How to forgive yourself and your family and stop being offended. How to learn to forgive grievances and let go of negative experiences

About the Sacrament of REPENTANCE (CONFESSION)

14.1. What is Confession?

– Confession is a Sacrament in which a believer confesses sins to God in the presence of a priest and through him receives forgiveness of sins from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Confession is not a forcible “picking” of sins from the conscience, it is not an interrogation, and, especially, it is not a “convicting” verdict on the sinner. Confession is not a conversation about one’s shortcomings, doubts, not informing one’s confessor about oneself, and least of all a “pious custom.”

Confession is an ardent repentance of the heart, a thirst for purification, dying to sin and reviving for holiness. Confession is the great Sacrament of reconciliation between God and man, the manifestation of God’s love for man.

14.2. Why do you need to confess?

– Why do you need to wash off bodily dirt from yourself? However, a person cares about the body, which lives temporarily, but even more he must care about the soul, which will live forever. The dirt of the soul is sins that can only be cleansed from Confession.

Accumulated sins and transgressions that have not been removed from the conscience (not only large ones, but also many small ones) weigh on it so much that a person begins to feel inner anxiety or emptiness. He may suddenly fall into irritation, into some nervous breakdowns, have no internal hardness. A person often does not understand the reason for everything that happens, but it lies in the fact that unconfessed sins lie on his conscience.

Through Confession, the purity that was lost due to sins returns. Confession is great God's mercy to a weak and fall-prone humanity. This is a means available to everyone, which leads to the salvation of the soul, which constantly falls into sin. Sincere Confession brings to a Christian not only forgiveness of sins, but also completeness spiritual health: restores tranquility of conscience and peace of soul, weakens vicious inclinations and passions, and prevents new sins.

This Sacrament restores the state received in Baptism.

14.3. Are Repentance and Confession the same thing?

– Repentance is a sincere desire to change life according to God’s commandments, it is the most strict and meticulous self-criticism and self-assessment of all one’s errors, vices, passions – not only obvious, but also secret. Repentance is a deep contrition of the heart for one’s sinfulness and turning to God in search of purity.

Saint Theophan the Recluse defines repentance by four things: 1) awareness of one’s sin before God; 2) reproach ourselves in this sin with full confession of our guilt, without shifting responsibility to demons, other people or circumstances; 3) the determination to leave sin, to hate it, not to return to it, not to give it room in oneself; 4) prayer to God for forgiveness of sin, until the spirit is pacified.

Confession is the confession of one’s sins (orally or sometimes in writing) with a priest as a witness at a special church Sacrament, during which God Himself forgives the sins of a repentant person through the priest.

14.4. Is it necessary to repent before a priest? Does it matter which one?

– When they come to Confession, they do not repent before the priest. Being himself a sinful man, the priest is only a witness, a mediator in the Sacrament, and the true celebrant is the Lord God. The priest is a prayer book, an intercessor before the Lord and a witness that the divinely established Sacrament of Confession occurs in a legal manner.

This is the moral aspect of Confession. It is not difficult to list your sins alone with yourself before the All-Knowing and Invisible God. But discovering them in the presence of an outsider—a priest—requires considerable effort to overcome shame, pride, and recognition of one’s sinfulness, and this leads to an incomparably deeper and more serious result.

For a person truly suffering from the ulcer of sin, it makes no difference through whom he confesses this tormenting sin - as long as he confesses it as soon as possible and receives relief. And unworthy priests do not interfere with receiving the grace of God in the Sacraments. Therefore, the most important thing in Confession is not the priest who receives it, but the state of the penitent’s soul, his sincere repentance, leading to awareness of sin, heartfelt contrition and rejection of the wrongdoing.

14.5. Are all people sinners?

– “There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin”(Eccl. 7:20). Everyone sins a lot before God. Are not condemnation, vanity, idle talk, hostility, ridicule, intransigence, laziness, irritability, anger constant companions? human life? More serious crimes lie on the conscience of many: infanticide (abortion), adultery, turning to sorcerers and psychics, envy, theft, enmity, revenge and much more, making people sinners who are obliged to atone for their sins through repentance and good deeds.

The Apostle John the Theologian writes: “If we say that we have no sin,– we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:8, 9).

14.6. What is sin, how to destroy it?

– Sin is a conscious and voluntary violation of God’s commandments. It has the ability to grow from small to great. Sin leads to degeneration, a shortening of earthly life, and can deprive eternal life. The primary source of sin is the fallen world, man is the conductor of sin. The phases of involvement in sin are as follows: preposition (sinful thought, desire); combination (acceptance of this sinful thought, retention of attention on it); captivity (enslavement to this sinful thought, agreement with it); falling into sin (doing in practice what was proposed by a sinful thought).

The fight against sin begins with the awareness of oneself as a sinner and the desire for correction. We must sincerely confess everything that we recognize as sinful, that our conscience denounces, and begin to atone for sins with good deeds, build our lives according to God’s commandments, in obedience to God, the Church, and our spiritual mentor.

14.7. What happens if you don’t confess all your life?

– You cannot put off repentance and wait until there is no bright spot left on your spiritual clothing: this leads to dulling of conscience and spiritual death.

If Confession is neglected, sin will oppress the soul and at the same time (after leaving it by the Holy Spirit) doors for penetration may open in it dark force and the development of all kinds of passions and predilections. A period of hostility, quarrels and even hatred towards others may begin, which will poison the life of both the sinner and his loved ones. Bad ones may appear intrusive thoughts and feelings: some have an insurmountable fear of death, others have a desire for suicide. Various unhealthy physical and mental manifestations may occur - for example, epileptic seizures or ugly mental manifestations, which are characterized as obsession and demonic possession.

14.8. What is the heaviest sin?

– The most destructive and serious sin is unbelief. If a person sins because of his imperfection and repents, then the Lord will forgive him sooner than when he sins through unbelief, for in this case the person rebels against God Himself.

14.9. Why is there insensibility at Confession?

– Insensibility at Confession for the most part has its root in the absence of fear of God and hidden lack of faith.

14.10. Can Confession be invalid?

– Confession is invalid and even offensive to the Lord if they go to this Sacrament without any preparation, without testing their conscience, hide their sins for shame or another reason, confess without contrition, formally, coldly, mechanically, without a firm intention to correct themselves in the future. Some manage to have several confessors - in such a way that they tell one one some sins, and another another. In this case, of course, all such Confessions are not accepted by the Lord.

14.11. How to prepare for the first Confession?

– To prepare for Confession means to look at your life and your soul with a repentant look, to analyze your deeds and thoughts from the point of view of God’s commandments, to pray to the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and the granting of true repentance.

Self-condemnation is the first and most important thing with which you need to come to Confession. If necessary, you should write down your sins (all your bad thoughts, feelings and deeds) for memory, so as not to miss anything during the Sacrament. Confession must be your own, and not “suitable” sins copied from a book and read to the priest.

Anyone who wants to clear their conscience at Confession must:

– have firm faith and hope in God;

– have contrition for having angered God;

- forgive all your enemies and offenders for all insults;

- without any concealment, declare all sins before the priest;

- make a firm intention to henceforth live according to the commandments of God.

14.12. What should someone who wants to begin Confession know?

– If there is a legal celebrant – Orthodox priest– You can start Confession at any time and as often as possible. Confession before Communion is generally accepted (in our time, believers, as a rule, take communion 1-2 times a month; for beginners, it is advisable to take communion at least 4-5 times a year).

Confession is not a conversation. If you need to consult with a priest, you should ask him to set aside another time for this.

At Confession, you need to talk only about your sins (in no case trying to whitewash yourself or judge others) and ask the Lord for forgiveness for your sins. You can begin Confession only after first reconciling with everyone. Confessing without reconciliation is useless, and receiving communion like this is a mortal sin.

If for some reason the priest does not have the opportunity to listen in detail, then there is no need to be embarrassed by the brevity of Confession - the Sacrament was performed in its entirety. But if some sin lies like a stone on your conscience, then you need to ask the priest to listen in detail. You should never be embarrassed by the severity of your sins, for there are no unforgivable sins, except those that have not been confessed and unrepentant.

14.13. What is penance?

– Penance is a kind of spiritual medicine aimed at eradicating vice. This can be bows, reading canons or akathists, intense fasting, pilgrimage to a holy place - depending on the strengths and capabilities of the penitent. Penance must be performed strictly, and only the priest who imposed it can cancel it.

14.14. Is it necessary to confess in the morning before Communion if you confessed the day before?

– If you sinned again or remembered forgotten sin, then you need to confess again before proceeding to Communion.

14.15. Is it necessary to take communion after Confession? Is it possible to confess and leave?

– It is not necessary to receive Communion after Confession. You can sometimes come to church just for Confession. For those who want to receive communion, confession is mandatory.

14.16. Is it possible to confess not all sins?

– He who hides his sins does not want to part with them. Confessed sin, as it were, becomes outside the soul, leaves it - just as a splinter taken out of the body becomes outside the body and ceases to harm it.

If someone hides his sins at Confession because of false shame, or because of pride, or because of a lack of faith, or simply because of a lack of understanding of the importance of repentance, then he leaves Confession not only not cleansed of sins, but even more burdened with them, and is condemned .

Sin not confessed to the priest is not forgiven. If at least one sin is deliberately hidden, deliberately not expressed, then its severity will increase, and the entire Confession will be invalid. But earthly life is short-lived: today a person is alive, but tomorrow he can pass into eternity and there will be no opportunity to repent.

If a person’s conscience is not lost, then it will not give him peace until all his sins are told at Confession. You just shouldn’t talk about unnecessary details about sins, which do not explain the essence of the matter, but only paint them picturesquely.

14.17. Is it necessary to confess the same sin several times?

– If it is committed again or, after confessing it, continues to burden the conscience, then it is necessary to confess it again. If this sin has not been repeated again, then there is no need to talk about it.

14.18. When does Confession take place - before or after the service?

– Regular time making Confession - before or during the Liturgy, before Communion. Sometimes they confess to evening worship, sometimes (when large quantities people) appoint special time. It is advisable to find out about the time of Confession in advance.

14.19. What should sick people do who cannot come to church for Confession and Communion?

– Their relatives can come to the church and negotiate with the priest about Confession and Communion for the patient at home.

14.20. Should there be fasting before Confession?

– In preparation for Confession, the Church Charter does not require either a special fast or a special prayer rule - only faith and repentance are necessary. The person confessing must be a baptized member of the Orthodox Church, a conscious believer (that is, considering himself a child of the Orthodox Church, recognizing all the fundamentals of Orthodox doctrine) and repenting of his sins.

Fasting is necessary if there is an intention to take communion after Confession. You should consult with a priest in advance about the extent of fasting.

14.21. CAt what age should a child go to confession?

– Usually children confess from the age of 7. But there are exceptions: depending on the development of the child, the priest has the right to slightly change the age in one direction or another.

14.22. What to do if you don’t know how to confess, what to tell the priest?

– A necessary condition for Confession is contrition. Confession should be humble and reverent. You must blame only yourself and not condemn others, have a firm intention to correct your life and not return to previous sins.

But we must talk not only about our own sins, but also about those sins that we seduced our neighbors into with our advice, persuasion or bad example; about those good deeds who could have done it, but didn’t; about those good deeds from which others were led away; about those good deeds that were done “with half a sin.”

14.23. Is it useful to confess often?

– Through frequent confession, sin loses its power. Frequent Confession turns away from sin, protects from evil, confirms in goodness, maintains vigilance, keeps on the path of God's commandments, and unconfessed sins are easily repeated, become habitual and cease to burden the conscience.

He who often and immediately confesses his sins receives from the Lord not only forgiveness, but also the strength to fight sins, and subsequently victory over them.

14.24. How to overcome shame at Confession?

– The feeling of shame at Confession is natural, the feeling of shame itself is given by God to keep a person from repeating the sin. This shame must be overcome, as it comes from pride. People are not embarrassed when they sin, but they are embarrassed when they repent. This happens when they are worried and ashamed to tell the priest weaknesses that are incompatible with own dignity, position, etc.

The priest knows all sins, since he has not just one soul confessing, but hundreds, and you will not surprise him with any sin, no matter how great and serious it is. On the contrary, any serious confessed sin arouses in the priest special concern for this person. The priest always rejoices with Christ when a person repents of his sins, and feels love, affection and great respect for a sincerely repentant Christian, because courage and will are always needed to repent of one’s sins.

But if it is still very difficult to tell about your sins at Confession, then it is better to write them and give them to the priest than to hide them. The Church is a doctor, not a judgment seat: here one is not condemned to torment for sins, but freed from sins. The Lord forgives sincerely confessed sins, He “does not want the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live”(Ezek.33:11).

14.25. What to do if the priest refused to listen to Confession?

– You can contact another priest.

14.26. Can a priest tell anyone the contents of Confession?

– The Church forbids priests to reveal what was told to them at Confession, condescending to the weak conscience of repentant sinners. There are people who are ashamed to reveal the wounds of their souls in front of outside witnesses. And there are also people who are able to laugh at the sins of others. In view of this, sparing her weak children, the Church obliges priests to keep the secret of Confession. For violating this rule, a clergyman may be defrocked.

14.27. Does God forgive all sins?

– To prove that no sin can prevent a person from entering the Kingdom of God, the Lord was the first to introduce a repentant thief there.

God does not look at the multitude and severity of sins, but at the zeal of the repentant. No matter how many sins there are and no matter how great they are, God has even more mercy, because just as He Himself is infinite, so His mercy is infinite. There is no unforgivable sin except that which is not repented of.

14.28. How do you know if a sin is forgiven?

– A sign of remission of sins is that a person has come to hate sin and always considers himself a debtor to God.

14.29. What is necessary for the forgiveness of sins?

– To receive forgiveness of sins, the person confessing requires reconciliation with all his neighbors, sincere contrition for sins and their true confession, a firm intention to correct his life, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and hope in His mercy.

14.30. What if after Confession, right before Communion, a sin was remembered, but there is no longer an opportunity to confess? Should I postpone Communion?

– There is no need to postpone Communion, but this sin must be spoken about at Confession in the near future.

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.

What is confession?

Confession is not only cleansing, but also a test for the soul. It helps to remove the burden and cleanse yourself before the face of the Lord, reconcile with him and overcome internal doubts. You need to go to confession once a month, but if you want to do it more often, you should follow the urges of your soul and repent any time you want.

For especially serious sins, a church representative can impose a special punishment called penance. This can be long prayer, fasting or abstinence, which are ways to purify oneself. When a person violates the laws of God, it negatively affects his mental and physical condition. Repentance helps to gain strength and fight the temptations that push people to sin. The believer gets the opportunity to talk about his misdeeds and remove the burden from his soul. Before confession, it is necessary to make a list of sins, with the help of which you can correctly describe the sin and prepare correct speech for repentance.

How to start a confession to the priest with what words?

The seven deadly sins, which are the main vices, look like this:

gluttony (gluttony, excessive food abuse)
fornication (dissolute life, infidelity)
anger (hot temper, vindictiveness, irritability)
love of money (greed, desire for material values)
despondency (laziness, depression, despair)
vanity (selfishness, sense of narcissism)
envy

It is believed that when committing these sins human soul may die. By committing them, a person moves further and further away from God, but all of them can be released during sincere repentance. It is believed that it was mother nature who laid them in every person, and only the most strong-willed can resist temptations and fight evil. But it is worth remembering that every person can commit a sin while going through a difficult period in life. People are not immune from misfortunes and difficulties that can drive everyone to despair. You need to learn to fight passions and emotions, and then no sin will be able to overcome you and ruin your life.

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, etc.

Vices against the soul:

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

Vices against neighbors:

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

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

Before approaching a church representative, get out of your head bad thoughts and get ready 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
Performed 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 physical strength 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.

The importance of confession in the life of a believer

Many holy fathers call confession the second baptism. This helps to establish unity with God and cleanse oneself of filth. As the Gospel says, repentance is necessary condition to cleanse the soul. Throughout life path a person must strive to overcome temptations and prevent vice. During this sacrament, a person receives liberation from the shackles of sin, and all his sins are forgiven by the Lord God. For many, repentance is a victory over oneself, because only a true believer can admit what people prefer to remain silent about.

If you have confessed before, then you should not talk about old sins again. They have already been released and there is no point in repenting for them anymore. When you finish confessing, the priest will give his speech, give advice and instructions, and also say a prayer of permission. After this, the person must cross himself twice, bow, venerate the crucifix and the Gospel, then cross himself again and receive a blessing.

How to confess for the first time - an example?

The first confession may seem mysterious and unpredictable. People are frightened by the expectation that they might be judged by a priest and experience a feeling of shame and embarrassment. It is worth remembering that representatives of the church are people who live according to the laws of the Lord. They do not judge, do not wish harm to anyone and love their neighbors, trying to help them with wise advice.

They will never express a personal point of view, so you should not be afraid that the priest’s words may somehow hurt, offend or shame you. He never shows emotion, speaks in a low voice and speaks very little. Before repentance, you can approach him and ask for advice on how to properly prepare for this sacrament.

There is a lot of literature in church shops that can also help and give a lot important information. During repentance, you should not complain about others and your life; you need to talk only about yourself, listing the vices to which you have succumbed. If you adhere to fasting, then this best moment for confession, because by limiting themselves, people become more restrained and improve, contributing to the purification of the soul.

Many parishioners end their fast with confession, which is the logical conclusion of long abstinence. This sacrament leaves in a person’s soul the most vivid emotions and impressions that are never forgotten. By relieving the soul of sins and receiving their forgiveness, a person gets a chance to start life anew, resist temptations and live in harmony with the Lord and his laws.

Church life is full different rules and rituals. But there is one most important one - this is the Sacrament of Communion. However, you need to know exactly how to take communion in church. Otherwise, strict church orders can be violated. It is believed that this is an insult to God; such a sin should not be allowed. Therefore, this issue should be taken seriously.

What is Communion

Before taking communion in church, you need to devote several days to preparation. This is the most important Sacrament of the seven that exist in Orthodoxy. Catholics have similar sacraments. Protestant churches have different views on this issue.

During the Last Supper, Christ gave communion to his disciples for the first time and offered them bread and wine. Until the moment of the Savior’s death on the cross, people sacrificed animals as a prototype of future trials of the Son of God. After He was resurrected, there was no longer any need for other offerings. Therefore, prayers are now read over bread and wine. They also administer Communion.

Why do the churches demand that parishioners take communion and confess? How to do it right? This is a symbol of the unity of God with man. Christ Himself commanded that people do this. The sacrament transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. By accepting them, the believer accepts the Lord into himself. He maintains his spiritual strength at the proper level.

Communion gives a great “charge” of spirituality. It is especially important that this Sacrament be performed on the sick and dying. The living should start it regularly. At least once during Lent, preferably on every major holiday.

How to prepare for communion

To the sacrament in Orthodox Church They don't allow everyone in. A number of conditions must be met:

be an Orthodox Christian;

maintain strict fasting (at least 3 days);

read all the necessary prayers;

go to confession after the All-Night Vigil;

come to the Liturgy in the morning.

Only if all these conditions are fulfilled will a parishioner be able to properly receive communion in the Church. In some churches, confession is not accepted the night before, but in the morning during the service. But then it turns out that during the Divine service people are distracted by standing in lines. It is still better to confess when there is no need to rush and there is no crowd around.

The following are allowed to the Sacrament without confession:

infants (children under 6 years old) - however, it is not advisable to feed them before the service;

those who received Baptism the day before - but they also need to fast and also read prayers.

The fast must be strict - you must give up all animal food (meat, fish, all dairy, eggs). It will help you get your bearings church calendar. It indicates which products are allowed. On some days and vegetable oil may be prohibited. For sick and elderly people, the priest can make an exception, but in general it is not customary to relax the fast. You should also not drink after 12 midnight until the very moment of Communion.

Many are also concerned about the question of how to properly confess in church - embarrassment and inexperience get in the way. But in order to prove to God your firm desire to improve, you will have to overcome your fears. The priest is only a witness, he has seen and heard a lot, so it is unlikely that he will be greatly surprised. But before you approach your confessor, you need to prepare.

Since many people feel nervous during confession, there is a tradition of writing down their sins on a piece of paper. At the end of confession, the priest takes this “list” and tears it up, as a sign that the Lord forgives everything. To compose a confession, you can use a special brochure, or simply take the 10 commandments and think about how you sinned against each.

You shouldn’t blame others in confession, thereby justifying your own negative behavior. Example: a wife yelled at her husband and said that it was “himself to blame” because he came drunk. Let it be so, but in any situation you must restrain yourself, act with love, without insults. Just like confessing in church, it is necessary to talk only about yourself, and not about others.

There is also no need to boast that there are no sins against some commandments. And is this so? Adultery is considered not only physical betrayal, but even thoughts about it. Smoking is a slow form of suicide, and this gravest sin. In addition, the smoker harms those around him, aggravating his guilt. It is necessary to repent of this sin, because a Christian must maintain order not only in the soul, but also monitor the health of the body.

There is no need to argue with the priest. This is a serious sin, for which one can be excommunicated from communion altogether. Most likely, there are things that are still unclear to you. You should reflect on what has been said.

There are no strict rules governing what to say in church during confession. It is important to show a sincere desire to improve. Confessors usually help those who are experiencing difficulties by asking questions. There is no need to list every sin whose name is found in the books. Many have a common root - pride, greed, unwillingness to work on oneself, dislike for neighbors.

Prayers and Worship

After the sins are named, the priest will cover his head with an epitrachelion (part of the vestment, a long embroidered strip) and read a special prayer. During this you will have to say your name. After this, take the blessing from the priest, listen to the instructions, if any. Then you need to go home to prepare further.

Before taking communion, you should read the daily prayer rule and special participle canons. They are published in all prayer books. The canon is a type of church poetry that tunes the soul to the right mood. You can read them in church before confessing.

The canons are followed by prayers; they can be read in the morning, if there is time, but not during the Liturgy, but before it. Participial rule sometimes broken into several parts to be read over three days. But then the necessary mood is not achieved. If in doubt, you need to ask the priest for advice - he will tell you what is best to do.

We must try to maintain peace of mind during the days of fasting and not quarrel with anyone, or all preparation will be lost. Many holy fathers teach that abstaining from certain foods is not as important as abstaining from anger and bad deeds.

You must come to the Liturgy without delay.

Small children are usually brought to Communion later - the priest will tell you what time to come.

Women should not put on much perfume and make-up - the Church is not a secular get-together, but the Temple of God.

If someone makes a remark in church, it is better not to be offended, but to thank and step aside.

If after confession you have committed some sin, you must try to find your confessor and tell him about it. Usually, before Communion, one of the clergy leaves the altar to maintain order.

Before going to the Chalice, you need to fold your hands on your chest so that the right one is on top. Make prostrations in advance!

If a person has just received Baptism, he is obliged to come to the next Liturgy. He will be allowed to receive Communion without confession. IN otherwise a “Christian” demonstrates complete disregard for everything on which spiritual life is built. Baptism as a ritual does not guarantee salvation; for this it is necessary to constantly improve.

Now you know how to properly receive communion and confess in church. Over time, most of the questions disappear by themselves, yesterday's newcomer becomes an experienced parishioner. May there be acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ for the salvation of soul and body!

How to confess correctly for the first time

For real strong man must be able to forgive. Even if someone is guilty before you, you need to show your strength and forgive him. Today in this article we will talk about how to forgive an insult easy and we will give you the most effective advice.

How to forgive an offense: is it necessary?

At first glance, it may seem that forgiving a person who has truly offended you is wrong. After all, no one thought about your feelings, so why should you forgive?! But you should understand the main thing - you need to forgive an offense, first of all, for yourself.

After all, being offended is harmful both physically and emotional health. And forgiveness allows you to free yourself from the burden of resentment and negative energy. And therefore, improve your emotional state.

But here’s how to forgive an insult if it has stuck like a sharp needle in your heart, and it seems very difficult to get it out of there. Below are some tips to help you do right steps towards forgiveness.

Understand that resentment is evil

Resentment can destroy a person’s life if it is not destroyed in time. Therefore, under no circumstances should you cultivate it within yourself, warm it up and feed it. Clearly understand that resentment brings only evil and destruction. Try to learn to eradicate it from your heart and never justify it.

Negative motivation - help in getting rid of resentment

How to forgive an offender? Just imagine what awaits you in the future if your resentment takes up residence in your life.

Every year the resentment will increase, cultivating new resentments, thereby poisoning your life.
Resentment leads to emotional stress that lead to physical illness.
Resentment will make you a conflicted person.
Resentment can destroy everything positive features and bright emotions in a person.

Resentment can push you to take revenge and rash actions that can ruin not only your life, but also the lives of your family and friends.

Positive motivation is the power that can save you!

If you learn to get rid of resentment, then you will experience:

Light and positive thoughts about future.
Your heart will be open to positive experiences.
You will be calm and balanced, it will be impossible to get hooked by any negative statements.

Those who learn to forgive will find happiness and success in all their endeavors. A bright person attracts equally bright people and positive situations.

In order to answer the question of how to forgive an offense, you need to understand what weakness of yours was the cause of this. Understand why you were offended by the person, what bothered you. Don't fool yourself. Only in this case will you be able to help yourself.

Place it in front of you Blank sheet, analyze the current situation and write down the reason for your resentment, also try to understand what you can replace it with so that this resentment never spoils your life again.

Forgiveness is a great power

The main rule harmonious life- learn to forgive both yourself and others. Tell yourself that all people are imperfect and you shouldn’t demand anything from them. Say: “God will judge everyone” until your heart feels light.

Gratitude for life lessons

Life teaches us various lessons. And gratitude for them is an indicator of strength and spiritual development each person. Try to learn a lesson from every situation and be grateful for every situation. Let the phrase become the philosophy of your life: everything that does not kill me makes me stronger.

A sense of humor will help you become stronger

A person who knows how to laugh at himself and his shortcomings is happier than those who cannot do this. Learn to laugh at these shortcomings. And rest assured that you will become several times stronger! Learn to respond with humor to gossip and other actions of people who do not always understand that they are hurting someone. Their gratitude will return to you sooner or later.

Examples of worthy people

A living example of a person who knows how to forgive an insult will allow you to do right choice and get rid of negative influence grievances. Try to act as you would do it yourself noble man! Try to choose a “teacher” for yourself who will help you learn to forgive. For example, imagine what Buddha, Christ or the Dalai Lama would do in this situation?

Learning to forgive offenses is necessary not only for those around you, but also for yourself. We hope you make the right choice and change your life for the better.

Video - How to learn to forgive?

You probably often get offended over trifles. Or maybe you carry a grudge for a long time a certain person and you notice that this feeling bothers you. In accordance with this, a desire arises - how to learn to forgive.

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!