How to confess correctly, what to say to the priest (priest): a list of 350 example phrases for male and female confession

Confession is important for every true Christian believer. During it, a person, as they say, reveals his soul to the priest. He tells what sins he has committed, recognizes the harm caused to himself or others and expresses his readiness not to do it again. An important condition for the remission of sins will be the repentance of the believer. If a person has never been to confession before, then it would be useful for him to know what to say to a representative of the church during such a significant sacrament.

What should you say to the priest during confession?

There are no specific rules for talking with a priest. The main thing is to talk about your sins and express repentance. The latter is a key aspect of confession.

Confession should begin with the words: “Lord, I have sinned.” Then you need to voice your sins, for example: “I succumbed to envy, became angry and rude, spared money for my family, committed treason, constantly offend my parents and lie a lot.” At the end of confession you can say: “I repent before You, my God. Protect my soul, forgive my sins and have mercy on me, for I repent and ask for Your forgiveness.”

The average person who, one way or another, sins throughout his life can confess with the following words :

I constantly envy my neighbors. They have a lot of things that I don't have. They are not bad people and I have never quarreled with them. I don't think they earned their property through dishonest means. But I can’t help myself as soon as I see their new purchase in the form of a gadget, a car or an expensive fur coat. I repent of my envy and ask, father, give me advice on how to get rid of this vicious feeling!;
Father, in the past I was a bad person. I always thought about how to build a good career. He walked, as they say, over their heads. He could lie for the sake of benefit and praise from his superiors, frame another employee, exaggerate his contribution to the common cause, etc. He was not particularly interested in his family, he was indifferent to his children and wife. Now I’m trying to make amends by spending more time with them. But I understand that this will not allow me to erase my past actions and indifference. I have realized my sins and will no longer put work and money first in life.

What words to start confession with?

In order to confess, you need to come to church without delay, strictly at the appointed time. Before going to a holy place, you need to carefully consider your appearance. It is important to exclude provocative clothing, flashy accessories, and strong perfume. Women enter the temple only with their heads covered. On critical days you should refrain from confession.

Before you begin confession before the priest, you need to properly tune in internally. When approaching the sacrament, a Christian must turn to the Lord with deep reverence. At the beginning of confession, you must admit your sinfulness. Only after this should you proceed to listing your misdeeds. It is necessary to mention not only accomplished deeds, but also unseemly thoughts that contradict Christian concepts.

An example of how you can start confession in church:

“I confess, servant of God (servant of God) (name). During my life I have sinned before the Lord both in my actions and in my thoughts. My sins are countless (the following are listed as sins towards God, towards my neighbors and towards myself).

I sinned through weakness of faith, lack of patience, meekness, humility, due reverence for sacred things, non-compliance with church rules, rare attendance at services...

I sinned by judging my neighbors, gossip, empty talk, ridicule of the poor, unwillingness to help the weak, lies, slander...

I sinned with pride, arrogance, greed, thirst for personal enrichment, gluttony, fornication, jealousy, idle pastime..."

When confessing, it is necessary to omit the details of negative actions. It is important to convey the essence of what was done and call things by their proper names, without trying to find mitigating words or exculpatory expressions. If you find it difficult to clearly formulate your thoughts, the priest will definitely help by asking leading questions.

In order not to forget about any of the existing sins, it is recommended to write down the confessional text on a piece of paper in advance. This is definitely worth doing for those who are taking part in such a ritual for the first time.

On the issue of confessing to a crime

Confession involves admitting all sins . Even including actions that have legal consequences for the penitent.

According to the secret of confession, the main provisions of which are even enshrined in the law, the testimony of a priest in court will not be valid. Therefore, if a person has enough moral strength, he can confess even to the most terrible deeds .

However, this does not mean that the priest will treat the confession of a crime normally and immediately absolve the sin. The priest may suggest that a person confess to the police.

If a serious offense has taken place, then you need to talk about it not casually and not limiting yourself to general words. The priest must understand how serious a person’s sin is.

An example would be the following confession options:

Father, at one time I committed a serious sin. I worked at a company in the accounting department, and the director persuaded me to commit a major theft of money. Perhaps because of my actions, many people received low-quality services or goods. I am ashamed that I agreed to do such a thing then. I repent of the crime and I am truly sorry if my actions caused serious problems to anyone;
When I was young, I had to deal drugs several times. I didn’t do this on a regular basis, only when I wanted to buy myself a new thing, since I grew up in a rather poor family. I know that this in no way justifies my participation in the drug business. I completely repent and understand the severity of the sin committed;
A friend asked me to give false testimony. I couldn’t refuse and because of this another person suffered. Now my conscience is tormenting me more and more, I ask God for forgiveness for this.

How to approach the priest to confess

In order to confess with subsequent absolution, you must follow all the rules of the ceremony. Before going to church to repent, a Christian must:

analyze your actions, highlight among them the negative ones that violate God’s commandments;
ask forgiveness from everyone you offended by word or deed;
smooth out conflict situations;
forgive your ill-wishers;
read special prayer texts several times (canons of repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Most Holy Theotokos, to the Guardian Angel);
read the repentant prayer of Simeon the New Theologian.

All these steps are mandatory. Having properly prepared for a church ceremony, a person will be able to clear his conscience and approach the sacrament with a light soul.

Approaching the priest, you need to bow your head, folding your hands crosswise in front of you. In a similar way, a clergyman is asked for a blessing. After this, they place two fingers of the right hand on the Holy Crucifix, and the head on the Bible. The priest covers the layman with part of his robe (epistrachelion), asks his name and calls on him to name his existing sins.

Examples of male confession

A man in a conversation with the priest can confess to various sins:

I'm sorry that I confess so rarely. At the same time, I am a sinful person and I do bad things without even thinking about it. I drink often. I can go overboard, and then I don’t remember my actions yesterday, who I offended, or what bad I did. This is one of my most serious sins, and I repent of it. I often tried to quit, but I broke down and started drinking again and again. I hope you can tell me how I can find the strength to abstain from alcohol;
I noticed that I began to swear often, even if there was no particular reason for it. Recently I had a serious fight with a friend and broke his nose. Although the conflict was trivial. I feel guilty that I hurt another person. I repent of my sins and ask for forgiveness from the Almighty.

How to confess correctly, what should you say to the priest at the beginning?

Before approaching a church representative, get rid of bad thoughts from your head and prepare to bare your soul. You can start confession in the following way: how to confess correctly, what to say to the priest, for example: “Lord, I have sinned before you,” and after that you can list your sins. There is no need to tell the priest about the sin in great detail; it is enough to just say “Committed adultery” or confess to another vice.

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

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

List of sins for a woman

Many representatives of the fair sex, having become familiar with it, decide to refuse confession. It looks like this:

Rarely prayed and came to church
During prayer I thought about pressing problems
Had sex before marriage
Had unclean thoughts
I turned to fortune tellers and magicians for help
Believed in superstitions
I was afraid of old age
Abused alcohol, drugs, sweets
Refused to help other people
Committed abortions
Wearing revealing clothes

List of sins for a man

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

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

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

Examples of women's confession

A few examples of how a woman’s confession can take place:

During one of the difficult periods of her life, she turned to fortune tellers and tried to use magic herself. Now I realize that I did the wrong things, wanting to go against the will of God and seeking help from dark forces. Also, when she experienced financial difficulties, she stole change from the pockets and wallets of her colleagues. I reassured myself that they wouldn’t notice anyway, and that this money would be more useful to me. Now I understand the baseness of my action. After all, I actually stole from the people I worked with and who trusted me. I sincerely regret that I did such a thing;
I'm a terribly irritable woman. Sometimes I myself am ashamed of actions committed in a fit of emotion. For example, I can scold children for a banal offense. Then I only understand that it was enough to simply ask them in a stern tone not to do that again. Or I take it out on my husband when he’s just trying to make a harmless joke. I take this immediately personally as bullying. I am ashamed of my inability to control myself, I ask God every day to give me more patience.
I am irritable, angry, I reacted badly to my husband’s behavior, which I deeply regret and will try not to do this again. I asked my husband for forgiveness for my behavior and now I repent of what I did before the Lord.
I repent, Lord. Sinful. The world is a sinful place and I am no better. I despair, I get offended, I get angry. I skip fasting on both Wednesday and Friday. I don’t strictly adhere to fasting. Sometimes I overeat and get lazy. I scream at my husband and children. I don't trust people. I don't do my job well. I'm worried that I don't have enough money. I don’t trust the Lord, I rely only on myself.

You also need to familiarize yourself with the complete list of 350 sins for women; you will probably recognize at least a few of your sinful acts:

She distorted words, distorted the thoughts of others, and expressed her displeasure out loud.
She set a bad example with her life.
She rarely commemorated the dead and did not pray for the dead.
She sinned by condemning her neighbor and tarnishing his good name.
Allowed sexual intercourse before marriage.
She found pleasure in sinful dates.
I have not freed myself from the passion to tell or ask about news.
She spoke out everything when it would have been better to remain silent.
She succumbed to rage: she scolded her loved ones, insulted her husband and children.
She was an instigator of evil.
She got drunk on purpose in order to decide to sin, and took medications along with wine to get more drunk.
Had more savings than necessary.
She sang in a restaurant, on the stage, and danced in a variety show.
Sometimes she ran into danger: she crossed the road in front of vehicles, crossed a river on thin ice, etc.
She condemned other people's sins and shortcomings, compared people, gave them characteristics, judged them.
I hid my sins during confession.
She got drunk and laughed at other people's sins.
She coldly received sincerely helpful visitors.
She did not abstain from excesses and pleasures.
She was contemptuous of vicious people and did not strive to convert them.
Distorted Holy Scripture (mistakes in reading, singing).
She reproached her neighbor for what had happened.
She engaged in heresy, had a wrong opinion about the subject of faith, doubt and even apostasy from the Orthodox faith.
She wore immodest clothes.
She tried to find out other people's secrets, read other people's letters, eavesdropped on telephone conversations.
I wasn’t always content with what I had: I wanted to have beautiful, varied clothes, furniture, and delicious food.
She sinned with her body movement, her gait, her gesture.
She was engaged in idle talk, curiosity, stuck around at fires and was present at accidents.
I was upset at the loss.
I bought unnecessary things without having to.
She was stubborn against goodness and did not listen to good advice. She showed off her beautiful clothes.
She slandered, demanded justice in higher authorities, and wrote complaints.
She didn’t cross herself, didn’t say a prayer when the church bell rang.
I hurriedly read holy books when my mind and heart did not assimilate what I read.
She was engaged in self-aggrandizement, proudly awaiting greetings from her neighbor.
She punished and lectured the children unfairly.
She was sad about the deceased, about the fact that she herself was sick.
I had no daily memory of God’s Judgment, death, or the Kingdom of God.
Didn't keep God's commandments.
She sowed enmity and discord between people, she herself offended others.
She sinned with malice, did not remain silent in anger, did not move away from the one who aroused anger.
She urinated in public and even joked about it.
She worried people in vain and did not calm the angry and saddened.
She came up with excuses for her sins.
She took extra care about nourishing the body. Accepted gifts or alms at a time when there was no need to accept it.
After communion I did not guard against sin.
She lent money and asked for debts back.
Led others into anger, irritability, and indignation.
I listened to sermons in church with a spirit of criticism and condemnation.
She played with her face, looking in the mirror, making grimaces.
She tried to prove the justification and justice of her anger.
She did not always realize and regret the sin.
I picked lilacs from the cemetery and brought them home.
She strived for championship, competition, won interviews, and participated in competitions.
She lay and luxuriated in bed for a long time, and did not immediately get up to pray.
I ate and got drunk before the onset of fasting.
During times of sadness, I did not occupy my mind and heart with the prayer of Christ.
She conveyed the gift of God to the womb, voluptuousness, idleness and sleep. She didn’t work, having talent.
She minimized her sins in confession.
She shared their vices with people and confirmed them in these vices.
She was plotting in thoughts inspired by the enemy, against the Holy Faith and the Holy Church.
Inadvertently caused pain to animals.
I repeated other people’s bad words, listened to people swearing.
She taught others in an instructive, commanding tone.
The sanctity of Sundays and holidays was violated by games, visits to shows, etc.
She sinned with the hope that “God will forgive.”
I was weighed down by the fast and was looking forward to its end.
She was afraid of suffering and endured it reluctantly.
She charmed illnesses, gave advice to go to fortune tellers, and gave addresses of sorcerers.
She had the sin of Sodom (coitus with animals, with the wicked, and entered into an incestuous relationship).
I drank wine on holidays. She loved going to dinner parties. I got fed up there.
She did not sympathize with the sick and mourning.
She objected with passion, fought, and scolded.
Having previously been an unbeliever, she seduced her neighbors into unbelief.
She worked reluctantly, with grumbling and annoyance because of the low pay.
She reproached the priests and employees and spoke about their shortcomings.
She did not always keep the shrine reverently (the artos, water, and prosphora spoiled).
Having heard that the man was sick, she did not rush to help.
I feared sorcerers more than God.
She was distracted from prayer, distracted others, gave off bad air in church, went out when necessary without telling about it in confession, and hastily prepared for confession.
There were times when she called me annoyingly and knocked loudly to get them to open.
She sinned with idle talk and indirectness. I remembered the words others had said against me and sang shameless worldly songs.
Didn't stop the speaker from gossiping. She herself often passed it on to others and with an addition from herself.
She left a glass of vodka at the grave of her relatives.
She did not keep the Charter of the Church and the traditions of the Holy Fathers.
I did not adequately prepare myself for the sacrament of confession.
She pleased others to please the flesh and the enemy, and not for the benefit of the spirit and salvation.
I was annoyed and offended when my wishes were denied.
She gave wrong advice to her neighbors.
She insured her life and property, wanted to make money on insurance.
She sought consolation in friendship, yearned for carnal pleasures, loved to kiss men and women on the mouth.
Exploited the work of others.
She told her neighbors and acquaintances about her grievances. I visited places where bad examples were set.
She conveyed her conversations with the elder and her temptations to others.
She sinned with disobedience, arbitrariness, unfriendliness, malice, disobedience, insolence, contempt, ingratitude, severity, sneaking, oppression.
She performed prayers without zeal and bowed low to icons, prayed lying down, sitting (unnecessarily, out of laziness).
I tried to find out more about divine objects than was revealed by God.
She gave advice without knowing whether it was pleasing to God; she was careless in the affairs of God.
On the way to the temple, I didn’t always read prayers.
She ruined her spiritual home, mocked people, discussed the fall of others.
I sinned with spiritual insensibility: relying on myself, on magic, on fortune telling.
I felt sorry for myself for the benefit of others.
She prepared sophisticated dishes and tempted her with guttural rage.
She did not always accept the words of the elders and confessors with faith.
Traveled south for carnal pleasures.
I took Epiphany water after eating (unnecessarily).
She spoke passionately about earthly things and delighted in the memory of sin.
I was ashamed to admit to my neighbors that I was a believer and visited the temple of God.
In anger she encroached on the life of her neighbor.
I rarely did self-tests; in the evening I did not read the prayer “I confess to you...”
She boasted about the sin and evil she had done.
Being under the guidance of her spiritual father, she did everything according to her own will.
She did not keep her prayers and good deeds secret, and did not keep church secrets.
During Lent, she practiced guttural diarrhea and loved to drink strong tea, coffee, and other drinks.
I read prayers and akathists rewritten with errors.
I did not abstain from my favorite foods (albeit lean ones).
She insulted her husband, who avoided intimacy on the wrong day.
She autocratically presented her thoughts as the true rule of life.
She was offended by her parents for punishing her, remembered these grievances for a long time and told others about them.
Gloated at the misfortune of her neighbor.
She grumbled about the bad road, the length and tediousness of the service.
She neglected menial work when she absolutely needed it.
I rarely thought about what I heard in the temple and read in the Scriptures.
Was the cause of sin in family discord.
She sinned by being idle, coming to church late and leaving early, and rarely going to church.
In anger she denounced people, forgetting that we are all sinners.
She kept atheist books and playing cards in the house.
She sinned with pride, vanity, self-love.
She deliberately deceived and told lies.
I did not confess the Lord with my mind, heart, word, and deed. She had an alliance with the wicked.
I believed the rumors. She did not punish herself for her sins.
She did not keep the vows given at Holy Baptism and did not maintain the purity of her soul.
I was distracted from prayer when bitten by a mosquito, fly or other insect.
She suffered from pride, did not condemn herself, and was not always the first to ask for forgiveness.
In church I put bags and things on the windows.
She was rude and not condescending to others.
She ate food without need and hunger.
She was proud, in her lack and poverty she was indignant and grumbled at the Lord.
Idly inquired about the weaknesses of her neighbor.
While fasting, I felt disgusted by monotonous, lean food.
After completing the prayer, I had evil thoughts.
She sinned with gluttony and guttural rage: she loved to eat excessively, savor tasty morsels, and amused herself with drunkenness.
I picked berries, flowers, and branches in other people's gardens without permission.
As a child, I didn’t listen to teachers, prepared my homework poorly, was lazy, and disrupted classes.
I shortened the prayers, skipped them, rearranged the words.
She lived happily with her husband. She allowed perversion and carnal pleasures.
I tried to calm myself down by hastily following the rule.
I sinned with the goal of “I will repent later.”
I have sinned and am sinning by fornication: I was with my husband not to conceive children, but out of lust. In the absence of her husband, she desecrated herself with masturbation.
I fell asleep with sinful thoughts and dreams.
After fasting, I ate light meals, eating until my stomach became heavy and often without time.
She had a spirit of jealousy towards her friend, sister, brother, friend.
I rode for fun in a car, motor boat, or bicycle.
I didn’t try to stay away from a person who likes to chat.
She accepted prosphora and holy water without reverence (she spilled holy water, spilled crumbs of prosphora).
She often did not see her sins and rarely condemned herself.
She violated the rules of conduct for those praying in the holy temple.
She did not always have cordiality towards visitors and the memory of God.
I quarreled with people for a place in the church, at the icons, near the eve table.
I went to the temple and back with empty conversations.
She brought glasses to guests against their will, and treated them beyond measure.
She worked on holidays and weekends, and from working on these days she did not give money to the poor.
Praying for health and peace, she often went through names without the participation and love of her heart.
She sinned with idle ranting, secret eating, petrification, insensibility, neglect, disobedience, intemperance, stinginess, condemnation, love of money, reproach.
I read atheistic books, magazines, “treatises on love”, looked at pornographic paintings, maps, half-nude images.
She endured sorrows without gratitude and self-reproach.
She noticed the sins and weaknesses of others, divulged them and reinterpreted them for the worse. She swore, swore on her head, on her life. She called people “devil”, “Satan”, “demon”.
I was proud of myself for doing a good deed. She didn’t humiliate herself or reproach herself.
When I prayed, I was too lazy to cross myself, sorted out my bad thoughts, and didn’t think about what awaited me beyond the grave.
She did not always feel sorry for sinful people, but scolded and reproached them.
She neglected a man in his old age and his poverty of mind.
She spent money on music, cinema, the circus, sinful books and other amusements, and lent money for a deliberately bad cause.
She was a donor not out of love for her neighbor, but for the sake of drinking, free days, for money.
She suspected in vain (she slandered in her mind).
I listened to the advice of egoists who themselves were slaves of the womb and their carnal passions.
She took part in bad deeds, persuaded her to do bad things.
During prayer I did not always have repentant feelings or humble thoughts.
She spared her strength and health to serve her neighbor.
She revealed other people's sins, mocked them, ridiculed people.
She set herself up as an example, boasted, boasted.
In anger, I scolded and cursed those who offended me: so that there is no bottom, no tire, etc.
She did not force herself to pray, to read the Word of God, or to cry about her sins.
She left prayer because she was tired, using the excuse of weakness.
She forced a person to sin: to lie, to steal, to peep.
She sinned with laziness, idleness, exploited the labor of others, speculated on things, sold icons, did not go to church on Sundays and holidays, was lazy to pray.
She lost self-control when defending the offended, and kept hostility and evil in her heart.
She gave alms and rudely slandered the beggar.
At the sight of human ingratitude, I refrained from doing good deeds.
She was proud that she had not committed shameful sins, capital murder, abortion, etc.
She sinned with indifference and remained silent when anyone blasphemed.
She called the dumb beasts after the names of holy saints: Vaska, Mashka.
She attributed sins and weaknesses to others.
After committing a sin, she did not repent immediately, but kept it to herself for a long time.
She became bitter towards the poor, did not accept strangers, did not give to the poor, did not clothe the naked.
She admonished a person without meekness and love. She became irritated when correcting her neighbor.
She hurried through prayer, shortened it out of laziness, and read it without due attention.
She did not always repay what she borrowed on time.
She did not strictly observe fasting days, during fasts she was satiated with fasting food, she tempted others by eating something tasty and not exactly according to the rules: a hot loaf of bread, vegetable oil, seasoning.
She wore women's whims: beautiful umbrellas, fluffy clothes, other people's hair (wigs, hairpieces, braids).
She visited places of wickedness, debauchery and godlessness.
She did things out of passion and worked unnecessarily.
She sinned by indulgence and indulgence in sins, self-indulgence, self-indulgence, disrespect for old age, untimely eating, intransigence, inattention to requests.
She had an addiction to clothes: she was concerned about not getting dirty, not getting dusty, not getting wet.
She was naked when swimming, sunbathing, doing physical exercise, and when she was sick she was shown to a male doctor.
She could be demanding and disrespectful towards people. She gained the upper hand in conversations with her neighbors. On the way to the temple, she overtook those older than me, and did not wait for those who lagged behind me.
During the fast she had no good disposition towards people and allowed violations of the fast.
She was burdened by the service, waiting for the end, hurrying to the exit to calm down and take care of everyday affairs.
She succumbed to persuasion, to the temptation to sin.
She taught children to spy, eavesdrop, and pimp.
When the visitors left, she did not try to free herself from sinfulness by prayer, but remained in it.
She spoke about God without humility and caution.
I envied rich people, their beauty, their intelligence, education, wealth, and goodwill.
Made bad decisions in anger.
When she remembered worldly affairs, she gave up prayer.
She did not shy away from the flatterers and did not stop them.
I visited a healer, went to a fortune teller, was treated with “biocurrents,” and sat in on sessions with psychics.
In the conversation she used artistic techniques. She spoke in an unnatural voice.
She was troubled in spirit by the slander and considered herself better than others.
She sinned with grumpiness, self-will, and complaining that there was no health, strength, or strength in the body.
Sometimes she became discouraged and carried her cross with a murmur.
She deceived me with her words.
She paid for help in the household with vodka and tempted people with drunkenness.
She did good without thinking about God.
She believed in nameless “prophets”, in “holy letters”, “the dream of the Mother of God”, she herself rewrote them and passed them on to others.
While studying spiritual life, I did not put it into practice.
She was looking for benefit and benefit for herself, and not for her neighbor.
She believed in signs and various superstitions.
She was dissatisfied with her life and with people.
I was tempted in a dream and passionately remembered it.
I was lazy to work, shifting my labor onto the shoulders of others.
She appropriated the money she found.
During the period of breastfeeding, she did not abstain from married life.
She was angry with her loved ones and scolded her children. She did not tolerate comments or fair reproaches from people, she immediately fought back.
In anger she mentioned evil spirits and called on a demon.
During Lent I made tricks in food.
I spent a lot of time on empty letters, not on spiritual ones.
She punished children with anger, in a fit of passion, with abuse and cursing.
I didn’t mourn myself when I did something bad. I listened with pleasure to slanderous speeches, blasphemed the life and treatment of others.
Laughed at the mistakes of others and made comments out loud.
I did not save from the days of fasting to give to the sick, the needy and children.
I wanted everything to be my way, I looked for the culprits of my sorrows.
She attributed success to herself, and not to God’s help.
She sold vodka and moonshine, speculated, distilled moonshine (she was present at the event) and took part.
She begged for alcohol, pawned things and documents for this.
She justified her sins with illness, infirmity, and bodily weakness.
She was vain, proud, did not respect her parents, and did not obey the authorities.
She was jealous of her husband, remembered her rival with anger, wished for her death, and used a witch doctor’s spell to harass her.
I read love letters, copied, memorized passionate poems, listened to music, songs, watched shameless movies.
After the prodigal sleep, I didn’t always read prayers against defilement.
She objected, justifying herself, was irritated by the lack of understanding, stupidity and ignorance of others, made reprimands and comments, contradicted, divulged sins and weaknesses.
She sinned with unspiritual attachment to friends.
She interpreted dreams and took them seriously.
She was angry, shook her fist, and swore.
She was dissatisfied with her life, scolded her and said: “When death takes me.”
In great grief she wished for death.
I listened to the teachers when they said things that were harmful to the soul, against God.
I enjoyed reading entertaining books rather than the Scriptures of the Holy Fathers.
She had a satanic fear for her body, she was afraid of wrinkles and gray hair.
I enjoyed using scented soap, cream, powder, and painting my eyebrows, nails and eyelashes.
She was annoying, interrupted people's sleep, and distracted them from their meals.
She was offended by inattention and neglect of herself, and was inattentive to others.
When I was sick, I often used food not for satisfaction, but for pleasure and enjoyment.
She was proud of her literacy and erudition, she imagined and singled out people with higher education.
She put prayer and church above serving her neighbor.
She talked about her exploits, her labors, and boasted about her virtues.
I sinned with laziness in praying for my neighbors; I did not always pray when asked to do so.
She sought glory and praise in virtues and works.
She did not avoid spiritual temptations. Had some bad dates. I lost heart.
She tempted people, wore see-through clothes and miniskirts.
I wasted my time on useless chores, fuss, and conversations.
The deceased was remembered with alcohol; on a fast day, the funeral table was modest.
She did not always wish salvation for her enemies and did not care about it.
She stained and spoiled sacred books.
She rarely prayed the night prayer. She sniffed tobacco and indulged in smoking.
She disturbed the peace of mind of her neighbor and had a sinful mood of spirit.
She disdained kissing icons and caring for sick and old people.
I was weighed down by sorrows.
I ate a lot during the meat-eating week.
At prayer she was “a slave of necessity and duty.”
I disturbed someone else's sleep through carelessness and impudence.
She had free relations with persons of the other sex.
She was vain about her place, rank, position.
In thought and word she exalted herself in the good she had done.
She wished evil and was cowardly.
She retold empty, superstitious tales and fables, praised herself, and did not always tolerate the revealing truth and offenders.
I was carried away by bliss, relaxation, carelessness, trying on clothes and jewelry.
I used the time of prayer for everyday matters.
To attract attention and make her worry, she tried to commit suicide.
She spent the holidays in drinking and earthly amusements.
On Sundays I didn’t go to church, but to pick mushrooms and berries...
While reading prayers and canons, I was too lazy to bow.
She teased the deaf and dumb, the weak-minded, and minors, angered animals, and paid evil for evil.
She spread bad rumors about priests and monks.
She often opened her mouth to show off her gold teeth, wore glasses with gold frames, and an abundance of rings and gold jewelry.
She caused damage to her neighbor, spoiled and broke other people's things.
She exalted herself with pride, sought primacy and supremacy.
She disturbed the peace of mind of the sick, looked at them as sinners, and not as a test of their faith and virtue.
She sinned with immodest glances, looked at other people's nudity, and wore immodest clothes.
She commanded imperiously.
She was engaged in lesbianism, touching someone else's body with voluptuousness. With lust and voluptuousness I watched the matings of animals.
She did not abstain with her husband during pregnancy, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, during fasting, and in uncleanness by consent with her husband.
I was engaged in the interpretation of dreams.
When giving alms, she did not connect it with the correction of her heart.
At work I experienced persecution for the truth and grieved about it.
She made conclusions about the sinfulness of people based on their misfortunes.
I took contraceptives. She demanded protection from her husband and interruption of the act.
She rarely cried because she was living unrighteously; she forgot about humility, self-reproach, salvation and the Last Judgment.
She endured sorrows with despondency and murmuring.
I grieved for the one who offended me. And they grieved at me when I offended.
I missed the opportunity to sow the word of God and bring benefit.
She sinned with sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, inaccurate observance of fasts, and unworthy communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
She danced and played on holidays and Sundays.
Irritated when tired and sick.
I read a prayer, having enmity against my neighbor.
I was ashamed to cross myself among unbelievers, and took off the cross when going to the bathhouse and to see a doctor.
She abhorred the poor, the wretched, the sick, who smelled bad.
She prayed in a hat, with her head uncovered.
I didn’t force myself to do good deeds or pray.
She sinned with lack of faith, infidelity, betrayal, deceit, lawlessness, groaning over sin, doubt, freethinking.
She suffered from gluttony, even getting up to eat and drink at night.
She used her earnings for sinful lusts and amusements.
She was greedy for pleasure and unchaste.
She was a hypocrite and a people-pleaser.
I read newspapers, books, and worldly magazines with enthusiasm.
On the bus I did not give up my seat to the elderly or passengers with children.
She interfered in other people's conversations and interrupted the speaker's speech.
She turned her face away from those asking.
She relied on her own strengths and abilities, and not on the help and mercy of God.
I didn’t always keep the sacrament days, I forgot to read the prayers of thanksgiving. I ate a lot these days and slept a lot.
I was glad that the holiday had come and I didn’t have to work.
I was bored and dreamed of travel and entertainment.
She was fickle in good deeds and did not care to read the Holy Gospel.
At meals I was too lazy to treat and serve my neighbors.
She swore, crossed herself, saying: “I will fail in this place,” etc.
I arranged dates in cemeteries, and as a child we ran and played hide and seek there.
She talked during the meal.
I forgot about my Guardian Angel.
During church services, I read my house rule or wrote a memorial.
I didn’t always retire to be alone with God.
I trusted in man more than in God.
In crowded transport, I felt pleasure from touches and did not try to avoid them.
In the temple she stood with her back to the altar and the holy icons.
Satanic laughter attacked while reading and listening to the Divine.
She believed signs and slander: she spat over her left shoulder, a black cat ran by, a spoon, fork, etc. fell.
She did not always remember and count her violations of God’s Law with repentance.
She envied others and wanted honor for herself.
She slandered others, forced others to swear.
I relaxed with small talk with young people of the opposite sex.
She entered the house without invitation, spied through a crack, through a window, through a keyhole, and listened at the door.
She rose above others, showing her superiority and wisdom of mind. She allowed herself to humiliate another, mocking the shortcomings of soul and body.

What are confession and communion?

Confession is punishment for sins.
Confession is the “second Baptism.” Baptism of fire, in which, thanks to shame and repentance, we regain spiritual purity and receive forgiveness of sin from the Lord God Himself.

Confession is a great sacrament.

Confession is the flagellation of one’s own sins through their open, frank recognition in order to feel a feeling of deep disgust towards them and towards one’s sinful life and not repeat them in the future.

Confession is a cleansing of the soul, and a healthy spirit gives a healthy body.

Why confess in church to a priest? Isn't it enough that I repented?

No, not enough. After all, sin is a crime for which one must be punished. And if we punish ourselves with our own repentance (which, of course, is very important and necessary), it is clear that we will not be too strict with ourselves.

Therefore, for the final and complete reconciliation of a person with the Lord, there is a mediator - a priest (and earlier - the apostles, on whom the Holy Spirit descended).

Agree, it is much more difficult and shameful to tell a stranger about all your many sins in all their glory than to tell yourself.

This is the punishment and the meaning of confession - a person finally realizes the full depth of his sinful life, understands his wrongness in many situations, sincerely repents of what he has done, tells the priest about his sins, receives remission of sins, and next time he himself will be afraid of unnecessary things sin once.

After all, sinning is easy, pleasant and even joyful, but repenting of one’s own sins and confessing is a heavy cross. And the point of confession is that each time our cross becomes lighter and lighter.

We all sin in our youth - it is important to stop in time before it is too late.

How to properly prepare for confession and confess?

1. You must fast (fast) for at least 3 days, because... do not eat fast food - eggs, meat, dairy products and even fish. You should eat bread, vegetables, fruits, and cereals in moderation.

You should also try to sin less, not to enter into intimate relationships, not to watch TV, the Internet, not to read newspapers, not to have fun.

Be sure to ask for forgiveness from those you have offended. Make peace with your enemies, if not in real life, then at least forgive them in your soul.

You cannot begin confession and communion with anger or hatred towards someone in your soul - this is a great sin.

2. You need to write down all your sins on a piece of paper.

3. You must attend and stand through the entire evening service in church on Saturday, go through the rite of unction, when the priest uses oil (oil) to place a cross on the forehead of each believer.

Women are not allowed to go to church in trousers, with lipstick or makeup in general, in short skirts that go well above the knees, with bare shoulders, back and neckline, without a headscarf covering their heads.

Men are not allowed to enter the church in shorts, with bare shoulders, chest and back, in a hat, with cigarettes or booze.

4. After the church evening service, you need to read the evening prayers for the night to come, 3 canons - the Penitential, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel, and also read the canon located inside the Follow-up to Holy Communion and consisting of 9 songs.

If you wish, you can read an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.

After 12 midnight you cannot eat or drink anything until communion.

6. You must be in time for the beginning of the morning service in the church at 7-30 or 8-00 in the morning, light a candle to God, the Mother of God or the saints, take a turn in the confessional and confess.

Upon entering the temple, bow to the ground (bend over and touch the floor with your hand), ask the Lord, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

7. You must confess out loud so that the priest hears your sins and can understand whether you repent or not. It’s best if you talk about your sins from memory, but if there are a lot of them and you’re afraid you won’t remember them all, you can read from a note, but the priests don’t really like that.

8. During confession, one must speak candidly and openly about one’s sins, remembering that the priest is also a human being and also a sinner, and that he is forbidden to divulge the secret of confession under pain of deprivation of the priesthood.

9. During confession, you cannot justify yourself and engage in self-apology; it is even more sinful to blame other people for your sins - you are only responsible for yourself, and condemnation is a sin.

10. Do not wait for questions from the priest - tell him honestly and sincerely about what torments your conscience, but do not indulge in long stories about yourself and justify your shortcomings.

Say - “guilty of deceiving his mother, insulting his father, stole 200 rubles,” i.e. be specific and concise.

If after committing a sin you have corrected yourself, say so: “In childhood and adolescence I did not believe in God, but now I believe,” “I used to use drugs, but it has been 3 years since I corrected myself.”

Those. Let the priest know whether this sin of yours was committed in the past or recently, whether you have actively repented of it or not yet.

Check yourself or just talk about what you have done and what is now tormenting your soul.

Try to tell honestly and without concealment about all your sins. If you forgot about one or can’t remember everything, say so - I’m guilty of other sins, but which ones exactly - I don’t remember them all.

11. After confession, sincerely try not to repeat the sins you repented of, otherwise the Lord may be angry with you.

12. Remember: you need to confess and receive communion once every 3 weeks, although the more often the better, the main thing is with a clear conscience and sincere repentance.

13. Remember: the presence of physical or mental illness is a sign of great unrepentant sin.

14. Remember: during confession, the person of the priest is not important, what is important is you and your repentance before the Lord.

15. Remember: those sins that you told in confession will not be repeated in subsequent confessions, for they have already been forgiven.

Exception: if, after confessing a certain sin, your conscience continues to torment you and you feel that this sin has not been forgiven you. Then you can confess this sin again.

But this does not mean that you can forget about these sins and sin again. Sin is a scar that, even when healed, forever leaves a mark on a person’s soul.

16. Remember: the Lord is merciful and able to forgive us everything. The main thing is that we do not forgive ourselves for our sins, remember them and correct ourselves.

17. Remember: tears, as a sign of repentance, bring joy to both the priest and the Lord. The main thing is that they are not crocodile.

18. Remember: weak memory and forgetfulness are not an excuse in confession. Pick up a pen and prepare for confession according to all the rules, so that you don’t forget anything later.

Sins are debts, and debts must be paid. Don't forget about it!

19. Children from 7 years of age can and should go to confession and receive communion. From this same age, you must remember all your sins and repent of them in confession.

How to properly prepare for communion and receive communion?

Preparation for confession is the same preparation for holy communion. After confession you must remain in church.

You should not be afraid of communion, because... We are all people - unworthy of holy communion, but the Lord God created communion for us, and not us for communion. Therefore, none of us is worthy of these holy mysteries, and that is why we need it so much.

You cannot receive communion:

1) people who do not wear a cross all the time;

2) who have anger, enmity or hatred towards someone;

3) those who did not fast the day before, who did not attend the evening service the day before, who did not confess, who did not read the Rules for Holy Communion, who ate in the morning on the day of communion, who were late for the Divine Liturgy;

4) women during menstruation and after 40 days after the birth of the child;

5) women and men in open clothes with bare shoulders, chest, back;

6) men in shorts;

7) women with lipstick, cosmetics, without a scarf on their heads, in trousers;

sectarians, heretics and schismatics and those who attend such meetings.

Before Communion:

1. You can’t eat or drink from 12 o’clock at night.

2. You need to brush your teeth.

3. Do not be late for the morning service.

4. When the priest brings out the Holy Gifts before the rite of Communion, you must bow to the ground (bend down and touch the floor with your hand).

5. Once again bow to the ground after the prayer read by the priest “I believe, Lord, and I confess...”

6. When the Royal Doors open and communion begins, you must cross yourself, and then place your left hand on your right shoulder, and your right hand on your left shoulder. Those. You should get a cross, with your right hand on top.

7. Remember: the first to receive communion are always church ministers, monks, children, and then everyone else.

8. You cannot arrange a stampede and a fight in the queue in front of the Holy Chalice, a showdown, otherwise your entire fast, reading the canons and confession will go down the drain!

9. As you approach the Chalice, say to yourself the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” or sing a song with everyone in the temple.

10. Before the Holy Chalice, you need to bow to the ground; if there are a lot of people, you need to do it in advance so as not to disturb anyone.

11. Women need to wipe lipstick off their faces!!!

12. Approaching the Chalice with the Holy Gifts - the Blood and Body of Christ, say your name loudly and clearly, open your mouth, chew and swallow the Holy Gifts, be sure to kiss the lower edge of the Chalice (symbol of the rib of Jesus pierced by a warrior, from which water and blood flowed).

14. You cannot kiss the priest’s hand at the Chalice or touch the Chalice with your hands. You cannot be baptized at the Chalice!!!

15. After the Chalice, you cannot kiss icons!

After Communion you must:

1. Make a bow before the icon of Jesus Christ.

2. Go to the table with cups and finely chopped prosphora (antidor), you need to take one cup and drink warm tea, then eat antidor. If desired and possible, you can put money in a special saucer.

3. Only after this can you talk and kiss the icons.

4. You cannot leave the church before the end of the service - you must listen to the prayers of thanksgiving.

If your church did not read prayers of thanksgiving for Communion after the Eucharist, you should read them yourself when you return home.

5. On the day of Communion, one does not kneel, except for special fasting days (when reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian and bowing on Holy Saturday before the Shroud of Christ) and the day of the Holy Trinity.

6. After communion, you should try to behave modestly, not sin - especially the first 2 hours after receiving the Holy Gifts, not eat or drink too much, and avoid loud entertainment.

7. After communion, you can kiss each other and venerate the icons.

Of course, it is not advisable to break all these rules, but it will be better if you do not intentionally forget them, but in the end you sincerely confess and take communion.

Only the Lord is sinless, and we, because we are sinners, must not forget about the need for regular confession and communion.

As a rule, after a good confession, a person’s soul becomes a little easier; in some subtle way he feels that all or part of his sins have been forgiven. And after communion, even in a very tired and weak body, a feeling of strength and inspiration usually arises.

Try to go to confession and communion more often, get sick less and be happier thanks to God and faith in Him!

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

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

Sins that are not obvious to modern man

A believer who rarely attends church may not know that sinful acts include not only theft and murder, but also, for example, following superstitions, sex before marriage, etc.

Such actions in confession can be stated something like this: “Father, in my youth I was sexually active before marriage. Having become pregnant by a man I didn’t know, I was forced to have an abortion. I was afraid that I would condemn my child to a life of poverty and fatherlessness. Years later, I realized these sins and now I often regret that I killed my unborn child and led a prodigal life.”

It is not necessary to carefully prepare for confession and compose a detailed speech. This is not a report to the authorities, but a cleansing of the soul and an opportunity to resolve doubts about actions that have troubled a person for many years.

After receiving forgiveness from the priest, many feel much better, and they try to avoid previous mistakes.

Preparing for Confession

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

You need to know that there are three groups of sins that can be written down and taken with you to confession.

Vices against God:

These include blasphemy and insulting the Lord, blasphemy, interest in occult sciences, superstition, thoughts of suicide, excitement, and so on.

Vices against the soul:

Laziness, deception, use of obscene words, impatience, disbelief, self-delusion, despair.

Vices against neighbors:

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