How to confess, what to say and what to think about in the temple

The need for repentance is quite natural for a believer and a church person. Those who go to the temple very seldom and derive their ideas about religious life from rumors and news portals, most often believe that the holy sacraments are an empty formality and a non-binding ritual.

A well-known satirist, obviously wanting to be seen as a progressist and once again demonstrating his own wit, reached an agreement that he "does not need intermediaries between himself and God." That's right, he is ready to chat with him directly, as with a friend, without any church "blotch-mignot" there.

The explanation of unwillingness to confess is, as a rule, sought not in one's own spiritual laziness, but in the absence of time and worthy violations of religious and ethical norms. "I do not sin!" - in itself, such a statement indicates a pride that is on the first place in the list of mortal sins, since it is she who pushes a person to all others.

Moreover, many do not know how to confess rightly what to say and how to prepare for this sacrament, and instead of being aware of this, they are embarrassed to admit to their ignorance, often even in adulthood. And only after experiencing a real grief, some of us rush into the temple. As it turns out, there are more than enough sins, and there is something to tell the priest about.

But it is not difficult to learn how to confess. What to say, the decision is serious, and at first causes timidity. It is difficult to admit their wrongfulness to relatives or subordinates in the service, which they offended. In our "civilized society" the opinion is being cultivated that, by apologizing to those whom a person considers to be lower than himself, he drops his authority and is deprived of all respect. In fact, this is not so, but quite the contrary, it is very difficult to conquer one's own pride.

But, in addition to moral barriers, there are also "technical" ones. Preparing for the ceremony includes a three-day fast, and you also need to come to the service early in the morning, and before that, learn the days in the church when the sacrament is held. To find out how to properly confess, what to say and how to act, you can turn to friends and acquaintances, they will advise. But, in general, there are no special rules. When you come to the service, you must defend it in earnest prayer and stand in the line. Do not hurry. In churches, it is not uncommon for a priest to refuse to confess quarrels because of a line.

It will be very useful for the parishioner if he first draws up a list of his own sins and even sketches it on paper, checking the Commandments and the list of mortal sins. No need to dissemble, you can deceive not only the priest (he is a living person), but even himself, only God can not be misled. In the waiting process, you can look at the example of others, how to confess correctly. What to say, you need to decide on your own, but the main thing is that the speech was sincere, and it contained repentance. It is absolutely unacceptable to boast of its "daring" and justify its own actions by the fact that someone "first started". Of course, there is a secret of confession, and one can not worry that information about sins will become known to somebody. The priest does not have to bear the consequences of his own sins, especially since the surrounding people are also not always blind and can learn about the bad deed from their sources.

After the confession, penance may be imposed in the form of prayers or an additional post, but indulgences should not be issued in the Orthodox Church, therefore repentance must be accompanied by a rejection of further unworthy behavior, otherwise any absolution will cease to function. Confession is a conversation with God for reconciliation, and the mood should be appropriate, like everyone who asks for forgiveness. God bless you!