The sacrament of confession is an integral part of the life of a Christian. The most common question for those who are preparing for the first time to go to confession: do I need to read some prayers before that? And if so, which ones?
Instruction manual
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Confession is the bottom of the seven Christian sacraments established by the Savior. He told the Apostles: "Accept the Holy Spirit: to whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; to whom you leave, they will remain on that." In this Sacrament, the repentant is invisibly resolved from his sins.
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In the Russian Orthodox Church (unlike Serbian, for example), confession is obligatory for those who are going to receive communion. For those who rarely receive communion, it is still recommended that you confess from time to time. And some go to confession to ease their souls or solve a 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 a fellowship with God, so you need to approach it responsibly.
Does this mean that prayers must be read before her? First we’ll try to understand one more thing.
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What is prayer? It would seem that everything is already so clear: prayer is a text, reading which a person addresses God or saints. There are obligatory prayers, there are prayers just in case life. Everything is true, 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, 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 "the desire of the soul to God." And this is not something that needs to be performed, as a rule. This should come from the desire of the person himself. After all, unity with God is, first of all, in his interests.
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So, as such, there are no obligatory prayers before confession (in contrast, for example, from the sacrament, before which a certain rule should be read). However, confession is such a sacred and serious mystery that it is in the interests of man himself to approach it concentrated and collected internally. This can best be achieved by turning your heart to God through prayer. Through the prayer that people like most. Or through prayer in your simple words. You can also read Jesus' prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner." The most important thing in your prayer - whether it is a prayer read in a prayer book, or a prayer in your own words - is a sincere, lively appeal to God with confidence that the prayer will be heard. Then confession will not be a formal listing of one's sins, but a true appeal to God for forgiveness.
