Is there such a thing in the Holy Orthodox Church, or am I crazy?

[Matthias]

Hey, dudes! :wave:

Is there such a thing as a general, or life-time confession in Orthodoxy? Let's say an Orthodox hasn't been confessing their sins for 93 years. Do they have to confess 93 years worth of sins? What if they forget some really serious sins?

From what I've read, it's the option of the Orthodox priest and the confessor as to whether they have to confess all sins, or can do a general confession; but as they say, you can't believe everything you read, especially if it relates to religion.

I'm going to be asking my priest this; he'll most likely allow me to partake in a general or life-time confession.

Thank you. :bow:

[Matthias]

What if someone within the Orthodox Church hasn't been to a confession for 93 years? Although it is wrong, how upset does this make God? Is it a sin to not go to a confession, or is it just tradition within Orthodoxy? How bad of a sin is it? :)

[Michael the Iconographer]

What if someone within the Orthodox Church hasn't been to a confession for 93 years? Although it is wrong, how upset does this make God? Is it a sin to not go to a confession, or is it just tradition within Orthodoxy? How bad of a sin is it? :)

Yes it is a sin to not go to confession. The Orthodox view of sin is "missing the mark" and by not going to confession one is missing the mark of how good their relationship can actually be with God. Think of it this way, if a generally good person never goes to confession then they never really can see where they need to grow and they remain stagnant in their life. But if that same generally good person starts to go to confession even 2x a year that person gets to see 2x a year where their life needs strengthening and improvement. How much better will their life be (if they are honestly trying) because twice a year they go a serious readjustment and were able to correct the errors which pop in to their life? The other thing that should be addressed is "how bad of a sin is it?" All sin is bad. No one can judge just how much damage a sin does to his relationship with God, only God can do that. All sin is bad because all sin is spiritual sickness. There is no venial or mortal sin. No little sin or white sin. Sin is sin, and all sin is falling short of the perfection of God. That is why we have confession, in order to try to hit the mark instead of falling short of it.

[Matthias]

Hey, thanks a lot. That was a very clear and concise reply. I'm of the opinion of course that is is a sin, but I was just wondering the actual views around WHY it is a sin. Thanks for your reply, you've eased my mind. :)

[Matthias]

How often does one go to a confession? Or is it up to the confessor?

[Reader Nilus]

It is up to the confessor, in our parish we are expected to go to confession at least during the fasts, and more often as the need arises.
Jeff the Finn

[Eusebios]

Those initially received as adults whether by Baptism and charismation, or by only the latter, are generally required to also give a "life confession". My wife and myself, as well as all the adult converts in our parish have done so. Your priest will let you know exactly what will be expected of you in terms of confession, and has Jeff has rightly pointed out, it is not fixed, but varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and even parish to parish.
I can say this, that I truly value this sacrament so much! It has been an immense help for me in my journey, and I'm sure it will be for you too Matthew.
Under His Mercy,
Eusebios.
http://www.christianforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16090&stc=1

[Alfred M]

Matthew,

When my wife and I were chrismated into Holy Orthodoxy, we each gave a "life confession" prior to the service. We were given instruction for this by our priest. Since then we have undertaken general confessions and private confessions as we felt the need for and as our priest instructed...as Jeff said above, this was before periods of fasting.

Try and ease your mind by realizing that confession is from your heart. What your heart has truly forgotten, God will know about and forgive as those sins "known and unknown" whether committed by thought, word, or deed. It is when you try to knowingly conceal sin from God that you condemn yourself. Remember as Ananias (sp?) tried to hide deeds from God, he received his just punishment and was struck down.

Work on your heart and your love will grow in Christ...then your soul will rush to confess and beg the forgiveness that is there for us all!

In the love of our Saviour,

Alfred, chief of sinners.

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Yes, you are just crazy.;)

Seriously, I understand your concern. I feel very anxious over the very thought of trying to confess all my lifetime sins. I'm a little confused about confession in general. Can't God forgive us for the sins we confess to Him in private? I confess my daily sins every night in prayer. Why isn't this good enough?

[The Prokeimenon!]

Because no one falls alone. No one sins alone. No one goes to hell alone. And no one is saved alone. If you sin, you are not just missing the mark privately - you put yourself out of communion with the Body of Christ. Confession heals that rift. Christ left the ability to retain or not retain sins with His Apostles. James 5:16 tells us that we need to confess our sins to more than just God privately.

As Frederica says, people walk into confession saying, "I hate confession!" They walk out saying, "I love confession!" Confession is not, uh oh, God is mad at you - let's appease Him. Confession is, because of your sin, you have damaged your communion with God. You confess it to Him in the presence of another person who is able to help you figure out what you need to do with certain problematic areas in your life. It's not for juridical purposes - ie, whether or not you should get a reprieve from what your sin has sentenced you to - it's therapeutic. The Church is our spiritual hospital, and confession is an unbelievably wonderful medicine in our battle for our souls, to stop sinning and to live Christ.

{EDIT: And of course, I do believe that God does forgive those sins we confess in private. But it can't even compare to how healing it is to be able to be 100% honest with someone who is not judging you, but instead is charged with your salvation, who really knows how to help you in the areas you're struggling with. It's amazing. Everyone is nervous before their lifetime confession, but it's not as scary as it sounds. It's not, "UH, when I was 6, I stole some cookies..." It's usually more general, and oftentimes there's a list to help you remember. And to be absolved of them is so incredible - to know you're really back in communion as you should be. Just you wait. That's one of the things that sold me on Orthodoxy - everything is a picture of the Holy Trinity, Who Himself is not an individual - He is communion - and we don't have to go through anything alone - we are organically united as Body. That is why our sins affect more than just us. I can't wait to hear how amazing you feel after your first confession. It's awesome.}

Katherine

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

Thanks, Katherine. That does make me feel better. I think it's mostly a pride thing for me. I feel like I'd be so embaressed that I'd want to do confession with a bag over my head. Someone told me once about a bad experience they had with confession (Orthodox). The priest acted totally scandalized by this person's sin. That would be tramatic, wouldn't it?

[The Prokeimenon!]

It would be, yes. That priest was wrong for that. I have done confession not only with my spiritual father, but with several other priests, when I was at retreats, or traveling, or whatever, and I have never gotten any reaction but love, concern, and understanding. And I've never heard of anything like that before - so I think I can say that was rare.

That's another great thing about confession - the act itself doesn't allow for pride, and pride itself is the seed of all other sins. It's so helpful for the soul on so many levels.

K.

[MariaRegina]

Thanks, Katherine. That does make me feel better. I think it's mostly a pride thing for me. I feel like I'd be so embaressed that I'd want to do confession with a bag over my head. Someone told me once about a bad experience they had with confession (Orthodox). The priest acted totally scandalized by this person's sin. That would be tramatic, wouldn't it?

Dear Elizaveta:

If a person came across as very devout and then finally confessed that she wasn't, then yes a priest can be shocked. Sin is scandalous.

Sometimes people aren't honest - they live a lie - and then they expect the priest to ignore that?

When I was a newbie in the Orthodox Church, I received some severe corrections from my priest - and I deserved it. When I was lukewarm, careless, or self-centered, then the priest gave me a godly rebuke unto my salvation. Those were the times that I would ask to make a prostration and God richly rewarded me with His grace. However, when I really expected a correction, (and I cried tears of repentance until my pillow was wet) because I knew that I had sinned, then the Orthodox Priest would smile and welcome me like Christ welcomed the prodigal. He knew when I needed a hug or a rebuke, and I came to trust in him as God's messenger.

Hope this helps.
Elizabeth

[Akathist]

What if something happens to a person while they are a catachumen and they have not yet had first Orthodox confession. Does anyone know the general understanding about this?

I believe God forgives me when each night I pray and confess sins. I just wondered since this Sacrement is so important, what happens if some tragedy occurs and the person dies?

(I say this because I have read about people on their death beds calling for the Priest to let them have Confession and Holy Unction. But what if the person is not yet in the faith as a full member?)

(Oh, it will take hours and hours for me to go over all the sins I have committed. Lord have mercy on which ever Priest I am led to take as my spiritual father.)

[MariaRegina]

What if something happens to a person while they are a catachumen and they have not yet had first Orthodox confession. Does anyone know the general understanding about this?

I believe God forgives me when each night I pray and confess sins. I just wondered since this Sacrement is so important, what happens if some tragedy occurs and the person dies?

(I say this because I have read about people on their death beds calling for the Priest to let them have Confession and Holy Unction. But what if the person is not yet in the faith as a full member?)

(Oh, it will take hours and hours for me to go over all the sins I have committed. Lord have mercy on which ever Priest I am led to take as my spiritual father.)


If one is truly sorry when one confesses his sins, then those sins are forgiven.

Immediately after one falls into sin or misses the mark, one should confess that sin with sincere repentance. And then go in peace, believing that God forgives, because He does love and want the salvation of all.

During my catechumenate, the Priest allowed me to confess my sins (like an altar call) but didn't grant me absolution until the day of my Chrismation. This helped me to grow in grace. Since I had confessed many of my sins, I didn't need to re-confess them. So I didn't need as much time for my full life confession.

So, ask the priest - but realize that if a person goes to confession and is not sorry, then the absolution will not be effective. It's the sorrow in one's heart that matters, and God sees all.

Hope this helps.

Elizabeth

[Matthias]

Wow. Thanks to everyone who reply and offered help and advice. I'm glad my thread was helpful to others as well. I'm really looking forward to my first confession as an Orthodox now. :)