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MY ORTHODOX NOTEBOOK

No. 3 - ON CONFESSION

What is Confession?

Holy Confession is one of the Holy Mysteries of the Orthodox Church. It is not merely a conversation with the priest, but a sacred act in which 1) we reveal our sins to Christ with the priest as a witness, 2) we promise to fight our sins by willingly receiving spiritual advice and obediently accepting whatever epitimion our spiritual father gives us, and 3) we receive the forgiveness of God by the prayer of the Church, read by the priest.

Did Jesus Christ Himself really establish confession, or did someone else “invent” it?

Read John 20:21-23. Here Christ appears to the disciples after His resurrection and speaks with them: “ ‘Peace be unto you! As the Father has sent Me, so I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. IF YOU FORGIVE THE SINS OF ANY, THEY ARE FORGIVEN THEM; IF YOU RETAIN THE SINS OF ANY, THEY ARE RETAINED.’” We know from the Acts of the Apostles and the history of the early Church that the Holy Apostles ordained bishops and priests to take their place and to carry on this holy ministry of the FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

Why can’t I just tell God my sins directly; why do I have to reveal them in front of anyone else?

There are several vital reasons:

• As we see above, the priest isn’t just anyone; he has the authority of Christ granted to the apostles, to forgive our sins.
• When we are alone, it is easy to kid ourselves, not to remember our sins, and not to take our sins seriously. We can imagine we’re being honest with God, but - face it - we often just aren’t. And it’s easy to forget our sins; the priest can help us remember them.
• When we reveal our sins, it destroys our pride and humbles us. It also gives us a great sense of cleansing and release, the freedom to make a fresh start.
• When we sin, we don’t sin against God alone, we also sin against the Church, and the priest is the representative of the Church. Thank God, we don’t have to reveal our sins in front of everyone in the Church, just their representative! But we do have to make amends to the Church, too, not only to God, for as the Holy Apostle John says, if we don’t love the brother we do see, how can we love God whom we don’t see? (I John 4:20).

I am afraid to confess, because...

“…the priest might reveal my confession to others.” A priest who reveals a confession is liable to the strictest punishment from the bishop, even being deprived of the priesthood! If you have a dutiful and conscientious priest, you should have very little or no fear that he will reveal your confession.

“…once the priest hears my sins, he will think less of me.” Actually, the opposite is true! Priests receive a special gift from God which inspires them to love people even more once they have heard their confession. This is a gift of grace which surpasses the usual limits of human nature. It is one of the many proofs of the divine origin of the Church.

How often should I go to confession?

At a minimum, we receive the Mystery of Confession every time prior to receiving Holy Communion. But we may confess as often as we feel the need to unburden our conscience. Those who confess often usually develop a love and desire to go to confession, because it becomes a source of great consolation in their lives.

Brothers and sisters, do not hesitate, but start today to prepare for a good confession! This is the firmest foundation of spiritual life and gives us a firm hope of salvation!