It may seem strange, but between confession and communion there is a big difference. Repentance is a voluminous concept that includes the recognition of one's sins and the determination not to repeat them again. Confession is a narrower concept that may not be accompanied by repentance.
Are Confession and Repentance Equal?
All that a person endures in life patiently, realizing his guilt, is repentance. Let’s say he hit himself with a hammer on the finger and instead of spouting curses, with tears in his eyes he will say: "And in deed to me, for my sins I need to beat off all fingers." The main thing is not a murmur, but humility.
Often a person comes to the temple and “pours out” any nonsense that is not worthy of attention: on Wednesday he drank milk, beat a fly, worked on Sunday, etc., but for some reason he forgets that he does not care about his parents at all, does not help those in need and envies his colleagues. The process turns into a banal listing of sins without a sense of remorse.
True confessions are 1-2 times in life. A truly penitent person causes compassion. Standing in front of the priest, he weeps, beats himself in the chest, hardly pronouncing words. Usually, such a confession is delayed, but the soul is cleansed. Of course, it’s impossible to repent like that every time. For example, Pushkin A.S. at death, he wished to confess, and the stunned priest, leaving him, admitted that he would have wished for such a confession before his death.
Confession can not replace repentance. This is only an integral part of repentance, and not the most important one. Confessing does not mean repenting. This term means to tell or to open. Thus, people can talk about their sins to their close friends and relatives, but there will be no remorse.
Repentance is a serious revolution in the soul. This is the desire to change life and not return to the old path. How many of us are capable of this? It happens that believers come to confession on a weekly basis and without contrition list what they think is the wrong thing in their life, and not every priest can reason such a person.
