What to say in confession to the priest is a sample. The sacrament of confession in Orthodoxy: rules and important points. How to confess correctly what to say to the priest at the beginning

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!

With the following simple tips, you can take your first steps.

How to confess and receive communion for the first time?

Confession in the church

The only exception may be the shortest "reminder" of the main 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 behind other "spiritual forces", religious doctrines, in addition to the Christian faith; participation in other religious practices or rituals, even "for the 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 the 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 an appropriate place in the personal "hierarchy of values" , turns into an idol;

- an appeal to all kinds of fortune-tellers, sorcerers, sorcerers, psychics, etc. - an attempt to "subdue" spiritual forces by magic, without repentance and personal effort to change life in accordance with the commandments.

b. Sins against neighbor:

- neglect of people, arising from pride and self-love, inattention to the needs of a neighbor (a neighbor is not necessarily a relative or an acquaintance, this is every person who is next to us at the moment);

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

- various kinds of fornication, especially adultery (violation of marital fidelity) and unnatural sexual intercourse, which is incompatible with being in the Church. Prodigal cohabitation also includes the so-called common today. "Civil marriage", that is, cohabitation without marriage registration. It should be remembered, however, that a registered but unmarried marriage cannot be regarded as fornication and is not an obstacle to being in the Church;

- abortion - the deprivation of the life of a human being, in fact, murder. You should repent even if the abortion was done for medical reasons. Inducing a woman to have an abortion (on the part of her husband, for example) is also a serious sin. Repentance for this sin means that the repentant will never knowingly repeat it again.

- appropriation of someone else's property, refusal to pay for the work of other people (ticketless travel), withholding the wages of subordinates or hired workers;

- lies of various kinds, especially - slander against a neighbor, spreading rumors (as a rule, we cannot be sure of the truthfulness of rumors), incontinence of words.

This is an approximate list of the most common sins, but once again we emphasize that such "lists" should not be carried away. It is best to use the ten commandments of God in further preparation for confession and listen to your own conscience.

Talk only about sins, and your own.

It is necessary to speak in confession about your sins, without trying to diminish them or show them excusable. It would seem that this is obvious, but how often priests, when accepting confession, hear, instead of confessing sins, everyday stories about all relatives, neighbors and acquaintances. When in confession a person talks about the wrongs inflicted on him, he evaluates and condemns others, in fact, justifying himself. Often in such stories, personal sins are presented in such a light that it would seem that it is completely impossible to avoid them. But sin is always the fruit of personal choice. It is extremely rare that we find ourselves in such collisions when we are forced to choose between two kinds of sin.

Do not invent a special language.

Talking about your sins, you should not worry about how to call them “correctly” or “according to the church”. It is necessary to call things by their proper names, in ordinary language. You confess to God, who knows about your sins even more than you do, and by calling sin as it is, you certainly will not surprise God.

Nor will you surprise the priest. Sometimes those who repent are ashamed to tell the priest this or that sin, or there is a fear that the priest, upon hearing the sin, will condemn you. In fact, a priest has to listen to a lot of confessions over the years of his ministry, and it is not easy to surprise him. And besides, all sins are not original: they have remained practically unchanged over the millennia. Being a witness of sincere repentance for serious sins, the priest will never condemn, but will rejoice at the conversion of a person from sin to the path of righteousness.

Talk about serious things, not small things.

It is not necessary 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. Firstly, 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 non-observance of fasts, if the very “vector” of life was directed in the wrong direction? Third, who needs endless digging in everyday little things? The Lord expects from us love and the return of our hearts, and we to him: "I ate a fish on a fast day" and "embroidered on a holiday."

The main attention should be paid to the attitude towards God and neighbors. Moreover, according to the Gospel, neighbors are understood to mean not only people who are pleasant to us, but everyone who met us on the path of life. And above all - our family members. The Christian life for married people begins in the family and is tested by it. Here is the best field for cultivating Christian qualities in oneself: love, patience, forgiveness, acceptance.

Start changing your life even before confession.

Repentance in Greek sounds like "metanoia", literally - "change of mind." It is not enough to admit that you have committed such and such wrongs in your life. God is not a prosecutor, and confession is not a confession. Repentance should be a change of life: the repentant intends not to return to sins and by all means tries to keep himself from them. Such repentance begins some time before confession, and coming to church to see a 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 is worth postponing with confession?

It must be stipulated that when we talk about changing life and rejecting sin, we mean, first of all, the so-called “mortal” sins, in the words of the Apostle John, that is, incompatible with being in the Church. Since ancient times, the Christian Church has considered such sins to be renunciation, murder and adultery. An extreme degree of other human passions can also be attributed to sins of this kind: anger at 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 the petty sins, the so-called "everyday", they will largely be repeated after confession. One must be ready for this and accept it humbly as an inoculation against spiritual exaltation: there are no perfect people among people, only God is sinless.

Be at peace with everyone.

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven,” says the Lord. - "With what court you judge, you will be judged like that." 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, be reconciled to 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 it is physically impossible to ask for forgiveness directly from a person, or this will lead to an exacerbation of an already difficult relationship. Then it is important, at least, to forgive on your part and not have anything in your heart against your neighbor.

Several practical recommendations. Before you come to confess, it would be nice to know when confession is usually held in the temple. 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 confessing people occurs during Great 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 find a time when the priest is not very busy. It may turn out that confessions in the church are held on Friday evening or Saturday morning - there will probably be less people on these days than during the Sunday service. It is good if you have the opportunity to personally contact the priest and ask to appoint you a convenient time for confession.

There are special prayers that express a "mood of repentance". It is good to read them the day before confession. The canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ is printed in almost any prayer book, except for the shortest ones. If you are not used to praying in Church Slavonic, you can use the translation into Russian.

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

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

If these little tips have helped you in preparing for confession - thank God. Do not forget that this ordinance must be regular. Don't put off your next confession for years. Confession at least once a month helps to always be "in good shape", to treat attentively and responsibly to our daily life, in which, in fact, our Christian faith should be expressed.

Have you read the article?

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Great Lent is a blessed time when a special course of worship, the theme of liturgical texts, as well as abstinence from fast food, set a person up for repentance, disturb the sleeping soul so that it wakes up and looks at itself, realizes what sins and danger it is in. At this moment, a repentant feeling begins to visit a person. But often people confuse confession and repentance, while the holy fathers call clear distinctions between these sacraments. Therefore, today I would like to talk about this. What is confession and what is repentance?

The most important thing in our life is salvation. The Lord says: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!" (Matthew 4:17). The Holy Prophet John the Baptist also calls us in his sermon: "... repent ... (Matthew 3, 2)" and "create a worthy fruit of repentance ..." (Matthew 8, 9).

When a person lives in the world, he commits many sins. Someone, for example, drinks, smokes, swears, gets irritated, gets angry, gets angry and all this becomes a habit, sins become commonplace, and there is no repentance in a person. When a person comes to God, he begins to feel that sins are burdening his soul, and then he says before God: “Lord! I won't swear anymore! I will not drink! I will not smoke! I will try not to get annoyed! " - this is what repentance is - a change in life.

When a person comes to a priest for confession, he can say: “Father, I did not go to Church. He did not pray to God, did not observe fasting. Matom swore, got drunk, got annoyed. In this I confess and repent. I forgive God's forgiveness. " If a person said this and gave the Lord a promise to correct himself, then the grace of God will give him strength, and he departs from confession with a light heart, since took off the heavy burden from his soul, which he had been carrying all this time.

When people say: “I want to live freely, drink, walk, fornicate, smoke, use foul language,” this is a disease of the soul. If a person got rid of anger, evil, alcohol, smoking and swearing, then he became free. If these passions torment him, then he is in captivity. Demons keep a person in these passions.

The Holy Fathers say that the beginning of spiritual life, when a person's spiritual eyes are opened and he sees in himself an abyss of sins, is the beginning of repentance. If a person does not see his sins, it means that he is still spiritually blind. Then you help a person, remind him of his sins. Many do not think that missing services is a sin. There are apostolic rules, which say that if someone has not been to church for three Sundays without a valid reason, then he is excommunicated from the Church. I usually ask: "Did you observe the fasts?" and I hear in response: "I have never observed." This is also stated in the apostolic canons: if a person does not observe fasting on Wednesday and Friday, then he is excommunicated from the Church. The priest reminds in confession that these are grave sins. I ask, "Didn't you pray?" and the person confesses: “Yes, I did not pray. I just received the Baptism. I don’t even know prayers ”. This is also a sin that you must repent of.

A priest helps a person in confession, reminds him of his sins, explains that pride is the most serious sin. When a person is in pride, he is always irritated. Why it happens? Because a person thinks highly of himself, takes offense, is always dissatisfied, strives to be at his best, wants only good things to be said about him, and this is not pleasing to the Lord. The Athos elder Paisiy Svyatorets, when he was little, ran in a race with his friends and came running first. Paisiy's parents said that this should not be done, because pride is hidden in it. Better to give way to another, let him come running first. So when you study at school - you want to be the first. It shouldn't be like that. One must always give way to another. You need to be able to humble yourself. This is good for us. Sometimes it happens that the Lord allows us for our humility to become the second, or even the last. All of this is good for us.

When a person repented for the first time in his life, sincerely confessed, it seems to him that he said everything. I usually say that this is just the beginning. In fact, you will remember your sins for another two or three years. Take a piece of paper, if you suddenly remember something - write it down so as not to forget, because a pencil or a pen has a better memory than ours. If you still remember something, you need to write everything down again, and then repent of it in confession. Everything that we do, say, what we think about, is imprinted in eternity for all time. How many bad things have been said by us! How many false vain words! How many things we said with pride! Sometimes we forget about it, but evil spirits do not forget and keep everything.

I'll tell you one story. My brother Nikolai worked as a conductor. Once he was waiting for a train, and since there was time left, he put on a sheepskin coat so as not to freeze and lay down on the sofa. Nikolai had not yet managed to fall asleep and suddenly saw that a beautiful young man came in and said: “Nikolai, get up! Come with me". He got up, looked around and saw his body from the side. They walked along the corridor and suddenly found themselves in one of the rooms, where there was a table covered with a red cloth, and on it lay thick books. There were also two horned demons. As soon as Nikolai entered, they looked at him and said: “Ah, Nikolai! Let's watch!". One demon opened the book and began to list all his sins from his youth, even those that he did not remember. Then another demon did the same. Nikolai took this book and threw it at the demons. They rushed from the table and began to beat him. But the young man said, "Don't touch him." After that, Nikolai woke up again on the sofa. The Lord revealed to him that from about seven years old, when a person realizes what sins are, demons already control our words, deeds and thoughts.

There are times when they come to confession and say: “Father! I am sinful in everything! ”, Then I start asking:

Did you shoot people?

Did you set fire to houses?

Did you fly to the moon?

I must say what you did in your life.

Conscience often convicts us - we hear the voice of God. Some try to drown out their conscience. You can't do that. When we sincerely repent, then the soul will be freed and the Lord will give grace-filled power. After that, a person does not sin, he has the fear of God. It happens that a person comes up and says: “Father, I am sinful in this, in this and in this, but he does not promise to correct himself, remains the same as he was. If a person asks how to get rid of a certain sin, then the priest will always advise how to act, and then you have to obey him. If we are talking about carnal sin, then we should not eat meat and sweets, not condemn anyone, not be proud, not be irritated, not offend anyone, and not eat enough. If passions bother you, then you can not eat on Friday. If this is not enough, then on Wednesday and Monday. In this way, we can achieve that all passions will cease with us. Of course, everything starts with thoughts, from our intemperance. You don't have to go where the fire is, surf the Internet, look for all kinds of dirt on TV. And if they plunged into it, what does this mean? That we are unclean, and this is not pleasing to the Lord. Therefore, one must live in purity.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, the man is ripe for repentance, he decided to write a confession. How can he correctly build a confession? Where to start in the first place?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

You should start with the most serious sins - murder, fornication. Once you name them, it will become easier for you to confess further.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

How much detail should be given about such sins?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

In confession, you do not need to talk about how the sin was committed.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Do I need to talk about how many times they committed some kind of sin?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

If a person came to confession for the first time and repented, then he does not need to repeat this. The Lord forgave him his sin.

Phone call:

I was at the evening service for confession and asked the priest for a blessing for fasting. Since I have a second group of disabilities, the doctor categorically forbade me to fast. The priest does not give indulgence and says to go to another doctor who will not forbid. Please tell me what to do next? I asked for a little cottage cheese and fish on Saturday and Sunday.

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

I confessed ten years at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and five years at Pochaevskaya. The confessors usually had it so that the sick were allowed fish, but not dairy products. When the mother of Saint Righteous John of Kronstadt fell ill and was dying, the doctor told her to eat chicken broth, to which she replied: “I have never broken fast in my life and will never break it. The Lord will heal me. " And the Lord healed her. The Bible says: "If you want to be healthy, do not sin." If you sin, you will go to the doctor, the doctor will prescribe medicine for you, and God heals (see: Sir. 38, 1-15).

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, we were asked the following question: “I have been ill for 30 years, now I am 40. I don’t walk, I feel the weakness of my whole body. I have been churched from the very beginning of my illness, I observe all the fasts, I pray. All the sacraments are performed over me at home. What else would it be useful for me to do so that the Lord would hear me? Is my faith weak? "

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

The most important thing is to thank God. Once a confessor on the holy Mount Athos bowed his head. Another elder approached him and said: "Father, what is the matter with you?" He answers:

The Lord left me.

How did you leave it?

The day passed and there were no temptations. All was good.

If there are diseases, it means that the Lord did not pass by, he visited. We must thank God for this. This is very valuable. We need to ask the prayers of loved ones so that they pray for us. This is the most important thing. There is no need to murmur, despair, blame someone - God or neighbors. You only have to blame yourself. It is better to temporarily experience everything here, to endure, so that the soul comes out free, pure into the spiritual world. Of course, it is scary and terrible when a person sins on earth and does not realize it, but is constantly in sin. Demons bind a person hand and foot and do not allow him to grow spiritually. This is scary. So we must thank God for the illness.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, another very important component of correct repentance and confession is the spiritual father. How to choose the right spiritual father for yourself?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

You must ask the Lord about this. When I was in my first year of seminary, I went to the Cathedral of the Dormition and thought so on my way: "Now I will enter the church for confession, and the first priest who comes out will become my confessor." At this moment, the archimandrite comes out of the altar and I have a thought: "Here is your spiritual father." So it is to this day, for 50 years. God Himself will send someone to whom you can reveal yourself. Of course, this question is very difficult.

You must at least once in your life to truly repent from youth, to find someone you can trust. In parish churches there are few priests, but there are many people, and the priest cannot profess one person in detail. You have to go to a monastery and confess there completely to some spiritual father. It is necessary that nothing remains on the conscience. It is most important.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Father, sometimes a person encounters an inner obstacle. He wants to repent, but tries to choose words in confession. It seems to him ugly and shameful to name all his sins. It is necessary to choose such words so as to speak about sin and not experience great shame. But then a person is faced with the fact that when he departs from confession, he does not experience peace in his soul. Conscience denounces him. Why is this happening?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

This happens when a person has not fully revealed sin. A priest has a lot of people for confession. There is no need to be ashamed of speaking sins, because the evil spirit, which persists in us, always inspires us with this. Don't be afraid of what the priest thinks of you. We must boldly say, then the Lord accepts such a repentant soul in His arms. There is no such sin that the Lord would not forgive. There is no sickness that God does not heal.

Phone call:

There are different opinions about the procedure for confession and unction. Could you please clarify this question?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

The Apostle James says: "Is any of you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). “And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:15). Before taking unction, a person must go to confession, repent of all sins, so that nothing remains on his conscience. In the Sacrament of Unction, those sins are forgiven that a person, due to his weakness, no longer remembers.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

What means " forgiven sin"? I read from the holy fathers that forgiven sin literally means “ unprecedented sin", I.e. if a person committed a sin and repented of it, then this sin did not exist in the eyes of God. This is what great power repentance has!

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

Yes. In Greek, the word " sin"Means miss. When a person is aiming "at the top ten" and falls into the "milk", then this is a miss. The same happens when a person sins, but thinks like this: "Now I will get drunk or smoke and get pleasure from it." It turns out that the person is wrong. This will bring him great harm. The grace of God leaves, despondency, despair, anxiety and no joy come. And the Apostle Paul says: “Always rejoice, continually pray, give thanks for everything” (1 Thess. 5, 16-18).

Phone call:

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

We have no enemies. We only have one enemy - the devil and the sins we commit. I was in Jerusalem. Jews, Muslims, Protestants and Orthodox Christians live there. Many live amicably. We must not have enemies. We must show others by the example of our life that our Orthodox faith is rightly praising God. Enmity does not lead to good. It leads to bloodshed and destruction. Imagine that you were born in a different faith and on the day of the Last Judgment of the Lord our deeds will be revealed. For our deeds, we will receive a punishment or a reward.

Phone call:

At the age of 28 I already had the Gospel, then it was still impossible to go to church. I worked as a teacher and talked about God everywhere on the road. If I drove to Simferopol, and at that time I lived in Crimea, I spent three hours telling the driver about the Gospel - I had already learned it by heart. Thank God, almost everyone listened and only some of the drivers frowned and said that I didn’t have to pay 4 rubles to get out of the car. Others reacted differently. Once I had to pay 3 rubles, and I had only 2, and the driver said: "I would have been traveling with you all my life, if only you only talked about God." Did I do the right thing, because it is said: "Do not give the holy things to the dogs and do not throw your pearls in front of the pigs?" (Matthew 7, 6).

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

If a person is full, and you force him to eat, he will say: “I am full. I don’t need any more. ” And, conversely, if a person is hungry and needs food, then he must be fed - i.e. talk to him about God. So that driver told you so. He was content and filled with spiritual food. And the person who is dead in soul does not need it. If a person of another faith does not want to listen to you, then there is no need to speak. When I ride in a cassock on the train, I don't say anything to anyone. People themselves ask: “Where do you serve? Where do you live? Do you believe in God? " I answer: “Yes, I do. Because there are no unbelievers on earth. Some believe that God exists, others that there is not. " And the conversation begins. I don't say anything about God. Under Soviet rule, when I was on the train, it sometimes happened that the compartment was completely filled with people: some listened, then the second entered, and then the third. Everyone listened constantly. I told them about the bird, about the plane, about nature. Even if the authorities listen, I didn’t say anything seditious, there was no agitation. I was just answering questions. Once I got out at a bus stop at 4 o'clock in the morning, looked around - it turns out in the car where I was traveling, in almost every window, 2-3 people waving at me!

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Was it during the Soviet era?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

During the Soviet era. It is necessary to speak, because faith is from hearing, and hearing is from the word of God, according to Holy Scripture.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Scripture gives examples of this. The First Martyr Stephen preached a sermon to the Jews, the enemies of Christ. How did they react? They didn’t just say, “We don’t need it,” they gnashed their teeth, tore at their clothes, because this speech denounced them. She burned them like fire, but he spoke anyway. We do not know, maybe some of these Jews later repented.

Hierodeacon Eleazar (Titov):

Question: Is it appropriate to ask questions of monastic priests and to consult in detail on the arrangement of personal life? Or is it better to address such questions to the white clergy?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

If the priest is experienced, then you can contact him.

Phone call:

I didn't get married. After the wedding, I did not get to know my wife. She was afraid that we would have sick children, because I was released from the army under the article, and she was registered because she was also sick. I left her. We divorced, and three years later she gave birth to a normal child in another marriage. The demon encourages me: how to take revenge on her, the evil one does not give rest. Should we forgive her, leave her to the judgment of God?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov):

I must say that there are no big and small cases, to the smallest detail. This is the providence of God. You need to pray for her. If we have enemies who are against us, then demons act on us through them. And when we pray, this person is no longer our enemy. He is the creation of God and the Lord does not impute us a sin if we pray for this person. We must survive this temptation, it is not without the providence of God. All this will pass. So it should be so. God allowed it, say: "Glory to God for everything!" If we thank God for everything that happens to us in life, even if, for example, your bag was snatched out, and there was a lot of money, it means that it is not without the will of God. Thank God for everything! We need to thank the Lord. Once I had visitors who asked me: “Father! Give us guidance on how to live correctly in this life? " I replied: “Now you are going to Moscow, you come to your house, and there are many fire engines, ambulances, and you are 100% convinced that your apartment and all the things in it have burned down. Don't panic. You need to act like Job the Long-suffering and say: “God gave, God took. Thank God for everything!" This will be like a heroic deed before God. You got into the car, drove to your acquaintances, your car skidded and you crashed into a pole. No need to get upset, you have to go out and say: “Thank God, everyone is alive. If it didn’t beat, didn’t break, then where would everything go? Thank God! It means that it should be so. " It will please the Lord. You came to your acquaintances, sat down at the table to drink tea - and suddenly you had an attack. They called an ambulance and you were on the operating table. And here it is necessary to say: "Glory to God for everything!" Everything that the Lord does not do is all for the better, because God is Love. He is more concerned about our health, about our salvation, than we ourselves. This is how we should live right.

There is a popular proverb: “If you lose your wealth, you have not lost anything. Lost health - lost half. If I lost faith in God, I lost everything ”. One hundred years ago there were one hundred and fifty million people in Russia, and the majority were believers. And then people came and said that there is no God, and some took it for the truth, went against God and destroyed the country. Everything is destroyed without God ...

When going to church confession for the first time in their life, most people worry - how to confess correctly, what should be said to the priest at the beginning, how to enumerate sins, with what words to end confession. In fact, this concern, although justified, should not overshadow the main thing - the awareness of one's sinfulness and readiness to be freed from its burden before God. The most important thing that a confessing person should understand is that for God there are no rich, no poor, no successful or unsuccessful, He treats everyone equally and expects everyone with equal love. Therefore, it is not so important to learn how to say the right words, how much to maintain the correct mood of the spirit, which will be the best helper during confession. The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews says: “ The Lord also kisses intentions ”(Heb. 4:12), which, in principle, reflects the attitude of the Church towards those who wish to confess. However, in order to facilitate the process of confession to the confessor himself and its perception by the priest, and so that confused, confused speech does not take too much time during the service, it is desirable, of course, to focus on some kind of "plan" of repentance.

How to confess and what priests need to say in confession

The best instructions on how best to prepare for confession, how to behave the day before, when it is best to come to church, can be obtained only from the priest of the church in which you decide to confess. But, despite some differences in the foundations (foundations, but not the Charter!) Of different churches, the basic rules for preparing and conducting confession are the same everywhere:

3 days before confession, fasting is recommended - fasting (not eating meat, dairy and egg products), reading the canons and prayers laid down before confession and Communion.
If possible, it is advisable on these days to attend church services in the temple, not to attend entertainment events, entertainment, not to get carried away by TV, it is better to read soulful literature.
On these days, you need to fully delve into the remembrance of your sins, you can write them down on a piece of paper (so that you can then read this list in front of the priest), read prayers of repentance in order to fully imbued with disgust for your sinful transgressions.
Before confession, it is compulsory to attend the evening service (in some parishes, confession is performed mainly at the evening service).

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

What to tell the priest

Immediately before confession, try to listen carefully to the prayer of the priest, read by him for those who have come to confess, to say your name and calmly wait for your turn.

Approaching the priest, cross yourself, then the priest himself will say "kiss the Gospel, kiss the cross", you just need to do it. Do not be disturbed by the thought of how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest. Example The standard confession of a modern person can be found in any church shop that sells brochures with explanations for those who wish to receive the Holy Communion or to confess. Arm yourself only with the firm conviction that confessed sins are irrevocably forgiven by the Lord and are forever erased from your Book of Life.

Usually the priest himself asks: "What have you sinned before the Lord?" (a) so and so, listing the sins that were listed the day before.

You should not go into details, call sins the exact definitions adopted in the Church, if the priest begins to ask about the details himself - then tell it as it is. The list of sins, which takes more than one page, can also be found in church brochures, or you can confess according to the commandments, that is, after going through all 10 commandments, evaluate how you observed them (or did not observe them).

End of confession

At the end of the confession, the priest will ask if you have revealed all your sins before the Lord, if you have hidden anything. Usually they also ask whether you repent of your sins, whether you regret what you have done, whether you have a firm decision in the future not to commit such a thing, and so on. You just need to answer all these questions, then the priest will cover you with an epitrachil (an element of priestly vestments) and read a prayer of permission over you. Then he himself will prompt and show you what to do next, how to be baptized, what to kiss (the cross and the Gospel) and, if you were preparing for Communion, bless you to wait for Communion or come to confession again.

When preparing for confession, try to talk with the priest in advance about your intention to free yourself from the burden of sins, especially if this is your first time doing this. Only a priest will be your best guide in such an intimate and charitable matter as confession. Therefore, you should not worry in vain ("am I right when I say what the father will think of me"), it is better to try to name all sins without hiding, with all your heart lamenting your guilt and completely surrendering to the Lord's love and mercy.

What is confession?

What is it for, and what is the correct name for sins in confession?

Why is it necessary to confess to a priest?

How to properly prepare the sacrament for those who want to repent for the first time?

Sooner or later, every Orthodox person asks himself all these questions.

Let's figure it out together in all the intricacies of this sacrament.

What is confession for an Orthodox person?

Repentance or confession is a sacrament during which a person verbally reveals his sins to God in the presence of a priest who has the power to forgive sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord during his earthly life gave his apostles, and through them and all priests, the power to forgive sins. During confession, a person not only repents of committed sins, but also promises not to repeat them again. Confession is the purification of the soul. Many people think: “I know that it doesn't matter, even after confession, I will again commit this sin (for example, smoking). So why should I confess? " This is fundamentally wrong. You don’t think: “Why should I wash if I will get dirty tomorrow”. You still take a bath or shower because the body must be clean. A person is weak by nature, and will sin throughout his life. This is why confession is needed, in order to cleanse the soul from time to time and work on our shortcomings.

Confession is very important for an Orthodox person, because during this sacrament, reconciliation with God takes place. You need to confess at least once a month, but if you have a need to do it more often, please. The main thing is to know how to correctly name sins in confession.

For some especially grave sins, the priest can prescribe a penance (from the Greek "punishment" or "special obedience"). This can be continued prayer, fasting, charity, or abstinence. This is a kind of medicine that will help a person get rid of sin.

A few recommendations for those who want to confess for the first time

As with any sacrament, you need to prepare for confession. If you first decided to repent, then you need to find out when the ordinance is usually held in your temple. It is mainly held on holidays, Saturday and Sunday.

As a rule, on such days there are many who wish to confess. And this becomes a real obstacle for those who want to confess for the first time. Some are shy, while others are afraid to do something wrong.

It will be good if, before your first confession, you ask the priest to appoint you a time when you and the priest will be alone. Then no one will confuse you.

You can make yourself a little "cheat sheet". Write down your sins on a piece of paper so that you don't miss anything in confession out of excitement.

How to correctly name sins in confession: what sins you need to name

Many, especially those who have just begun their path to God, rush from one extreme to another. Some dryly list common sins, written, as a rule, from church books about repentance. Others, on the contrary, begin to describe in such detail every sin that they commit that it no longer becomes a confession, but a story about themselves and their lives.

What sins to name in confession? Sins are divided into three groups:

1. Sins against the Lord.

2. Sins against neighbors.

3. Sins against your soul.

Let's take a closer look at each separately.

1. Sins against the Lord... Most modern people have alienated themselves from God. They do not visit temples or do it extremely rarely, and at best they have only heard about prayers. However, if you are a believer, have you not hidden your faith? Maybe they were embarrassed to cross themselves in front of people or say that you are a believer.

Blasphemy and murmuring against God Is one of the most serious and grave sins. We commit this sin when we complain about life and believe that there is no one in the world more miserable than we are.

Blasphemy... You have committed this sin if you have ever ridiculed the customs or ordinances of the Church that you do not understand. Jokes about God or the Orthodox faith are also blasphemy. It doesn't matter if you listen to them or tell them.

False oath or god... The latter says that in a person there is no fear of the greatness of the Lord.

Failure to keep your vows... If you made a vow to God to do some good deed, but did not keep it, this sin must be confessed.

We do not pray at home every day... It is through prayer that we communicate with the Lord and the Saints. We ask their intercession and help in the fight against their passions. Without prayer, there can be no repentance or salvation.

Interest in occult and mystical teachings, as well as pagan and heterodox sects, divination and fortune-telling... In fact, such an interest can be not only destructive for the soul, but also for the mental and physical state of a person.

Superstition... In addition to the superstitions that we inherited from our pagan ancestors, we began to get carried away by the absurd superstitions of the newfangled teachings.

Neglecting your soul... Moving away from God, we forget about our soul and stop giving it due attention.

Suicidal thoughts, gambling.

2. Sins against neighbors.

Disrespectful attitude towards parents... We must respect our parents. The same applies to the attitude of students to their teacher.

An offense inflicted on a neighbor... By hurting our loved ones, we harm their soul. We also commit this sin when we advise our neighbors something evil or bad.

Slander... Speak nonsense to people. Blame a person without being sure of his guilt.

Malevolence and hate... This sin is equated with homicide. We must help and sympathize with our neighbor.

Rancor... It shows that our heart is overflowing with pride and self-justification.

Disobedience... This sin becomes the beginning of more serious evils: insolence against parents, theft, laziness, deception and even murder.

Condemn... The Lord said: “Do not judge, lest you be judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you mete, I will also measure it to you. "Condemning a person for this or that weakness, we can fall into the same sin.

Theft, avarice, abortion, theft, commemoration of the dead with alcoholic beverages.

3. Sins against your soul.

Laziness... We do not go to church, we shorten the morning and evening prayers. We are engaged in idle talk while we need to work.

Lie... All bad deeds are accompanied by lies. It is not for nothing that Satan is called the father of lies.

Flattery... Today it has become a weapon for achieving earthly blessings.

Foul language... This sin is especially common among young people today. From foul language the soul grows coarse.

Impatience... We must learn to restrain our negative emotions so as not to harm our soul and not offend loved ones.

Lack of faith and disbelief... A believer should not doubt the mercy and wisdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Beauty and self-delusion... This is an imaginary closeness to God. A person suffering from this sin considers himself practically a saint and places himself above others.

Long concealment of sin... As a result of fear or shame, a person cannot reveal the perfect sin in confession, believing that he can no longer be saved.

Despair... This sin often persecutes people who have committed serious sins. It must be professed to prevent irreparable consequences.

Blaming others and self-justifying... Our salvation lies in the fact that we can confess ourselves and only ourselves guilty of our sins and actions.

These are the main sins that almost everyone commits. If earlier, during confession, sins were voiced that were no longer repeated, then they do not need to be confessed again.

Fornication (including marriage without a wedding), incest, adultery (adultery), sexual relations between people of the same sex.

How to correctly name sins in confession - is it possible to write them on paper and just give them to the priest

Sometimes, in order to tune in to confession and not worry that you will forget something during the sacrament, they write sins on paper. In this regard, many ask the question: can one write sins on a piece of paper and just give it to the priest? The unequivocal answer: No!

The meaning of confession lies precisely in the fact that a person voiced his sins, mourned them and hated them. Otherwise, it will not be repentance, but the writing of a report.

Over time, try to completely abandon any pieces of paper, and tell in confession exactly what weighs your soul at this very moment.

How to correctly name sins in confession: where to start confession and how to end it

Approaching the priest, try to get rid of earthly thoughts from your head and listen to your soul. Start your confession with the words: “Lord, I have sinned against You” and start listing your sins.

There is no need to list sins in detail. If, for example, you have stolen something, then you do not need to tell the priest where, when and under what circumstances it happened. It is enough simply to say: I sinned by stealing.

However, it is not worth listing the sins completely dry. For example, you come up and start saying, "I sinned with anger, irritation, condemnation, etc." This is also not entirely correct. It would be better to say this: "Lord, I sinned by irritation to my husband" or "I constantly condemn my neighbor." The fact is that the priest during confession can give you advice on how to deal with this or that passion. It is these clarifications that will help him understand the reason for your weakness.

You can end the confession with the words “I repent, Lord! Save and have mercy on me, a sinner! "

How to correctly name sins in confession: what to do if you are ashamed

Shame during confession is quite normal, because there are no people who would be pleased to talk about their not very pleasant sides. But one should not fight with it, but try to survive, endure it.

First of all, you must understand that you are not confessing your sins to a priest, but to God. Therefore, one should be ashamed not before the priest, but before the Lord.

Many people think: "If I tell the priest everything, he will probably despise me." It is absolutely not important, the main thing is to beg forgiveness from God. You must clearly decide for yourself: to receive deliverance and purify your soul, or to continue living in sins, sinking more and more into this filth.

The priest is only a mediator between you and God. You must understand that during confession the Lord Himself stands invisibly before you.

I would like to say once again that only in the sacrament of confession does a person with a contrite heart repent of sins. After that, a prayer of permission is read over him, which frees a person from sin. And remember, the one who conceals sin during confession will acquire an even greater sin before God!

Over time, you will get rid of shame and fear and will better understand how to correctly name sins in confession.

When you come to church for confession, do not be afraid. The Lord is magnanimous, accepts all sinners. Forgives those who repent. You should not be afraid of the priest, he is the eyes and ears of the Lord, no one will know about your secret sins. He listens so much throughout the day that by lunchtime he does not remember who came to him and what he said.

Father is the only person who will not wish you ill, envy. He will only rejoice that one more soul has been saved, and thank God that he is all-seeing and all-good and has directed you to the true path!

Sins speaking in confession

The priest in the church is not an all-seeing eye, much less a psychic to guess about your sins. He will ask questions related to sins in one way or another. These questions are directly related to the 10 important commandments.

1. "I am your God."It will be listed:

Do you pray, how often you go to services, just to church?
Do you admit that you believe in God to your friends?
Do you believe in God?

2. "Make no idol for yourself."These include:

Overeating, as a food cult;
Decorations;
Money, alcohol, smoking;
Pride.

3. Do you remember the Lord in moments of frustration?

4. Do you devote a day off to prayer.

5. Do you respect your parents

6. Do not kill, not by word or deed.

7. Do not seduce anyone, do not destroy someone's marriage and life.

8. Don't take what doesn't belong to you.

9. Do not slander your relatives and friends with lies.

10. Do not desire what others have.

Preparing for a confession of sins, how to repent

Before you go to confession to the priest, you need to prepare. What does it mean to prepare? To do this, you need to read prayers, fast for at least a day before going to the temple. On the very day of the confession itself, you need to eat nothing, come to the very beginning of the service. If the priest notices that you have not been there from the very beginning of the service, he will not confess.

Do not look for excuses in your actions. If you did this, then you wanted to, and at that time it was very convenient for you. Before going to confession, make peace with yourself, your loved ones, ask for forgiveness, if necessary.

The confession is divided into two parts:

Soul confession: You repent every day for what you have done;
Confession to a priest: You tell a priest about your deeds in order to cleanse your soul.

These are completely two different sides of the same coin. When you come to church, you should be aware of what and why you will say. In front of a completely stranger, it is very difficult to tell what wrongs you have, and why you did so. It becomes embarrassing, many forget or do not want to talk about the most painful mistakes they have made.

You can make a list of misdeeds, so you will not forget anything, and then it will be easier to talk about it. If it is still difficult for you to compile such a list, there is a mini shop at the church, it certainly has a booklet on how to conduct a confession, what sins exist.

After confession, a person usually experiences a feeling of relief, as if a mountain had been lifted off his shoulders. You can confess several times a week. Frequent church visits can help you feel relaxed and confident.

Sins in Confession List for Women

Compilation and reading of such a ready-made list leads to a stupor of many ladies. Not everyone can understand that your life is a complete sinful nightmare. You should not despair. Consult with the priest, he will briefly explain everything and tell you what and why. No one will intrude into your personal life, because only God alone knows why this is, and how you deserve it. You, having passed the secret of confession, will be able to figure it out and draw the right conclusions, improve your life position and take the right path of correcting life mistakes. You can discuss contraception with the priest, because abortion is a mortal sin, and it is better to avoid this in time than to repent for the rest of your life.

List of possible sins:

I was not happy with my position in society, environment, life;
She was angry with her children, screamed, doubted them;
Didn't trust doctors, doubted their competence;
I was deluding myself;
Set a bad example for her children;
She was jealous;
Was the cause of scandals;
The most terrible and deadly sin is PRIDE. It is very difficult to fight with him, almost no one notices him, but they yak very often. If you learn to catch yourself on the I, readjust to WE, then you are on the right path.
She did not pray and rarely read a prayer, did not come to the temple of God;
During the service, she reflected on worldly problems;
She performed abortions herself, and pushed others to this idea;
I thought badly about people, discussed;
Read obscenities or watched obscene films;
She used foul language, lied, envied;
She was offended for no reason, showing others her I;
She wore obscene clothes, too short and defiant, thereby provoking excessive male attention and female envy;
She was afraid for her appearance and figure;
Thought about death;
Overeat, drank alcohol, took drugs;
Refused to help;
She visited fortune-tellers and fortune-tellers.
I believed in all sorts of superstitions;

Complete confession of sins for women

You need to trust the priest, tell everything:

If you have not confessed before, then you need to tell about all the misdeeds you have committed since the age of seven. The hidden sin is doubled, it is harder to atone for it;
If you have confessed, then from the last confession;
Share your sinful thoughts and desires;
An important place is given to abortion. If you did, and more than one, it is worth mentioning all of them;
If they were married more than once, cohabited in a civil marriage, or had several men, as well;
If you have children from more than one husband, also;

The priest must understand what you need to do, read, how many days to fast, and exactly how to fast. That is why he is the right hand of the Lord.

Sins in confession in your own words

I confess, Lord. Sinful. The world is sinful and I am no better. Despair, offended, angry. I skip the post on Wednesday and Friday. I do not strictly fast. Sometimes I overeat, I am lazy. I scream at my husband and children. I don't trust people. I am doing my job poorly. I am worried that there is not enough money. I do not trust the Lord, I only rely on myself, etc.

Complete confession of sins

There are several options for confession. Short, involves a description of the actions, words or deeds committed. Full confession also includes thoughts and desires. This is the confession that monks pass. Believers, if they wish, can also undergo such a complete cleansing of the soul. To do this, you need to consult with the priest, or read the relevant literature.

Confession how to write a note with sins

The sheet must be divided into parts:

Sins against parents and relatives;
Sins against yourself;
Sins against God.

Many people think that having written down their transgressions on a piece of paper, they are doing wrong, and when they come to confession, they forget half of their sins, they go astray. Such a presentation of your thoughts will streamline the confession itself, and not allow you to forget or hide something.

There is an opinion that writing sins on a piece of paper is no longer a secret, but a banal reading.

In confession, it is important to repentance, to understand what was perfect and not to allow such acts anymore. That is why, it is worth considering the transfer of sins to paper as the design of a memo or a tip.

List of sins in confession for men

It is more difficult for men to admit their misdeeds, words, sins. They may even believe that they are not guilty of anything. Only women are guilty of their concept. Therefore, only to repent and confess to them.But this is far from true. Men are no less sinful. They discuss and gossip in some way more than we do. And irascibility and narcissism are generally a separate topic for conversation.

Possible sins:

Conversations in church and during services;
Allowing Doubts in Faith;
The manifestation of cruelty, pride, laziness;
Greed or wastefulness;
Avoiding helping his wife, children, misleading them;
Disclosure of other people's secrets;
Inclination to sin;
Drinking alcohol, smoking drugs;
Passion for card games, slot machines, persuading others to this debauchery;
Participation in thefts, fights;
Narcissism;
Impudent behavior, the ability to humiliate loved ones;
Manifestations of negligence and cowardice;
Abuse, seduction, adultery.

This is not a complete list of male sins. To most of the above, mankind takes it for granted, and does not consider it a sin at all.

Examples of sins for confession

People sin in their own way. One considers his act to be the norm, for another it is a deadly sin.

Here is an approximate possible list:

Not faith in the Lord God;
Doubts;
Ingratitude to the Savior;
Not wanting to wear a cross;
Not wanting to defend your opinion of God in front of unbelievers;
They swore by the Lord to justify themselves;
They called upon God, asked for help in vanity and unbelief;
They blamed on the Lord;
Stayed and attended non-Christian churches;
Hostility;
They resorted to the help of sorcerers, wizards;
Read or preach false doctrines about God;
They played all kinds of games: cards, machines;
Refused to fast;
Have not read the prayer book;
Desired to commit suicide;
They used foul language;
Don't go to church;
Think badly of priests;
Watching TV or sitting at the computer, instead of helping loved ones, or doing something around the house;
Despair and do not ask God for help;
Relying too much on others;
You deceive the priest during confession, or do not trust him;
Has a quick-tempered character;
Treat people arrogantly;
Show others your pride and vanity;
You lie to relatives and friends;
Make fun of the poor, inept;
Show your stinginess, or excessive wastefulness;
Your children are not raised in the faith and fear of the Lord;
Do not help the needy, the disadvantaged;
Do not come to the aid of your parents;
Resorting to theft;
Do not behave decently at the commemoration, let alcohol take over you;
You can kill the interlocutor with a word;
Slander;
Bring the person to sinful thoughts of death;
Abortion, persuading others to do so;
Imposing your thoughts;
The cult of money;
Showing oneself to people as a benefactor;
Excessive overeating, drinking;
Adultery, masturbation, incest.

Confession of prodigal sins

Fornication is considered a very serious sin. Previously, for such offenses, they were excommunicated for up to 7 years. It is located inside the person himself, in his subconsciousness. He eats a person from the inside. Being in such a sophisticated state, you feel euphoric. You no longer want to read a prayer. Such sinners are displeasing to God, he is disgusted by the mere thought of them. But at the same time, when they repent, they will be forgiven faster than anyone else.

As the holy fathers say, three days of intense prayer, fasting, and repentance are enough to earn the Lord's forgiveness.

It’s a shame, of course, scary, but it’s better to tell and repent than to carry this abomination in yourself. And if your family is also expecting a child, even more so. Why torture an unborn baby's soul. After all, we pass our sins onto children. And then we wonder why they are sick, or have many problems in life!

In this case, you should not write a note to the priest. Like, read it, while I’m going to the store or have a smoke! This is a kindergarten! When they sinned, there was no shame before God, but before the priest yes!

The most important thing! Repented. Have mastered the passed material. Correct your mistake! Don't repeat it! By repeating, automatically become a hypocrite!

May the Lord protect you from temptation.

Confession sin masturbation

The concept is ambiguous, and the sin is very serious. In the Christian faith, they call it masturbation, or masturbation. Loving yourself with your hands is the same sin as cheating on your spouse, or being overwhelmed by girls. It is very difficult to get rid of such a clever passion. Father needs to be told everything in detail, he will ask many questions. It is necessary to get to the bottom of this sin, since this is the tip of the iceberg, the root of the problem is much worse and is hidden deep in the subconscious, hiding behind other obvious sins.

To confess is to go through a small judgment of God. Blush, and only you will be ashamed. And there, in that world, at the judgment of God, all your deceased relatives will be ashamed, there you will not hide anything. Therefore, we have sinned, repent, here and now.

For this sin in the old days they punished with strict fasting, sat on bread and water for 40 days. At the service, they bowed tirelessly.

Holy Scripture says: “If anyone has sinned, forgive him, and all his sins will be forgiven. And if you don’t forgive anyone, they will remain on that ”.

To do such a thing means to waste your strength and life resource in vain. This behavior suggests that the Orthodox is weak-willed, weak in character, does not have the strength of mind to control his desires.The Church does not take this for granted. Since for the natural permissible fornication there must be two, a husband and a wife. This is the only way they get approval. Anything else is sin and unethical.

Priests say about masturbation that it is uncleanness. It was with such a sin that the son of the patriarch Judah Onan was slain. To get pleasure, you need God's blessing for a church marriage. And it's easier to enter it than to be under constant sinful addiction.

Sin will succumb, maybe the female sex. The church condemns him no less than men. It follows from this that they also need to repent.

Masturbation also happens among adolescents, girls and boys. At this age, this is more an unconscious act, a bad hyena leads to this, too tight-fitting things. Parents are obliged to look after their children, to control their behavior. It is more difficult to fix this problem, children, as a rule, do not understand the full depth of the problem, and do not realize what they are to blame.

You should spend as much time with them as possible, change clothes, if the reason is in it. Sign up the child to swim. Find the cause of the problem. Read spiritual literature to a child, subtly explain that this is a sin.

The priest will help you choose the necessary prayers that will help you get rid of this addiction.

List of sins for confession with explanations

I don’t confess, I don’t go to church, or I come to services very rarely.I do unnecessary things on weekends, I don’t read prayers.I don't understand what my sins are.
I don't have the habit of thanking God.I do not pray in the morning and in the evening. She blamed on God, did not believe in him.
She gave her pets human names.
I listened to swearing and gossip.She swore, thereby cursing the Mother of God. I listened to vulgarities.
She received communion without preparation, fasting, or prayer.
She broke her fast, cooked dinner from forbidden foods. Remembered dead relatives with alcohol.
She wore obscene clothes, thereby seducing men, encouraging fornication.
Civil marriage, prodigal.
She performed abortions, thereby killing her children, trying to avoid difficulties in life.
She set a bad example for the children, shouted, beat them, did not introduce them into the church, did not teach them prayer, fasting, and restraint.
She was fond of occult sciences, magic, etc., conducted meditations, attended martial arts sections, which led to communication with demons.
She took someone else's, loans, things, on debt and did not return, which brought people suffering.
She boasted, put herself on display, showed everyone her goodness, thereby humiliating them.
Violated traffic rules, thereby creating risky situations.
She talked about her problems, cried, thereby feeling sorry for herself, justifying.

Sins of children in confession

Children need to be taught to church from infancy. Until the age of seven, children do not confess. It is believed that the child is still sinless. And what he says and how he acts, it is only our merit and the example set.It is necessary to explain to the child what confession is, why it is needed. Children should understand that they tell about their bad deeds not to an uncle in a cassock, but to God himself, that the priest is the eyes and ears of the Lord.

The mood of the child depends on his attendance at church and his attitude towards it. In no case do not insist, if the child is not ready, there will only be harm to his fragile psyche.

Parents can briefly, but correctly, explain to their child what sin is and what they are. Each parent knows the characteristics of their child. Shy children can be encouraged to write a note to help them focus. Explain to your child that you should not be afraid, that you will not know about his conversation with God. He must learn to trust both you and the priest.

Children's confession list of sins

Children's sins are not as bitter as adults. They are more like wrongdoing. Therefore, a child's confession differs from an adult. Approximate questions that the father can ask:

Does the child attend church and how often? What does he do if he comes to church? Is it interesting for him to be here?
What prayers does he know?
Does he have a cross?
Is he telling the truth to his parents or is he cheating?
How many friends does he have and what kind of relationship do they have? Does he show intolerance towards them? How does it feel about babies and girls?
What does he do and what interests do he have? Does he show pride in his accomplishments?
Does he have any favorite pets? How does he feel about them?
Does he love his parents?

Sins of adolescents for confession

Older children are more susceptible to outside influences, such as friends, the street. They defend their point of view, their opinion. Unfortunately, in the rhythm of big cities, there is not always time to control where they are, and who they are friends with, what they watch and what sites they visit! Therefore, it is important to teach a teenager to trust, if not you, then at least a priest. He will definitely not advise bad, and will take the side of the teenager unambiguously, will prompt the right way out of this situation. And he certainly will not criticize, like many parents.

It is in adolescence that children manage to get into different stories, try to get out of them themselves, thinking that they are already adults and have enough experience. They are afraid to confess to their parents, they consult with friends.

By attending church and trusting God through a priest, a teenager can avoid many difficult situations. Do not spoil your life, do not take the path of sin from such a young age.

What the father may ask about:

What does he say if someone has a better phone, for example?
Did he steal? If so, what did you do afterwards? Was he ashamed?
How does he behave with children from poor families? Is there envy of the children of rich parents?
Doesn't he laugh at the disabled, sick children?
How does he relate to cards, alcohol, drugs?
Does it help elders, for example, with household chores?
Doesn't he deceive the parents by saying that he is sick?
How does he study? Does she skip school?
Does he have an addiction to TV, computer, telephone? And how does he understand this?
How does he feel about elders? Does mom and dad respect?
Is he not saying bad words?
What does she think of girls when they are in short skirts? Girls, why do they need clothes that are short or too tight? Do they seduce boys?
Doesn't he do something that makes you ashamed?
Can he tell his parents about all his actions?
Watching adult movies and related sites?
Didn't he take someone else's, things, money?
Does he correct what he has done?
Does it repent of what has already been done?

Are all sins forgiven in confession

There are no sinners that the Savior could not ask for. If a person repents in confession, he can be forgiven. The sin that the church cannot forgive is foul language against the Lord, the Church and her laws.

The Lord forgives all sins. Because of his love for us, he suffered and was crucified. He accepts all sinners, gives them a second chance, and believes that they can correct themselves.

The question is whether a person who has sinned can forgive himself. And if he caused pain and suffering, even more so.

If you missed something or forgot to tell the priest during the service, then when the chrismation is performed, sins will be forgiven. Such services are held in the evening, on Saturday, or on holidays.