Sins in confession in your own words: briefly, a list of possible sins and their description. List of mortal sins, the fight against them in Orthodoxy

Sins in confession in your own words: briefly, a list of possible sins and their description.  List of mortal sins, the fight against them in Orthodoxy
Sins in confession in your own words: briefly, a list of possible sins and their description. List of mortal sins, the fight against them in Orthodoxy

Many people know that there are certain sins in Orthodoxy. But many do not know what exactly is meant by the word “sin,” and they forget about many acts that are considered sinful.

Sins in Orthodoxy

The classification of sins is based on the Ten Commandments and biblical texts. Regardless of religion, the following actions are considered sinful. Moreover, people who realize that they are doing wrong, but continue to do so, can become obsessed.

The most terrible sins in Orthodoxy (mortal)

1. Pride, i.e. recognition of oneself as equal to God, excessive narcissism and immeasurable pride.

2. Envy, jealousy and vanity.

3. Anger and revenge.

4. Laziness, despondency, despair, careless attitude towards life, idleness.

5. Greed, stinginess, greed, love of money.

6. Gluttony, gluttony.

7. Voluptuousness, lust, fornication, dissolute life.

Sins in Orthodoxy against God

Such acts include failure to fulfill the will of God, failure to observe the commandments, lack of faith or excessive hope for help, lack of gratitude to God, hypocritical veneration, superstition (including fortune telling and appeals to various clairvoyants). If you want to sin less, do not mention the name of God unless necessary, keep your vows, do not complain or blaspheme the Lord, read the Scriptures and do not be ashamed of your faith. Go to church regularly and pray from your heart. Stay in church during the entire service, honor all the holidays of God. Thoughts of suicide and promiscuity in sexual activity are also considered sinful.

Sins in Orthodoxy against one's neighbor

Love your neighbors and enemies, know how to forgive and have no desire to take revenge. Honor your elders and superiors, respect your parents. Be sure to keep your promises and repay debts on time, do not steal. Do not attempt on someone else's life, incl. do not have an abortion and do not advise others to do so. Do not refuse to help people, treat your work responsibly and appreciate the work of others. Raise your children in Christian faith, visit the sick, pray both for mentors and loved ones, and for enemies. Be compassionate and show love to animals and plants. Do not slander or discuss the sins of others. Also, you should not create scandals, be hypocritical and mock people. Sins include the desire to seduce, jealousy and corruption of neighbors.

Sins in Orthodoxy: a list of sins against oneself

You shouldn’t honor yourself too much and admire yourself. Be humble, be obedient. Don't envy and don't lie - it's sinful. Also, do not throw words to the wind and do not talk about empty things. Irritation, resentment, melancholy and laziness are considered sins. Also, you should not do good deeds for the sake of recognition. Take care of your health, but don't make it a priority. Avoid alcohol too. You should not gamble or study pornographic products. Also, drive away lustful thoughts from yourself, do not cheat and do not have sex outside of marriage. And here we are talking specifically about weddings, because... The stamp in the passport "does not count".

Is not full list sins, but getting rid of these actions can make life more joyful and improve your relationships with others.

“But I revealed my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and You have taken away from me the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 31:5)

This list is provided so that those preparing for confession can take a deeper look at themselves, more accurately find expressions and names of their illnesses. It is useful to make a rough plan for yourself - what sins to confess, so as not to forget later in confession; but you will have to not just read from a piece of paper about your ulcers, but with a feeling of guilt and repentance, open them before God, take them out of your soul like nasty snakes, and get rid of them with a feeling of disgust.

Disbelief. Atheism. Failure to keep the vows of Holy Baptism. Dishonoring icons, not wearing a cross.

Lack of faith. Doubt about the omnipotence and mercy of the Creator. Lack of hope for salvation, despair, thoughts and attempts at suicide. Distrust of God's Providence. Lack of trust in the Lord. Fear of old age, poverty, illness, future sorrows. God's ingratitude for everything that happens to us. Attributing successes to yourself and grumbling at God for failures. View of Orthodoxy as national tradition, a set of external rituals. The discrepancy between our words and deeds in the church and outside the church fence.

Superstition and heresy. Belief in omens, dreams, horoscopes, astrological forecasts. Seeking help from intermediaries of demonic power - occultists: psychics, bioenergeticists, non-contact massage therapists, hypnotists, traditional healers, sorcerers, fortune tellers, healers, fortune tellers, astrologers, parapsychologists, Scientologists. Watching and listening to television and radio programs with their participation, reading occult literature. (“White” sorcerers and healers do not exist. Even if they read prayers, hang icons on the stage and assure of their love for the Church, do not believe them! According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, these are wolves in sheep’s clothing). Participation in coding sessions, removal of “damage and evil eye”, spiritualism. Contacting UFOs and the “higher mind”. Connecting to “cosmic energies”. Studying theosophy, Eastern philosophy and religious cults, practicing yoga, meditation, following the system of Porfiry Ivanov. Studying the “living ethics” of the Roerichs, Dianetics and Scientology (Hubbard’s teachings) and participating in auditing sessions, etc.

Attending speeches by Protestant preachers, participating in meetings of Baptists, evangelists, Adventists, Pentecostals (charismatics), the Word of Life Church, Moonies (unification church), Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mother of God Center, the White Brotherhood and others non-Orthodox religious organizations. Watching and listening to television and radio programs with their participation. Participation in non-Orthodox services, acceptance of baptism by sectarians. Attending services and participating in the Sacraments of schismatics, many of whom call themselves Orthodox, but are not in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church: Old Believers-bespopovtsy, Uniates (Greek Catholics) and others (“Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate”, “Free Orthodox Church", "True Orthodox Church", etc.). Propaganda and dissemination of the ideas of the mentioned sects, “churches” and organizations.

Blasphemy and desecration. Murmuring at God for suffering that seems undeserved to us. An irreverent attitude towards God, church shrines, and the Sacraments. Disrespect for clergy. Mention of the name of God or Holy Mother of God in vain (in everyday conversations as interjections: “Oh, you, Lord,” “God be with him,” “Everything with us is not a glory to God,” etc.). Mentioning sacred words jokingly, in anger, along with insults. Prayer for punishment of another person. It is also sinful to threaten your enemies with the wrath of the Lord. Summoning evil spirits in anger or simple conversation (cursing). Using obscene words.

Prayerlessness. Neglect of church services. Not attending church on Sundays and holidays. Being late for a church service due to negligence and leaving the church before the end of the service. Inattention and absent-mindedness during home and church prayer. Conversations during worship. Infrequent confession and communion without proper preparation. Lack of understanding of the meaning of the Sacraments being performed and lack of interest in this knowledge. Failure to comply with morning and evening prayer rules. Failure to pray before and after meals.

Egoism and egocentrism. Self-love. Disrespect for parents, disrespect for elders. Lack of love for one's neighbor, impatience, unmercifulness, suspiciousness, jealousy, suspicious character, inconstancy in relation to one's neighbors. Excessive concern for your health.

Pride and vanity. A high opinion of oneself, of one’s imaginary merits. High-mindedness, loss of simplicity. Self-will, disobedience. Self-justification, condemnation of one's neighbor. Neglect of one’s spiritual state, with a desire to teach and “save” others. Seeking fame, praise from people. Unequal treatment of others (personality). Doing good deeds, almsgiving and prayer in plain sight, for show to people (hypocrisy). People-pleasing, cunning, flattery. Touchiness. Envy. Stubbornness.

Spiritual beauty. An opinion about one’s chosenness, considering oneself worthy and having achieved special spiritual perfection. Accepting dreams as divine “revelations”. A trusting attitude towards the waking phenomena of visions and signs. The desire to see angels, to receive revelations of God, to heal people, to perform miracles.

Dejection. The fading of love for others, indifference to the suffering of others, the inability to rejoice in the joy of one’s neighbor. Doubt about the possibility of forgiveness of one's sins. Coldness and lukewarmness towards spiritual things, carelessness about salvation. Laziness. Love of bodily peace, empty daydreaming. Empty pastime, “killing time.” Excessive sleep. Television omnivorousness. Computer addiction. Reading blank books.

Celebration. Verbosity. Empty, useless talk. Gossip, retelling of rumors. Singing passionate songs. Love of controversy. Empty laughter, jokes, witticisms, anecdotes.

Lie. Misleading a neighbor by word, deed or silence. Failure to keep promises. Craftiness. Sycophancy. Gossip, fiction and exaggeration in idle conversations. Slander. Bold reasoning about obscure things. Jokes based on deception. Concealment of sins in confession.

Love of money. Addiction to money, things, all kinds material benefits, manifested both in the form of wastefulness and in its opposite, stinginess. Desire for wealth. Love for gifts. Envy. No mercy, contempt for the poor. Excessive concern for one's well-being and fear of losing it. Gambling.

Theft. Illegal appropriation of someone else's property (private or public). Failure to return monetary debts or things given on loan. Parasitism, begging unless absolutely necessary. Damaging the property of a neighbor. Extortion of payment for one's labor in excess of what is due (extortion).

Gluttony. Treating food as a source of pleasure. Absorption. Drunkenness. Smoking. Failure to observe fasts (multi-day fasts - Great, Petrovsky, Assumption and Christmas fasts; one-day fasts - on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on special days established by the Church). Eating food out of boredom, despondency, idleness. Dissatisfaction with food.

Fornication. Fornication, the so-called “civil marriage”. Adultery (violation marital fidelity). Incest. Sodomy, bestiality, masturbation. Seduction, violence. Watching seductive shows, lewd films, paintings, books. Seductive conversations, lewd stories. Prodigal dreams. Intemperance in married life on fasting days.

Anger. Irritability. Hot temper, adoption of angry thoughts. Nurturing thoughts of revenge and anger, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening the mind with it. Coarseness. Obscene shouting, arguing, swearing and cruel words. Memory malice. Hatred, enmity, intransigence, vindictiveness, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one's neighbor.

Murder. Taking the life of another person. Suicide attempt. Abortion (murder in the womb). Assault, beating, wounds, mutilation. Inciting a fight, pitting people against each other with gossip, slander, slander. Failure to provide assistance to a sick, dying, homeless, hungry, drowning before your eyes, beaten or robbed, victim of fire or flood. Killing animals unnecessarily, torturing them. Not raising children in Orthodox faith. Mockery, mockery of someone else's grief.

LIST OF SINS WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR SPIRITUAL ESSENCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About repentance
Sins against God and the Church
Sins towards others
List of deadly sins
Special mortal sins - blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
About the eight main passions with their divisions and branches and about the virtues that oppose them (according to the works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).
General list of sins
edition
ZADONSKY CHRISTMAS OF THE BOGORODITSKY
MONASTERY
2005

About repentance

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13), Even in His earthly life he established the sacrament of forgiveness of sins. He released the harlot, who had washed His feet with tears of repentance, with the words: “Your sins are forgiven... your faith has saved you, go in peace.” (Luke 7, 48, 50). He healed the paralytic brought to Him on his bed, saying: “Your sins are forgiven... but so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” then He said to the paralytic, “get up, take up your bed and go to your house.” » (Matt. 9, 2, 6).

He transferred this power to the apostles, and they to the priests of the Church of Christ, who have the right to resolve sinful bonds, that is, to free the soul from the sins committed and affecting it. If only a person came to confession with a feeling of repentance, awareness of his untruths and a desire to cleanse his soul of sinful burdens...

This brochure is intended to help the repentant: it contains a list of sins compiled on the basis of the “general confession” of St. Demetrius of Rostov.

Sins against God and the Church
* Disobedience to the will of God. Obvious disagreement with the will of God, expressed in His commandments, Holy Scripture, instructions of the spiritual father, the voice of conscience, reinterpretation of God's will in one's own way, in a sense beneficial to oneself for the purpose of self-justification or condemnation of one's neighbor, putting one's own will above the will of Christ, jealousy not according to reason in ascetic exercises and forcing others to follow themselves, failure to fulfill promises made to God in previous confessions.

* Murmuring against God. This sin is a consequence of distrust in God, which can lead to complete falling away from the Church, loss of faith, apostasy and opposition to God. The opposite virtue to this sin is humility before God’s Providence for oneself.

* Ingratitude to God. A person often turns to God in times of trials, sorrows and illnesses, asking to soften or even get rid of them; on the contrary, during periods of external well-being, he forgets about Him, not realizing that he is using His good gift, and does not thank him for it. The opposite virtue is constant gratitude to the Heavenly Father for the trials, consolations, spiritual joys and earthly happiness He sends.

* Lack of faith, doubt in the truth of Holy Scripture and Tradition (that is, in the dogmas of the Church, its canons, the legality and correctness of the hierarchy, the performance of worship, the authority of the writings of the Holy Fathers). Renunciation of faith in God out of fear of people and concern for earthly well-being.

Lack of faith - the absence of complete, deep conviction in any Christian truth or the acceptance of this truth only with the mind, but not with the heart. This sinful state arises out of doubt or lack of zeal for the true knowledge of God. Lack of faith is to the heart what doubt is to the mind. It relaxes the heart on the path of fulfilling the will of God. Confession helps to drive out lack of faith and strengthen the heart.

Doubt is a thought that violates (obviously and vaguely) the conviction in the truth of the teachings of Christ and His Church in general and in particular, for example, doubts in the Gospel commandments, doubts in dogmas, that is, any member of the Creed, in the holiness of something recognized by the Church a saint or events of Sacred history celebrated in the Church, in the inspiration of the Holy Fathers; doubt in the veneration of holy icons and relics of holy saints, in the invisible Divine presence, in worship and in the sacraments.

In life, one must learn to distinguish between “empty” doubts aroused by demons, the environment (the world) and one’s own sin-darkened mind - such doubts must be rejected by an act of will - and real spiritual problems that must be resolved based on complete trust in God and His Church , forcing oneself to complete self-disclosure before the Lord in the presence of a confessor. It is better to confess all doubts: both those that were rejected by the inner spiritual eye, and especially those that were accepted in the heart and gave rise to confusion and despondency there. In this way the mind is purified and enlightened and faith is strengthened.

Doubt can arise on the basis of excessive trust in oneself, being carried away by other people’s opinions, and little zeal for the awareness of one’s faith. The fruit of doubt is relaxation in following the path of salvation, opposition to the will of God.

* Passivity(little zeal, lack of effort) in the knowledge of Christian truth, the teachings of Christ and His Church. Lack of desire (if there is such an opportunity) to read the Holy Scriptures, the works of the holy fathers, to ponder and comprehend with the heart the dogmas of faith, to understand the meaning of worship. This sin arises from mental laziness or excessive fear of falling into any doubt. As a result, the truths of faith are absorbed superficially, thoughtlessly, mechanically, and in the end a person’s ability to effectively and consciously fulfill the will of God in life is undermined.

* Heresies and superstitions. Heresy is a false teaching related to spiritual world and communication with him, rejected by the Church as being in clear contradiction with Holy Scripture and Tradition. Personal pride, excessive trust in one’s own mind and personal spiritual experience often leads to heresy. The reason for heretical opinions and judgments may also be insufficient knowledge of the teachings of the Church, or theological ignorance.

* Ritualism. Adherence to the letter of Scripture and Tradition, giving meaning only outside church life while forgetting its meaning and purpose - these vices are united under the name of ritual belief. Belief in the salvific value only of the exact fulfillment of ritual actions in themselves, without taking into account their internal spiritual meaning, testifies to the inferiority of faith and a decrease in reverence for God, forgetting that a Christian must “serve God in the renewal of the spirit, and not according to the old letter” (Rom. 7:6). Ritualism arises due to insufficient understanding of good news Christ, but “He gave us the ability to be ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit, because the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6). Ritualism testifies to an inadequate perception of the teachings of the Church, which does not correspond to its greatness, or to an unreasonable zeal for service, which does not correspond to the will of God. Ritualism, which is quite widespread among the church people, entails superstition, legalism, pride, and division.

* Mistrust of God. This sin is expressed in the lack of confidence that the primary cause of all external and internal life circumstances is the Lord, who desires our true good. Distrust of God is caused by the fact that a person has not sufficiently become accustomed to the Gospel Revelation, has not felt its main point: the voluntary suffering, crucifixion, death and resurrection of the Son of God.

From distrust of God arise such sins as lack of constant gratitude to Him, despondency, despair (especially in illness, sorrow), cowardice in circumstances, fear of the future, vain attempts to insure against suffering and avoid trials, and in case of failure - hidden or open murmur on God and His Providence for himself. The opposite virtue is placing one’s hopes and hopes on God, fully accepting His Providence for oneself.

* Lack of fear of God and reverence for Him. Careless, absent-minded prayer, irreverent behavior in the temple, before the shrine, disrespect for the sacred dignity.

Lack of mortal memory in anticipation of the Last Judgment.

* Small jealousy(or its complete absence) to communion with God, spiritual life. Salvation is fellowship with God in Christ in the eternal future life. Earthly life for the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven, the world of God, the sonship of God. Achieving this goal depends on God, but God will not constantly be with a person if he does not show all his zeal, love, intelligence to get closer to Him. The whole life of a Christian is directed towards this goal. If you have no love for prayer as a way of communicating with God, for the temple, for participating in the sacraments, then this is a sign of a lack of zeal for communication with God.

In relation to prayer, this manifests itself in the fact that it occurs only under duress, irregular, inattentive, relaxed, with a careless body position, mechanical, limited only to prayers learned by heart or read out. There is no constant memory of God, love and gratitude to Him as the background of all life.

Possible reasons: insensibility of the heart, passivity of the mind, lack of proper preparation for prayer, unwillingness to think through and understand with your heart and mind the meaning of the upcoming prayer work and the content of each forgiveness or doxology.

Another group of reasons: attachment of the mind, heart and will to earthly things.

In relation to temple worship, this sin is manifested in rare, irregular participation in public worship, in absent-mindedness or talking during the service, walking around the temple, distracting others from prayer with one’s requests or comments, being late for the start of the service and leaving before dismissal and blessing.

In general, this sin comes down to inability to feel the special presence of God in the temple during public worship.

Causes of sin: reluctance to enter into prayerful unity with brothers and sisters in Christ due to being burdened with earthly concerns and immersion in the vain affairs of this world, powerlessness in the fight against internal temptations sent by spiritually hostile forces that interfere and hold us back from acquiring the grace of the Holy Spirit, and , finally, pride, an unbrotherly, unloving attitude towards other parishioners, irritation and anger against them.

In relation to the Sacrament of repentance, the sin of indifference is manifested in rare confessions without proper preparation, in the preference for a general confession to a personal one in order to go through it more painlessly, in the absence of a desire to deeply know oneself, in an uncontrite and unhumble spiritual disposition, in the lack of determination to leave sin and eradicate vicious inclinations , to overcome temptations, instead - the desire to minimize sin, justify oneself, and keep silent about the most shameful actions and thoughts. By thereby committing deception in the face of the Lord Himself, who accepts confession, a person aggravates his sins.

The reasons for these phenomena are a lack of understanding of the spiritual meaning of the Sacrament of Repentance, complacency, self-pity, vanity, and an unwillingness to internally overcome demonic resistance.

We sin especially grievously against the Most Holy and Life-Giving Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, approaching Holy Communion rarely and without proper preparation, without first cleansing the soul in the Sacrament of repentance; we do not feel the need to receive communion more often, we do not maintain our purity after communion, but again we fall into vanity and indulge in vices.

The reasons for this are rooted in the fact that we do not think deeply about the meaning of the highest sacrament of the Church, we do not realize its greatness and our sinful unworthiness, the need for healing of soul and body, we do not pay attention to the insensitivity of the heart, we do not realize the influence of fallen spirits nesting in our soul, which turn us away from communion, and therefore we do not resist, but succumb to their temptation, we do not enter into struggle with them, we do not experience reverence and fear of God’s presence in the Holy Gifts, we are not afraid to partake of the Holy Place “in judgment and condemnation,” we do not worry about the constant fulfillment of our will God in life, inattentive to our hearts, subject to vanity, we approach the Holy Chalice with a hardened heart, not reconciled with our neighbors.

* Self-justification, complacency. Satisfaction with one's spiritual structure or state.

* Despair from the spectacle of one’s spiritual state and powerlessness to fight sin. In general, self-assessment of one’s own spiritual structure and state; placing spiritual judgment on oneself in contrast to what the Lord Jesus Christ said: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Rom. 12:19).

* Lack of spiritual sobriety constant heartfelt attention, absent-mindedness, sinful oblivion, foolishness.

* Spiritual pride attributing to oneself the gifts received from God, the desire for independent possession of any spiritual gifts and energies.

* Spiritual fornication attraction to spirits alien to Christ (occultism, eastern mysticism, theosophy). True spiritual life is being in the Holy Spirit.

* Frivolous and sacrilegious attitude towards God and the Church: using the name of God in jokes, frivolous mention of holy things, curses with the mention of His name, pronouncing the name of God without reverence.

* Spiritual individualism, tendency to isolate oneself in prayer (even during Divine Liturgy), forgetting that we are members of the Catholic Church, members of one mystical Body of Christ, members of each other.

* Spiritual egoism, spiritual voluptuousness- prayer, participation in the sacraments only for the sake of receiving spiritual pleasures, consolations and experiences.

* Impatience in Prayer and Others spiritual exploits. This includes failure to follow prayer rules, breaking fasts, eating at the wrong time, and leaving church early without a particularly good reason.

* Consumer attitude towards God and the Church, when there is no desire to give anything to the Church, to work for it in any way. Prayerful request for worldly success, honors, satisfaction of selfish desires and material wealth.

* Spiritual stinginess, lack of spiritual generosity, the need to convey to others the grace received from God with words of consolation, sympathy, and service to people.

* Lack of constant concern for doing God's will in life. This sin manifests itself when we do serious things without asking for God's blessing, without consulting or asking for the blessing of our spiritual father.

Sins towards others

* Pride, exaltation over one's neighbor, arrogance, “demonic stronghold” (this most dangerous of sins is discussed separately and in detail below).

* Condemnation. The tendency to notice, remember and name other people's shortcomings, to commit overt or internal judgment on one's neighbor. Under the influence of condemnation of one’s neighbor, which is not always noticeable even to oneself, a distorted image of one’s neighbor is formed in the heart. This image then serves as an internal justification for dislike for this person, a disdainful and evil attitude towards him. In the process of repentance, this false image must be crushed and, on the basis of love, the true image of each neighbor must be recreated in the heart.

* Anger, irritability, grumpiness. Can I control my anger? Do I allow swear words and curses in quarrels with neighbors and in raising children? Do I use foul language in normal conversation (to be “like everyone else”)? Is there rudeness, rudeness, impudence, evil mockery, hatred in my behavior?

* Unmercifulness, lack of compassion. Am I responsive to requests for help? Are you ready for self-sacrifice and almsgiving? Is it easy for me to lend things or money? Am I not reproaching my debtors? Am I rudely and persistently demanding the return of what I borrowed? Am I not bragging to people about my sacrifices, alms, helping my neighbors, expecting approval and earthly rewards? Wasn't he stingy, afraid of not getting what he asked for back?

Works of mercy should be done in secret, for we do them not for the sake of human glory, but for the sake of love for God and neighbor.

* Grudges, unforgiveness of insults, vindictiveness. Excessive demands on one's neighbor. These sins are contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the Gospel of Christ. Our Lord teaches us to forgive our neighbor's sins against us up to seventy times seventy times. Without forgiving others, taking revenge on them for an insult, holding in our minds a grudge against another, we cannot hope for the forgiveness of our own sins by the Heavenly Father.

* Self-isolation, alienation from other people.

* Neglect of neighbors, indifference. This sin is especially terrible in relation to parents: ingratitude towards them, callousness. If our parents have died, do we remember to remember them in prayer?

* Vanity, ambition. We fall into this sin when we become vain, flaunting our talents, mental and physical, intelligence, education, and when we demonstrate our superficial spirituality, ostentatious churchliness, imaginary piety.

How do we treat our family members, people with whom we often meet or work? Can we tolerate their weaknesses? Do we often get irritated? Are we arrogant, touchy, intolerant of other people's shortcomings, of other people's opinions?

* Lust, the desire to be first, to command. Do we love to be served? How do we treat people who depend on us at work and at home? Do we like to dominate, to insist on doing our will? Do we have a tendency to interfere in other people's affairs, in other people's personal lives, with persistent advice and instructions? Are we trying to leave the last word for yourself, just to disagree with the opinion of another, even if he is right?

* Humanity- this is the other side of the sin of covetousness. We fall into it, wanting to please another person, afraid of disgracing ourselves in front of him. Out of people-pleasing, we often do not expose obvious sin and participate in lies. Have we indulged in flattery, that is, feigned, exaggerated admiration for a person, trying to gain his favor? Have we adjusted to other people's opinions and tastes for our own benefit? Have you ever been deceitful, dishonest, two-faced, or dishonest at work? Didn't you betray people to save yourself from trouble? Did you place your blame on others? Have you kept other people's secrets?

Reflecting on his past, a Christian preparing for confession must remember all the bad things that he, voluntarily or unwittingly, committed towards his neighbors.

Was it the cause of grief, someone else's misfortune? Didn't he destroy the family? Are you guilty of adultery and have you pushed another into this sin by pimping? Did you not take upon yourself the sin of killing an unborn child, did you contribute to it? These sins should only be repented of in personal confession.

Was he prone to obscene jokes, anecdotes, and immoral allusions? Didn’t you insult the sanctity of human love with cynicism and outrage?

* Disturbing the peace. Do we know how to maintain peace in the family, in communication with neighbors, and co-workers? Don't we allow ourselves slander, condemnation, and evil ridicule? Do we know how to curb our tongue, are we not talkative?

Are we showing an idle, sinful curiosity about the lives of other people? Are we attentive to the needs and concerns of people? Are we not closing in on ourselves, in our supposedly spiritual problems, turning away people?

* Envy, malice, gloating. Have you envied someone else's success, position, arrangement? Didn't you secretly wish for failure, failure, a sad outcome for other people's affairs? Did you not openly or secretly rejoice at someone else’s misfortune or failure? Did you incite others to evil deeds while remaining outwardly innocent? Have you ever been overly suspicious, seeing only the bad in everyone? Did one person point out the vice (explicit or imaginary) of another person in order to quarrel between them? Have you abused the trust of your neighbor by revealing to others his shortcomings or sins? Did you spread gossip discrediting the wife before the husband or the husband before the wife? Did your behavior cause jealousy of one of the spouses and anger against the other?

* Resistance to evil against oneself. This sin is manifested in obvious resistance to the offender, in repaying evil for evil, when our heart does not want to bear the pain caused to him.

* Failure to provide assistance to one's neighbor, the offended, the persecuted. We fall into this sin when, out of cowardice or misunderstood humility, we do not stand up for the offended, do not expose the offender, do not testify to the truth, and allow evil and injustice to triumph.

How do we bear the misfortune of our neighbor, do we remember the commandment: “Bear one another’s burdens”? Are you always ready to help, sacrificing your peace and well-being? Are we leaving our neighbor in trouble?

Sins against oneself and other sinful tendencies that are contrary to the spirit of Christ

* Dejection, despair. Have you given in to despondency and despair? Did you have thoughts of suicide?

* Bad faith. Do we force ourselves to serve others? Are we not sinning by dishonestly fulfilling our duties in work and raising children? whether we keep our promises to people; Are we not leading people into temptation by being late to the meeting place or to the house where they are waiting for us, by forgetfulness, non-obligation, frivolity?

Are we careful at work, at home, in transport? Are we scattered in our work: forgetting to finish one task, we move on to another? Do we strengthen ourselves in the intention to serve others?

* Bodily excesses. Didn’t you destroy yourself with excesses of the flesh: overeating, sweet eating, gluttony, eating at the wrong time?

Have you abused your penchant for bodily peace and comfort, sleeping a lot, lying in bed after waking up? Have you indulged in laziness, immobility, lethargy, and relaxation? Are you so partial to a certain way of life that you are unwilling to change it for the sake of your neighbor?

Am I not guilty of drunkenness, this most terrible of modern vices, destroying soul and body, bringing evil and suffering to others? How do you fight this vice? Do you help your neighbor to give up on him? Did you not tempt the non-drinker with wine, or give wine to the young and sick?

Are you addicted to smoking, which also destroys your health? Smoking distracts from spiritual life, a cigarette replaces a smoker’s prayer, displaces the consciousness of sins, destroys spiritual chastity, serves as a temptation for others, and harms their health, especially children and adolescents. Did you use drugs?

* Sensual thoughts and temptations. Have we struggled with sensual thoughts? Have you avoided the temptations of the flesh? Have you turned away from seductive sights, conversations, touches? Have you sinned by intemperance of mental and physical feelings, pleasure and procrastination in unclean thoughts, voluptuousness, immodest viewing of persons of the opposite sex, self-defilement? Don't we remember with pleasure our previous sins of the flesh?

* Peacefulness. Are we not guilty of pleasing human passions, mindlessly following the lifestyle and behavior accepted among the people around us, including, although existing in the church environment, but not imbued with the spirit of love, feigning piety, falling into hypocrisy and pharisaism?

* Disobedience. Do we sin by disobeying our parents, elders in the family, or bosses at work? Are we not following the advice of our spiritual father, are we avoiding the penance he imposed on us, this spiritual medicine that heals the soul? Are we suppressing reproaches of conscience without fulfilling the law of love?

* Idleness, extravagance, attachment to things. Are we wasting our time? Are we using the talents God has given us for good? Are we wasting money without benefiting ourselves and others?

Are we not guilty of addiction to the comforts of life, are we not attached to perishable material things, are we accumulating excessively, “for a rainy day,” food products, clothes, shoes, luxurious furniture, jewelry, thereby not trusting God and His Providence, forgetting that tomorrow we can appear before His court?

* Acquisitiveness. We fall into this sin when we are overly carried away by the accumulation of perishable wealth or seeking human glory in work, in creativity; when we refuse, under the pretext of being busy, to pray and go to church, even on Sundays and holidays, we indulge in over-concern and vanity. This leads to captivity of the mind and petrification of the heart.

We sin in word, deed, thought, with all five senses, knowledge and ignorance, voluntarily and involuntarily, in reason and unreason, and there is no way to list all our sins according to their multitude. But we truly repent of them and ask for grace-filled help to remember all our sins, forgotten and therefore unrepentant. We promise to continue to take care of ourselves with God’s help, avoid sin and do deeds of love. But You, Lord, forgive us and forgive us from all sins according to Your mercy and long-suffering, and bless us to partake of Your Holy and Life-giving Mysteries, not for judgment and condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. Amen.

List of deadly sins

1. Pride, despising everyone, demanding servility from others, ready to ascend to heaven and become like the Most High; in a word, pride to the point of self-adoration.

2. An insatiable soul, or Judas’s greed for money, combined for the most part with unrighteous acquisitions, not allowing a person even a minute to think about spiritual things.

3. Fornication, or the dissolute life of the prodigal son, who squandered all his father’s estate on such a life.

4. Envy leading to every possible crime against one's neighbor.

5. Gluttony, or carnalism, not knowing any fasting, combined with a passionate attachment to various amusements, following the example of the evangelical rich man, who had fun all day long.

6. Anger unapologetic and deciding to commit terrible destruction, following the example of Herod, who in his anger beat the Bethlehem babies.

7. Laziness or complete carelessness about the soul, carelessness about repentance until the last days of life, as, for example, in the days of Noah.

Special mortal sins - blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

These sins include:

Stubborn disbelief not convinced by any evidence of truth, even by obvious miracles, rejecting the most established truth.

Despair, or the feeling opposite to excessive trust in God in relation to God’s mercy, which denies the fatherly goodness in God and leads to thoughts of suicide.

Excessive reliance on God or the continuation of a gravely sinful life in the sole hope of God’s mercy.

Deadly sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance

* In general, intentional homicide (abortion), and especially parricide (fratricide and regicide).

* Sin of Sodom.

* Unnecessary oppression of a poor, defenseless person, a defenseless widow and young orphans.

* Withholding from a wretched worker the wages he deserves.

* Taking away from a person in his extreme situation the last piece of bread or the last mite, which he obtained with sweat and blood, as well as the violent or secret appropriation of alms, food, warmth or clothing from prisoners in prison, which are determined by him, and in general their oppression.

* Chagrin and insults to parents to the point of impudent beatings.

About the eight main passions with their divisions
and otralami and about the virtues that oppose them

(based on the works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

1. Gluttony- overeating, drunkenness, non-keeping and allowing fasts, secret eating, delicacy, and generally violation of abstinence. Incorrect and excessive love of the flesh, its belly and rest, which constitutes self-love, from which comes failure to remain faithful to God, the Church, virtue and people.

This passion must be resisted abstinence - refraining from excessive consumption of food and nutrition, especially from drinking wine in excess, and maintaining fasts established by the Church. One must curb one’s flesh by moderate and constantly equal consumption of food, which is why all passions in general begin to weaken, and especially self-love, which consists of a wordless love of the flesh, life and its peace.

2. Fornication- prodigal kindling, prodigal sensations and attitudes of the soul and heart. Prodigal dreams and captivities. Failure to preserve the senses, especially the sense of touch, is the insolence that destroys all virtues. Foul language and reading voluptuous books. Natural prodigal sins: fornication and adultery. Prodigal sins are unnatural.

This passion is resisted chastity - avoidance of all kinds of fornication. Chastity is avoidance of voluptuous conversations and reading, and the utterance of voluptuous, foul and ambiguous words. Storing the senses, especially sight and hearing, and even more so the sense of touch. Alienation from television and depraved films, from depraved newspapers, books and magazines. Modesty. Rejection of the thoughts and dreams of prodigals. The beginning of chastity is a mind that does not waver from lustful thoughts and dreams; the perfection of chastity is purity that sees God.

3. Love of money- love of money, in general love of property, movable and immovable. The desire to get rich. Thinking about the means to get rich. Dreaming of wealth. Fears of old age, unexpected poverty, illness, exile. Stinginess. Selfishness. Disbelief in God, lack of trust in His Providence. Addiction or painful excessive love for various perishable objects, depriving the soul of freedom. Passion for vain concerns. Loving gifts. Appropriation of someone else's. Likhva. Cruelty towards the poor brethren and all those in need. Theft. Robbery.

They fight this passion non-covetousness - self-satisfaction with only what is necessary, hatred of luxury and bliss, charity for the poor. Non-covetousness is the love of gospel poverty. Trust in God's Providence. Following Christ's commandments. Calmness and freedom of spirit and carelessness. Softness of heart.

4. Anger— hot temper, acceptance of angry thoughts: dreams of anger and revenge, indignation of the heart with rage, darkening of the mind by it; obscene shouting, argument, swearing, cruel and caustic words; hitting, pushing, killing. Malice, hatred, enmity, revenge, slander, condemnation, indignation and insult to one’s neighbor.

The passion of anger is opposed meekness avoidance of angry thoughts and indignation of the heart with rage. Patience. Following Christ, who calls His disciple to the cross. Peace of the heart. Silence of the mind. Christian firmness and courage. Not feeling insulted. Kindness.

5. Sadness- grief, melancholy, cutting off hope in God, doubt in God’s promises, ingratitude to God for everything that happens, cowardice, impatience, lack of self-reproach, sorrow for one’s neighbor, grumbling, renunciation of the cross, attempt to descend from it.

They fight this passion by opposing it blissful cry a feeling of decline, common to all people, and of one’s own spiritual poverty. Lamenting about them. Cry of the mind. Painful contrition of the heart. The lightness of conscience, grace-filled consolation and joy that vegetates from them. Hope in God's mercy. Thank God in sorrows, humbly enduring them from the sight of the multitude of one’s sins. Willingness to endure.

6. Dejection- laziness towards everyone good deed, especially to prayer. Abandonment of church and cell rules. Abandoning unceasing prayer and soul-helping reading. Inattention and haste in prayer. Neglect. Irreverence. Idleness. Excessive calming by sleep, lying down and all kinds of restlessness. Celebration. Jokes. Blasphemy. Abandonment of bows and other physical feats. Forgetting your sins. Forgetting the commandments of Christ. Negligence. Captivity. Deprivation of the fear of God. Bitterness. Insensibility. Despair.

Opposes despondency sobriety zeal for every good deed. Non-slothful correction of church and cell rules. Attention when praying. Careful observation of all deeds, words, thoughts

and your feelings. Extreme self-distrust. Continuous stay in prayer and the Word of God. Awe. Constant vigilance over oneself. Keeping yourself from a lot of sleep and effeminacy, idle talk, jokes and sharp words. Love of night vigils, bows and other feats that bring cheerfulness to the soul. Remembrance of eternal blessings, desire and expectation of them.

7. Vanity- the search for human glory. Boasting. Desire and search for earthly and vain honors. Loving beautiful clothes. Attention to the beauty of your face, the pleasantness of your voice and other qualities of your body. Shame to confess your sins. Hiding them before people and the spiritual father. Craftiness. Self-justification. Envy. Humiliation of one's neighbor. Changeability of character. Indulgence. Unconscionability. The character and life are demonic.

They fight vanity humility . This virtue includes the fear of God. Feeling it during prayer. Fear that arises during especially pure prayer, when the presence and greatness of God is felt especially strongly, so as not to disappear and turn into nothing. Deep knowledge of one's insignificance. A change in view of one’s neighbors, and they, without any coercion, seem to the humbled person to be superior to him in all respects. The manifestation of simplicity from living faith. Knowledge of the mystery hidden in the Cross of Christ. The desire to crucify oneself to the world and passions, the desire for this crucifixion. Rejection of earthly wisdom as obscene before God (Lk. 16.15). Silence before those who offend, studied in the Gospel. Putting aside all your own speculations and accepting the mind of the Gospel. The casting down of every thought that rises up against the mind of Christ. Humility or spiritual reasoning. Conscious obedience to the Church in everything.

8. Pride- contempt for one's neighbor. Preferring yourself to everyone. Insolence; darkness, dullness of mind and heart. Nailing them to the earthly. Hula. Disbelief. False mind. Disobedience to the Law of God and the Church. Following your carnal will. Abandonment of Christ-like humility and silence. Loss of simplicity. Loss of love for God and neighbor. False philosophy. Heresy. Godlessness. Ignorance. Death of the soul.

Pride Resists Love . The virtue of love includes changing the fear of God into the love of God during prayer. Fidelity to the Lord, proven by the constant rejection of every sinful thought and feeling, the indescribable, sweet attraction of the whole person with love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the worshiped Holy Trinity. Seeing the image of God and Christ in others; resulting from this spiritual vision, the preference for oneself over all neighbors, their reverent veneration for the Lord. Love for neighbors, brotherly, pure, equal to everyone, joyful, impartial, flaming equally towards friends and enemies. Admiration for prayer and love of the mind, heart and whole body. Indescribable pleasure of the body with spiritual joy. Inactivity of the bodily senses during prayer. Resolution from the muteness of the heart's tongue. Stopping prayer from spiritual sweetness. Silence of the mind. Enlightening the mind and heart. Prayer power that overcomes sin. Peace of Christ. Retreat of all passions. The absorption of all understandings into the superior mind of Christ. Theology. Knowledge of incorporeal beings. The weakness of sinful thoughts that cannot be imagined in the mind. Sweetness and abundant consolation in times of sorrow. Vision of human structures. The depth of humility and the most humiliating opinion of oneself... The end is endless!

General list of sins

I confess that I am a great sinner (name) To the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ and to you, honorable father, all my sins and all my evil deeds, which I have done all the days of my life, which I have thought even to this day.

Sinned: He did not keep the vows of holy Baptism, but he lied about everything and created indecent things for himself before the face of God.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: before the Lord with little faith and slowness in thoughts, from the enemy everything against the faith and the Holy Church; ingratitude for all His great and unceasing benefits, calling on the name of God without need - in vain.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: lack of love and fear for the Lord, failure to fulfill His holy will and holy commandments, careless depiction of the sign of the cross, irreverent veneration of holy icons; did not wear a cross, was ashamed to be baptized and confess the Lord.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: he did not preserve love for his neighbor, did not feed the hungry and thirsty, did not clothe the naked, did not visit the sick and prisoners in prison; I did not study the law of God and the traditions of the holy fathers out of laziness and negligence.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: church and cell rules by non-compliance, going to the temple of God without diligence, with laziness and negligence; leaving morning, evening and other prayers; During the church service, I sinned by idle talk, laughter, dozing, inattention to reading and singing, absent-mindedness, leaving the temple during the service and not going to the temple of God due to laziness and negligence.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: daring to go to the temple of God in uncleanness and touch every holy thing.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: disrespect for the feasts of God; violation of holy fasts and failure to observe fasting days - Wednesday and Friday; intemperance in food and drink, polyeating, secret eating, intoxication, drunkenness, dissatisfaction with food and drink, clothing; parasitism; one’s will and mind through fulfillment, self-righteousness, self-indulgence and self-justification; undue reverence for parents, failure to raise children in the Orthodox faith, cursing their children and their neighbors.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: unbelief, superstition, doubt, despair, despondency, blasphemy, false gods, dancing, smoking, playing cards, fortune telling, witchcraft, sorcery, gossip; he remembered the living for their repose, ate the blood of animals.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: pride, conceit, arrogance; pride, ambition, envy, conceit, suspicion, irritability.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: condemnation of all people - living and dead, slander and anger, malicious malice, hatred, evil for evil retribution, slander, reproach, deceit, laziness, deception, hypocrisy, gossip, disputes, stubbornness, unwillingness to give in and serve one's neighbor; sinned with gloating, malice, malice, insult, ridicule, reproach and man-pleasing.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: incontinence of mental and physical feelings, mental and physical uncleanness; pleasure and procrastination in unclean thoughts, addiction, voluptuousness, immodest views of wives and young men; in a dream, prodigal desecration at night, intemperance in married life.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: impatience with illnesses and sorrows, love for the comforts of this life, captivity of the mind and hardening of the heart, not forcing oneself to do any good deed.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: inattention to the promptings of one’s conscience, negligence, laziness in reading the Word of God and negligence in acquiring the Jesus Prayer, covetousness, love of money, unrighteous acquisition, embezzlement, theft, stinginess, attachment to various kinds things and people.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: condemnation and disobedience of spiritual fathers, grumbling and resentment against them and failure to confess one’s sins to them through oblivion, negligence and false shame.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: by unmercifulness, contempt and condemnation of the poor; going to the temple of God without fear and reverence, deviating into heresy and sectarian teaching.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: laziness, relaxation, laziness, love of bodily rest, excessive sleeping, voluptuous dreams, biased views, shameless body movements, touching, fornication, adultery, corruption, fornication, unmarried marriage; Those who performed abortions on themselves or others, or incited someone to this great sin - infanticide, sinned gravely; spent time in empty and idle pursuits, in empty conversations, jokes, laughter and other shameful sins; read obscene books, magazines and newspapers, watched depraved programs and films on television.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: despondency, cowardice, impatience, murmuring, despair of salvation, lack of hope in God's mercy, insensibility, ignorance, arrogance, shamelessness.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: slander of one's neighbor, anger, insult, irritation and ridicule, non-reconciliation, enmity and hatred, discord, spying on other people's sins and eavesdropping on other people's conversations.

Forgive me, honest father.

I sinned: by coldness and insensitivity in confession, by belittling sins, by blaming others rather than by condemning myself.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: against the Life-giving and Holy Mysteries of Christ, approaching them without proper preparation, without contrition and fear of God.

Forgive me, honest father.

Sinned: in word, thought and all my senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, -

willingly or unwillingly, knowledge or ignorance, in reason and unreason, and it is not possible to list all my sins according to their multitude. But in all of these, as well as in those unspeakable through oblivion, I repent and regret, and henceforth, with God’s help, I promise to take care.

You, honest father, forgive me and release me from all of this and pray for me, a sinner, and on that Day of Judgment testify before God about the sins I have confessed. Amen.

Sins confessed and resolved earlier should not be repeated in confession, for they, as the Holy Church teaches, have already been forgiven, but if we repeated them again, then we need to repent of them again. We must also repent of those sins that were forgotten, but are now remembered.

The repentant is required to recognize his sins, condemn himself in them, and self-convict himself before his confessor. This requires contrition and tears, faith in the forgiveness of sins. In order to get closer to Christ and receive salvation, it is necessary to hate previous sins and repent not only in word, but also in deed, that is, to correct your life: after all, sins shorten it, and the fight against them attracts the grace of God.

5897 views

Sin translated from Greek means “missing, missing the target.” But a person has one goal - the path to spiritual growth and insight, to higher spiritual values, the desire for God's perfection. What is sin in Orthodoxy? We are all sinners, we already appear like that to the world, only because our forefathers were sinners, accepting the sin of our relatives, we add our own and pass them on to our descendants. It is difficult to live a day without sin; we are all weak creatures, with our thoughts, words, and actions we move away from God’s essence.

What is a sin in general, which of them are stronger, which are forgiven and which are considered mortal sins?

« Sin is a voluntary deviation from what is in accordance with nature into what is unnatural (against nature)"(John of Damascus).

Everything that is a deviation from is a sin.

Seven deadly sins in Orthodoxy

In general, there is no strict hierarchy of sins in Orthodoxy; it is impossible to say which sin is worse, which is simpler, which is at the beginning of the list, which is at the end. Only the most basic ones, often inherent in all of us, are highlighted.

  1. Anger, anger, revenge. This group includes actions that, as opposed to love, bring destruction.
  2. Lust b, debauchery, fornication. This category includes actions that lead to an excessive desire for pleasure.
  3. Laziness, idleness, despondency. This includes a reluctance to do both spiritual and physical work.
  4. Pride, vanity, arrogance. Unbelief in the divine is considered arrogance, boasting, excessive self-confidence, which turns into boasting.
  5. Envy, jealousy. This group includes dissatisfaction with what they have, confidence in the injustice of the world, desire for someone else's status, property, qualities.
  6. Gluttony, gluttony. The need to consume more than necessary is also considered a passion. We are all mired in this sin. Fasting is a great salvation!
  7. Love of money, greed, greed, stinginess. This does not mean that it is bad to strive for material wealth, it is important that the material does not overshadow the spiritual...

As we see from the diagram, (click on the picture to enlarge) all feelings that we show in excess are sin. And there is never too much love for your neighbor and your enemy, and only kindness, light and warmth. It is difficult to say which of all sins is the most terrible; it all depends on the circumstances.

The worst sin in Orthodoxy is suicide

Orthodoxy is strict for its pastors, calling them to strict obedience, observing not only the ten basic commandments of God, and not allowing excess in worldly life. All sins can be forgiven if a person realizes them and begs for forgiveness through communion, confession and prayer.

It is not a sin to be a sinner, but a sin not to repent - this is how the people interpret their entire earthly life. God will forgive everyone who comes to him with repentance!

What sin is considered the most terrible? There is only one sin that is not forgiven to a person - this is sin suicide. Why exactly this?

  1. By killing himself, a person violates the biblical commandment: Thou shalt not kill!
  2. A person cannot atone for his sins by voluntarily leaving life.

It is known that each of us has our own purpose on earth. With this we come into this world. After birth we acquire the nature of the Spirit of Christ in which we are to live. The one who voluntarily breaks this thread spits in the face of the Almighty. The worst sin is to voluntarily die.

Jesus gave his life for our salvation, which is why the whole life of any person is a priceless gift. We must appreciate it, take care of it, and no matter how difficult it is, bear our cross until the end of our days.

Why can the sin of murder be forgiven by God, but suicide cannot? Is it really true that one person's life is for God? more valuable than life another? No, this needs to be understood a little differently. A murderer who has interrupted the life of another, often innocent person, can repent and do good, while a suicide by depriving himself own life- No.

After death, a person no longer has the opportunity to do good, bright, trustworthy deeds in this world. It turns out that the whole life of such a person who committed suicide was meaningless, just as God’s great plan was meaningless.

All sins are forgiven by God through repentance, communion, in the hope of purification and salvation of the soul.

That is why in the old days suicides were not only not buried in church, but were even buried outside the cemetery fence. No rituals or commemorations were carried out and to this day are not carried out in the church for the deceased. This alone and how difficult it will be for loved ones should stop the suicide. But, unfortunately, this is not the case and the number of victims—suicides—is not decreasing.

Russia occupies fourth place in the world In this sad statistics, after India, China and the USA, the number of voluntary deaths per year is more than 25,000 people. Millions of people around the world voluntarily take their own lives. Scary!!!

Our God will forgive us all other sins, provided that we not only repented of them, but also corrected them with our good deeds.

And remember that there are no small or large sins, even the smallest sin can kill our soul, it is like a tiny cut on the body that can cause gangrene and lead to death.

If a believer has repented of sin, realized it, and gone through confession, one can hope that the sin is forgiven. This is how the Orthodox Church sees it, this is how the Bible teaches. But it is important to understand that our every action, our words, thoughts, everything has its own weight and is deposited in our karma. So let’s live now, every day, so that we don’t have to beg for them when the time of reckoning comes...

Prayers for those who committed suicide

Is it possible to pray for people who have committed suicide? Yes, there are prayers that allow you to do this.

Master, Lord, Merciful and Lover of Mankind, we cry to You: we have sinned and committed lawlessness before You, we have transgressed Your saving commandments and the love of the Gospel has not been revealed to our despairing brother (our despairing sister). But do not reprove us with Your wrath, punish us with Your wrath, O Master who loves mankind, weaken, heal our heartfelt sorrow, may the multitude of Your bounties overcome the abyss of our sins, and may Your countless goodness cover the abyss of our bitter tears.

To her, Sweetest Jesus, we still pray, grant to Your servant, your relative who died without permission, consolation in their sorrow and firm hope in Your mercy.

For You are a Merciful and Lover of Mankind, and we send glory to You with Your Beginningless Father and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen

Prayer for those who have committed the most terrible sin (suicides)

Granted by the Optina Elder Leo Optina

“Seek, Lord, the lost soul (name); If possible, have mercy! Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make this my prayer a sin for me. But Thy holy will be done!”

Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

The sacrament of confession is a test for the soul. It consists of a desire to repent, verbal confession, repentance for sins. When man walking against the laws of God, he gradually destroys his spiritual and physical shell. Repentance helps to cleanse yourself. It reconciles a person with God. The soul is healed and receives strength to fight sin.

Confession allows you to talk about your wrongdoings and receive forgiveness. In excitement and fear, you can forget what you wanted to repent of. The list of sins for confession serves as a reminder, a hint. It can be read in full or used as an outline. The main thing is that the confession is sincere and truthful.

Sacrament

Confession is the main component of repentance. This is an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for your sins and to be cleansed of them. Confession gives spiritual strength to resist evil. Sin is a discrepancy in thoughts, words, and actions with God's permission.

Confession is a sincere awareness of wicked actions, a desire to get rid of them. No matter how difficult and unpleasant it may be to remember them, you should tell the clergyman in detail about your sins.

This sacrament requires a complete relationship between feelings and words, because the everyday listing of one’s sins will not bring true cleansing. Feelings without words are as ineffective as words without feelings.

There is a list of sins for confession. This is a large list of all obscene actions or words. It is based on the 7 deadly sins and 10 commandments. Human life is too diverse to be absolutely righteous. Therefore, confession is an opportunity to repent of sins and try to prevent them in the future.

How to prepare for confession?

Preparation for confession must take place several days in advance. A list of sins can be written on a piece of paper. You should read special literature about the sacraments of confession and communion.

One should not look for excuses for sins, one must recognize their wickedness. It is best to analyze your every day, analyzing what was good and what was bad. This daily habit will help you be more attentive to your thoughts and actions.

Before confession, you should make peace with everyone who was offended. Forgive those who offended. Before confession, it is necessary to strengthen the prayer rule. Add to the nightly reading the Canon of Repentance, the canons of the Theotokos.

One should separate personal repentance (when a person mentally repents of his actions) and the sacrament of confession (when a person talks about his sins in the desire to be cleansed of them).

The presence of a third party requires a moral effort to understand the depth of the offense and, through overcoming shame, will force you to look more deeply at the wrong actions. This is why a list of sins is so necessary for confession in Orthodoxy. It will help to identify what was forgotten or wanted to be hidden.

If you have difficulty compiling a list of sinful actions, you can purchase the book “Full Confession.” It is in every church shop. There is a detailed list of sins for confession and the features of the sacrament. Samples of confession and materials for preparing for it have been published.

Rules

Is there a heaviness in your soul, do you want to speak out, ask for forgiveness? After confession it becomes much easier. This is an open, sincere recognition and repentance of the wrongdoings committed. You can go to confession up to 3 times a week. The desire to be cleansed of sins will help overcome the feeling of stiffness and awkwardness.

The less frequent the confession, the more difficult it is to remember all the events and thoughts. The best option for holding the sacrament is once a month. Help in confession - list of sins - will tell you necessary words. The main thing is that the priest understands the essence of the offense. Then the punishment for sin will be justified.

After confession, the priest imposes penance in difficult cases. This is a punishment, excommunication from the holy sacraments and God's grace. Its duration is determined by the priest. In most cases, the penitent faces moral and correctional work. For example, fasting, reading prayers, canons, akathists.

Sometimes the priest reads out the list of sins for confession. You can independently write a list of what has been done. It is better to come to confession after the evening service or in the morning, before the liturgy.

How does the sacrament work?

In some situations, you should invite the priest to confession at home. This is done if the person is seriously ill or near death.

Upon entering the temple, you must line up for confession. During the entire sacrament, the cross and the Gospel lie on the lectern. This symbolizes the invisible presence of the Savior.

Before confession begins, the priest may start asking questions. For example, about how often prayers are said, whether church rules are followed.

Then the sacrament begins. It is best to prepare your list of sins for confession. A sample of it can always be purchased at the church. If the sins forgiven at the previous confession were repeated, then they should be mentioned again - this is considered a more serious offense. You should not hide anything from the priest or speak in hints. You should clearly explain in simple words the sins you repent of.

If the priest tore up the list of sins for confession, it means that the sacrament is over and absolution has been granted. The priest places an epitrachelion on the head of the penitent. This means the return of God's favor. After this, they kiss the cross and the Gospel, which symbolizes readiness to live according to the commandments.

Preparing for Confession: List of Sins

Confession is intended to comprehend your sin and desire to improve. It is difficult for a person far from the church to understand what actions should be considered wicked. That's why there are 10 commandments. They clearly state what not to do. It is better to prepare a list of sins for confession according to the commandments in advance. On the day of the sacrament, you can get excited and forget everything. Therefore, you should calmly, a few days before confession, re-read the commandments and write down your sins.

If it is the first confession, then it is not easy to figure out the seven deadly sins and the ten commandments on your own. Therefore, you should approach the priest in advance and tell him about your difficulties in a personal conversation.

A list of sins for confession with an explanation of the sins can be purchased at the church or found on the website of your temple. The transcript describes in detail all the alleged sins. From this general list it is necessary to isolate what was done personally. Then write down your list of offenses.

Sins committed against God

  • Lack of faith in God, doubt, ingratitude.
  • Lack of a cross on the body, unwillingness to defend the faith in front of detractors.
  • Swearing in the name of God, pronouncing the name of the Lord in vain (not during prayer or conversations about God).
  • Visiting sects, casting fortunes, treating with all kinds of magic, reading and spreading false teachings.
  • Gambling, suicidal thoughts, swearing.
  • Failure to attend church, lack of a daily prayer rule.
  • Failure to observe fasts, reluctance to read Orthodox literature.
  • Condemnation of clergy, thoughts about worldly things during worship.
  • A waste of time on entertainment, watching TV, inactivity at the computer.
  • Despair in difficult situations, excessive reliance on oneself or someone else’s help without faith in God’s providence.
  • Concealing sins in confession.

Sins committed against neighbors

  • Hot temper, anger, arrogance, pride, vanity.
  • Lies, non-interference, ridicule, stinginess, extravagance.
  • Raising children outside of faith.
  • Non-repayment of debts, non-payment for work, refusal to help those who ask and need.
  • Unwillingness to help parents, disrespect for them.
  • Theft, condemnation, envy.
  • Quarrels, drinking alcohol at funerals.
  • Murder with words (slander, incitement to suicide or illness).
  • Killing a child in the womb, inducing others to have an abortion.

Sins committed against oneself

  • Foul language, pride, idle talk, gossip.
  • Desire for profit, enrichment.
  • Displaying good deeds.
  • Envy, lies, drunkenness, gluttony, drug use.
  • Fornication, adultery, incest, fornication.

List of sins for a woman to confess

This is a very sensitive list, and many women refuse to confess after reading it. You should not trust any information you read. Even if a brochure with a list of sins for a woman was purchased at a church store, be sure to pay attention to the stamp. There should be an inscription “recommended by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

The clergy do not divulge the secret of confession. Therefore, it is best to undergo the sacrament with a permanent confessor. The Church does not intrude into the sphere of intimate marital relationships. Issues of contraception, which is sometimes equated to abortion, are best discussed with a priest. There are drugs that do not have an abortifacient effect, but only prevent the birth of life. In any case, all controversial issues should be discussed with your spouse, doctor, or confessor.

Here is a list of sins for confession (brief):

  1. She rarely prayed and did not attend church.
  2. I thought more about worldly things during prayer.
  3. Allowed sexual activity before marriage.
  4. Abortion, inducing others to it.
  5. Had unclean thoughts and desires.
  6. I watched films, read books with pornographic content.
  7. Gossip, lies, envy, laziness, resentment.
  8. Excessive exposure of the body to attract attention.
  9. Fear of old age, wrinkles, thoughts of suicide.
  10. Addiction to sweets, alcohol, drugs.
  11. Avoiding helping other people.
  12. Seeking help from fortune tellers and fortune tellers.
  13. Superstition.

List of sins for a man

There is debate about whether a list of sins should be prepared for confession. Some believe that such a list harms the sacrament and promotes the formal reading of offenses. The main thing in confession is to realize your sins, repent and prevent their repetition. Therefore, the list of sins may be a short reminder or absent altogether.

Formal confession is not considered valid, since there is no repentance in it. Returning after the sacrament to your former life will add hypocrisy. The balance of spiritual life lies in understanding the essence of repentance, where confession is only the beginning of awareness of one’s sinfulness. This is a long process consisting of several stages internal work. The creation of spiritual resources is a systematic adjustment of conscience, responsibility for one’s relationship with God.

Here is a list of sins for confession (brief) for a man:

  1. Sacrilege, conversations in the temple.
  2. Doubt about faith, the afterlife.
  3. Blasphemy, mockery of the poor.
  4. Cruelty, laziness, pride, vanity, greed.
  5. Evasion from military service.
  6. Avoiding unwanted work, shirking responsibilities.
  7. Insults, hatred, fights.
  8. Slander, disclosure of other people's weaknesses.
  9. Temptation to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drugs, gambling).
  10. Refusal to help parents and other people.
  11. Theft, aimless collecting.
  12. Tendency to boast, argue, and humiliate others.
  13. Impudence, rudeness, contempt, familiarity, cowardice.

Confession for a child

For a child, the sacrament of confession can begin at the age of seven. Until this age, children are allowed to receive Communion without this. Parents must prepare the child for confession: explain the essence of the sacrament, tell why it is being carried out, and remember with him possible sins.

The child must be made to understand that sincere repentance is preparation for confession. It is better for a child to write a list of sins himself. He must realize what actions were wrong and try not to repeat them in the future.

Older children make their own decisions about whether to confess or not. You should not limit the free will of a child or teenager. The personal example of parents is much more important than all conversations.

The child must remember his sins before confession. A list of them can be compiled after the child answers the questions:

  • How often does he read prayers (in the morning, in the evening, before meals), which ones does he know by heart?
  • Does he go to church, how does he behave during the service?
  • Does he wear pectoral cross, is distracted or not during prayers and services?
  • Have you ever deceived your parents or priest during confession?
  • Weren't you proud of your successes and victories, weren't you arrogant?
  • Does it fight or not with other children, does it offend children or animals?
  • Does he snitch on other children to protect himself?
  • Have you ever committed theft or been jealous of anyone?
  • Have you laughed at other people's physical disabilities?
  • Did you play cards (smoked, drank alcohol, tried drugs, used foul language)?
  • Is he lazy or helps his parents around the house?
  • Did you pretend to be sick to avoid your responsibilities?
  1. A person himself determines whether to confess or not, how many times to attend the sacrament.
  2. You should prepare a list of sins for confession. It is better to take a sample in the church where the sacrament will take place, or find it yourself in church literature.
  3. It is optimal to go to confession with the same clergyman, who will become a mentor and will contribute to spiritual growth.
  4. Confession is free of charge.

First you need to ask on what days confessions are held in the church. You should dress appropriately. For men - a shirt or T-shirt with sleeves, trousers or jeans (not shorts). For women - a scarf on the head, no makeup (at least lipstick), a skirt no higher than the knees.

Sincerity of Confession

A priest as a psychologist can recognize how sincere a person is in his repentance. There are confessions that offend the sacrament and the Lord. If a person mechanically talks about sins, has several confessors, hides the truth - such actions do not lead to repentance.

Behavior, tone of speech, words with which confession is pronounced - it all matters. This is the only way the priest understands how sincere the penitent is. Pangs of conscience, embarrassment, worries, shame contribute to spiritual cleansing.

Sometimes the personality of the priest is important for the parishioner. This is not a reason to condemn and comment on the actions of clergy. You can go to another church or turn to another holy father for confession.

It can be difficult to voice your sins. The emotional experiences are so strong that it is more convenient to make a list of unrighteous actions. Father is attentive to every parishioner. If, due to shame, it is impossible to tell about everything and the repentance is deep, then the priest has the right to forgive the sins, a list of which was compiled before confession, without even reading them.

The meaning of confession

Having to talk about your sins in front of a stranger is embarrassing. Therefore, people refuse to go to confession, believing that God will forgive them anyway. This is the wrong approach. The priest acts only as an intermediary between man and God. His task is to determine the measure of repentance. The priest has no right to condemn anyone; he will not expel a repentant person from the church. During confession, people are very vulnerable, and clergy try not to cause unnecessary suffering.

It is important to see your sin, recognize and condemn it in your soul, and voice it before the priest. Have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds again, try to atone for the harm done through acts of mercy. Confession brings revival of the soul, re-education and access to a new spiritual level.

Sins (list), Orthodoxy, confession imply self-knowledge and the search for grace. All good deeds are done through strength. Only by overcoming yourself, doing works of mercy, and cultivating virtues in yourself, can you receive God's grace.

The meaning of confession lies in understanding the typology of sinners, the typology of sin. Wherein individual approach to each repentant is akin to pastoral psychoanalysis. The sacrament of confession is the pain of awareness of sin, recognition of it, the determination to voice and ask for forgiveness for it, cleansing of the soul, joy and peace.

A person must feel the need to repent. Love for God, love for oneself, love for one's neighbor cannot exist separately. The symbolism of the Christian cross - horizontal (love for God) and vertical (love for oneself and one's neighbor) - lies in the awareness of the integrity of spiritual life, its essence.