Modern life for a person, for the most part, is a punishment. All this whirlwind: work, constant lack of funds, not simple family relations, etc. difficult to carry over and over again. Therefore, a person first of all needs consolation.
Call of God
In this regard, the recently churched Orthodox will look for such a confessor who would try to understand them, understand the circumstances and, of course, console them. People are hungry for understanding. They are afraid that after they have decided to confess and are going to reveal their souls to the priest, they will still be properly reprimanded for their own transgressions. Therefore, they often turn away from the church. Maybe because of this, Orthodoxy among unbelievers is overgrown with all kinds of myths.
Some clerics behave inappropriately. Having heard the sins, they sometimes can even expel the confessing from the temple, horrified by the revelation that poured out on them. This negatively affects people who have just embarked on the rails of Orthodoxy. About 90% of those offended will never return here.
God Himself called these people to come to him, and his voice was heard. They went to him with great hope and here is the ending … But Christ died for all of us, without exception, and everyone has the right to take advantage of this sacrifice! A person comes to the temple to pour out his soul, ask for advice, and he is easily imposed a penance (punishment). Therefore, he leaves there with a burden twice as heavy and does not see the point in such a way of life.
What a Priest should be
A priest must be able to listen to a person, understand and feel his pain, and then be sure to regret and give hope. Severity has not been canceled, but it should be selective and in moderation. People need to be comforted more, and not handed out punishments left and right. A person is already punished, living on this earth, and experiencing various life difficulties. It is not surprising that with such an attitude towards a repentant person, he stops going to church. And this is the fault of the clergy, which disperses them with their own hands. Some novice believer will come and express a desire to receive communion, and he will be dumbfounded by various rules, canons, so much so that his head will spin. He will be frightened, it will seem impossible to him. He will decide that all this is not for him and will turn away from the church.
If the clergy are interested in the growth of their flock, they should be ready to read the necessary canons together with the penitent, explain to him all the incomprehensible moments in the text, etc. It is necessary to devote some time to such people and help to take the first steps. Unfortunately, not everyone does this. Therefore, the reaction of such people can be different: either a person will brush it off, referring to the complexity and intricacy of such a belief, or be surprised at the new reality that has opened up to him. And here a lot will depend on the priest. He must become a teacher for such a person, because modern people are illiterate in this respect.
How it used to be and how it is now
But what did the Holy Fathers and the great teachers of the church say about the practice of communion and confession? The fact is that in those days they prepared differently for such sacraments. The parishioners themselves brought everything they needed to the church: bread, wine, wax. They sang in the choir. Participation in the service was preparation. Of course, they abstained from conjugal intercourse and fasted. It was necessary to defend long-term services, which today have been significantly shortened. After that, they could begin the sacraments.
The practice of private preparation for the sacrament came later. Now, before entering the service, the believer must perform individual prayer work in order to warm up his soul and prepare his heart for worship.
The priest has every right during confession to judge about a person: is he ready for communion. If a priest knows a person, his life and sees his desire, he has the right to admit him to the sacrament, even if the parishioner did not do something (did not read the canons or fasted for one day, etc.).
You should not work on mistakes and read the canons for the sacrament after the ordinance, if for some reason you could not read them. In this case, we begin to cultivate excessive religiosity in ourselves. God does not require us to follow these rules thoroughly. It only requires the fulfillment of the commandments.
A priest is just needed in order to judge a person and make a decision based on my love for mankind and guided by the phrases of the Lord Jesus Christ: "Do not give the holy things to dogs" and "Do not forbid children to come to me." Lecture by Archpriest Andrei Tkachev
