How to confess in church? This question is often asked by those who are just going to the temple, and those who are simply curious about what confession is in general. The question of how to properly confess in church - with an emphasis on the word "correctly" - is very significant for those who go to church constantly.
As a rule, preparation for confession takes place in several stages. Confession is not an indulgence, and not a permission for new sins. Just one day a person realizes that it is unbearably hard for him to carry a block of sin on his heart. She crushes and oppresses him. This is the first stage of preparation for confession. A person realizes his sinfulness, feels the impossibility to continue to live the way he lived. Therefore, he asks God: "Lord, help me change, help me turn this page of life!" The main condition under which the page can be turned is sincere repentance, contrition and full recognition of one's guilt and sinfulness.
Sincere heartbreak is incompatible with malice and all sorts of excesses. Therefore, confession is preceded by a period when a person reconciles with those around him and forgives those who offended him, fasts, and possibly refrains from carnal pleasures. An important part of the stage preceding confession is the reading of prayers of repentance or simply prayers for the forgiveness of one's sins.
Should I write down my sins and bring a detailed account of them? Or is a short note enough? How right? You can confess in church from memory. But Lutherans, for example, quite rightly believe that a person is not able to remember all his sins and will definitely miss something. Orthodox priests recommend writing memorial notes for themselves, dividing sins according to violated commandments. We must begin with the main thing - sins against God. Then - sins against their neighbors, last of all there are minor sins. But, of course, there is no strict instruction - it's just easier to remember.
Followed by the confession itself, and the priest, by the authority given by Christ, will resolve from sin. Perhaps he will impose some kind of punishment - penance, which will consist in additional fasting, reading prayers and prostrations. Why is this being done? Often a person just needs to feel that sin is really outlived, passed, forgiven. Penance is never permanent.
As a rule, after confession, the believer partakes of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. This strengthens the weak human spirit in the decision to sin no more.
Where and how to confess? In the church? Or can you confess at home? For example, a seriously illconfess? In church too? But it happens that circumstances develop in such a way that a person cannot reach the temple.
It is permissible to confess at home, you just need to discuss this issue with the priest. In addition, a believer confesses his sins to God every time he prays.
The rite of absolution itself takes place differently in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.
In the Orthodox Church, the priest covers the believer with an stole and reads a permissive prayer. Among Catholics, the priest does not see the confessor's face, because he is in a special small room - the confessional. Many people represent this rite in feature films. Protestants do not impose penance, because it is believed that all sins are forgiven by God's grace.
Confession doesn't have to be a secret. The first Christians opened their thoughts and repented of their sins in public - and all believers prayed together for the forgiveness of sinners. This type of confession also existed later - for example, it was practiced by John of Kronstadt.
But then confession became a secret - after all, for some sins a penitent could pay with his life. Since the fifth century, the concept of the mystery of confession has appeared. Moreover, later in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, punishments were introduced for a priest who violated the secrecy of confession.
But the secular authorities made exceptions - for example, according to the decree of Peter I, the priest was charged with the duty to inform the authorities if, from a confession, he became aware of a crime againststate or monarch. In Soviet Russia, non-reporting of an impending crime was persecuted and no exceptions were provided for priests. Therefore, such an action as "confessing in the church" required considerable courage both from the faithful and from the priests. Now the secrecy of confession is protected by law - the priest is not obliged to either inform or testify about what became known to him during confession.
Interestingly, confession is not the prerogative of Christianity alone - it is inherent in all Abrahamic religions. Both in Judaism and in Islam there are analogues of Christian confession, a prayer for the forgiveness of sins. But there it is not as systemic as in Christianity.
