Discover examples of sins to consider confessing during your next visit to the confessional. Confession is an essential aspect of spiritual renewal and growth for many believers. Confession gives spiritual strength to resist evil. Sin is a discrepancy in thoughts, words, 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 is to remember them, you should tell the priest about your sins in detail.
Preparing for Confession: A List of Sins
Confession is intended to help you comprehend your sins and want to improve. It is difficult for a person who is far from the church to understand what actions should be considered unholy. That is why there are 10 commandments. They clearly state what you cannot 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.
Examples of Sins to Say at Confession
Lack of faith in God, doubts, ingratitude. Not wearing a pectoral cross, unwillingness to defend the faith before detractors. Swearing in the name of God, taking the name of the Lord in vain (not during prayer or conversations about God). Visiting sects, fortune telling, healing with all kinds of magic, reading and spreading false teachings. Gambling , thoughts of suicide, foul language. Not going to church, lack of a daily prayer rule. Not observing fasts, unwillingness to read Orthodox literature. Condemning clergy, thoughts about worldly things during worship. Waste of time on entertainment, watching TV, inactivity at the computer. Despair in difficult situations, excessive hope in oneself or someone else’s help without faith in God’s providence. Concealing sins during confession.
Sins committed against fellow humans
In irascibility, anger, arrogance, pride, vanity. Lying , non-interference, ridicule, stinginess, extravagance. In raising children without faith. Failure to repay debts, failure to pay for work, refusal to help those who ask and need. Unwillingness to help parents, disrespect for them. Stealing , condemnation, envy. Quarrels , drinking alcohol at funerals. Murder by word (slander, incitement to suicide or illness). Murder of a child in the womb, persuading others to have an abortion.
Sins committed against oneself
Swearing , vanity, idle talk, gossip. Desire for profit, enrichment. Flaunting good deeds. Envy , lies, drunkenness, gluttony, drug use. Fornication , adultery, incest, masturbation.
List of sins for a woman to confess
This is a very delicate list, and many women refuse to confess after reading it. You should not trust any information you read. Even if the brochure with the list of sins for women was purchased in a church shop, be sure to pay attention to the stamp. There should be an inscription “recommended by the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church.”
Priests do not divulge the secret of confession. Therefore, it is best to undergo the sacrament with a permanent confessor. The Church does not interfere in the sphere of intimate marital relations. Issues of contraception, which is sometimes equated with abortion, are best discussed with a priest. There are means that do not have an abortive effect, but only prevent the conception of life. In any case, all controversial issues should be discussed with the spouse, doctor, confessor.
Here is a list of sins for confession (short):
Rarely prayed, did not go to church. Thought more about worldly things during prayer. Allowed sexual life to go before marriage. And borts, inclining others to them. And had impure thoughts, desires. Watched films, read books of pornographic content. Gossip , lies, envy, laziness, resentment. And excessive exposure of the body to attract attention. Fear of old age, wrinkles, thoughts of suicide. Passion for sweets, alcohol, drugs. And avoidance of helping other people. Seeking help from fortune tellers, sorcerers. Superstition .
List of sins for a man
There are disputes about whether a list of sins should be prepared for confession. Some believe that such a list harms the sacrament and contributes to the formal reading of offenses. The main thing in confession is to recognize your sins, repent and not allow them to be repeated. Therefore, the list of sins can be a short reminder or absent altogether.
Formal confession is not considered valid, since there is no repentance in it. Returning to the previous life after the sacrament will add hypocrisy. The balance of spiritual life consists in understanding the essence of repentance, where confession is only the beginning of the awareness of one’s sinfulness. This is a long process, consisting of several stages of 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 (short) for a man:
Sacrilege , talking in church. Doubt in faith, afterlife. Blasphemy , mockery of the poor. Cruelty , laziness, pride, vanity, greed. Evasion of military service. Avoidance of unwanted work, shirking duties. Insults , hatred, fights. Slander , disclosure of other people’s weaknesses. Temptation to sin (fornication, drunkenness, drugs, gambling). Refusal to help parents, other people. Theft , aimless collecting. Tendency to boast, argue, humiliate others. Impudence , rudeness, contempt, familiarity, cowardice
Guide to sins
This priest offered this list as a guide, saying it contains 90% of the things 90% of people go to confession 90% of the time. You can take this list with you when you confess, and add any other sins that come to mind:
I have not loved God with all my heart and with all my soul.
I have put people or things in my life above God.
I have been disrespectful to my parents or legitimate authorities.
I have used God’s name in vain.
I have caused a scandal to God or the Church through my bad example as a Christian.
I have been proud.
I haven’t been nice to everyone in my life.
I have been impatient with people in my life.
I’ve let anger take over.
I have judged.
I’ve had bad thoughts.
I have artificially prevented God’s desire to create life.
I have had impure thoughts or images that objectify men or women.
I have overindulged in food or drink.
I have abused drugs.
I lied.
I have been envious of what others have.
I have not been grateful for all the gifts that have been given to me
The need to talk about your sins in front of a stranger is embarrassing. That is why 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 extent of repentance. The priest has no right to condemn anyone, he will not throw the repentant out of the church. People are very vulnerable at confession, and the priests try not to cause unnecessary suffering.
It is important to see your sin, to realize and condemn it in your soul, to voice it before the priest. To have a desire not to repeat your misdeeds, to try to atone for the harm done by deeds of mercy. Confession brings the rebirth of the soul, re-education and an exit to a new spiritual level.