To help the penitent / Pravoslavie.Ru

To help the penitent

To help the penitent. From the works of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2010. - 32 p. — (Series “Sacraments and Rites”)

The Holy Fathers identify eight passions from which all sins arise: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, untimely sadness, despondency, vanity, pride.
The book talks in detail about these passions and their manifestations. Here is an excerpt from the book.

On the virtues opposite to the eight main sinful passions

1. Abstinence

Avoidance of excessive consumption of food and nutrition, especially excessive consumption of wine. Maintaining strict fasts established by the Church, curbing the flesh with moderate and constantly equal consumption of food, from which all passions in general begin to weaken, and especially self-love, which consists of a wordless love of the flesh, its life and peace.

2. Chastity

Avoidance of all kinds of fornication. Avoidance of voluptuous conversations and reading, from the pronunciation of voluptuous, nasty and ambiguous words. Storing the senses, especially sight and hearing, and even more so the sense of touch. Modesty. Rejection of the thoughts and dreams of prodigals. Silence. Silence. Ministry to the sick and disabled. Memories of death and hell. The beginning of chastity is a mind that does not waver from lustful thoughts and dreams; the perfection of chastity is purity that sees God.

3. Non-covetousness

Satisfying yourself with one thing necessary. Hatred of luxury and bliss. Mercy for the poor. Loving the poverty of the gospel. Trust in God's providence. Following Christ's commandments. Calmness and freedom of spirit and carelessness. Softness of heart.

4. Meekness

Avoidance of angry thoughts and indignation of the heart with rage. Patience. Following Christ, who calls His disciple to the cross. Peace of the heart. Silence of the mind. Christian firmness and courage. Not feeling insulted. Kindness.

5. Blessed cry

A feeling of decline, common to all people, and of one’s own spiritual poverty. Lamentation about them. Cry of the mind. Painful contrition of the heart. The lightness of conscience, grace-filled consolation and joy that vegetates from them. Hope in God's mercy. Thanks be to God in sorrows, their humble enduring from the sight of their many sins. Willingness to endure. Cleansing the mind. Relief from passions. Mortification of the world. The desire for prayer, solitude, obedience, humility, confession of one’s sins.

6. Sobriety

Zeal for every good deed. Non-slothful correction of church and cell rules. Attention when praying. Careful observation of all your deeds, words, thoughts and feelings. Extreme self-distrust. Continuous stay in prayer and the Word of God. Awe. Constant vigilance over oneself. Keeping yourself from a lot of sleep and effeminacy, idle talk, jokes and sharp words. Love of night vigils, bows and other feats that bring cheerfulness to the soul. Rare, if possible, departure from cells. Remembrance of eternal blessings, desire and expectation of them.

7. Humility

Fear of God. Feeling it during prayer. Fear that arises during especially pure prayer, when the presence and greatness of God is felt especially strongly, so as not to disappear and turn into nothing. Deep knowledge of one's insignificance. A change in view of neighbors, and they, without any coercion, seem to the humbled person to be superior to him in all respects. The manifestation of simplicity from living faith. Hatred of human praise. Constant blaming and beating yourself up. Rightness and directness. Impartiality. Deadness to everything. Tenderness. Knowledge of the mystery hidden in the Cross of Christ. The desire to crucify oneself to the world and passions, the desire for this crucifixion. Rejection and oblivion of flattering customs and words, modest due to compulsion or intent, or the skill of pretending. Perception of the riot of the gospel. Rejection of earthly wisdom as obscene before God (Luke 16:15)

. Leaving word justification. Silence before those who offend, studied in the Gospel. Putting aside all your own speculations and accepting the mind of the Gospel. The casting down of every thought placed upon the mind of Christ. Humility or spiritual reasoning. Conscious obedience to the Church in everything.

8. Love

Changing during prayer the fear of God into the love of God. Loyalty to the Lord, proven by the constant rejection of every sinful thought and feeling. The indescribable, sweet attraction of the whole person with love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the worshiped Holy Trinity. Seeing the image of God and Christ in others; resulting from this spiritual vision, the preference for oneself over all neighbors, their reverent veneration for the Lord. Love for neighbors is brotherly, pure, equal to everyone, joyful, impartial, flaming equally towards friends and enemies. Admiration for prayer and love of the mind, heart and whole body. Indescribable pleasure of the body with spiritual joy. Spiritual intoxication. Relaxation of bodily members with spiritual consolation (St. Isaac of Syria. Sermon 44)

. Inactivity of the bodily senses during prayer. Resolution from the muteness of the heart's tongue. Stopping prayer from spiritual sweetness. Silence of the mind. Enlightening the mind and heart. Prayer power that overcomes sin. Peace of Christ. Retreat of all passions. The absorption of all understandings into the superior mind of Christ. Theology. Knowledge of incorporeal beings. The weakness of sinful thoughts that cannot be imagined in the mind.

Sweetness and abundant consolation in times of sorrow. Vision of human structures. The depth of humility and the most humiliating opinion of oneself... The end is endless!

To the reader

Repentance is called the second baptism: if baptism frees us from the power of original sin, then repentance washes away the filth of our own sins committed after baptism. However, in order to repent and receive remission of sins, it is necessary to see

your sin.
And it's not that simple. Self-love, self-pity, self-justification interfere with this. We tend to consider a bad act of which our conscience accuses us of being an “accident” and blame circumstances or our neighbors for it. Meanwhile, every sin in deed, word or thought is a consequence of passion living in us -
a kind of spiritual illness.

If it is difficult for us to recognize our sin, then it is even more difficult to see the passion that has taken root in us. So, we can live without suspecting the passion of pride in ourselves until someone hurts us. Then passion will be revealed through sin: wishing harm to the offender, a harsh offensive word, and even revenge.

The fight against passions is the main task of Christian ascetics, especially monastics.

But every Christian seeking salvation must face this struggle, albeit to varying degrees, for each state of the human soul is characterized by both its own measure of virtues and its own measure of struggle against evil, which prevents the virtues from establishing themselves in the soul.

Therefore, having taken upon myself the work of publishing this small book to help the penitents

, we hope that it will help the reader understand himself, see his sins, recognize the sinful illnesses of his soul and, through repentance, find a saving path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

To help the penitent. From the works of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

Eight major passions with their divisions

Repentance is a Sacrament in which one who confesses his sins, with a visible expression of forgiveness from the priest, is invisibly absolved from his sins by Jesus Christ Himself.
Orthodox Catechism

Know, writes Saint Ephraim the Syrian (Homily 55), that there are eight thoughts that produce all evil: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, untimely sadness, despondency, vanity, pride. They are the ones who argue with every person.

Gluttony

Binge eating, drunkenness, non-keeping and allowing fasting, secret eating, delicacy, and generally violation of abstinence. Incorrect and excessive love of the flesh, its belly and rest, which constitutes self-love, which leads to failure to remain faithful to God, the Church, virtue and people.

Fornication

Prodigal lust, prodigal sensations and attitudes of the soul and heart. Acceptance of unclean thoughts, conversation with them, delight in them, permission for them, slowness in them. Prodigal dreams and captivities. Failure to preserve the senses, especially the sense of touch, is the insolence that destroys all virtues. Foul language and reading voluptuous books. Natural prodigal sins: fornication and adultery. Prodigal sins are unnatural.

Love of money

The love of money, in general the love of property, movable and immovable. The desire to get rich. Thinking about the means to get rich. Dreaming of wealth. Fear of old age, unexpected poverty, illness, exile. Stinginess. Selfishness. Disbelief in God, lack of trust in His Providence. Addiction or painful excessive love for various perishable objects, depriving the soul of freedom. Passion for vain concerns. Loving gifts. Appropriation of someone else's. Likhva. Hard-heartedness towards the poor brethren and all those in need. Theft. Robbery.

Anger

Hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind by it; obscene shouting, arguing, swearing, cruel and cutting words, hitting, pushing, killing. Malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one’s neighbor.

Sadness

Sadness, melancholy, cutting off hope in God, doubt in God’s promises, ingratitude to God for everything that happens, cowardice, impatience, lack of self-reproach, grief towards one’s neighbor, grumbling, renunciation of the cross, attempt to descend from it.

Dejection

Laziness towards any good deed, especially prayer. Abandonment of church and cell rules. Abandoning unceasing prayer and soul-helping reading. Inattention and haste in prayer. Neglect. Irreverence. Idleness. Excessive calming by sleeping, lying down and all kinds of restlessness. Moving from place to place. Frequent exits from the cell, walks and visits with friends. Celebration. Jokes. Blasphemers. Abandonment of bows and other physical feats. Forgetting your sins. Forgetting the commandments of Christ. Negligence. Captivity of the mind. Deprivation of the fear of God. Bitterness. Insensibility. Despair.

Vanity

The search for human glory. Boasting. Desire and search for earthly and vain honors. Love of beautiful clothes, carriages, servants and cell things. Attention to the beauty of your face, the pleasantness of your voice and other qualities of your body. A disposition towards the dying sciences and arts of this age, a desire to succeed in them in order to acquire temporary, earthly glory. Shame to confess your sins. Hiding them before the spiritual father. Craftiness. Self-justification. Disclaimer. Making up your mind. Hypocrisy. Lie. Flattery. People-pleasing. Envy. Humiliation of one's neighbor. Changeability of character. Indulgence. Unconscionability. The character and life are demonic.

Pride

End of introductory fragment

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 21:05 + in quotation book The beginning, foundation and peak of spiritual life in Orthodoxy is deep repentance. This is the same difficult and narrow path that the Savior commanded us to follow. On this path we encounter many obstacles, stumbling blocks, and perplexities. And so - the famous Russian saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), a deep and subtle expert on the human soul, who himself has gone through the sorrowful path of repentance and now prays to God for us sinners, teaches us invaluable lessons. •Eight main passions •On virtues •Additions. The shortest confession • Confession • Required from the penitent • Better battle than peace, which removes us from God Eight main passions with their divisions and branches 1. Gluttony Binge eating, drunkenness, non-keeping and allowing fasts, secret eating, delicacy, and generally violation of abstinence. Incorrect and excessive love of the flesh, its belly and rest, which constitutes self-love, which leads to failure to remain faithful to God, the Church, virtue and people. 2. Fornication Fornication, lustful feelings and attitudes of the soul and heart. Acceptance of unclean thoughts, conversation with them, delight in them, permission for them, slowness in them. Prodigal dreams and captivities. Failure to preserve the senses, especially the sense of touch, is the insolence that destroys all virtues. Foul language and reading voluptuous books. Natural prodigal sins: fornication and adultery. Prodigal sins are unnatural. 3. Love of money The love of money, in general the love of property, movable and immovable. The desire to get rich. Reflection on means of enrichment. Dreaming of wealth. Fears of old age, unexpected poverty, illness, exile. Stinginess. Selfishness. Disbelief in God, lack of trust in his providence. Addictions or painful excessive love for various perishable objects, depriving the soul of freedom. Passion for vain concerns. Loving gifts. Appropriation of someone else's. Likhva. Cruelty towards the poor brethren and all those in need. Theft. Robbery. 4. Anger Hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind with it: obscene shouting, argument, swearing, cruel and caustic words, stress, pushing, murder. Malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one’s neighbor. 5. Sadness Sadness, melancholy, cutting off hope in God, doubt in God’s promises, ingratitude to God for everything that happens, cowardice, impatience, lack of self-reproach, sorrow for one’s neighbor, grumbling, renunciation of the cross, attempt to descend from it. 6.Despondency Laziness towards every good deed, especially prayer. Abandonment of church and cell rules. Abandoning unceasing prayer and soul-helping reading. Inattention and haste in prayer. Neglect. Irreverence. Idleness. Excessive calming by sleeping, lying down and all kinds of restlessness. Moving from place to place. Frequent exits from cells, walks and visits with friends. Celebration. Jokes. Blasphemers. Abandonment of bows and other physical feats. Forgetting your sins. Forgetting the commandments of Christ. Negligence. Captivity. Deprivation of the fear of God. Bitterness. Insensibility. Despair. 7. Vanity Seeking human glory. Boasting. Desire and search for earthly and vain honors. Love of beautiful clothes, carriages, servants and cell things. Attention to the beauty of your face, the pleasantness of your voice and other qualities of your body. A disposition towards the dying sciences and arts of this age, a desire to succeed in them in order to acquire temporary, earthly glory. Shame to confess your sins. Hiding them before people and the spiritual father. Craftiness. Self-justification. Disclaimer. Making up your mind. Hypocrisy. Lie. Flattery. People-pleasing. Envy. Humiliation of one's neighbor. Changeability of character. Indulgence. Unconscionability. The character and life are demonic. 8. Pride Contempt for one's neighbor. Preferring yourself to everyone. Insolence. Darkness, dullness of the mind and heart. Nailing them to the earthly. Hula. Disbelief. False mind. Disobedience to the Law of God and the Church. Following your carnal will. Reading books that are heretical, depraved and vain. Disobedience to authorities. Caustic ridicule. Abandonment of Christ-like humility and silence. Loss of simplicity. Loss of love for God and neighbor. False philosophy. Heresy. Godlessness. Ignorance. Death of the soul. Such are the ailments, such are the ulcers that constitute the great ulcer of the old Adam, which was formed from his fall. The holy prophet Isaiah speaks about this great ulcer: from the feet even to the head there is no integrity in it: neither a scab, nor an ulcer, nor a scorching wound, do not apply a plaster, below the oil, below the bandage (Isa. 1, 6). This means, according to the explanation of the Fathers, that the ulcer - sin - is not private, and not on just one member, but on the entire being: it has embraced the body, embraced the soul, taken possession of all the properties, all the powers of a person. God called this great plague death when, forbidding Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he said: “If you take away one day from it, you will die.” (Genesis 2:17). Immediately after eating the forbidden fruit, the forefathers felt eternal death; a carnal feeling appeared in their gaze; they saw that they were naked. The knowledge of the nakedness of the body reflected the nakedness of the soul, which had lost the beauty of innocence on which the Holy Spirit rested. There is a carnal sensation in the eyes, and in the soul there is shame, in which is the accumulation of all sinful and shameful sensations: pride, impurity, sadness, despondency, and despair. The Great Plague is spiritual death; the decay that occurred after the loss of the Divine likeness is incorrigible! The Apostle calls the great plague the law of sin, the body of death (Rom. 5:23-24), because the mortified mind and heart have completely turned to the earth, slavishly serve the corruptible desires of the flesh, have become darkened, burdened, and become flesh themselves. This flesh is no longer capable of communicating with God! (Genesis 6:3). This flesh is not capable of inheriting eternal, heavenly bliss! (1 Cor. 4:50). The great plague spread over the entire human race and became the unfortunate property of every person. Considering my great ulcer, looking at my mortification, I am filled with bitter sadness! I'm perplexed, what should I do? Will I follow the example of the old Adam, who, seeing his nakedness, hastens to hide from God? Will I, like him, justify myself by placing the blame on the guilt of sin? It is in vain to hide from the All-Seeing One! It is in vain to justify yourself before the One who always wins, to always judge Him (Ps. 30:6). Instead of fig leaves, I will clothe myself with tears of repentance; Instead of justification, I will bring sincere consciousness. Clothed in repentance and tears, will I appear before the face of my God? Is it in heaven? I have been expelled from there, and the cherub standing at the entrance will not let me in! By the very burden of my flesh I am nailed to the ground, my prison! Sinful descendant of Adam, take heart! A light has shone in your prison: God has descended into the low country of your exile to lead you to your lost highland fatherland. You wanted to know good and evil: He leaves you this knowledge. You wanted to become like God, and from this you became like the devil in your soul, like cattle and beasts in your body; God, uniting you with Himself, makes you God by grace. He forgives your sins. This is not enough! He will remove the root of evil from your soul, the very infection of sin, hell, cast into your soul by the devil, and will give you medicine for the entire path of your earthly life for healing from sin, no matter how many times you become infected with it, due to your weakness. This healing is the confession of sins. Do you want to put off the old Adam, you, who through holy baptism have already been clothed in the New Adam, but through your own iniquities managed to revive old age and death in yourself, to choke life, to make it half-dead? Do you want, enslaved to sin, drawn to it by the violence of habit, to regain your freedom and righteousness? Immerse yourself in humility! Conquer vain shame, which teaches you to hypocritically and craftily pretend to be righteous and thereby preserve and strengthen spiritual death within yourself. Cast out sin, enter into hostility with sin by sincere confession of sin. This healing must precede all others; without it, healing through prayer, tears, fasting and all other means will be insufficient, unsatisfactory, fragile. Go, proud one, to your spiritual father, at his feet find the mercy of the Heavenly Father! One, one sincere and frequent confession can free one from sinful habits, make repentance fruitful, and correction lasting and true. In a brief moment of tenderness, in which the eyes of the mind are opened for self-knowledge, which comes so rarely, I wrote this as an accusation to myself, as an admonition, reminder, instruction. And you, who with faith and love for Christ read these lines and, perhaps, find in them something useful for yourself, bring a heartfelt sigh and prayer for the soul that has suffered much from the waves of sin, that has often seen drowning and destruction before itself, that has found rest in one refuge: in confession of one’s sins. About the virtues opposite to the eight main sinful passions HERE: https://www.wco.ru/biblio/books/ignbr9/Main.htm The repentant is required to: Consciousness of his sins. Condemning yourself in them. Self-accusation before the confessor. Repentance is not only in word, but also in deed. Repentance is correction—new life. Contrition and tears. Belief in the forgiveness of sins. Hate past sins. The fight against sin attracts the grace of God. Sins shorten our lives...

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Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov. Eight major passions with their divisions and industries.

2. Fornication

3. Love of money

The love of money, in general the love of property, movable and immovable. The desire to get rich. Reflection on means of enrichment. Dreaming of wealth. Fears of old age, unexpected poverty, illness, exile. Stinginess. Selfishness. Disbelief in God, lack of trust in his providence. Addictions or painful excessive love for various perishable objects, depriving the soul of freedom. Passion for vain concerns. Loving gifts. Appropriation of someone else's. Likhva. Cruelty towards the poor brethren and all those in need. Theft. Robbery.

4. Anger

Hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind with it: obscene shouting, argument, swearing, cruel and caustic words, stress, pushing, murder. Malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one’s neighbor.

5. Sadness

6.Despondency

Laziness towards any good deed, especially prayer. Abandonment of church and cell rules. Abandoning unceasing prayer and soul-helping reading. Inattention and haste in prayer. Neglect. Irreverence. Idleness. Excessive calming by sleeping, lying down and all kinds of restlessness. Moving from place to place. Frequent exits from cells, walks and visits with friends. Celebration. Jokes. Blasphemers. Abandonment of bows and other physical feats. Forgetting your sins. Forgetting the commandments of Christ. Negligence. Captivity. Deprivation of the fear of God. Bitterness. Insensibility. Despair.

7. Vanity

The search for human glory. Boasting. Desire and search for earthly and vain honors. Love of beautiful clothes, carriages, servants and cell things. Attention to the beauty of your face, the pleasantness of your voice and other qualities of your body. A disposition towards the dying sciences and arts of this age, a desire to succeed in them in order to acquire temporary, earthly glory. Shame to confess your sins. Hiding them before people and the spiritual father. Craftiness. Self-justification. Disclaimer. Making up your mind. Hypocrisy. Lie. Flattery. People-pleasing. Envy. Humiliation of one's neighbor. Changeability of character. Indulgence. Unconscionability. The character and life are demonic.

8. Pride

Contempt for one's neighbor. Preferring yourself to everyone. Insolence. Darkness, dullness of the mind and heart. Nailing them to the earthly. Hula. Disbelief. False mind. Disobedience to the Law of God and the Church. Following your carnal will. Reading books that are heretical, depraved and vain. Disobedience to authorities. Caustic ridicule. Abandonment of Christ-like humility and silence. Loss of simplicity. Loss of love for God and neighbor. False philosophy. Heresy. Godlessness. Ignorance. Death of the soul.

Such are the ailments, such are the ulcers that constitute the great ulcer, the decay of the old Adam, which was formed from his fall. The holy prophet Isaiah speaks about this great ulcer: “from the feet even to the head there is no integrity in it: neither a scab, nor an ulcer, nor a burning wound, do not apply a plaster, below the oil, below the bandage” (Is. 1, 6). This means, according to the explanation of the Fathers, that the ulcer - sin - is not private, and not on just one member, but on the entire being: it has embraced the body, embraced the soul, taken possession of all the properties, all the powers of a person. God called this great plague death when, forbidding Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he said: “If you take away one day from it, you will die” (Genesis 2:17). Immediately after eating the forbidden fruit, the forefathers felt eternal death; a carnal feeling appeared in their gaze; they saw that they were naked. The knowledge of the nakedness of the body reflected the nakedness of the soul, which had lost the beauty of innocence on which the Holy Spirit rested. There is a carnal sensation in the eyes, and in the soul there is shame, in which is the accumulation of all sinful and shameful sensations: pride, impurity, sadness, despondency, and despair. The Great Plague is spiritual death; the decay that occurred after the loss of the Divine likeness is incorrigible! The Apostle calls the great plague the law of sin, the body of death (Rom. 7:23-24), because the mortified mind and heart have completely turned to the earth, slavishly serve the corruptible desires of the flesh, have become darkened, burdened, and become flesh themselves. This flesh is no longer capable of communicating with God! (Genesis 6:3). This flesh is not capable of inheriting eternal, heavenly bliss! (1 Cor. 15:50). The great plague spread over the entire human race and became the unfortunate property of every person.

Considering my great ulcer, looking at my mortification, I am filled with bitter sadness! I'm perplexed, what should I do? Will I follow the example of the old Adam, who, seeing his nakedness, hastens to hide from God? Will I, like him, justify myself by placing the blame on the guilt of sin? It is in vain to hide from the All-Seeing One! It is in vain to justify yourself before the One who always wins, and “always judges” Him (Ps. 50:6).

Instead of fig leaves, I will clothe myself with tears of repentance; Instead of justification, I will bring sincere consciousness. Clothed in repentance and tears, I will appear before the face of my God. Is it in heaven? I have been expelled from there, and the cherub standing at the entrance will not let me in! By the very burden of my flesh I am nailed to the ground, my prison!

Sinful descendant of Adam, take heart! A light has shone in your prison: God has descended into the low country of your exile to lead you to your lost highland fatherland. You wanted to know good and evil: He leaves you this knowledge. You wanted to become like God, and from this you became like the devil in your soul, like cattle and beasts in your body; God, uniting you with Himself, makes you God by grace. He forgives your sins. This is not enough! He will remove the root of evil from your soul, the very infection of sin, hell, cast into your soul by the devil, and will give you medicine for the entire path of your earthly life for healing from sin, no matter how many times you become infected with it, due to your weakness. This healing is the confession of sins. Do you want to put off the old Adam, you, who through holy baptism have already been clothed in the New Adam, but through your own iniquities managed to revive old age and death in yourself, to choke life, to make it half-dead? Do you want, enslaved to sin, drawn to it by the violence of habit, to regain your freedom and righteousness? Immerse yourself in humility! Conquer vain shame, which teaches you to hypocritically and craftily pretend to be righteous and thereby preserve and strengthen spiritual death within yourself. Cast out sin, enter into hostility with sin by sincere confession of sin. This healing must precede all others; without it, healing through prayer, tears, fasting and all other means will be insufficient, unsatisfactory, fragile. Go, proud one, to your spiritual father, at his feet find the mercy of the Heavenly Father! One, one sincere and frequent confession can free one from sinful habits, make repentance fruitful, and correction lasting and true.

In a brief moment of tenderness, in which the eyes of the mind are opened for self-knowledge, which comes so rarely, I wrote this as an accusation to myself, as an admonition, reminder, instruction. And you, who with faith and love for Christ read these lines and, perhaps, find in them something useful for yourself, bring a heartfelt sigh and prayer for the soul that has suffered much from the waves of sin, that has often seen drowning and destruction before itself, that has found rest in one refuge: in confession of one’s sins.

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ussuriysk

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: 1. You must be an Orthodox Christian who has received the sacrament of Baptism from a legitimate priest. 2. You need to remember and write down (a short list of sins is attached below, there is no need to tell the events, since they all fall under the definitions), or very briefly, outlining the essence of what you sinned about) your evil deeds, starting from the age of 7, and admit, that for all your evil deeds only you are to blame, and no one else. Those who, in confession, talk about the sins of others do great evil. 3. You need to promise God that with His help you will make every effort not to repeat the sin, but to do the opposite good deed. 4. 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). 5. 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 without concealment tell or read out 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. 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. It is recommended to confess and receive Communion at least once a month.

Confession (a short list of the most common sins in our time)

I (name) sinned before God:

1. Unbelief in God. 2. Believing in omens and dreams. 3. Laziness towards prayer and work. 4. Did not help others in good deeds, avoided requests. 5. By shifting your business to someone else. 6. By cunning, cowardice, self-justification (especially if you are really guilty). Judgment of one's neighbor. 7. Betrayal. Violation of one's own and others' secrets. 8. Disobedience. 9. Offense. I was annoyed. Not love. Anger. 10. Offended his neighbor. Cockiness. Cheating for the sake of a joke. Flattery. 11. He mocked his neighbors and spoke harsh words to hurt them. Jokes. Lust of authority (liked to command others). 12. He put himself above everyone else, did everything for show, self-adoration, self-love, love of fame, not modesty. Pride, vanity. 13. Faith in horoscopes. Not wanting to go to church for services, talking during the service. 14. Lack of reverence during prayers at home and at services; he became distracted (thought about something else) during prayer. 15. Didn’t follow the morning and evening rules, didn’t pray before meals and didn’t thank God. 16. I did not pray before starting a task and did not thank God after the task was completed. 17. Avoided Communion. 18. I prepared for the Sacraments hastily, in a hurry - irreverently. 19. Treated shrines poorly or carelessly (icons, etc.) 20. Used foul language (said bad, swear words). 21. Rancor, memory of malice (remembered evil about his neighbors). 22. With revenge. 23. Dejection (did not drive away bad thoughts), sadness, despair. 24. Played bad games (cards, bad computer games). I watched unhealthy TV shows and movies. 25. I have not read soul-helping literature (the lives of saints, the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, the Gospel, the Psalter). I read literature that was harmful to the soul. 26. Lies (said a lie; spoke a lie against his neighbor, suspected); did not protect (if he could, out of cowardice and cowardice, the innocent). 27. I was jealous. 28. The desire to have things better than everyone else. 29. Theft (took someone else’s property without permission or did not give someone else’s property and appropriated it for himself). 30. Curiosity (spied, eavesdropped, did not drive away bad thoughts). 31. Treated sacred things poorly or carelessly (icons, etc.) 32. Disrespected (disrespected) his parents, as well as grandparents (spoke rudely to them or hit them, did not love, did not listen to them, did not help them) , neglect of parental blessing. 33. Did not listen to elders and teachers. 34. Overindulgence and gluttony (ate and drink more than is good for the body). 35. Lust for voluptuousness (the desire to eat only everything tasty). 36. Secret eating (taking and eating food without asking). 37. Greed, stinginess. 38. Confessing your sins to a priest with false modesty. 39. Didn't try to stop his friends (if possible) from doing bad things. I participated myself. I was afraid to refuse. 40. Damaged my health: by smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs, substance abuse, etc. 41. Cruelty (cruelty to people or animals), failure to provide assistance to the sick. 42. I see other people’s sins, but not my own. 43. Curiosity about the shortcomings and weaknesses of your neighbor. 44. Mockery at the shortcomings and weaknesses of others. Picking on the words of one's neighbor with the aim of ridiculing. It's a bad habit to argue about anything. 45. Unfriendly, arrogant, rude treatment of people. 46. Idle talk and talkativeness. 47. Self-praise (to praise oneself). 48. Impatience of exposure to untruth. 49. Schadenfreude (being happy when someone else feels bad). 50. Was not modest (in a public place he sat lounging, legs crossed, did not dress modestly,...)

Lord, forgive me, a sinner!

Temple of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God

Eight main passions with their divisions and branches 1. Gluttony Gluttony, drunkenness, non-keeping and allowing fasting, secret eating, delicacy, and generally violation of abstinence. Incorrect and excessive love of the flesh, its belly and rest, which constitutes self-love, which leads to failure to remain faithful to God, the Church, virtue and people. 2. Fornication Fornication, lustful feelings and attitudes of the soul and heart. Acceptance of unclean thoughts, conversation with them, delight in them, permission for them, slowness in them. Prodigal dreams and captivities. Failure to preserve the senses, especially the sense of touch, is the insolence that destroys all virtues. Foul language and reading voluptuous books. Natural prodigal sins: fornication and adultery. Prodigal sins are unnatural. 3. Love of money The love of money, in general the love of property, movable and immovable. The desire to get rich. Reflection on means of enrichment. Dreaming of wealth. Fears of old age, unexpected poverty, illness, exile. Stinginess. Selfishness. Disbelief in God, lack of trust in his providence. Addictions or painful excessive love for various perishable objects, depriving the soul of freedom. Passion for vain concerns. Loving gifts. Appropriation of someone else's. Likhva. Cruelty towards the poor brethren and all those in need. Theft. Robbery. 4. Anger Hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind with it: obscene shouting, argument, swearing, cruel and caustic words, stress, pushing, murder. Malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one’s neighbor. 5. Sadness Sadness, melancholy, cutting off hope in God, doubt in God’s promises, ingratitude to God for everything that happens, cowardice, impatience, lack of self-reproach, sorrow for one’s neighbor, grumbling, renunciation of the cross, attempt to descend from it. 6.Despondency Laziness towards every good deed, especially prayer. Abandonment of church and cell rules. Abandoning unceasing prayer and soul-helping reading. Inattention and haste in prayer. Neglect. Irreverence. Idleness. Excessive calming by sleeping, lying down and all kinds of restlessness. Moving from place to place. Frequent exits from cells, walks and visits with friends. Celebration. Jokes. Blasphemers. Abandonment of bows and other physical feats. Forgetting your sins. Forgetting the commandments of Christ. Negligence. Captivity. Deprivation of the fear of God. Bitterness. Insensibility. Despair. 7. Vanity Seeking human glory. Boasting. Desire and search for earthly and vain honors. Love of beautiful clothes, carriages, servants and cell things. Attention to the beauty of your face, the pleasantness of your voice and other qualities of your body. A disposition towards the dying sciences and arts of this age, a desire to succeed in them in order to acquire temporary, earthly glory. Shame to confess your sins. Hiding them before people and the spiritual father. Craftiness. Self-justification. Disclaimer. Making up your mind. Hypocrisy. Lie. Flattery. People-pleasing. Envy. Humiliation of one's neighbor. Changeability of character. Indulgence. Unconscionability. The character and life are demonic. 8. Pride Contempt for one's neighbor. Preferring yourself to everyone. Insolence. Darkness, dullness of the mind and heart. Nailing them to the earthly. Hula. Disbelief. False mind. Disobedience to the Law of God and the Church. Following your carnal will. Reading books that are heretical, depraved and vain. Disobedience to authorities. Caustic ridicule. Abandonment of Christ-like humility and silence. Loss of simplicity. Loss of love for God and neighbor. False philosophy. Heresy. Godlessness. Ignorance. Death of the soul. Such are the ailments, such are the ulcers that constitute the great ulcer of the old Adam, which was formed from his fall. The holy prophet Isaiah speaks about this great ulcer: from the feet even to the head there is no integrity in it: neither a scab, nor an ulcer, nor a scorching wound, do not apply a plaster, below the oil, below the bandage (Isa. 1, 6). This means, according to the explanation of the Fathers, that the ulcer - sin - is not private, and not on just one member, but on the entire being: it has embraced the body, embraced the soul, taken possession of all the properties, all the powers of a person. God called this great plague death when, forbidding Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he said: “If you take away one day from it, you will die.” (Genesis 2:17). Immediately after eating the forbidden fruit, the forefathers felt eternal death; a carnal feeling appeared in their gaze; they saw that they were naked. The knowledge of the nakedness of the body reflected the nakedness of the soul, which had lost the beauty of innocence on which the Holy Spirit rested. There is a carnal sensation in the eyes, and in the soul there is shame, in which is the accumulation of all sinful and shameful sensations: pride, impurity, sadness, despondency, and despair. The Great Plague is spiritual death; the decay that occurred after the loss of the Divine likeness is incorrigible! The Apostle calls the great plague the law of sin, the body of death (Rom. 5:23-24), because the mortified mind and heart have completely turned to the earth, slavishly serve the corruptible desires of the flesh, have become darkened, burdened, and become flesh themselves. This flesh is no longer capable of communicating with God! (Genesis 6:3). This flesh is not capable of inheriting eternal, heavenly bliss! (1 Cor. 4:50). The great plague spread over the entire human race and became the unfortunate property of every person. Considering my great ulcer, looking at my mortification, I am filled with bitter sadness! I'm perplexed, what should I do? Will I follow the example of the old Adam, who, seeing his nakedness, hastens to hide from God? Will I, like him, justify myself by placing the blame on the guilt of sin? It is in vain to hide from the All-Seeing One! It is in vain to justify yourself before the One who always wins, to always judge Him (Ps. 30:6). Instead of fig leaves, I will clothe myself with tears of repentance; Instead of justification, I will bring sincere consciousness. Clothed in repentance and tears, will I appear before the face of my God? Is it in heaven? I have been expelled from there, and the cherub standing at the entrance will not let me in! By the very burden of my flesh I am nailed to the ground, my prison! Sinful descendant of Adam, take heart! A light has shone in your prison: God has descended into the low country of your exile to lead you to your lost highland fatherland. You wanted to know good and evil: He leaves you this knowledge. You wanted to become like God, and from this you became like the devil in your soul, like cattle and beasts in your body; God, uniting you with Himself, makes you God by grace. He forgives your sins. This is not enough! He will remove the root of evil from your soul, the very infection of sin, hell, cast into your soul by the devil, and will give you medicine for the entire path of your earthly life for healing from sin, no matter how many times you become infected with it, due to your weakness. This healing is the confession of sins. Do you want to put off the old Adam, you, who through holy baptism have already been clothed in the New Adam, but through your own iniquities managed to revive old age and death in yourself, to choke life, to make it half-dead? Do you want, enslaved to sin, drawn to it by the violence of habit, to regain your freedom and righteousness? Immerse yourself in humility! Conquer vain shame, which teaches you to hypocritically and craftily pretend to be righteous and thereby preserve and strengthen spiritual death within yourself. Cast out sin, enter into hostility with sin by sincere confession of sin. This healing must precede all others; without it, healing through prayer, tears, fasting and all other means will be insufficient, unsatisfactory, fragile. Go, proud one, to your spiritual father, at his feet find the mercy of the Heavenly Father! One, one sincere and frequent confession can free one from sinful habits, make repentance fruitful, and correction lasting and true. In a brief moment of tenderness, in which the eyes of the mind are opened for self-knowledge, which comes so rarely, I wrote this as an accusation to myself, as an admonition, reminder, instruction. And you, who with faith and love for Christ read these lines and, perhaps, find in them something useful for yourself, bring a heartfelt sigh and prayer for the soul that has suffered much from the waves of sin, that has often seen drowning and destruction before itself, that has found rest in one refuge: in confession of one’s sins. About the virtues opposite to the eight main sinful passions 1. Abstinence Refrain from excessive consumption of food and nutrition, especially from drinking wine in excess. Maintaining strict fasts established by the Church, curbing the flesh with moderate and constantly equal consumption of food, from which all passions in general begin to weaken, and especially self-love, which consists of a wordless love of the flesh, its life and peace. 2. Chastity Avoidance of all kinds of fornication. Avoidance of voluptuous conversations and reading, from the pronunciation of voluptuous, nasty and ambiguous words. Storing the senses, especially sight and hearing, and even more so the sense of touch. Modesty. Rejection of the thoughts and dreams of prodigals. Silence. Silence. Ministry to the sick and disabled. Memories of death and hell. The beginning of chastity is a mind that does not waver from lustful thoughts and dreams; the perfection of chastity is purity that sees God. 3. Non-covetousness Satisfying oneself with one thing necessary. Hatred of luxury and bliss. Mercy for the poor. Loving the poverty of the gospel. Trust in God's providence. Following Christ's commandments. Calmness and freedom of spirit and carelessness. Softness of heart. 4. Meekness Avoidance of angry thoughts and indignation of the heart with rage. Patience. Following Christ, who calls His disciple to the cross. Peace of the heart. Silence of the mind. Christian firmness and courage. Not feeling insulted. Kindness. 5. Blessed crying The feeling of the fall common to all people, and of one’s own spiritual poverty. Lamentation about them. Cry of the mind. Painful contrition of the heart. The lightness of conscience, grace-filled consolation and joy that vegetates from them. Hope in God's mercy. Thanks be to God in sorrows, their humble enduring from the sight of their many sins. Willingness to endure. Cleansing the mind. Relief from passions. Mortification of the world. The desire for prayer, solitude, obedience, humility, confession of one’s sins. 6. Sobriety Zeal for every good deed. Non-slothful correction of church and cell rules. Attention when praying. Careful observation of all your deeds, words, thoughts and feelings. Extreme self-distrust. Continuous stay in prayer and the Word of God. Awe. Constant vigilance over oneself. Keeping yourself from a lot of sleep and effeminacy, idle talk, jokes and sharp words. Love of night vigils, bows and other feats that bring cheerfulness to the soul. Rare, if possible, departure from cells. Remembrance of eternal blessings, desire and expectation of them. 7. Humility Fear of God. Feeling it during prayer. Fear that arises during especially pure prayer, when the presence and greatness of God is felt especially strongly, so as not to disappear and turn into nothing. Deep knowledge of one's insignificance. A change in view of neighbors, and they, without any coercion, seem to the humbled person to be superior to him in all respects. The manifestation of simplicity from living faith. Hatred of human praise. Constant blaming and beating yourself up. Rightness and directness. Impartiality. Deadness to everything. Tenderness. Knowledge of the mystery hidden in the Cross of Christ. The desire to crucify oneself to the world and passions, the desire for this crucifixion. Rejection and oblivion of flattering customs and words, modest due to compulsion or intent, or the skill of pretending. Perception of the riot of the gospel. Rejection of earthly wisdom as unbecoming before God (Luke 16:15). Leaving word justification. Silence before those who offend, studied in the Gospel. Putting aside all your own speculations and accepting the mind of the Gospel. The casting down of every thought placed upon the mind of Christ. Humility or spiritual reasoning. Conscious obedience to the Church in everything. 8. Love Change during prayer from the fear of God into the love of God. Loyalty to the Lord, proven by the constant rejection of every sinful thought and feeling. The indescribable, sweet attraction of the whole person with love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the worshiped Holy Trinity. Seeing the image of God and Christ in others; resulting from this spiritual vision, the preference for oneself over all neighbors, their reverent veneration for the Lord. Love for neighbors is brotherly, pure, equal to everyone, joyful, impartial, flaming equally towards friends and enemies. Admiration for prayer and love of the mind, heart and whole body. Indescribable pleasure of the body with spiritual joy. Spiritual intoxication. Relaxation of bodily members with spiritual consolation (St. Isaac of Syria. Sermon 44). Inactivity of the bodily senses during prayer. Resolution from the muteness of the heart's tongue. Stopping prayer from spiritual sweetness. Silence of the mind. Enlightening the mind and heart. Prayer power that overcomes sin. Peace of Christ. Retreat of all passions. The absorption of all understandings into the superior mind of Christ. Theology. Knowledge of incorporeal beings. The weakness of sinful thoughts that cannot be imagined in the mind. Sweetness and abundant consolation in times of sorrow. Vision of human structures. The depth of humility and the most humiliating opinion of oneself... The end is endless! Additions from various sources The shortest confession Sins against the Lord God Belief in dreams, divination, meetings and other signs. Doubts about faith. Laziness towards prayer and absent-mindedness during it. Not going to Church, long absence from confession and Holy Communion. Hypocrisy in Divine Worship. Blasphemy or just murmuring against God in the soul and in words. The intention to raise your hands. In vain. An unfulfilled promise to God. Blasphemy of the sacred. Anger with mention of evil spirits (trait). Eating or drinking on Sundays and holidays before the end of the Liturgy. Violation of fasts or inaccurate observance of them is a work issue on holidays. Sins against one's neighbor Lack of zeal for one's position or one's work in the community. Disrespect for superiors or elders. Failure to fulfill a promise to a person. Non-payment of debts. Taking by force or secret appropriation of someone else's property. Stinginess in alms. Personal insult to one's neighbor. Gossip. Slander. Cursing others. Unnecessary suspicions. Failure to protect an innocent person or a just cause with loss for them. Murder. Disrespect for parents. Failure to look after children with Christian care. Anger is hostility in family or home life. Sins against oneself Idle or bad thoughts in the soul. Desires evil for one's neighbor. Falsity of words, speech. Irritability. Obstinacy or pride. Envy. Hard-heartedness. Sensitivity to upsets or insults. Vengeance. Love of money. Passion for pleasure. Foul language. The songs are seductive. Drunkenness and heavy eating. Fornication. Adultery. Unnatural fornication. Not fixing your life. Of all these sins against the Ten Commandments of God, some, reaching the highest stage of development in a person, passing into vicious states and hardening his heart with unrepentance, are recognized as especially serious and contrary to God. Mortal sins, that is, making a person guilty of eternal death or destruction 1. Pride, despising everyone, demanding servility from others, ready to ascend to heaven and become like the Most High: in a word - pride to the point of self-adoration. 2. An insatiable soul, or Judas’s greed for money, combined for the most part with unrighteous acquisitions, not allowing a person even a minute to think about spiritual things. 3. Fornication, or the dissolute life of the prodigal son, who squandered all his father’s estate on such a life. 4. Envy, leading to every possible crime against one’s neighbor. 5. Gluttony or carnal knowledge, not knowing any fasting, combined with a passionate attachment to various amusements, following the example of the Evangelical rich man, who had fun all day long. 6. Uncompromising anger and resolving to terrible destruction, following the example of Herod, who in his anger beat the Bethlehem babies. 7. Laziness, or complete carelessness about the soul, carelessness about repentance until the last days of life, such as in the days of Noah. Sins of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit Excessive trust in God or continuation of a gravely sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy. Despair or the feeling opposite to excessive trust in God in relation to God’s mercy, which denies the fatherly goodness in God and leads to thoughts of suicide. Stubborn unbelief, not convinced by any evidence of truth, even obvious miracles, rejecting the most established truth. Sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance for them In general, intentional homicide (abortion), and especially parricide (fratricide and regicide). Sin of Sodom. Unnecessary oppression of a poor, defenseless person, a defenseless widow and young orphans. Withholding from a wretched worker the wages he deserves. Taking away from a person in his extreme situation the last piece of bread or the last mite, which he obtained with sweat and blood, as well as the forcible or secret appropriation of alms, food, warmth or clothing from prisoners in prison, which are determined by him, and generally oppressing them. Sadness and insults to parents to the point of daring beatings. The end and glory to God. Confession I confess that I am a great sinner (name) to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ and to you, honorable father, all my sins and all my evil deeds, which I have done in all the days of my life, which I have thought even to this day. I sinned: I did not keep the vows of Holy Baptism, I did not keep my monastic promise, but I lied about everything and created indecent things for myself before the Face of God. Forgive us, Merciful Lord (for the people). Forgive me, honest father (for singles). I sinned: before the Lord by lack of faith and sluggishness in thoughts, all from the enemy against faith and the Holy. Churches; ingratitude for all His great and unceasing benefits, calling on the name of God without need - in vain. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: lack of love for the Lord below fear, failure to fulfill the holy. His will and St. commandments, careless depiction of the sign of the cross, irreverent veneration of St. icons; did not wear a cross, was ashamed to baptize and confess the Lord. Forgive me, honest father. He sinned: he did not preserve love for his neighbor, did not feed the hungry and thirsty, did not clothe the naked, did not visit the sick and prisoners in prison; the law of God and St. I did not learn the traditions of my fathers out of laziness and negligence. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by not fulfilling church and cell rules, by going to the temple of God without diligence, with laziness and negligence; leaving morning, evening and other prayers; during a church service - he sinned by idle talk, laughter, dozing, inattention to reading and singing, absent-mindedness, leaving the temple during the service and not going to the temple of God due to laziness and negligence. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by daring to go to the temple of God in uncleanness and touch all holy things. Forgive me, honest father. Sinned: by not honoring the feasts of God; violation of St. posts and non-storage. fast days - Wednesday and Friday; intemperance in food and drink, polyeating, secret eating, disordered eating, drunkenness, dissatisfaction with food and drink, clothing, parasitism (tune - for free, illegally; poison - eating, eating bread for free); One’s own will and reason through fulfillment, self-righteousness, self-indulgence and self-justification; undue reverence for parents, failure to raise children in the Orthodox faith, cursing their children and their neighbors. Forgive me, honest father. Sinned by: unbelief, superstition, doubt, despair, despondency, blasphemy, false worship, dancing, smoking, playing cards, fortune telling, witchcraft, sorcery, gossip, commemorating the living for their repose, eating the blood of animals Ecumenical Council, canon 67. Act of the Apostles, chapter 15. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: pride, conceit, arrogance, self-love, ambition, envy, conceit, suspicion, irritability. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by condemning all people - living and dead, by slander and anger, by malicious malice, hatred, evil for evil, retribution, slander, reproach, wickedness, laziness, deception, hypocrisy, gossip, disputes, stubbornness, unwillingness to give in and serve one's neighbor; sinned with gloating, malice, malice, insult, ridicule, reproach and man-pleasing. Forgive me, honest father. Sinned: incontinence of mental and physical feelings; spiritual and physical impurity, pleasure and procrastination in unclean thoughts, addiction, voluptuousness, immodest views of wives and young men; in a dream, prodigal night defilement, intemperance in married life. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by impatience with illnesses and sorrows, by loving the comforts of this life, by captivity of the mind and hardening of the heart, by not forcing myself to do any good deed. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by inattention to the promptings of my conscience, negligence, laziness in reading the word of God and negligence in acquiring the Jesus Prayer. I sinned through covetousness, love of money, unrighteous acquisition, embezzlement, theft, stinginess, attachment to various kinds of things and people. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by condemning and disobeying my spiritual fathers, by murmuring and resenting them and by not confessing my sins to them through oblivion, negligence and false shame. Forgive me, honest father. Sinned: by unmercifulness, contempt and condemnation of the poor; going to the temple of God without fear and reverence, deviating into heresy and sectarian teaching. Forgive me, honest father. Sinned: by laziness, relaxation, love of bodily rest, excessive sleeping, voluptuous dreams, biased views, shameless body movements, touching, fornication, adultery, corruption, masturbation, unmarried marriages, those who performed abortions on themselves or others, or persuaded someone, gravely sinned. something to this great sin - infanticide. He spent his time in empty and idle pursuits, in empty conversations, jokes, laughter and other shameful sins. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: despondency, cowardice, impatience, murmuring, despair of salvation, lack of hope in God’s mercy, insensibility, ignorance, arrogance, shamelessness. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by slandering my neighbor, anger, insult, irritation and ridicule, non-reconciliation, enmity and hatred, dissent, spying on other people's sins and eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: by coldness and insensitivity in confession, by belittling sins, by blaming others rather than by condemning myself. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: against the Life-giving and Holy Mysteries of Christ, approaching Them without proper preparation, without contrition and the fear of God. Forgive me, honest father. I sinned: in word, in thought and with all my senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch - voluntarily or involuntarily, knowledge or ignorance, in reason and unreason, and it is not possible to list all my sins according to their multitude. But in all of these, as well as in those unspeakable through oblivion, I repent and regret, and henceforth, with the help of God, I promise to take care. You, honest father, forgive me and release me from all of this and pray for me, a sinner, and on that day of judgment testify before God about the sins I have confessed. Amen. The end and glory to God. Sins confessed and resolved earlier should not be repeated in confession, for they, as the Holy Church teaches, have already been forgiven, but if we repeated them again, then we need to repent of them again. We must repent of those sins that were forgotten, but are now remembered. The repentant is required to: Consciousness of his sins. Condemning yourself in them. Self-accusation before the confessor. Repentance is not only in word, but also in deed. Repentance is correction—new life. Contrition and tears. Belief in the forgiveness of sins. Hate past sins. The fight against sin attracts the grace of God. Sins shorten our lives... Better is war than peace, which removes us from God Gregory the Theologian On the knowledge of God: no matter how much we study, it is still impossible to know the Lord if we do not live according to His commandments, for the Lord is known not by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and scientists have come to believe that God exists, but they have not known God. And we, monks, study the law of the Lord day and night, but not everyone has come to know God, even though they believe. It is one thing to believe that God exists, and another thing to know God (Elder Silouan). About prayer: if our prayers are not immediately heard, it means that the Lord does not want what we want to happen to us, but what He wants. In this case, He desires and prepares for us something greater and better than what we ask of Him in prayer. Therefore, every prayer must be ended with contrition: Thy will be done. On the importance of reading: The Word of God is food for the soul and body. It is the duty of a Christian every day - I will not go to bed unless I read: 1. One chapter of the Gospel of Matthew; 2. Two chapters of the Epistles, beginning with the Acts of the Apostles and ending with the Revelation of St. John the Evangelist; 3. And although several psalms from the Psalter. And this is how the entire New Testament will be gradually read, which is what is needed. How can you live the Gospel without reading it? When we pray, we talk with God, and when we read the Gospel, the Lord talks with us, revealing His will, how to live and be saved. So, make three bookmarks and read in a row, and when you read everything, start again, and so on for the rest of your life. Prayer before the beginning of any work: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Only Begotten, Thy Beginningless Father, Thou hast declared with Thy most pure lips: that without Me you cannot do anything. My Lord, Lord, with faith in my soul and heart spoken by You, I bow down to Your goodness: help me a sinner to complete this work, which I have begun, in You, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, through the prayers of the Mother of God and all Your saints. Amen. At the end of the matter: You are the fulfillment of all good things, my Christ, fill the soul with joy and gladness and save me, for I am the only one who is much merciful, Lord, glory to you. "It's worthy to eat." Leaving the house: Before crossing the threshold, say the words: “I deny you, Satan, your pride and service to you, and I unite with you, Christ, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". And protect yourself with the sign of the cross. And never go out without this saying. Then not only the evil person you meet, but also the devil himself will not be able to harm you, seeing you with this weapon. Prayer for illness, sorrow: Every day you need to read one chapter of the Gospel in a row, before and after the chapter this prayer: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servant (name) in the words of the Divine Gospel that we speak about the salvation of Your servant. The thorns of all his sins have fallen, Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in him, scorching, cleansing the whole person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". When there are unclean thoughts and a desire to sin, or despondency, despair, melancholy, or other temptation, then you need to say: “Enemy, your proposal is on your head, Mother of God, help me” and read the prayer many times: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for you have given birth to the Savior of our souls.” The Lord will certainly give peace to the soul for the sake of the prayers of the Mother of God. The cross breaks all the enemy networks that surround us. You need to baptize with a cross to the East, West, South and North in the morning and evening and in all difficult circumstances of life (when you are angry, scared, arguing with someone, having a bad dream, etc.) by reading this prayer: “The Cross of Christ for all the world sanctified by the grace and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given to us as a weapon against all our enemies, visible and invisible, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen". And also sprinkle holy water on all four sides and say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling this sacred water, may all evil, demonic action be put to flight. Amen". In the morning on an empty stomach, drink holy water, and also for every need, even if you have eaten (when you suddenly get sick, get angry, get scared, have a bad dream, etc.) Prayers of thanksgiving: Enlighten my eyes, O Christ my God, who showed me Your beautiful light . My Lord, Lord, add one year to another for me, so that from now on, having repented of other sins, I will correct my life. Amen. (This prayer was read by Vladimir Monomakh at sunrise, which never found him in bed). Glory to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, my Savior, my Hope, my Hope, my Lord, who showed me the light, glory to Thee. Blessed be the day and hour in the forge, my Lord Jesus Christ was born for me, endured crucifixion and suffered death. Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, at the hour of my death, accept the spirit of Your servant on your journey, through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints. Amen. (This prayer was read by Saint Joasaph of Belgorod for every hour). Master, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Creator of heaven and earth, Savior of the world, Hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are in the sea far away, accept this prayer of my indecent servant, and fulfill all my good desires in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Three times). Prayer spoken before St. Communion: I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. I also believe that this very thing is Your Most Pure Body, and this very thing is Your Precious Blood. I pray to You: have mercy on me, and forgive me my sins, voluntary and involuntary, in word, in deed, in knowledge and ignorance; and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your Most Pure Mysteries, for the remission of sins and into Eternal Life. Thy Mystical Supper this day, O Son of God, accept me as a partaker; I will not tell your enemies the secret, nor give you a kiss like Judas, but like a thief I will confess to you: remember me, O Lord, in your kingdom. May the communion of Your Holy Mysteries be not for judgment or condemnation for me, Lord, but for the healing of soul and body. Amen.

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