Confession is one of the seven church sacraments that a Christian can begin to receive grace-filled help, spiritual cleansing and growth in faith. Otherwise, this sacrament is called repentance and means repentance before God for personal sins.
Every Orthodox person understands that the sacrament of confession is necessary for the soul. However, not everyone can afford, for various reasons, to start it. Sometimes a person simply does not know what to say to the priest when he comes to confession. And such cases are very common.
First of all, the one who wishes must prepare for this sacrament morally. It is very difficult for a complete stranger to admit all grave problems. But one must bear in mind that a Christian confesses to God, therefore he must ask for forgiveness for sins from God, and not a priest. The shepherd is just a witness who is the guide between the Lord and the repentant.
When a person firmly decides to proceed to confession, he must clearly understand that nothing can be hidden. It doesn't matter to a priest, but God knows everything. The Christian must know that God cannot be deceived.
The next step is realizing your sins. Much can be overlooked, much not known. Then the human conscience comes to the rescue. It is with her that you can find answers to many of your questions. To do this, it is enough to look objectively, without shame into the depths of your soul.
The next stage of preparation can be reading literature purchased in the temple or taken from friends. There are special books about what sins are. These publications are small. From them it is possible to understand to a Christian what specifically relates to him. For convenience, you can write down sins on paper, and then read them out in confession.
The last and main component of preparation for confession is a firm decision of one's will to try to live better, to strive not to repeat the evil that has already been done. In case of repeated manifestation of sins (and this happens with all people), you can start the sacrament of confession over and over again. This is how a Christian gradually purifies his soul and strives to live in accordance with the norms of the Christian faith.
