The sacrament of confession is an integral part of the life of a Christian. The most common question for those who are preparing to go to confession for the first time is whether it is necessary to read any prayers before this? And if so, which ones?
Instructions
Step 1
Confession is the bottom of the seven Christian sacraments established by the Savior. He said to the Apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit: to whom you forgive sins, to him will be forgiven; to whom you leave, they will remain on that. In this Sacrament, the penitent is invisibly released from his sins.
Step 2
In the Russian Orthodox Church (as opposed to the Serbian Church, for example), confession is obligatory for those who are going to receive communion. For those who rarely receive communion, it is still recommended to confess from time to time. And some go to confession to relieve their souls or to solve some problem. The saints of the Orthodox Church, answering the question of what confession is, said that confession is not so much a conversation with a priest as communication with God, therefore, it must be approached responsibly.
So does this mean that prayers must be read in front of her? Let's try to understand one more thing first.
Step 3
What is prayer? It would seem that everything is already clear: prayer is a text, reading which a person turns to God or to the saints. There are obligatory prayers, there are prayers just in case of life. Everything is really so, with one "but". The Holy Fathers of the Church say that prayer is not only a text, but also a dialogue of the heart with God. If it is not there, then the text of the prayer itself becomes meaningless. Therefore, according to the teachings of the saints, there is no such thing as "obligatory prayer." There is the concept of "striving of the soul for God." And this is not something that needs to be done as a rule. This must come from the desire of the person himself. After all, unity with God is, first of all, in his interests.
Step 4
So, as such, there are no obligatory prayers before confession (unlike, for example, the sacrament, before which a certain rule must be read). However, confession is such a secret and serious sacrament that it is in the interests of the person himself to approach it with a focused and collected internally. This can best be achieved by turning your heart to God through prayer. Through the prayer that most pleases a person. Or through prayer in your own simple words. You can also read the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." The most important thing in your prayer - whether it is a prayer read from a prayer book, or a prayer in your own words - is a sincere, living appeal to God with the confidence that the prayer will be heard. Then confession will become not a formal enumeration of one's sins, but a true appeal to God for forgiveness.
