediately leave sin, but the repentant should not be a hypocrite: “If I repent, I will continue to sin.” A person must make every effort to take the path of correction and no longer return to sin. A person must ask God for help to fight sins and passions.

Those who rarely confess and receive communion cease to see their sins. They move away from God. And vice versa, approaching Him as the Source of light, people begin to see all the dark and unclean corners of their soul. Just as the bright sun highlights all the untidy nooks and crannies of the room.

The Lord does not expect earthly gifts and offerings from us, but: “a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise” (Ps. 50:19). And preparing to unite with Christ in the sacrament of communion, we offer Him this sacrifice.

Reconciliation

“So if you are bringing your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go, first make peace with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23–24), the word of God tells us.

The one who dares to take communion with malice, enmity, hatred, and unforgiven grievances in his heart sins mortally.

The Kiev-Pechersk Patericon tells about the terrible sinful state people who approach communion in a state of anger and non-reconciliation can fall into. “There were two brothers in spirit - Deacon Evagrius and priest Titus. And they had great and unfeigned love for each other, so that everyone marveled at their unanimity and immeasurable love. The devil, who hates good, and always walks “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), aroused enmity between them. And he put such hatred into them that they avoided each other, did not want to see each other in person. Many times the brethren begged them to reconcile with each other, but they did not want to hear. When Titus walked with the censer, Evagrius ran away from the incense; when Evagrius did not run away, Titus passed by him without showing any signs. And so they spent a lot of time in sinful darkness, approaching the holy mysteries: Titus, not asking for forgiveness, and Evagrius, being angry, the enemy armed them to such an extent. One day Titus became very ill and, already near death, began to grieve over his sin and sent to the deacon with a prayer: “Forgive me, for God’s sake, my brother, that I was angry with you in vain.” Evagrius responded with cruel words and curses. The elders, seeing that Titus was dying, forcibly brought Evagrius to reconcile him with his brother. Seeing him, the patient rose a little, fell prostrate at his feet and said: “Forgive and bless me, my father!” He, unmerciful and fierce, refused to forgive in the presence of everyone, saying: “I will never be reconciled with him, neither in this century nor in the future.” And suddenly Evagrius escaped from the hands of the elders and fell. They wanted to raise him, but they saw that he was already dead. And they could neither stretch out his arms nor close his mouth, like someone who had died long ago. The sick man immediately stood up, as if he had never been sick. And everyone was horrified by the sudden death of one and the speedy recovery of the other. Evagrius was buried with much weeping. His mouth and eyes remained open, and his arms were stretched out. Then the elders asked Titus: “What does all this mean?” And he said: “I saw angels retreating from me and crying for my soul, and demons rejoicing at my anger. And then I began to pray to my brother to forgive me. When you brought him to me, I saw an unmerciful angel holding a flaming spear, and when Evagrius did not forgive me, he hit him and he fell dead. The angel gave me his hand and lifted me up.” Hearing this, the brothers were afraid of God, who said: “Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).”

When preparing to receive the Holy Mysteries, we need (if there is such an opportunity) to ask for forgiveness from everyone whom we have voluntarily or unwittingly offended and to forgive everyone ourselves. If it is not possible to do this personally, you need to make peace with your neighbors at least in your heart. Of course, this is not easy - we are all proud, touchy people (by the way, touchiness always stems from pride). But how can we ask God for forgiveness of our sins, count on their remission, if we ourselves do not forgive our offenders. Shortly before the faithful receive communion, the Lord’s Prayer is sung at the Divine Liturgy - “Our Father.” As a reminder to us that only then will God “leave ( forgive) we are in debt ( sins) ours,” when we also leave “our debtor.”

What is the meaning of the Christian life? There may be many answers, but no one will argue that Orthodox Christians see the ultimate goal of earthly existence as an eternal stay in paradise.

No one knows at what moment a person’s stay on earth may end, so one should be prepared for the transition to another world every second.

What is confession

The best way to get rid of sin is sincere repentance, when the thought of an unclean life becomes disgusting.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8, 9).

The secret of confession in Orthodoxy gives Christians the opportunity to leave all their sins and brings him closer to the Knowledge of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Humble prayer and frequent confession are the results of repentance, real contrition of the spirit, which occurs in a constant struggle with passions.

About other Sacraments of the Orthodox Church:

Christ and the Sinner

Orthodox Christians who are constantly in prayer and repentance, bringing their bad deeds and thoughts to the altar of God's blood, are not afraid of death, for they know that their bad deeds are forgiven during confession.

Confession is a Sacrament, during which, through a priest, as an intermediary, a person communicates with the Creator, renounces his sinful life in repentance and recognition of himself as a sinner.

Any, even the smallest sin, can become a huge lock on the door of eternity. The Creator holds the repentant heart, placed at the altar of God’s love, in His hands, forgiving all sins, without the right to remember them, shortening earthly life and depriving us of eternal stay in paradise.

Bad deeds come from hell, fallen man spends it in existing world, acting as a conductor.

Sincere confession of wrong actions cannot be violent; only through ardent repentance, hatred of the sin committed, dying for it and living in holiness, the Almighty opens His arms.

Forgiveness in Christianity

The secret of confession in Orthodoxy guarantees that everything was said in front of the priest, dies and does not leave the gates of the temple. There are no big or small sins, there are unrepentant sins and self-justification that alienate a person from accepting forgiveness. Through sincere repentance, a person comprehends the mystery of salvation.

Important! The Holy Fathers of the Church forbid remembering sins that were confessed to God in sincere repentance and left forever by a person.

Why do Orthodox Christians confess?

Man consists of spirit, soul and body. Everyone knows that the body will turn to dust, but concern for bodily cleanliness occupies an important place in the life of Christians. The soul, which will meet the Savior at the end of life, also needs to be cleansed from sins.

Only confession of sinful deeds, thoughts, and words can wash away the dirt from the soul. The accumulation of impurities in the soul causes negative emotions:

• irritation;
• anger;
• apathy.

Often Orthodox Christians themselves cannot explain their behavior; they do not even suspect that the cause is unconfessed sins.

A person’s spiritual health and a calm conscience directly depend on the frequency of confessing his vicious inclinations.

Confession accepted by God is directly related, or rather, is the result of sincere repentance. A repentant person sincerely desires to live according to the commandments of the Lord; he is constantly critical of his errors and sins.

Confession in Orthodox Church

According to Saint Theophan the Recluse, repentance occurs in four stages:

• realize sin;
• admit your guilt in committing an offense;
• decide to permanently break off your relationship with wrong actions or thoughts;
• tearfully pray to the Creator for forgiveness.

Important! Confession must be spoken out loud, for God knows what is written, but demons hear what is spoken by voice.

In obedience, going to the frank opening of his heart, which occurs in the presence of a priest, a person first of all steps over his pride. Some believers argue that one can confess directly in the presence of the Creator, but according to the laws of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Sacrament of Confession is considered legal if it is performed through an intercessor, prayer book and witness in one person, through a clergyman.

The main thing when confessing sins is not the rank of mediator, but the state of the sinner’s heart, his heartfelt contrition and complete renunciation of the committed offense.

What are the rules of confession?

People who wish to perform the Sacrament of Confession approach the priest before or during the Liturgy, but always before the Sacrament of Communion. By prior agreement, priests visit sick people at home.

According to the Church Charter, when purifying the Orthodox soul, there are no reservations about fasting or prayer rules; the main thing is that the Christian believes and sincerely repents. People do the right thing when, before coming to church, they spend time recognizing and writing down their sins, but these notes should be left at home.

In front of a priest, as in front of a doctor, they talk about what hurts and torments, and for this you don’t need papers.

Deadly sins include:

• pride, arrogance, vanity;
• fornication;
• desire for someone else's and envy;
• excessive gratification of one's flesh;
• unbridled anger;
• a sad spirit that dries up the bones.

Advice! The priest should not tell the story of the offense committed, the circumstances of its commission, or try to find an excuse for himself. What to say in confession should be considered at home, repenting of every little thing that troubles the heart.

If this is an offense, before going to church, you need to reconcile with the offender and forgive the offending person.

In the presence of a priest, one should name the sins, say that I repent and admit it. In confession, we bring repentant sin to the foot of the great God and ask for forgiveness. Do not confuse a heart-to-heart conversation with a spiritual mentor and the Sacrament of Confession.

When consulting with a counselor, Christians can talk about their problems, ask for advice, and when confessing sins, they should speak clearly, clearly and briefly . God sees a repentant heart, He does not need verbosity.

The Church points out the sin of insensibility during confession, when a person has no fear of the Creator, has little faith, but came to church because everyone came so that his neighbors could see his “piety.”

Cold, mechanical confession without preparation and sincere repentance is considered invalid; it insults the Creator. You can find several priests, say one bad deed to each, but not repent of a single one, “taking on” the sin of hypocrisy and deception.

First confession and preparation for it

Having decided to confess, you should:

• clearly understand the importance of this event;
• feel full responsibility before the Almighty;
• repent of what has been done;
• forgive all debtors;
• be filled with faith for forgiveness;
• state all sins with deep repentance.

The first appearance of petition and repentance will force you to mentally “shovel” your life from the point of view of repentance, if the desire for repentance is sincere. At the same time, you should constantly pray, ask God to open the darkest corners of your soul, and bring all bad deeds to the light of God.

Sacrament of Repentance

It is a mortal sin to come to confession and then take communion with unforgiveness in your soul. The Bible writes that people who come to communion unworthily get sick and die. (1 Cor. 11:27-30)

Holy Scripture affirms that God forgives any repentant sin, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 12:30-32)

If the crime committed is very great, then after confession before communion of the Blood of Jesus, the priest can assign penance - punishment in the form of many bows, many hours of reading the canons, intense fasting and pilgrimage to holy places. It is impossible not to perform penance; it can be canceled by the priest who imposed the punishment.

Important! After confession they do not always receive communion, and it is impossible to receive Communion without confession.

Prayers before confession and communion: Christ knocks on the door

Only pride and false shame, which also refers to pride, hide the importance of complete trust in the Creator in His mercy and forgiveness. Righteous shame is born of conscience, it is given by the Creator; a sincere Christian will always strive to clear his conscience as soon as possible.

What to say to the priest

When going to confession for the first time, you should remember that what lies ahead is not a meeting with a clergyman, but with the Creator Himself.

When cleansing your soul and heart from a sinful inheritance, you should admit your guilt in contrition, humility and reverence, while not touching on the sins of other people. They themselves will give an answer to the Creator. One must confess in firm faith that Jesus came to save and wash His children from sinful deeds and thoughts with His blood.

Opening your heart to God, you need to repent not only of obvious sins, but of those good deeds that could have been done for people, the church, the Savior, but were not done.

Neglect of a task entrusted to you is an abomination to God.

Jesus, by His earthly death, proved that the path of purification is open to everyone, promising the thief who recognized Him as God, the Kingdom of Heaven.

God does not look at the number of bad deeds on the day of confession, He sees a repentant heart.

A sign of forgiven sin will be a special peace in the heart, tranquility. At this time, the angels sing to Heaven, rejoicing at the salvation of another soul.

How to prepare for confession? Archpriest John Pelipenko

How to prepare for your first confession? This question worries many beginning Orthodox Christians. You will find out the answer to this question if you read the article!

Using the following below simple tips you can take your first steps.

How to confess and receive communion for the first time?

Confession in church

The only exception may be the briefest “memo” of basic sins, which are often not recognized as such.

An example of such a memo:

A. Sins against the Lord God:

- disbelief in God, recognition of any significance for other “spiritual forces”, religious doctrines, in addition to the Christian faith; participation in other religious practices or rituals, even “for company,” as a joke, etc.;

- nominal faith, not expressed in any way in life, that is, practical atheism (you can recognize the existence of God with your mind, but live as if you were an unbeliever);

- the creation of “idols,” that is, placing something other than God in first place among life values. Anything that a person really “serves” can become an idol: money, power, career, health, knowledge, hobbies - all this can be good when it occupies the appropriate place in the personal “hierarchy of values”, but when it comes first , turns into an idol;

- turning to various kinds of fortune tellers, sorcerers, sorcerers, psychics, etc. - an attempt to “subdue” spiritual forces magically, without repentance and personal effort to change life in accordance with the commandments.

b. Sins against one's neighbor:

- neglect of people, resulting from pride and selfishness, inattention to the needs of one’s neighbor (a neighbor is not necessarily a relative or acquaintance, it is every person who happens to be next to us at the moment);

- condemnation and discussion of the shortcomings of your neighbors (“By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned,” says the Lord);

— prodigal sins of various kinds, especially adultery (violation of marital fidelity) and unnatural sexual relations, which are incompatible with being in the Church. The so-called so-called, widespread today, also refers to prodigal cohabitation. “civil marriage”, that is, cohabitation without marriage registration. It should, however, be remembered that a registered but unmarried marriage cannot be regarded as fornication and is not an obstacle to remaining in the Church;

— Abortion is the taking of the life of a human being, essentially murder. One should repent even if the abortion was done for medical reasons. Inducing a woman to have an abortion (by her husband, for example) is also a serious sin. Repentance for this sin implies that the repentant will never knowingly repeat it again.

— appropriation of someone else’s property, refusal to pay other people’s labor (ticketless travel), withholding the wages of subordinates or hired workers;

— lies of various kinds, especially slandering one’s neighbor, spreading rumors (as a rule, we cannot be sure of the veracity of rumors), inability to keep one’s word.

This is an approximate list of the most common sins, but we emphasize once again that you should not get carried away with such “lists”. When further preparing for confession, it is best to use the Ten Commandments of God and listen to your own conscience.

• Talk only about sins, and your own.

In confession you need to talk about your sins, without trying to minimize them or show them as excusable. It would seem that this is obvious, but how often do priests, when accepting confession, hear, instead of confessing sins, everyday stories about all their relatives, neighbors and acquaintances. When in confession a person talks about the grievances caused to him, he evaluates and condemns his neighbors, essentially justifying himself. Often in such stories, personal sins are presented in such a light that it would seem completely impossible to avoid them. But sin is always the fruit of personal choice. It is extremely rare that we find ourselves in such conflicts when we are forced to choose between two types of sin.

• Don't invent a special language.

When talking about your sins, you shouldn’t worry about how to call them “correctly” or “church wise”. We must call things by their proper names, in ordinary language. You are confessing to God, who knows even more about your sins than you do, and calling sin as it is will definitely not surprise God.

You won't surprise the priest either. Sometimes penitents are ashamed to tell the priest this or that sin, or there is a fear that the priest, having heard the sin, will condemn you. In fact, over the years of ministry, a priest has to listen to a lot of confessions, and it is not easy to surprise him. And besides, all sins are not original: they have practically not changed over thousands of years. Being a witness to sincere repentance of serious sins, the priest will never condemn, but will rejoice at the person’s conversion from sin to the path of righteousness.

• Talk about serious things, not trifles.

There is no need to start confession with such sins as breaking the fast, not going to church, working on holidays, watching TV, wearing/not wearing certain types of clothes, etc. First of all, these are definitely not your most serious sins. Secondly, this may not be a sin at all: if a person has not come to God for many years, then why repent of not keeping fasts if the very “vector” of life was directed in the wrong direction? Thirdly, who needs endless digging into everyday minutiae? The Lord expects from us love and giving of the heart, and we told him: “I ate fish on a fast day” and “embroidered on a holiday.”

The main focus should be on our relationship with God and our neighbors. Moreover, by neighbors, according to the Gospel, we mean not only people who are pleasant to us, but everyone who has met us in our lives. life path. And above all, our family members. Christian life for family people begins in the family and is tested by it. Here is the best field for cultivating Christian qualities: love, patience, forgiveness, acceptance.

• Start changing your life even before confession.

Repentance in Greek sounds like “metanoia,” literally “a change of mind.” It is not enough to admit that you have committed such and such offenses in life. God is not a prosecutor, and confession is not a confession. Repentance must be a change of life: the penitent intends not to return to sins and tries with all his might to keep himself from them. Such repentance begins some time before confession, and coming to church to see the priest already “captures” the change taking place in life. This is extremely important. If a person intends to continue sinning after confession, then maybe it’s worth postponing confession?

It is necessary to stipulate that when we talk about changing life and renouncing sin, we mean first of all the so-called “mortal” sins, according to the word of the Apostle John, that is, incompatible with being in the Church. Since ancient times, the Christian Church has considered renunciation of faith, murder and adultery to be such sins. Sins of this kind can also include the extreme degree of other human passions: anger towards one’s neighbor, theft, cruelty, etc., which can be stopped once and for all by an effort of will, combined with the help of God. As for small, so-called “everyday” sins, they will largely be repeated after confession. One must be prepared for this and accept it humbly as an inoculation against spiritual exaltation: there are no perfect people among people, only God alone is sinless.

• Be at peace with everyone.

“Forgive and you will be forgiven,” says the Lord. - “By whatever court you judge, you will be judged.” And even more strongly: “If you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” . If we ask God for forgiveness, then we ourselves must first forgive the offenders. Of course, there are situations when asking for forgiveness directly from a person is physically impossible, or this will lead to an aggravation of an already difficult relationship. Then it is important to at least forgive on your part and not have anything against your neighbor in your heart.

Some practical recommendations. Before you come to confession, it would be a good idea to find out when confession is usually held in the church. In many churches they serve not only on Sundays and holidays, but also on Saturdays, and in large churches and monasteries - on weekdays. The greatest influx of confessors occurs during Lent. Of course, the Lenten period is primarily a time of repentance, but for those who come for the first time or after a very long break, it is better to choose a time when the priest is not very busy. It may turn out that confession is held in the church on Friday evening or Saturday morning - on these days there will probably be fewer people than during Sunday services. It’s good if you have the opportunity to personally contact the priest and ask him to set a convenient time for you to confess.

There are special prayers that express a repentant “mood.” It is good to read them the day before confession. The repentant canon to the Lord Jesus Christ is printed in almost any prayer book, except for the shortest ones. If you are unfamiliar with praying in Church Slavonic, you can use the Russian translation.

During confession, the priest may assign you penance: abstaining from communion for a while, reading special prayers, prostrations to the ground, or deeds of mercy. This is not a punishment, but a means to overcome sin and receive complete forgiveness. Penance can be prescribed when the priest does not meet the proper attitude on the part of the penitent towards serious sins, or, conversely, when he sees that the person has a need to do something practically to “get rid of” the sin. Penance cannot be indefinite: it is appointed for a certain time, and then must be terminated.

As a rule, after confession, believers take communion. Although confession and communion are two different sacraments, it is better to combine preparation for confession with preparation for communion. We will tell you what kind of preparation this is in a separate article.

If these little tips helped you prepare for confession, thank God. Do not forget that this sacrament must be regular. Don't put off your next confession for many years. Confession at least once a month helps you to always be “on your toes” and treat your life attentively and responsibly. Everyday life, in which, in fact, our Christian faith should be expressed.

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Regardless of religion, there are various rituals that you need to know about. The most important among these sacraments are Communion and Confession. Most have heard these names, but not everyone can boast of knowing how to conduct them, much less taking part in them. So, many often ask the question of how to properly take communion and confess for the first time. Priests note that the ritual of confession is one of the most difficult for Christians.

This is a process in which the will of the person himself plays the greatest role. It is he who decides whether to change or not, he decides the question of whether to come to the Lord and, with a witness (priest), repent of his sins and wrong actions or not, renounce such acts and not commit them in the future, or leave everything is as it is.

Confession is the process by which a person renounces his sins in favor of the Lord and the salvation of his soul.

When can I confess for the first time?

You can often hear the question of when and how to confess in church for the first time? Church ministers note that the first confession should be held upon reaching seven years of age. It is generally accepted that everything done before this period has already been redeemed by Christ.

This age limit is called the period of responsibility and awareness. They say that from this moment the baby moves to a new stage - adolescence. He already has an understanding of the meaning and consequences of his actions. That is why it is recommended to conduct confession at this age.

How can a child confess for the first time?

The child’s preparation for such a sacrament occurs long before it takes place. It is laid down in education when he is told about the Church, the Sacraments, the Lord and mortal sins. He is given models of right and wrong behavior, and when he comes to confession, he will be able to compare his actions and characterize them.

Before the first confession, it is necessary to remind the child to warn the priest that this is his first confession. In such cases, the clergy speak with parishioners in a special way, since tact and correctness are very important here. This advice can be used not only in relation to young children, but also to adults who come to such a sacrament in adulthood.

Confession of an adult.

How to confess your sins for the first time as an adult? For older people, this procedure is somewhat different and more complicated, because preparation for it rests solely with them. Initially, you should decide on the choice of place, time and priest. When deciding on one temple or another, remember that first of all you should feel calm and comfortable there.

It is advisable to come to confession for the first time on a weekday. This is explained by the presence of not such a large number of people as on weekends at the liturgy and the priest will be able to devote a sufficient amount of time to you. You can pre-agreed with him the date and time of this ceremony. He can also advise you on how to prepare for this procedure and what literature you can read.

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After determining the place, date and time, it is necessary to prepare for this ceremony. The Church recommends during these days:

• stick to fasting
• do not eat animal products (eggs, fish, milk, meat),
• withdraw from sexual relations.

Everyone must determine the duration of the fast for themselves, but this is not a mandatory requirement. But if a person wants to take communion immediately after confession, then the fast must be for at least 3 days. During this period, special attention should be paid to reading the Holy Scriptures and prayers.

If you don’t know what to say for the first time in confession, then the priest will tell you everything you need. Basically, everything will come down to mortal sins and those actions that are committed against the 10 commandments of the Law of God:

• theft,
• pride,
• gluttony,
• envy,
• murder (including abortion),
• despondency,
• adultery,
• love of money
• anger.

You can remember the sins you have committed in relation to this list and, if there are many of them, then even write them down. It is important not only, but also to listen to your conscience and find out what you are ashamed of in the first place. It happens that some actions are not considered a sin, but they bother you very much. This is exactly what a clergyman will help you sort out.

How to confess to the priest correctly, what to say

If the process of confession takes place during the liturgy, then you should speak in a whisper so as not to disturb others in their prayers. If you are separately and brought notes, you can give them to the priest and he will read them. It is advisable to speak in your own words without memorized phrases.

After you perform the action, the priest may ask a question. If there is something that worries you, then it is worth asking about it. Before starting confession, it is advisable to ask everyone for forgiveness and make peace with them. If someone is no longer alive, then it is worth saying about it in confession.

How does the sacrament happen?

This ritual is carried out in a special place - a lectern, where the Gospel and the cross lie. After you approach, you should cross yourself and place your index and middle fingers on the Gospel. An epitrachelion will be placed on your head. After this, he will read a prayer for the remission of sins and make the sign of the cross. During the prayer field, your epitrachelion will be removed. You will need to cross yourself and kiss the cross, and also ask for a blessing.

Remember that only your sincere desire and faith will help cleanse your soul. Don’t be afraid, they will tell you if you suddenly don’t know something.

The Lord is always with you!

Few people know how to confess correctly and what to say to the priest. I will tell you and give you an example of a speech for repentance so that the ceremony is as comfortable as possible for you and you can receive a blessing. It's scary to take this step just for the first time. After you experience the full sacred power of the ritual, doubts will go away and faith in God will strengthen.

What is confession?

Almost all people have heard about confession, but only a few know how to properly confess in church and what to say to the priest, as well as what deep meaning enclosed in this sacred rite.

The meaning of confession is to cleanse the soul, but at the same time it is also a test for it. It helps a person to remove the burden of his sins, receive forgiveness and appear before God completely pure: in thoughts, actions, soul. Confession is also an excellent religious tool for those who want to overcome internal doubts, learn to hear their intuition and repent of their wrongdoings.

It is important to know that if a person has committed serious sins, the priest can assign him punishment - penance. It may consist of long, tedious prayers, strict aftercare, or abstinence from all worldly things. Punishment should be accepted humbly, realizing that it helps your soul to cleanse itself.

It is known that any violations of God’s commandments negatively affect both a person’s physical health and the state of his soul. This is precisely why repentance is needed - to gain the strength necessary to resist temptations and temptations, to stop sinning.

Before confession, it is advisable to make a list of your sins in advance, describe them according to church canons, and prepare for a conversation with the priest.

What to say to a priest in confession: example

You should know that pouring out your soul to the priest and repenting of your sins in all details is not at all necessary, and even undesirable. Just look at this list of sins and write down what is typical for you.

There are seven mortal sins that need to be repented of:

1. Envy of the successes and achievements, benefits of other people.
2. Vanity, which manifests itself in selfishness, narcissism, inflated self-esteem and narcissism.
3. Despondency, which is also identified with such concepts as depression, apathy, laziness and despair, lack of faith in one’s own strength.
4. Love of money, which in modern language we call greed, stinginess, fixation only on material goods. When a person sets goals aimed only at enrichment, but does not devote a single minute of time to spiritual development.
5. Anger directed at people. This also includes any manifestations of temper, irritation, vindictiveness and rancor.
6. Fornication is betrayal of your partner, frequent change of sexual partners, infidelity to your lover in thoughts, words or actions (not just a physical act).
7. Gluttony, gluttony, excessive love of food and the absence of any restrictions in food.

It is not for nothing that these sins are called “mortal” - they lead, if not to the death of a person’s physical body, then to the death of his soul. Constantly, day after day, committing these sins, a person moves further and further away from God. He ceases to feel his protection and support.

Only sincere repentance in confession will help you cleanse yourself of all this. It is worth understanding that we are all not without sin. And you don’t need to reproach yourself if you recognize yourself on this list. Only God makes no mistakes, and an ordinary person is not always able to resist temptations and enticements, and not allow evil into his body and soul. Especially if there is some difficult period in his life.

An example of what you can say is: “Oh God, I have sinned against you.” And then list the sins according to a previously prepared list. For example: “I committed adultery, I was greedy with my mother, I am constantly angry with my wife.” Complete your repentance with the phrase: “I repent, God, save and have mercy on me, a sinner.”

After the priest listens to you, he can give advice and help you understand how you should act in a given situation in accordance with God's commandments

It may be very difficult for you to admit the sins you have committed. A feeling of heaviness, depression, a lump in the throat, tears - any reaction is completely normal. Try to overcome yourself and tell everything. Father will never judge you, because he is a guide from you to God and simply has no right to make value judgments.

Watch a training video about what words to start confessing to the priest:

How to prepare for confession

It is better to prepare for the sacred ceremony in advance so that everything goes smoothly. A few days in advance, choose the church you will go to, study its opening hours, see what time confessions are held. Most often, the schedule indicates weekends or holidays for this.

There are often a lot of people in the temple at this time, and not everyone can open their hearts in public. In this case, you should contact the priest directly and ask him to set up a time for you when you can be alone.

Before confession, read the Canon of Repentance, which will put you in the right state and free your thoughts from all unnecessary things. Also, write out the list of sins on a separate piece of paper in advance, so that on the day of confession you don’t forget anything out of excitement.

In addition to the seven deadly sins, the list may include:

• “Women’s sins”: refusal to communicate with God, reading prayers “automatically” without involving the soul, sex with men before marriage, negative emotions in thoughts, appeals to magicians, fortune-tellers and psychics, belief in omens and superstitions, fear of old age, abortion , provocative clothing, addiction to alcohol or drugs, refusal to help those in need.
• “Male sins”: angry words addressed to God, lack of faith in God, oneself, others, a sense of superiority over the weak, sarcasm and ridicule, evasion of military service, violence (moral and physical) against other people, lies and slander, succumbed temptations and seductions, theft of other people's property, rudeness, boorishness, greed, a sense of contempt.

Why is it so important to confess? We regularly cleanse our body of dirt, but we completely forget that it sticks to our soul every day. Having cleansed our souls, we not only receive God’s forgiveness, but also become cleaner, calmer, more relaxed, full of strength and energy.