Prayers during fasting before communion. Evening prayer before confession and communion
The great Day is approaching when the Great God will sit to judge all His creation. All people will be resurrected: their immortal souls will forever be united with their bodies. And the fiery angels will carry everyone to God’s judgment, to give an account for all our deeds done on Earth. Complete justice will be restored. - The righteous will receive an eternal reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, and for all their atrocities, sinners will have to bear eternal retribution in the flames of hell.
There is only one way to avoid punishment for your atrocities - to repent to God for your sins and receive forgiveness in the sacrament of Confession and Communion. Perhaps this is because Jesus Christ died for our sins and took our punishment upon Himself. And therefore God forgives sins only to those who are members of the Orthodox Church, which is the mystical Body of Christ. The priest of the Church in the sacrament of Ordination (ordination to the priesthood) receives from God the power to forgive and retain the sins of people.
Anyone who wants to receive forgiveness of sins and be saved needs the following:
- You must be an Orthodox Christian who has received the sacrament of Baptism from a legitimate priest (those baptized by grandmothers or someone else must resolve this issue with the priest). We must firmly believe and accept the Revelation of God given to the Church - the Bible. Its essence is summarized in the Creed, which we must know by heart. An explanation of our faith can be found in the book "Catechism". It is always available in the church store or library.
- You need to remember (and if you need to write down) your evil deeds, starting from the age of 7 (or from the moment of Baptism - who was baptized as an adult) and admit that only you are to blame for all your evil deeds, and no one else. Those who, in confession, talk about the sins of others do great evil.
- You must promise God that with His help you will make every effort not to repeat the sin, but to do the opposite good deed.
- If sin has led to damage to your neighbor, you must make every effort before confession to make amends for this damage (give back what was stolen, make peace with the offended person).
- We must forgive all offenses ourselves for the sake of the blood of Christ, then God will forgive us our sin.
After this, one must go to the priest for confession and tell without concealment all one’s evil deeds, which Christ, through the priest, will forgive the repentant. There is no need to be afraid that the priest will be shocked by your confession. During his ministry, every shepherd hears almost every conceivable sin. You won’t surprise or upset him with anything, except for an attempt to shift the blame onto someone else. We must remember that confession remains only between the priest and you. For disclosing the secret of confession, a priest can be defrocked.
To make it easier to prepare, here is a short list of sins that must be fought mercilessly, in accordance with the 10 Commandments.
- I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me. Sins: atheism, false teachings, communism, magic, going to grandmothers and healers, astrology (including reading horoscopes), participation in sects, pride, boasting, careerism, arrogance, self-love.
- Do not make an idol for yourself, do not worship or serve them. Sins: idolatry, invoking spirits, feeding brownies, fortune telling, man-pleasing, love of money.
- Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Sins: blasphemy, mockery of a sacred thing, swearing, desecration, breaking a promise to God, swearing, not reading the Bible every day.
- Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; You shall work six days, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. Sins: missing Sunday services, working on holidays, parasitism, breaking fast.
- Honor your father and your mother. Sins: insulting parents, not honoring them and not remembering them in prayers, cursing at the priesthood and authorities, not respecting elders and teachers, not inviting a priest to visit relatives before death.
- Dont kill. Sins: murder, abortion, anger, swearing, fighting, hatred, resentment, rancor, irritability.
- Don't commit adultery. Sins: adultery, sex outside marriage, homosexuality, masturbation, watching pornography.
- Don't steal. Sins: theft, robbery, fraud, usury, stinginess.
- Do not bear false witness. Sins: perjury, lies, slander, gossip, betrayal, deception.
- Don't covet someone else's. Sins: envy, dissatisfaction with one's position, grumbling.
If you have repented of these sins, then you should prepare for the greatest Miracle of Holy Communion, when, under the guise of bread and wine, the faithful partake of the Body and Blood of Christ for cleansing from sins and eternal life. Communion is celebrated in the morning during the Sacrament of the Divine Liturgy.
In order to receive communion worthily, one must prepare oneself by fasting (usually 3 days) and prayer. During fasting, one does not eat eggs, meat or dairy products. They read the Bible more than usual. On the evening before Communion, they must come to church for the evening service and confess their sins. During preparation, the “Rule for Holy Communion” and 3 canons are read - to the Lord, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. All these texts are in the Prayer Book. If some word in the prayers is not clear, you need to ask the priest about it.
On the day of communion they do not eat or drink anything from midnight. In the morning they come to the temple and during the Liturgy they reverently approach St. Remembering more often the Death and Resurrection of Christ. At the end of the Liturgy, they thank God and go out into the world to do good deeds.
(a short list of the most common sins in our time)
I (name) sinned before God:
With weak faith (doubt about His existence).
I have neither proper fear nor love for God, and therefore: I don’t know how to repent, I don’t see sins, I don’t particularly try to find out what is sinful and what is salvific, I don’t fulfill His holy Commandments, I don’t remember death, I don’t prepare to face death. The judgment of God, and is generally indifferent in relation to faith, to God and to one’s bitter fate in Eternity.
Sinned:
I don’t thank God for His mercies.
Attributing success to oneself rather than to God’s help.
In conceit and pride, he relied on himself and on people more than on God.
Not by submission to the will of God (I wish that everything would be my way).
Impatience of sorrows and illnesses (I am afraid of the suffering allowed by God for my sins, forgetting that they were given to me to cleanse my soul from them and save me).
Murmuring at one's life cross ("fate"), at people (God), accusing Him of cruelty.
Cowardice, despondency, sadness, hardness of heart, despair of salvation, thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide.
Sinned:
I justify my sins (by citing everyday needs, illness and physical weakness, and that no one taught me faith in God in my youth).
Being an unbeliever, he seduced people into unbelief.
Visited places of godlessness (mausoleum, atheistic events...), participated in them.
Blasphemy against God and all sacred things.
Not by wearing a cross.
Wearing shoes with crosses on the soles.
By indiscriminately consuming newspapers... in which the name of God was written...
He called animals by the names of saints: “Vaska”, “Mashka”.
Sinned:
Rarely visiting Church on Sundays and holidays. He spent these days in work, trading, drunkenness, sleeping a lot and having fun (this can lead to clouding of mind, shamelessness, carnal lust, quarrels, damage to health...).
Not going to church (due to rain, mud, frost..., laziness and negligence).
By being late to Church and leaving early.
During the service - I sinned by talking, laughing, dozing, inattention to reading and singing, absent-mindedness, walking around the temple unnecessarily.
Walking through the temple, he pushed people and was rude.
I listened to sermons with a feeling of criticism and condemnation of the preacher, and left the sermon.
I rarely think about what I heard in church and read in the Holy Scriptures.
During women's uncleanness, she dared to walk around the church and touch the shrine (for men after nightly desecration).
Sinned:
I rarely confess.
Having committed a sin, he did not reproach himself and did not repent immediately (this brought his soul to petrified insensibility).
He dared to approach Communion without proper preparation (without reading the canons and prayers, concealing and belittling sins in confession, without fasting, in enmity...).
Didn't read prayers of thanks.
He did not spend the days of Communion sacredly (in prayer, in reading the Word of God, in pious meditations, but indulged in overeating, sleeping too much, idle talk...).
Sinned:
Out of laziness, I don’t read the morning and evening prayers (entirely from the prayer book), I shorten them.
I don’t always pray before meals, work and after.
I pray absentmindedly.
She prayed with her head uncovered, wearing a hat, having enmity towards her neighbor.
By carelessly depicting the sign of the cross on oneself, by irreverent veneration of St. icons and shrines of the Lord.
To the detriment of prayer, reading the Gospel, Psalms and spiritual literature, I watched TV...
Cowardly silence when people blasphemed in front of me, shame to be baptized and confess the Lord in front of people (this is one of the types of renunciation of Christ).
He spoke about God without reverence and humility.
Sinned:
In vital important issues did not consult with the priest and elders (which led to irreparable mistakes).
Being under the guidance of his spiritual father, he lived according to his own sinful will.
Gave advice without knowing whether it pleased God.
Passionate love for people, things, activities...
I tempted those around me with my sins (my unchristian behavior blasphemed the name of the Lord).
Sinned:
Violation of fasts, as well as Wednesdays and Fridays (they are equal in importance to Great Lent, as days of remembrance of the sufferings of Christ).
Saturation in food and drink, secret eating, delicacy (addiction to sweets).
Ate the blood of animals (bloodweed...).
On a fast day, the festive or funeral table was modest. He commemorated the deceased with vodka.
Sinned:
Superstition (belief in dreams, omens, horoscopes...).
Appealing to "grandmothers" (pouring wax, swinging eggs, pouring out fear...), psychics (for what?).
I drank and ate what was said by fortune tellers and psychics.
He defiled himself with urine therapy.
Fortune-telling with cards (tarot...), enchantment (for what?).
He was afraid of sorcerers more than of God.
Coding (why?).
Hobby eastern religions, occultism or satanism (specify what).
By attending sectarian, occult... meetings.
Yoga, meditation, Ivanov dousing..., martial arts.**
Reading and storage of occult literature prohibited by the Church: magic, palmistry, horoscopes, dream books, prophecies of Nostradamus, literature of Eastern religions, the teachings of Blavatsky and the Roerichs, Lazarev's "Diagnostics of Karma", Andreev's "Rose of the World", Aksenov, Klizovsky, Vladimir Megre, Taranov, Sviyazh , Vereshchagina, Garafini Makoviy, Asaulyak***...
Forcing (advice) and others to contact them and do it (indicate what the advice was given for).
** Worship of the spirit of the teacher, the hall, pagan-occult teaching about the disclosure of “inner capabilities” leads to communication with demons, possession...
***Orthodox Church warns that occultism has nothing in common with the teachings of Christ the Savior, and that the works of the above and other occult authors are a wolf pit prepared by the devil for the inexperienced and arrogant in their pride. A Christian through the occult, entering into deep communication with demons, falls away from God and destroys his soul).
Sinned:
Laziness towards work and every good deed.
I did not visit the lonely, the sick, the elderly, children in orphanages, prisoners....
The desire for bodily peace, restlessness in bed.
Sorrow that I cannot enjoy a worldly, sinful, luxurious life.
Addiction to gambling, shows and entertainment (cards*, dominoes, computer games, TV, cinemas, video salons, discos, cafes, bars, restaurants, casinos...).
Drinking until drunk, using foul language, smoking**, using drugs.
Listening to pop and rock music (excites base feelings).
(*Regardless of type card game or fortune telling, the atheistic symbolism of the cards is intended to blasphemously mock the suffering of Christ the Savior.
** Among the American Indians, smoking tobacco had a ritual meaning - the worship of demon spirits. By smoking tobacco, a Christian is a traitor to God and a demon worshiper).
Sinned:
By reading and viewing (in books, magazines, films...) erotic shamelessness and sadism.
I watched immodest games, shows, dances*, and danced myself.
He took part in “beauty” competitions, fashion models, masquerades (“malanka”, “driving a goat”, “Halloween” festival..), as well as in dances accompanied by shamelessness (specify which).
He did not move away from sinful encounters and temptation.
Slowed down and enjoyed the lustful dreams and memories of past sins.
Lustful views and free treatment of persons of the other sex (immodesty, hugs, kisses, unclean touching of the body...).
Fornication (sexual intercourse before marriage).
Prodigal perversions (handjob (masturbation), postures, oral and anal fornication).
Sins of Sodom (homo..., lesbianism, bestiality, incest (fornication with relatives)...).
Selling your body, pimping, renting out premises for fornication.
Following the godless customs of this world, and also wanting to please and seduce: she cut her hair and dyed her hair (this violated God’s commandment about appearance women), dressed shamelessly (in short, with slits, trousers, shorts, too tight, see-through...). In this form, without respect for the shrine, she dared to enter the temple of God.
He was immodest in his gestures, body movements, and gait.
Swimming and sunbathing in the presence of people of the other sex (contradicts the concepts of Christian chastity).
Deliberate temptation to sin (which one?).
(*They led to the martyrdom of John the Baptist, after which dancing for Christians is a mockery of the memory of the Prophet).
Sinned:
Adultery (cheating in marriage).
Not married.
Lustful intemperance in marital relations(during Lent, Sunday and holidays, during pregnancy, on days of female uncleanness).
In marital relations he committed perversions (specify which ones).
Using contraceptives*.
Wanting to live for his own pleasure and avoiding life's difficulties, he killed his children (abortion).
Advising (forcing**) others to have an abortion.
Was the cause of family scandals, insulted family members....
Not the desire to bear joint responsibilities for raising children and maintaining the household, parasitism, wasting money, sending children to an orphanage...
(*The spiral and tablets kill the conceived fetus at the very early stage. This is the same abortion, only without surgery.
**Men who forced women to have abortions, or acquiesced, are also child killers. Doctors who perform abortions are murderers, and assistants are accomplices).
Sinned:
He ruined the souls of children, preparing them only for earthly life (he did not teach them about God and faith, did not instill in them the love of church and home prayer, fasting, humility, obedience and other commandments of God, as well as a sense of duty, honor, responsibility..., didn’t look at what they read, who they are friends with, what they do, how they behave.).
Punished them too harshly (taking out anger and irritation, and not for correction, calling them names, cursing).
He seduced children with his sins (swearing, foul language, gossip, watching immoral TV shows, intimate relationships... in their presence).
Sinned:
Disobedience to parents, elders and bosses, insulting them.
Negligent care for elderly (sick) parents, relatives... (left without supervision, food, money, medicine..., transferred to a nursing home...).
Whims, stubbornness, contradiction, self-will, self-justification.
Laziness towards studying.
Was careless about his work (public position).
He used his talents and social position (work) not for the glory of God and the benefit of people, but for personal gain.
Embezzled state and collective property.
Giving and accepting bribes, extortion (which could lead to harm to public and private tragedies).
Harassment of subordinates (for what purpose?).
Having a leadership position, he did not care about suppressing non-Christian customs (corrupting the morality of the people); teaching immoral subjects in schools...
Did not provide all possible assistance to the Orthodox Church (was indifferent to the dominance of the Orthodox people by false faiths, did not contribute to the spread of Orthodoxy, did not protect church shrines, did not provide assistance in the construction and repair of churches and monasteries, cleaning church territory...).
Sinned:
I judge the living and the dead (but I don’t see my sins).
Idle talk (empty talk about the vanity of life...).
Telling and listening to vulgar and blasphemous jokes (about God, the Church and clergy).
Excessive laughter, laughter, showing off your own wit in front of people, leading them to laugh.
Calling on the name of God in vain (unnecessarily, in empty talk, jokes).
Condemnation of priests and monks.
By listening and retelling gossip about clergy and Church affairs (through this the name of God was blasphemed among people through me).
Disclosure of other people's sins and weaknesses, slander, spreading bad rumors and gossip.
Lies, deceit, failure to fulfill promises given to God (people).
Fighting God, a false oath, false testimony in court. Unfair trial (acquittal of criminals and condemnation of the innocent...).
Sinned:
Theft (what kind?).
Love of money (addiction to money and wealth).
Non-payment of debts.
Greed, stinginess for alms (and I spend money on whims and vain entertainments without stint).
I did not use the surplus of my income for spiritual benefits (alms, buying spiritual books...).
Self-interest (using someone else's..., benefiting from everything).
Wanting to get rich, he gave money at interest.
He ruined people's souls by selling vodka, cigarettes, drugs, contraceptives, immodest clothes, porn...
Fried, weighed, passed off bad goods as good... (indicate other sins of your trade).
Sinned:
Self-love, envy, suspicion, gloating, flattery, hypocrisy, deceit, people-pleasing, insincerity. I listened to slander with pleasure and agreement.
Approval and justification of sin.
Forcing others to sin (lie, steal, spy, inform, retell, eavesdrop, drink alcohol...).
Participation in bad things and conversations.
By doing good for show, by the desire for fame, gratitude, praise. Seeking primacy and respect...
Playing sports* and martial arts for the sake of fame, money, robbery (racketeering)...
Boasting, admiring oneself (appearance, abilities, clothes...).
Out of pride, he humiliated his neighbors with ridicule (jokes), stupid jokes...
Laughed at the poor, the crippled, the misfortune of others...
(*professional sport damages health and destroys the soul by developing pride, vanity, superiority, contempt, thirst for enrichment...).
Sinned:
Pride.
Touchiness.
Grudge.
Vengefulness.
Hatred.
Intransigence.
Enmity.
Hot temper.
Anger.
Rough treatment of neighbors.
Insolence and impudence (climbed without queue, pushed).
Swearing (including swearing, with reference to evil spirits).
Assault, beating.
Murder.
Purchasing a driving license.
Violation of traffic rules.
Driving while drunk... (thus endangering people's lives).
Causing harm to one's neighbor (what kind of harm?).
Not protecting the weak, the beaten, women from violence...
Cruelty to animals.
A cold and insensitive confession.
I sin deliberately, trampling on my convicting conscience. There is no firm determination to correct your sinful life.
I repent that I offended the Lord with my sins, I sincerely regret this and will try to improve.
(Since remembering all sins during confession would s It’s difficult, you can write them all down on a piece of paper and read them out during confession.)
The priest often has to stand at the lectern with the Cross and the Gospel not to accept the confession of the penitents, but to listen to speeches of self-justification and condemnation of neighbors (relatives, co-workers, neighbors, etc.) This happens partly due to the Orthodox misunderstanding of the meaning of the sacrament of Confession, partly due to the tedious unwillingness to talk to your conscience, to remove the filth of sin and wash it with repentance.
Confession is not a conversation about your shortcomings, doubts, or telling your confessor about your life. Confession is repentance of the heart, born of a thirst for cleansing from the filth of sin. We come to confession with the intention of receiving forgiveness of sins from the Lord God through the priest. So know that your confession is empty, fruitless, invalid and even offensive to the Lord if you go to confession without any preparation, without testing your conscience, for shame or another reason you hide your sins, you confess formally, coldly, mechanically, without having a firm intention to improve.
Here is what needs to be done in preparation for the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist (Communion):
3 days - fasting (food of animal origin is excluded, abstaining from entertainment).
Follow the following prayer rule:
MORNING PRAYERS
PRAYERS FOR THE SLEEP OF THE COMING
CANON:
REPENTANCE TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN
GUARDIAN ANGEL
Using the book THE EXPERIENCE OF CONSTRUCTING A CONFESSION, compose a confession on paper.
In the days of preparation for confession, one must attend divine services in church and read the GOSPEL.
After CONFESSION, before COMMUNION, read in the evening:
PRAYERS FOR THE SLEEP OF THE COMING
CANON FOR HOLY COMMUNION.
After midnight they no longer eat or drink, because it is customary to begin the SACRAMENT OF COMMUNION on an empty stomach (you cannot smoke).
In the morning read: MORNING PRAYERS
FOLLOWING HOLY COMMUNION, except for the canon read the day before.
At the end of the service, you must hurry home, read the PRAYERS OF THANKS FOR HOLY COMMUNION and spend the rest of the day reading spiritual books and helping your neighbors, protecting yourself from empty talk and entertainment.
Prayer book
“The experience of constructing a confession.” I. Peasant.
New Testament
Communion is a mysterious, incomprehensible to the mind, the deepest and closest connection with God possible for a person through the partaking of the greatest shrine - the Eucharistic Gifts, Bread and Wine - the true Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is necessary to begin this most holy Sacrament, if possible, monthly, but not less than 4 times a year. One must carefully prepare for it so that Communion does not lead to judgment or condemnation.
When preparing for communion, be sure to make peace with everyone with whom you had a conflict or quarrel. Taking communion in hostility is a grave sin.
On the eve of the day of communion, it is necessary to attend the evening service. This is an indispensable condition for preparation for the sacrament of Communion.
The Sacrament of Communion must necessarily be preceded by the Sacrament of Confession.
The communicant must have pectoral cross.
One should approach the Holy Chalice with reverence, without pushing anyone, realizing one’s unworthiness. Cross your arms across your chest, right over left. Do not be baptized before the Chalice. name yours full name given at baptism. Take St. carefully. Gifts, kiss the edge of the Chalice and calmly move away. Chew the gifts immediately, if necessary, and swallow them. Then wash down the Gifts with “warmth” and eat a piece of prosphora.
Usually people inexperienced in spiritual life do not see either the plurality of their sins or their vileness - “I didn’t do anything special, I only have minor sins, like everyone else - I didn’t steal, I didn’t kill.” What about self-esteem? Intolerance to reproaches? Callousness? People-pleasing, weakness of faith, lack of love for one's neighbor? Are these all unimportant sins? Let's take a closer look at ourselves, remember what our relatives and friends usually reproach us for. Very often their accusations and reproaches are fair. Have we achieved meekness, freedom from anger, humility? Do we love every person as commanded by the Savior?
Knowing your sins does not mean repenting of them. True, the Lord accepts confession: - sincere and conscientious, even if it is not accompanied by a strong feeling of repentance, even if this sin of ours - the stony insensibility of the heart - we confess courageously and frankly, without hypocrisy. And yet, contrition of heart, sorrow for our sins is the most important thing that we can bring to confession. To soften our hearts and sharpen the feeling of repentance, we need prayerful preparations for confession and fasting. Fasting disrupts bodily well-being and complacency, which is disastrous for spiritual life, loosens the soil of our heart, which can then absorb prayer, the word of God, the lives of saints, the works of the Holy Fathers, and this, in turn, will give us strength to fight sin and do good deeds .
There is no need to wait for questions during confession, you need to make the effort yourself, because confession is a feat and self-compulsion. We must speak precisely, without obscuring the ugliness of sin with general expressions. We must give up attempts to justify ourselves with “mitigating circumstances,” and give up references to others who allegedly led us into sin. Confession must be complete, that is, we must confess all our sins, without hiding anything or putting it off “for later.” Unrepentant sins constantly burden the soul and prepare it for eternal damnation. One should be ashamed to commit a sin, and not repent of it. Don’t you dare think that your sins are so great that it’s not worth repenting. Who accepts our repentance? Who heals our sinful ulcers? Almighty God. Almighty Doctor! And as such, He makes forgiveness possible for all the most serious sins.
It is wrong to think that after confessing our many sins, the priest will begin to neglect us as sinners. On the contrary, any priest rejoices at the sincere repentance of a sinner, just as a good shepherd rejoices when he finds a lost sheep. Knowing our ailments, he will be more likely to help us, to indicate a way to heal from our sinful ulcers.
based on materials from Orthodox websites.
General Confession
(sins against God,
sins against one's neighbor,
sins against oneself)
(Matt. 10:33; Mark 8:38).
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
(for example, on maps).
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
(starved them, beat them).
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
General Confession
(sins against God,
sins against one's neighbor,
sins against oneself)
I confess to the Lord God, glorified in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all my sins from my youth to the present time, committed by me in deed, word, thought and all my feelings, voluntarily or involuntarily. I consider myself unworthy of forgiveness from God, but I do not give in to despair, I place all my hope in God’s mercy and sincerely wish to correct my life.
I sinned by lack of faith, by doubting what the faith of Christ teaches us. I sinned by indifference to faith, unwillingness to understand it and be convinced of it. He sinned with blasphemy - frivolously ridiculing the truths of faith, words of prayer and the Gospel, church rituals, as well as the shepherds of the Church and pious people, calling their zeal for prayer, fasting and alms hypocrisy.
I sinned even more: with contemptuous and impudent judgments about faith, about the laws and institutions of the church, for example about fasting and worship, about the veneration of holy icons and relics, about miraculous manifestations of God’s mercy or God’s wrath.
I sinned by deviating from the Church, considering it unnecessary for myself, considering myself capable of a good life, of achieving salvation without the help of the Church, but one must go to God not alone, but with brothers and sisters in faith, in a union of love, in the Church and with Church: only where there is love, there is God; to whom the Church is not a Mother, God is not a Father.
I sinned by renouncing faith or hiding faith out of fear, out of profit or out of shame in front of people, I did not heed the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: Whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Heavenly Father; Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels (Matt. 10:33; Mark 8:38).
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I sinned by not relying on God, relying more on myself or on other people, and sometimes on untruth, deception, cunning, deceit.
In happiness I sinned by ingratitude to God, the giver of happiness, and in misfortune by despondency, cowardice, murmuring against God, anger towards him, blasphemous and impudent thoughts about the Providence of God, despair, the desire for death for myself and my loved ones.
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I sinned by loving earthly goods more than the Creator, Whom I must love most of all - with all my soul, with all my heart, with all my mind.
I sinned by forgetting God and not feeling the fear of God; I forgot that God sees and knows everything, not only deeds and words, but also our secret thoughts, feelings and desires, and that God will judge us by death and at His Last Judgment; That’s why I sinned uncontrollably and boldly, as if for me there would be no death, no Judgment, no righteous punishment from God. I sinned with superstition, unreasonable trust in dreams, omens, and fortune telling. (for example, on maps).
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I sinned in prayer through laziness and incompetence; I skipped morning and evening prayers, before and after eating food, at the beginning and end of any task.
I sinned in prayer by haste, absent-mindedness, coldness and callousness, hypocrisy, I tried to seem to people more pious than I really was.
I sinned by having an unpeaceful mood during prayer; I prayed in a state of irritation, anger, ill-will, condemnation, murmuring, and disobedience to God’s Providence.
I sinned by carelessly and incorrectly performing the sign of the cross - from haste and inattention or from a bad habit.
I sinned by not attending divine services on holidays and Sundays, by not paying attention to what is read, sung and performed in church during the service, by not performing or reluctantly performing church rituals (bows, veneration, kissing the cross, the Gospel, icons).
He sinned by irreverent, indecent behavior in the temple - worldly and loud conversations, laughter, arguments, quarrels, cursing, pushing and oppressing other pilgrims.
I sinned by frivolously mentioning the name of God in conversations - by swearing and swearing without extreme necessity or even in a lie, as well as by not fulfilling what I promised to do good to someone with an oath.
I sinned by carelessly handling sacred objects - the cross, the Gospel, icons, holy water, prosphora.
He sinned by not observing holidays, fasting and fasting days, by not observing fasting, that is, he did not try to free himself from his shortcomings, bad and idle habits, he did not try to correct his character, he did not force himself to diligently fulfill God’s commandments.
Countless are my sins against the Lord God and His Holy Church!
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
My sins are countless, both against my neighbors and in relation to my duties towards myself. Instead of love for others, selfishness with all its destructive fruits prevails in my life.
I sinned with pride, conceit, considering myself better than others, vanity - love for praise and honor, self-praise, lust for power, arrogance, disrespect, rude treatment of people, ingratitude towards those who do me good.
I sinned by condemning, ridiculing the sins, shortcomings and mistakes of my neighbors, slander, gossip, and with them brought discord among my neighbors.
He sinned with slander - he unfairly spoke about people that was bad and harmful and dangerous for them.
I sinned with impatience, irritability, anger, intransigence, stubbornness, grumpiness, insolence, disobedience.
I sinned with resentment, malice, hatred, rancor, and vindictiveness.
I sinned with envy, ill-will, gloating, I sinned with abuse, foul language, quarrels, curses like others (maybe even your children), and yourself.
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I sinned by not honoring my elders, especially my parents, by not wanting to take care of my parents and to rest them in their old age; I sinned by judging and ridiculing them, by treating them rudely and impudently; I sinned by failing to remember them and my other loved ones in prayer - living and dead.
I sinned not through mercy, ruthlessness towards the poor, sick, grieving people, merciless cruelty in words and deeds, I was not afraid to humiliate, insult, upset my neighbors, sometimes, perhaps, I drove a person to despair.
He sinned through stinginess, avoidance of helping those in need, greed, love of profit, and was not afraid to take advantage of other people’s misfortunes and social disasters.
I sinned by addiction, attachment to things, I sinned by regretting what I did good deeds, sinned by cruelty to animals (starved them, beat them).
He sinned by appropriating someone else's property - theft, concealing what was found, buying and selling stolen property.
He sinned by not doing or carelessly doing his work - his household and official affairs.
I sinned with lies, pretense, double-mindedness, insincerity in dealing with people, flattery, and people-pleasing.
I sinned by eavesdropping, spying, reading other people's letters, divulging trusted secrets, cunning, and all kinds of dishonesty.
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I sinned by laziness, love of idle spending time, idle talk, daydreaming.
I sinned not by being thrifty with my own and other people’s property.
He sinned through intemperance in food and drink, polyeating, secret eating, drunkenness, and smoking.
He sinned by being whimsical in his clothes, being excessively concerned about his appearance, and wanting to be liked, especially by people of the opposite sex.
He sinned by immodesty, impurity, voluptuousness in thoughts, feelings and desires, in words and conversations, in reading, in looks, in addressing persons of the other sex, as well as intemperance in marital relations, violation of marital fidelity, fornication, marital cohabitation without a church blessing , unnatural satisfaction of lust.
Those who performed abortions on themselves or others, or incited someone to this great sin - infanticide, sinned gravely.
Lord, have mercy and forgive us sinners!
I sinned in that with my words and actions I tempted other people to sin, and I myself succumbed to the temptation to sin from other people, instead of fighting it.
He sinned by bad upbringing of children and even spoiling them with his bad example, excessive severity or, conversely, weakness, impunity; did not teach children to pray, obedience, truthfulness, hard work, frugality, helpfulness, and did not monitor the purity of their behavior.
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I sinned by being careless about my salvation, about pleasing God, not feeling my sins and my irresponsible guilt before God.
I sinned through regret and laziness in the fight against sin, constant delay of true repentance and correction.
I sinned by carelessly preparing for confession and communion, forgetting my sins, inability and unwillingness to remember them in order to feel my sinfulness and condemn myself before God.
I sinned in that I approached confession and communion very rarely.
I sinned by not fulfilling the penances imposed on me.
He sinned by justifying himself in sins; instead of condemnation in confession - downplaying one’s sins.
I sinned in that during confession I accused and condemned my neighbors, pointing out the sins of others instead of my own.
He sinned if during confession he deliberately hid his sins out of fear or shame.
I sinned if I approached confession and communion without making peace with those I had offended or who had offended me.
Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner!
I know and feel, Lord, that I am unworthy of forgiveness, I am irresponsible before You and Your holy Truth, but I appeal to Your boundless mercy: accept my wretched repentance, forgive my countless sins, cleanse, renew and strengthen my soul and body, so that I can steadily walk I'm on the path to salvation.
interpretation
Understanding the high significance of the sacrament of Repentance, many church rectors strive to begin confession in the evening and use the time before Divine Liturgy. However, the time and physical strength of priests are limited. That is why we have to conduct a general confession, since on Sundays and holidays there are many people who receive communion. In such cases, usually the priest, after prayers, reads a detailed list of sins and calls on everyone who comes to confession to repent. There should be no doubt that the merciful Lord will accept such a confession, caused by special circumstances, and forgive sins. If there were no mortal sins, then there is no need to repent again.
The Sacrament of Communion or Eucharist (from Greek - thanksgiving) is the main Sacrament of the Orthodox Church and, at the same time, the most frequently celebrated Sacrament: in any church Communion is celebrated every Sunday and on holidays, and in churches where more than one priest serves - every day, with the exception of special days Church Charter.
Communion is celebrated only during the Liturgy, which is usually served in the morning. This everyday service and its very event - the Sacrament of Communion - contain a huge meaning, ancient tradition and the powerful grace of God, truly enlightening every Orthodox Christian.
Many people, realizing this, want to begin the Sacrament and take communion at the end of the Liturgy, but do not know what needs to be done for this. But you really need to prepare for Communion. Of course, you can ask the employees of the church shop or the priests - but timidity and inexperience in church life often get in the way.
From our article you will learn how to prepare with prayer, fasting and repentance for Confession and Communion, how to take communion correctly and how to name sins in confession.
The Sacrament of the Church - what does it mean?
The Orthodox Church has seven Sacraments. All of them were established by the Lord and are based on His words preserved in the Gospel. The sacrament of the Church is a sacred act where, with the help of external signs and rituals, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given to people invisibly, that is, mysteriously, hence the name. The saving power of God is true, in contrast to the “energy” and magic of the spirits of darkness, which only promise help, but in fact destroy souls.
In addition, the Tradition of the Church says that in the Sacraments, unlike home prayers, molebens or memorial services, grace is promised by God Himself and enlightenment is given to a person who has prepared for the Sacraments correctly, who comes with sincere faith and repentance, an understanding of his sinfulness before our Sinless Savior.
The Lord blessed the apostles to perform seven Sacraments, which are usually named in order from birth to death of a person: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance (confession), Communion, Wedding (marriage), Priesthood, Blessing of Anointing (Unction).
Baptism and Confirmation today take place in a row, one after the other. That is, a person who comes to be baptized or a child brought will be anointed with the Holy Myrrh - a special mixture of oils, which is created in large quantities once a year, in the presence of the Patriarch.
Communion follows only after Confession. You need to repent at least of those sins that you still see in yourself - at confession, the priest, if possible, will ask you about other sins and help you confess.
Before being ordained to the priesthood, a priest must marry or become a monk (it is interesting that tonsure is not a Sacrament; a person himself makes vows to God and then asks Him to help in fulfilling them). In the Sacrament of Wedding, God gives His grace, uniting people into one whole. Only then can a person, as if in the integrity of his nature, accept the Sacrament of the Priesthood.
The Sacrament of Unction should not be confused with the Anointing of Oil, which is performed during the All-Night Vigil (an evening service held every Saturday and before church holidays) and is a symbolic blessing of the Church. They gather everyone, even those who are healthy, usually in Lent, and for seriously ill patients all year round - even at home if necessary. This is the Sacrament of healing soul and body. It is aimed at cleansing from unconfessed sins (this is especially important to do before death) and healing the disease.
The Sacrament of Confession - cleansing from all mistakes and sins
Confession, as we said, precedes Communion, so we will tell you about the Sacrament of Confession at the beginning.
During Confession, a person names his sins to the priest - but, as it is said in the prayer before confession, which the priest will read, this is a confession to Christ Himself, and the priest is only a servant of God who visibly gives His grace. We receive forgiveness from the Lord: His words are preserved in the Gospel, with which Christ gives to the apostles, and through them to the priests, their successors, the power to forgive sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him.”
In Confession we receive forgiveness of all the sins that we have named and those that we have forgotten. Under no circumstances should you hide your sins! If you are ashamed, name the sins, among others, briefly.
Confession, despite the fact that many Orthodox people They confess once every week or two, that is, quite often, they call it the second baptism. During Baptism, a person is cleansed from original sin by the grace of Christ, Who accepted the Crucifixion for the sake of delivering all people from sins. And during repentance in confession, we get rid of new sins that we have committed throughout our life’s journey.
Preparation rules: what sins should be named during confession and how to recognize them
You can come to Confession without preparing for Communion. That is, Confession is necessary before Communion, but you can come to Confession separately. Preparing for confession is basically reflecting on your life and repenting, that is, admitting that certain things you have done are sins. Before Confession you need:
If you have never confessed, start remembering your life from the age of seven (it is at this time that a child growing up in Orthodox family, By church tradition, comes to the first confession, that is, he can clearly answer for his actions). Realize what transgressions cause you remorse, because conscience, according to the word of the Holy Fathers, is the voice of God in man. Think about what you can call these actions, for example: taking candy saved for a holiday without asking, getting angry and yelling at a friend, leaving a friend in trouble - this is theft, malice and anger, betrayal.
Write down all the sins that you remember, with the awareness of your untruth and a promise to God not to repeat these mistakes.
Continue thinking as an adult. In confession, you cannot and should not talk about the history of each sin; its name is enough. Remember that many encouraged modern world deeds are sins: affair or affair with married woman- adultery, sex outside of marriage - fornication, a clever deal where you received a benefit and gave someone else a low-quality item - deception and theft. All this also needs to be written down and promised to God not to sin again.
Read Orthodox literature about Confession. An example of such a book is “The Experience of Constructing Confession” by Archimandrite John Krestyankin, a contemporary elder who died in 2006. He knew the sins and sorrows of modern people.
A good habit is to analyze your day every day. The same advice is usually given by psychologists in order to form an adequate self-esteem of a person. Remember, or better yet, write down your sins, whether done by accident or intentionally (mentally ask God to forgive them and promise not to commit them again), and your successes - thank God and His help for them.
There is a Canon of Repentance to the Lord, which you can read while standing in front of the icon on the eve of confession. It is also included in the number of prayers that are preparatory to Communion. There are also several Orthodox prayers with a list of sins and words of repentance. With the help of such prayers and Canon of Penance you will prepare for confession faster, because it will be easy for you to understand what actions are called sins and what you need to repent of.
Here is one of the prayers of repentance - daily confession of sins, which is read as part of the Orthodox Vespers prayer rule:
“I confess to You, the One Lord my God and Creator, the Holy Trinity, glorified by all, Whom all people worship: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all my sins that I have committed in all the days of my life, which I have sinned every hour, during this day and in the past days and nights: in deed, in word, in thoughts, gluttony, drunkenness, eating in secret from others, idle discussion of people and things, despondency, laziness, disputes, disobedience and deception of superiors, slander, condemnation, careless and inattentive attitude to business and people, pride and selfishness, greed, theft, lies, criminal profit, desire for easy gain, jealousy, envy, anger, resentment, rancor, hatred, bribery or extortion and all my senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, other spiritual and physical sins with which I angered You, my God and Creator, and caused harm to my neighbor; Regretting all this, I confess myself guilty before You, I admit to my God and I myself repent: only, Lord my God, help me, I humbly beg You with tears: forgive me all my sins committed by Your mercy, and deliver me from all that I listed in prayer to You, according to Your Good will and love for all people. Amen".
You shouldn’t look for any special emotional uplift or strong emotions before and during Confession.
Repentance is:
Reconciliation with loved ones and acquaintances if you have seriously offended or deceived someone;
Understanding that a number of actions you have done out of intent or carelessness and the constant preservation of certain feelings are unrighteous and are sins;
A firm intention not to sin again, not to repeat sins, for example, to legalize fornication, stop adultery, recover from drunkenness and drug addiction;
Faith in the Lord, His mercy and His gracious help;
Faith that the Sacrament of Confession by Christ's grace and the power of His death on the Cross will destroy all your sins.
How does confession work and what should you do during confession?
Confession usually takes place half an hour before the start of each Liturgy (you need to find out its time from the schedule) in any Orthodox church.
In the temple you need to wear appropriate clothing: men in trousers and shirts with at least short sleeves (not shorts and T-shirts), without hats; women in a skirt below the knee and a headscarf (kerchief, scarf) - by the way, skirts and headscarves can be borrowed for free during your stay in the temple.
For confession, you only need to take a piece of paper with your sins written down (it is needed so as not to forget to name the sins).
The priest will go to the place of confession - usually a group of confessors gathers there, it is located to the left or right of the altar - and will read the prayers that begin the Sacrament. Then, in some churches, according to tradition, a list of sins is read out - in case you have forgotten some sins - the priest calls for repentance of them (those that you have committed) and to give your name. This is called general confession.
Then, in order of priority, you approach the confessional table. The priest may (this depends on practice) take the sheet of sins from your hands to read for himself, or then you yourself read aloud. If you want to tell the situation and repent of it in more detail, or you have a question about this situation, about spiritual life in general, ask it after listing the sins, before absolution.
After you have completed the dialogue with the priest: simply listed your sins and said: “I repent,” or asked a question, received an answer and thanked you, state your name. Then the priest performs absolution: you bend down a little lower (some people kneel), place an epitrachelion on your head (a piece of embroidered fabric with a slit for the neck, signifying the priest’s shepherding), read a short prayer and cross your head over the stole.
When the priest removes the stole from your head, you must immediately cross yourself, kiss first the Cross, then the Gospel, which lie in front of you on the confessional lectern (high table).
If you are going to Communion, take a blessing from the priest: cup your palms in front of him, right over left, say: “Bless me to take communion, I was preparing (preparing).” In many churches, priests simply bless everyone after confession: therefore, after kissing the Gospel, look at the priest - is he calling the next confessor or is he waiting for you to finish kissing and take the blessing.
The Sacrament of Communion - God's blessing and human transformation
The most strong prayer- this is any commemoration and presence at the Liturgy. During the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion), the whole Church prays for a person.
Preparing bread and wine, which during the Sacrament will become the Body and Blood of Christ, the priest takes prosphora (small round unleavened bread with the seal of the Cross), cuts out a piece in it and says: “Remember, Lord, Thy servants (names) ....” The names are taken from the notes, and all those praying during the Liturgy and all the communicants are remembered in separate prosphoras. All parts of the prosphora become the Body of Christ in the Chalice of Communion. This is how people get great power and grace from God.
That is why every person needs to sometimes attend the Liturgy - submit a note for themselves and loved ones, and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ - the Body and Blood of the Lord. This is especially important to do in difficult life moments, despite the lack of time.
The Sacrament of Communion was established by Christ Himself during the Last Supper before His death on the Cross and commanded the apostles to always receive communion for the sake of the memory of Him and life in eternity: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will resurrect him on the last day.” . Christ said that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, bread and wine will constantly be miraculously transformed into His Body and Blood, and the people who eat (taste) them will be united with Himself. The Church blesses us to receive communion at least once a year: preferably about once a month.
Preparation is necessary before Communion
You need to prepare yourself for the Sacrament of Holy Communion; this is called “fasting”. Preparation includes reading special prayers according to the prayer book, fasting and repentance:
Prepare to fast for 2-3 days. You need to be moderate in food, give up meat, ideally meat, milk, eggs, if you are not sick or pregnant.
During these days, try to read the morning and evening prayer rules with attention and diligence. Read spiritual literature, especially necessary for preparing for Confession.
Avoid entertainment and visiting noisy vacation spots.
In a few days (you can do it in one evening, but you will get tired), read the prayer book or online canon of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, canons to the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel (find the text where they are connected), as well as the Rule for Communion (it also includes a small canon, several psalms and prayers).
Make peace with people with whom you have serious quarrels.
It is better to attend evening worship - All-night vigil. You can confess during it, if Confession will be carried out in the temple, or come to the temple for morning Confession.
Before the morning Liturgy, do not eat or drink anything after midnight and in the morning.
Confession before Communion is a necessary part of preparation for it. No one is allowed to receive Communion without Confession, except people in mortal danger and children under seven years of age. There are a number of testimonies of people who came to Communion without Confession - because priests, due to the crowds, sometimes cannot track this. Such an act is a great sin. The Lord punished them for their insolence with difficulties, illnesses and sorrows.
Women are not allowed to receive Communion during their period and immediately after childbirth: young mothers are allowed to receive Communion only after the priest has read a prayer for cleansing over them.
Prayers before Communion - a means to true repentance and enlightenment
Prayers for Communion are a series of beautiful addresses to God compiled by saints over the centuries. They are usually read in Church Slavonic and contain words of repentance and thanksgiving to God for His power given in the Sacrament of Communion.
The text of the prayer in Russian by St. John of Damascus, one of the prayers before Communion, can be read online below:
“I stand before the doors of Your temple, but still I do not forget evil thoughts. However, You, Christ our God, justified the tax collector, and had mercy on the Canaanite woman, and opened the doors of paradise to the thief - open also to me the abysses of Your Love for all people, accept me who comes and touches You, like a harlot and a bleeding woman: only the edges of Your robe touched and easily received healing, while the other held Your most pure feet and received remission of sins. And I, a sinner, daring to accept Your whole Body, may I not be scorched by Your grace as if by fire; but accept me, like those women, and enlighten my soul and feelings, scorching my sins with fire, with the prayers without seed of the Mother who gave birth to You and the Heavenly Powers, because You are blessed by everyone forever. Amen".
How to behave during Communion?
People often learn everything about preparation, but they don’t know what to do during Communion itself.
After singing the Lord’s Prayer and closing the Royal Doors, you need to go to the altar (or stand in line that gathers at the altar). Let children and parents with babies pass first - they receive communion at the beginning; In some churches, men are also allowed to go ahead.
When the priest brings out the Chalice and reads two prayers (sometimes they are read by the whole church), cross yourself, fold your hands crosswise to your shoulders - right to left - and walk, without lowering your hands, until you receive communion.
Do not cross yourself at the Chalice, so as not to accidentally push it. Say your name in Baptism, open your mouth wide. The priest himself will put a spoon with the Body and Blood in your mouth. Try to swallow them right away. Kiss the bottom of the Chalice, move away and only then cross yourself. Go to the table with “warmth” to wash it down and eat Communion with a piece of prosphora. It should not remain in your mouth so that you do not accidentally spit it out.
Do not leave the church until the end of the service. You can listen to prayers of thanksgiving after Communion in church or read them at home.
On the day of Communion, it is better not to spit (particles of Communion could remain in the mouth), try not to have a lot of fun right away and behave with piety. It is better to spend the day in joy, communicating with loved ones, reading spiritual books, and relaxing walks.
May the Lord protect you with His grace!
Confession and Communion are important religious ceremonies in Christianity. Believers cleanse their souls of sins, undergoing blessed repentance, and participate in a sacred rite that traces its origins to the Last Supper. However, it is necessary to properly prepare for these rituals. It is known that if the penitent is not completely sincere, confession will not have any effect, even if the priest reads all the necessary texts. Communication with the Lord through the holy sacraments changes life and brings peace. Prayers before confession and communion set the soul in the appropriate mood.
Even holy and righteous people regularly go through the rite of repentance. There is a common opinion that a person needs such rituals only if he has committed strong sins. According to an apt comparison by Abbot Isaac, if you leave a table in an empty, closed room for a week, then after a while a layer of dust will appear on the tabletop. So it is.
Preparation for rituals: canons before confession and communion
Holy rites are combined with a three-day fast, during which you cannot eat meat and dairy products. It will not be superfluous to read the Bible: in the Old Testament, re-read the Ten Commandments (Exodus, 20: 2-17), and in the New - the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, 5-7), which is revered by many Christians.
What prayers to read before confession: liberation of the soul from sinful burden
Repentance requires sincere faith and focus. However, no less time must be devoted to preparatory prayers. It is best to read them within three days before confession. It is especially beneficial for the spiritual body to pronounce holy words on the night before the day appointed by the priest.
- The prayer “Before Confession” was inspired by the Lord to St. Simeon the New Theologian, who lived in the 10th century. The saint was of the opinion that communication with God through prayer plays a leading role in the life of a Christian.
- The prayer “For the forgiveness of forgotten sins” is short but succinct. The Creator outlined these simple words by the hand of St. Barsanuphius the Great, a holy monk and ascetic of the 6th century, originally from the sinful land of Egypt.
- “Following to Holy Communion” includes many texts of prayers, canons, kontakions, troparions, and psalms. To read the holy words correctly, you must consult a priest.
How to read prayers and canons correctly
Before turning to the Lord through holy texts, it is necessary to cleanse your thoughts from temptations and pride. Humble your ego and feel like humble servants of God. Seclude yourself or gather your family if they also wish to receive communion or confession. Joint prayers strengthen the bonds of marriage and protect children's souls from sinful thoughts. Turn off phones and other electrical devices so that they do not distract from your righteous time.
Sins fall on a person unnoticed: the soul becomes covered with “dust” and a heavy burden presses on the spiritual shell, causing depression and health problems. Which ones are no less important for every Christian to know than the list of canons used to prepare for repentance and communion.
Confession (repentance) is one of seven Christian Sacraments, in which the repentant, confessing his sins to the priest, with the visible forgiveness of sins (reading a prayer of absolution), is invisibly absolved from them. By the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This sacrament was established by the Savior, who said to His disciples: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (untie) on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, verse 18). And in another place: “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, their sins are forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him” (Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 22-23). The apostles transferred the power to “bind and loose” to their successors - the bishops, who in turn, when performing the Sacrament of ordination (priesthood), transfer this power to the priests.
The Holy Fathers call repentance the second baptism: if at baptism a person is cleansed from the power of original sin, transmitted to him at birth from our first parents Adam and Eve, then repentance washes him from the filth of his own sins, committed by him after the Sacrament of Baptism.
In order for the Sacrament of Repentance to be accomplished, the following are necessary on the part of the penitent: awareness of his sinfulness, sincere heartfelt repentance for his sins, the desire to leave the sin and not repeat it, faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy, faith that the Sacrament of Confession has the power to cleanse and wash away, through the prayer of the priest, sincerely confessed sins.
The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1st Epistle of John, chapter 1, verse 7). At the same time, you hear from many: “I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t
I commit adultery, so what should I repent of?” But if we carefully study God’s commandments, we will discover that we sin against many of them. Conventionally, all sins committed by a person can be divided into three groups: sins against God, sins against neighbors and sins against oneself.
Ingratitude to God.
Disbelief. Doubt in faith. Justifying one's disbelief through an atheistic upbringing.
Apostasy, cowardly silence when the faith of Christ is blasphemed, not wearing a cross, visiting various sects.
Taking the name of God in vain (when the name of God is mentioned not in prayer or in pious conversation about Him).
Oath in the name of the Lord.
Fortune telling, treatment with whispering grandmothers, turning to psychics, reading books on black, white and other magic, reading and distributing occult literature and various false teachings.
Thoughts about suicide.
Playing cards and other gambling games.
Failure to comply with morning and evening prayer rules.
Failure to visit the temple of God on Sundays and holidays.
Failure to observe fasts on Wednesday and Friday, violation of other fasts established by the Church.
Light (non-daily) reading Holy Scripture, soulful literature.
Breaking vows made to God.
Despair in difficult situations and disbelief in God's Providence, fear of old age, poverty, illness.
Absent-mindedness during prayer, thoughts about everyday things during worship.
Condemnation of the Church and its ministers.
Addiction to various earthly things and pleasures.
Continuation of a sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy, that is, excessive trust in God.
It’s a waste of time watching TV shows and reading entertaining books to the detriment of time for prayer, reading the Gospel and spiritual literature.
Concealing sins during confession and unworthy communion of the Holy Mysteries.
Arrogance, self-reliance, i.e. excessive hope in one’s own strength and in someone else’s help, without trusting that everything is in God’s hands.
Raising children outside the Christian faith.
Hot temper, anger, irritability.
Arrogance.
Perjury.
Mockery.
Stinginess.
Non-repayment of debts.
Failure to pay money earned for work.
Failure to provide assistance to those in need.
Disrespect for parents, irritation with their old age.
Disrespect for elders.
Lack of diligence in your work.
Condemnation.
Appropriation of someone else's property is theft.
Quarrels with neighbors and neighbors.
Killing your child in the womb (abortion), inducing others to commit murder (abortion).
Murder with words is bringing a person through slander or condemnation to a painful state and even to death.
Drinking alcohol at funerals for the dead instead of intense prayer for them.
Verbosity, gossip, idle talk. ,
Reasonless laughter.
Foul language.
Self-love.
Doing good deeds for show.
Vanity.
The desire to get rich.
Love of money.
Envy.
Drunkenness, drug use.
Gluttony.
Fornication - inciting lustful thoughts, unclean desires, lustful touching, watching erotic films and reading such books.
Fornication is the physical intimacy of persons not related by marriage.
Adultery is a violation of marital fidelity.
Unnatural fornication - physical intimacy between persons of the same sex, masturbation.
Incest is physical intimacy with close relatives or nepotism.
Although the above sins are conditionally divided into three parts, ultimately they are all sins both against God (since they violate His commandments and thereby offend Him) and against their neighbors (since they do not allow true Christian relationships and love to be revealed ), and against themselves (because they interfere with the salvific dispensation of the soul).
Anyone who wants to repent before God for their sins must prepare for the Sacrament of Confession. You need to prepare for confession in advance: it is advisable to read literature on the Sacraments of Confession and Communion, remember all your sins, you can write them down on
a separate piece of paper to review before confession. Sometimes a piece of paper with the listed sins is given to the confessor to read, but the sins that especially burden the soul must be told out loud. There is no need to tell the confessor long stories, it is enough to state the sin itself. For example, if you are at enmity with relatives or neighbors, you do not need to tell what caused this enmity - you need to repent of the very sin of judging your relatives or neighbors. What is important to God and the confessor is not the list of sins, but the repentant feeling of the person being confessed, not detailed stories, but a contrite heart. We must remember that confession is not only an awareness of one’s own shortcomings, but, above all, a thirst to be cleansed of them.
In no case is it acceptable to justify yourself - this is no longer repentance! Elder Silouan of Athos explains what real repentance is: “This is a sign of the forgiveness of sins: if you hated sin, then the Lord forgave you your sins.”
It is good to develop the habit of analyzing the past day every evening and bringing daily repentance before God, writing down serious sins for future confession with your confessor.
Children under seven years of age (in the Church they are called babies) begin the Sacrament of Communion without prior confession, but it is necessary from early childhood to develop in children a sense of reverence for this great
Sacrament. Frequent communion without proper preparation can develop in children an undesirable sense of the ordinariness of what is happening. It is advisable to prepare infants 2-3 days in advance for the upcoming Communion: read the Gospel, lives of saints, and other soul-helping books with them, reduce, or better yet completely eliminate, television viewing (but this must be done very tactfully, without developing negative associations in the child with preparation for Communion ), follow their prayer in the morning and before bed, talk with the child about the past days and lead him to a feeling of shame for his own misdeeds. The main thing to remember is that there is nothing more effective for a child than the personal example of parents.
Starting from the age of seven, children (adolescents) begin the Sacrament of Communion, like adults, only after first performing the Sacrament of Confession. In many ways, the sins listed in the previous sections are also inherent in children, but still, children's confession has its own characteristics.
To motivate children to sincere repentance, you can pray for them to read the following list of possible sins:
Did you lie in bed in the morning and therefore skip the morning prayer rule?
Did you not sit down at the table without praying and did you not go to bed without praying? Do you know the most important ones by heart? orthodox prayers : “Our Father”, “Jesus Prayer”, “Virgin Mother of God, Rejoice”, prayer to your Heavenly patron
, whose name you bear?
Did you go to church every Sunday? Have you been interested in various amusements in church holidays
instead of visiting the temple of God?
Did you behave properly at church services, did you not run around the church, did you not have empty conversations with your peers, thereby leading them into temptation?
Did you pronounce the name of God unnecessarily?
Are you performing the sign of the cross correctly, are you not in a hurry, are you not distorting the sign of the cross?
Were you distracted by extraneous thoughts while praying?
Do you read the Gospel and other spiritual books?
Do you wear a pectoral cross and are you not embarrassed by it?
Aren't you using a cross as a decoration, which is sinful?
Do you wear various amulets, for example, zodiac signs?
Didn’t you tell fortunes, didn’t you tell fortunes?
Were you not proud of yourself and others of your successes and abilities?
Have you ever argued with someone just to gain the upper hand in the argument?
Did you deceive your parents for fear of being punished?
During Lent, did you eat something like ice cream without your parents’ permission?
Did you listen to your parents, didn’t you argue with them, didn’t you demand an expensive purchase from them?
Have you ever beaten anyone? Did he incite others to do this?
Did you offend the younger ones?
Did you torture animals?
Did you gossip about anyone, did you snitch on anyone?
Have you ever laughed at people with any physical disabilities?
Have you tried smoking, drinking, sniffing glue or using drugs?
Didn't you use foul language?
Have you played cards?
Have you ever engaged in handjobs?
Did you appropriate someone else's property for yourself?
Have you ever had the habit of taking without asking what does not belong to you?
Weren't you too lazy to help your parents around the house?
Was he pretending to be sick to evade his responsibilities?
Were you jealous of others?
The above list is only a general outline of possible sins. Each child may have his own, individual experiences associated with specific cases. The task of parents is to prepare the child for repentant feelings before the Sacrament of Confession. You can advise him to remember his misdeeds committed after the last confession, write his sins on a piece of paper, but you should not do this for him. The main thing: the child must understand that the Sacrament of Confession is a Sacrament that cleanses the soul from sins, subject to sincere, sincere repentance and the desire not to repeat them again.
Confession is performed in churches either in the evening after the evening service, or in the morning before the start of the liturgy. Under no circumstances should you be late for the start of confession, since the Sacrament begins with the reading of the rite, in which everyone who wishes to confess must prayerfully participate. When reading the rite, the priest turns to the penitents so that they say their names - everyone answers in an undertone. Those who are late for the start of confession are not allowed to the Sacrament; the priest, if there is such an opportunity, at the end of confession reads the rite for them again and accepts confession, or schedules it for another day. Women cannot begin the Sacrament of Repentance during the period of monthly cleansing.
Confession usually takes place in a church with a crowd of people, so you need to respect the secret of confession, not crowd next to the priest receiving confession, and not embarrass the person confessing, revealing his sins to the priest.
Confession must be complete. You cannot confess some sins first and leave others for next time. Those sins that the penitent confessed in pre-
previous confessions and those that were already released to him are not mentioned again. If possible, you should confess to the same confessor. You should not, having a permanent confessor, look for another to confess your sins, which a feeling of false shame prevents your familiar confessor from revealing.
Those who do this by their actions try to deceive God Himself: in confession, we confess our sins not to our confessor, but together with him to the Savior Himself.
In large churches, due to the large number of penitents and the impossibility of the priest to accept confession from everyone, a “general confession” is usually practiced, when the priest lists out loud the most common sins and the confessors standing in front of him repent of them, after which everyone, in turn, comes up for a prayer of absolution . Those who have never been to confession or have not gone to confession for several years should avoid general confession. Such people must undergo private confession - for which they need to choose either a weekday, when there are not many people confessing in the church, or find a parish where only private confession is performed.
In some cases, the priest may impose penance on the penitent - spiritual exercises intended to deepen repentance and eradicate sinful habits. Penance must be treated as the will of God, expressed through the priest, requiring mandatory fulfillment for the healing of the soul of the penitent. If it is impossible for various reasons to perform penance, you should contact the priest who imposed it to resolve the difficulties that have arisen.
Those who wish not only to confess, but also to receive communion, must prepare worthily and in accordance with the requirements of the Church for the Sacrament of Communion.
This preparation is called fasting.
The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meal food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days of strict fasting - fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and watching television. If circumstances permit, you should attend church services on these days. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.
Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is celebrated in the church - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion.
In the evening, before reading prayers for bedtime, three canons are read: Repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read before the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to perform such a prayer rule in
For some, it is very difficult to read the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, others do not confess or receive communion for years.
Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers read) and preparation for communion. Such people can be recommended to begin the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing your sins, ask your confessor for advice. We need to pray to the Lord to help us overcome difficulties and give us strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.
Since it is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o'clock at night they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5-6 years, and if possible earlier) must be accustomed to the existing rule. In the morning, they also don’t eat or drink anything and, of course, don’t smoke, you can only brush your teeth. After reading
morning prayers
prayers for Holy Communion are read. If reading prayers for Holy Communion in the morning is difficult, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the evening before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, you must arrive on time, before confession begins. If confession was made the night before, then the person confessing comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.
Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is necessary to enter eternal life.
The Savior Himself speaks about this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you.
He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day...” (Gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 53 - 54).
The Sacrament of Communion is incomprehensibly great, and therefore requires preliminary cleansing by the Sacrament of Repentance; the only exception is infants under seven years of age, who receive communion without the preparation required for the laity. Women need to wipe off lipstick from their lips. Women should not receive communion during the period of monthly cleansing. Women after childbirth are allowed to take communion only after the cleansing prayer of the fortieth day is read over them.
When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, the communicants make one prostration (if it is a weekday) or a bow (if it is a Sunday or holiday) and carefully listen to the words of the prayers read by the priest, repeating them to themselves. After reading the prayers, when blessing the priest, they do not touch the hand.
You can only venerate icons, the Cross and the Gospel. The rest of the day must be spent piously: avoid verbosity (it is better to remain silent in general), watch TV, exclude marital intimacy, it is advisable for smokers to abstain from smoking.
It is advisable to read prayers of thanksgiving at home after Holy Communion. It is a prejudice that you cannot shake hands on the day of communion. Under no circumstances should you receive communion several times in one day. In cases of illness and infirmity, you can receive communion at home. For this purpose, a priest is invited to the house. Depending Based on his condition, the sick person is adequately prepared for confession and communion. In any case, he can receive communion only on an empty stomach (with the exception of dying people). Children under seven years of age do not receive communion at home, since they, unlike adults, can only receive communion with the Blood of Christ, and the reserve Gifts with which the priest administers communion at home contain only particles of the Body of Christ, saturated with His Blood. For the same reason, infants do not receive communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, celebrated in
weekdays
during Great Lent.
Each Christian either himself determines the time when he needs to confess and receive communion, or does this with the blessing of his spiritual father. There is a pious custom of receiving communion at least five times a year - on each of the four multi-day fasts and on the day of your Angel (the day of remembrance of the saint whose name you bear).
How often it is necessary to receive communion is given by the pious advice of the Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain: “True communicants are always, following Communion, in a tactile state of grace. The heart then tastes the Lord spiritually.
But just as we are constrained in body and surrounded by external affairs and relationships in which we must take part for a long time, the spiritual taste of the Lord, due to the splitting of our attention and feelings, is weakened day by day, obscured and hidden... Therefore, zealots, sensing its impoverishment, hasten to restore it in strength, and when they restore it, they feel that they are tasting the Lord again.” Published Orthodox parish in the name of
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