I have long been studying the Orthodox prayers, the rules for their ascension and rites. I am often asked how to confess and communion. Today I will tell you in detail about these sacraments and I will describe all the basic rules.
Features of communion and confession
Communion is a very important liturgy that needs to be visited, since this will help a person to become much closer to God. But, unfortunately, many forgot about this truth. And this, of course, incorrectly. After all, the Lord bequeathed to his flock regularly commits and thereby clearing his soul.
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Some Christians are confident that the sacrament of communion is quite simple and every person is able to take it. However, in reality, everything is much more complicated. After all, it is impossible to just take and compete. It is necessary to prepare for this. In other words, before becoming devoted to the sacrament, a person must prepare his soul. And you can only do this in one way - to confess. But here is not so simple. Since the confession is also necessary to withstand one test. Consider in more detail the canon before confession and communion, as well as let's talk about the importance of preparation for them.
How to redeem your sins
Confession is a test of conscience. It should be immediately noted that this test is quite complicated for one simple reason. During many rites committed in the walls of the Church, a person simply follows the instructions of his confessor. However, by preparing for confession, he can rely exclusively on himself. That is, the Christian will definitely tell me what and how to do. But at the same time no one can help him, for example, find faith.
The first thing to be remembered to a person who is preparing for confession is not a mechanical action or legal act. It would seem that no one can think so. Moreover, who can come to mind to compare confession and legal act. However, this happens quite often. After all, people who have just recently gained faith, have not yet managed to fully realize it.
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The main problem is that people are too accustomed to the "image" of confession, who for her came up with cinema figures. Remembering all the films in which the recreation process was found, each priest involuntarily begins to resent. Since the film director tend to simplify the procedure itself and for some reason to bring it to a complete absurdity.
It is important to understand that a person who committed sin, in any case, remains a sinner. That is why he needs to devote the lives to atone for a perfect sin. Repentance is necessary in order to give a Christian the opportunity to recognize their sin and ask for mercy from heaven.
It is noteworthy that it is in recognition and awareness of sin is an important meaning. Oddly enough, but many sinners throughout their lives simply deny the fact that they really committed a fall and should be punished for him.
Before considering the basic rules of preparation for confession, it should be mentioned that repentance in sin consists of several stages:
- repentance after the fall - if a person repented immediately after he made any sin, it is believed that he passed the first stage of repentance;
- repentance before death - it is believed that every person before death must be remembered about those sins that they were committed and repeated in them;
- Confession of sin in the sacrament of confession is the most important stage, since it allows a person to get cleansing from sin.
Separately, you should mention the second paragraph. Namely, repentance before death. In the old days it was attached great importance. Then it was customary to call the priest to the house, if a person was on the verge of death. Of course, this did not mean that a person died immediately after the visit of the priest. There have been cases when people have recovered after that. That is why it was believed that confession can also save a person from the severity of sin, which caused a serious illness. But now this tradition is almost forgotten. Sometimes people visit the church to confess. But almost never ask the priest to visit their home when they are on the threshold of death.
It should also be noted that many people tend to confuse the canons before communion with others. In addition, often the sacrament of confession, they are confused with a regular conversation. For example, most Christians take a trust conversation with a spiritual mentor. However, in reality, such a conversation has nothing to do with the confession. In addition, do not confess confession with repentance. The final conversation is usually held before baptism. However, this procedure may not be conducted. It all depends on the desire of the person himself. That's just some often confuse this sacrament with the confession, which is wrong.
Sacrament Confession: Preparation
Now let's go directly to how to prepare for confession. In this case, a person needs to try to completely get rid of any prejudice, which were inspired by modern cinema. In fact, preparation for confession is characterized by complexity and requires a certain discipline:
- Before confession, a person needs to focus on repeated prayers;
- Throw over what actions he made in the past, and to understand, they are sinful or not. You can compare it with self-analysis, which psychologists and psychiatrists practiced very often;
- Mark your sinful features to realize the perfect errors. Very often the man sins and does not even notice it. For example, without recognizing the fact that Gordinian took possession, a person commits a sin;
- Ask forgiveness from people who suffered from the actions of the sinner. It should be noted that this is a very important phase of preparation. As a person needs not only to recognize his sin, but also find peaceful forces to apologize;
- Try to think about the plan of confession. Of course, in this case, it is not about the person to try to plan all the sacrament, that is, to determine its move. But priests recommend to think in advance what questions it is important to ask the confessor. After all, for each person it will be their questions.
In the above recommendations, there is nothing about whether a person needs to keep the post. And this is not an accident at all. Since the church does not push absolutely no requirements to ensure that a person must comply with one or another post. However, it is necessary to make one small refinement. The post, of course, do not need to keep, but you should learn to control yourself. If you remember, gluttony is a sin. And therefore, during preparation for confession, it is recommended to limit your diet, eliminating fatty and harmful food from it. Moreover, it is important to try not to overeat.
People suffering from alcohol dependence and smokers will have to be not easy. Since their test will be tougher - you will have to abandon bad habits. Of course, it will be very difficult to do it. But this is how a person will be able to prove the seriousness of intentions. In addition, it will help him in the future to completely get rid of the harmful habits.
A little different things are with people who have committed a grave sin. Even if they were already sincerely repeated in it, the church will insist on tightening the preparation process. And therefore the Christian will have to keep a very strict additional post. Of course, the severity of the forelegation is better not to try to determine independently. It is necessary to ask the advice from the priest. It will help to decide and with what post should be kept, and also will also point to three canon, which will definitely be read.
Recommendations for confessional
Since at present the number of Orthodox Christians who regularly visit the Church and communicate with a spiritual mentor, extremely few, many recommendations are useful. However, no always in humans have the opportunity to get all the necessary recommendations before confession. There may be many reasons for this. Therefore, it should be said for several words and the intricacies of the process of confession.- Firstly, a person who has never confessed before, should tell the confessor about all sins committed after baptism. That is from the moment of birth. If the Orthodox has recently been confessed, he should only tell about sins committed since the last confession.
- Secondly, forgive the Lord can all sins. But if a person will hide some sin during confession, then it will not be able to get forgiveness too. Therefore, you should remember all the limits.
- Thirdly, it is important to confess that you are ashamed. If a person is ashamed of some kind of act, he should definitely tell the confessor about it. Since it is a very large cargo, from which you need to get rid of.
Conclusion
- Before accepting the Holy Communion, a person must take preparation.
- Preparation Before communion implies confession.
- Confession should be carefully prepared.
- The post before confession should be kept only if the priest gave such a recommendation.