What I've learned after 17 years in the Orthodox Church is that every church is different and every priest is different. My favorite priest was also a counselor. He was a licensed therapist and was going to school to get his doctorate in psychology. He did this because he felt he would be a better Confessor and a better counselor to his parish. His confessions were counseling sessions also. You would do your confession and then he would counsel you for 30 minutes. It was wonderful. God's grace certainly wasn't wasted by having a counseling as part of your confession. I heard a priest say confess your sins to God whenever God gives you the urge to do so, even if you're at home or at the grocery store. But you should also come to confession because it serves a purpose. So I don't get how confessing your sins to God on your own is somehow a bad confession. Especially if you go to the sacrament of confession also. And I've also never heard of priests say you should come to church and confess your sins TO the priest before this video. I've always been told that you are confessing your sins to God and the priest was just there to witness offer God's forgiveness to you. You weren't confessing TO the priest. Some of this reminds before when a priest told us if you aren't coming to church to receive communion every Sunday, why are you even here? Yet, I listened to a man's testimony once about how he'd been going to church every Sunday for 20 years, been an eider and on the board. But it wasn't until one day that it really hit him, that he needed to fully repent of his sins and he'd only been going through the motions for 20 years. So going to church every Sunday for 20 years, even though wasn't fully participating in his faith, was beneficial to him.
The Forgotten Medicine: The Mystery of Repentance by Archimandrite Seraphim Alexsiev is an excellent book on this topic. I recently read it and it was a great help to me.
Thank you for this, Father. I would love a part 2 on how to have the right amount of specificity. If I say I’ve committed the sin of pride, do I talk about what way? If I’ve broken the fast, do I say what I ate and when? If I’ve sinned sexually, how much detail is necessary and how much is unfit to say?
Its stupid I know but the dread of a life confession is holding me - delaying me - in converting. I only told my wife last week Id like to inquire and Ive been convinced for the better part of 6 months.
@@jakewilliam15don’t let those whispers get the best out of you. Life confession was the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life. But I left with a weight off my shoulders I didn’t know I had. Brother, if I may give you one advice, talk to your spiritual father and go for it. Write down everything, dig as deep as possible. Truly I was freed from so many things after I confessed. Good strength to you brother
I am going to my first confession ever in next two weeks before my baptism. And its going to be a BIG one. My sins from the past could of ended with me in prison. This is along time ago and definitely in the past but its going to be a big part of my new life in Christ.
How wonderful. How absolutely wonderful. Many saints will rejoice. Heaven has many saints who also had troubling things to confess..and did. Heaven is on our side. Your relief will be beyond your ability to describe. ☦💝📿💝☦
How wonderful. How absolutely wonderful. Many saints will rejoice. Heaven has many saints who also had troubling things to confess..and did. Heaven is on our side. Your relief will be beyond your ability to describe. ☦💝📿💝☦
@@nananina982i don't know what others will answer, or how his priest will guide him, but you asked an important question. My experience was that i went to confession, but my priest told me that he could not absolve me of my sins until after my reception into the Church.. As i understand it, that is usually how it works. Even that experience was of great benefit for me..
Friend, baptism washes away the sins, what you do afterwards is what you have to confess, but previous sins don't count, but ask your priest just in case
As a fairly new baptised orthodox, Fr Trenham here has described my first few confessions exactly! Very beneficial talk here. I've got plenty to learn in the ways of humility and life of Christ.
Bad confession; what to do instead: A confession avoided; go to confession, Sin not articulated; don't avoid saying it, Confessed in private, not to a priest, Done without preparation, without humility, Confessing other's sins; don't speak about others, Too much verbosity; just say what you did and admit guilt, don't use verbosity to cover; Don't be too specific or vague to avoid stating the sin, Praising yourself, saying you've progressed, Judging your sins, or ranking them; let your father confessor tell you what sin is relatively good or bad, Leaving the embarrassing or preoccupying thing to last; say the most embarrassing thing first, Don't giggle or laugh, even out of nervousness; calm yourself, Don't confuse confession with other things like pastoral counseling, or ask theological questions; allow this sacrament its fullness, God gives grace to the humble and He forgives.
We are taught well about confession from Psalm 50: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”
Don't be afraid.. We can fear confession. But the Saints and the Church and the priests all help us thorough it. We may start slowly, but when we see that we are safe, and being saved, the words begin to flow, and we place those sins at the foot of the Cross, and understand Its blessing as never before. ☦💝📿💝☦
Thank you, Fr. Josiah. In addition to being a sobering reminder, I think for many of us newly baptized Orthodox, or even long-term faithful, this has been a reassurance. It is good to be vigilant about our spirit and how we partake of the sacraments, but I know that we may also struggle with overthinking. There is a balance to strike when it comes to these things. Lord, have mercy on us! ☦️
Can’t say this enough: this is such great advice for me and so very helpful…if you wrote a book on confession it would be a best seller! Thank you, father!
This is a very important video for beginners in comfession. My life confession was the worst, I spoke so unclearly to make my priest not really understand what I was saying. The other confessions after that I giggled, maybe even said the sins of other ones, I said the worst things in the end, etc etc. The other day I went to another priest to confess next to him (he didnt speak the language that well and he probably didnt understand most things) necause I was so ashamed of one thing that I didnt want to go to my Spiritual Father. I am working on my comfessions; I didnt go for ~4 weeks but I will go in a few hours God willing.
Sometimes there are many people in line for confession and our priests just ask if we repent for our sins. There isn't enough time to listen to every confession, because there's to many people. I am wondering why this practice is never mentioned in such videos. I asked one priest and he said it's not important for him to hear my sins, but my intention to confess is much more important.
I've never gone to confession but I would imagine someone would have difficulty having a true resolve to confess while knowing the whole time they arent likely to have to expose those secret shames.
Thank you Father for this short video on confession is so helpful, very interesting what we do oftentimes unconsciously but it is actually an effort to avoid confession. Only one thing I would like to comment is that oftentines there is this comparison with the medical establishment. I am sure that in the old days physicians where true healers, sadly in today's world medical practice is corrupted and slave to big Pharmaceuticals. I wish we could refer to healers than doctors. Personally I question a lot the western allopathic approach in healing. This last comment doesn't in any way affect the value of this video feeling grateful for your guidance .
Yes, true for the world we live in now. But, why not go to the Great Physician, and to His Hospital, as it has been called for centuries..? Why not hold firmly to that name? That description? Let's hope that those around us return to what they have been called to be instead of to what they have become.. They deeply need the Great Physician as well. God bless. ☦💝📿💝☦
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
How would a survivor of childhood abuse confess to sins of self abuse? How much is appropriate to confess as their own doing? What level of detail is necessary to adequately articulate a proper confession?
I don’t even know all of my sins. I can name some, but I’m not sure 🤔 if it actually is a sin. I don’t know 🤷 what displeases God, really. All my thoughts 💭 all my attempts to be good 😊 but failing. I was told Friday I am a murderer if I harbor any resentment towards anyone ever. So, there’s no end to my sin. How many hours would I sit and confess to someone I don’t even know? 🤷♀️
1) the priest asks God to forgive any sins which you have forgotten as well 2) name what you can. If you don't know whether something counts or not, you can always ask 3) your experience is more common than you might think. Most people struggle with sin. With the murderer comparison, I can maybe understand why someone might say that, but in general I would say don't take it too literally. We don't tend to categorize sin as much as the Catholics, but if you actually killed someone it is still very different from resentment. 4) you are confessing to God. He knows you better than anyone.
How much distress would a mortal being need to suffer before you ask them why they might have felt pressure to commit a particular sin? I tried to live an Orthodox life for a few years and have seen that all the highest hierarchs in all the jurisdictions where I live are quite seriously sabotaging the Church here. I no longer feel safe to confess or participate, so I must give what you would have to call "No Confession". It seems they'll never change. Who does a bishop even confess to? But given I see myself blaming others for my problem, it seems you are better off without people like me, not hearing the **other** kind of bad confession I'd give. May God help us.
How are they sabotaging the church exactly? And how did you feel unsafe? I'm an enquirer and am considering joining the Orthodox Church and also have some qualms about this kind of thing.
Catholic here, I really appreciate your videos. I’m continually shocked to hear about the experiences of priests in the confessional in terms of these bad confessional habits. Do you believe that some of these bad habits are the result of embarrassment of having to confess these sins or being unaware of what to do or both? May the Lord bless you, father.
Is with confession actually meant to tell the sin to a priest, or can I, when repenting, tell God "Yes, I did this; I did that, absolutly". Does that count aswell?
Believe it or not but there are those of us in this world that do not have access to a priest or a church community. I'm not in a position to pack up my stuff and move away from loved ones that needs my love and care...so it breaks my heart to hear that my confessions are bad. This is what troubles me greatly about any form of christianity; that priests and leaders make it sound like our faith isn't real unless we're part of a church community, take communion, confess to a priest.....then why did God place me in this place where all those things are out of reach? The world is bigger than the US...there are MANY areas where there are no orthodox church communities that take faith seriously and prioritize nurturing a hungry human soul..so God forgive me if I'm living my faith wrong but I'd rather worship the Lord through my love for others, being in nature, go in to my room and confess my sins and pray to the Lord in secret, than to join a church that has parted ways with the truth and constantly adapts to the ways of the world,..like the church community closest to where I live has done. I don't mean to offend or be rude...it just makes me really sad to think that the God I love would deem my confessions as bad if done in the privacy of my own home.
It might be worth your time to try and email a Priest at your nearest Parish (even if that is pretty far). You will probably get a lot better advice and discussion than the RUclips comment section.
Forgive me if I misspeak but Its my understanding the orthodox response would be that these are the normative ways where the church IS available. When it is not, you do the best you can with what you have. Examples are baptism of desire, the theif on the cross, etc. Phone calls might work if possible. If not possible then what youre doing is good. But that doesnt mean if the church DID arrive on your doorstep you wouldnt be expected to join and to practice in the normative way. Again forgive me if I misspeak.
It seems like you just got some good advice. It is easy to hear your heart. During the lockdown priests began to hear confessions by phone in ways they never did before. The priest who usually hears my confession now lives in another state. All is not lost. There ARE priests to talk to. To contact. You will be graciously treated. The Lord can work this out. Trust in Him. ☦💝📿💝☦
What about when your spiritual father doesn’t live near you? How do you do a “correct” remote confession. What about absolution. What if your local priest won’t just do absolution or feels offended you won’t confess to him? What about confessing to multiple priests? If you don’t confess to your spiritual father how can he really give you the best advice if he doesn’t know your confession?
I think we shouldn't be so legalistic about these things. Orthodoxy is a much more organic faith than that. I'd say it's probably good to have a spiritual father that you trust and you should talk to him about these issues and trust what he says. If what he says is not as "hard core" and more "relaxed" than a lot of the online ortho bros make orthodoxy seem; then listen to your priest, not to anyone on the internet.
@@Martin-hd2tr So should we be “legalistic” about our preparation for holy communion then? Because that’s what it all boils down to. Everyone says “talk to your priest”. I would say a lot of people don’t have a “priest” and if they do, and he’s any good he’s almost always too busy for these kinds of questions. At least that has been my experience.
@@louishurr393 that has not been my experience at all. That may differ depending on where you live but I have been to serbian and antiochian orthodox churches and the priests were always very available and took their time to speak to me or talk over the phone. One of the priests doesnt speak any german or english so he introduced me to the bishop who immediately invited me for tea and gave me his phone number. I realize that is probably not everybody's experience and I'm super grateful for it but I can't imagine that it's an entirely different world everywhere else. But I would say that it's absolutely essential to talk to a priest and have a spiritual father. That's just part of the faith. If you don't have one, go find one. They will take the time eventually. They have to, it's basically their job. You can't live the orthodox faith without a priest, this is not protestantism where you basically live according to a rule book. Some RUclips channel is not a substitute for a spiritual father in any way. No, I don't think we should be legalistic about preparation for communion either. That doesnt mean that there arent rules but the rules are there to prepare you spiritually and mentally, theyre not an arbitrary list of commands.
Can non church members attend confession? And if it’s my first confession, do I try and list every single one of my sins? Or the more recent/relevant. Inquiring Protestant who’s thinking about converting
in a earlyer video you talked about how devorce impact the children, and am a victim of that. And it has lead to a tremendously difficult life, and so it lead again to sin. And in this video there's no one else fulth but mine. This is what I find hard about life, everything is contradictory, even the religion. To much words, to much rules, to much.
Same as before, my confessed story of woe comes from a little I did know. Her love like no other, I still think she's drawing nearer. Lord have mercy ever more. The relationship, I wish I could say, was like no other. No, it was a matter of distance, addiction and nonchalant way I treated her with the level of kindness a father would show his baby girl. Forgive me, for honestly, I was a fool not to be glued closer to you, dear Wusk... alas, I'm not trying to confess in vain and rather wish to better understand God's will. She knew this as well. For my religious convictions often were related to her own, so to say, sins. I mean to say, I'm sorry still that I feel responsible for not adhering closer last time this video was posted. Nonetheless, I know you're here...
I'm in the same spot. My approach is: pray, go to church, talk to the priest regularly, talk to the other people at the church, learn as much as I can about Orthodoxy and wait until I am ready to enter into the church. My bishop told me that there's no rush. And that's what I'm hearing over and over again. I think we converts tend to be very zealous at the beginning, which is a good thing and we try to get everything right, but we have the rest of our lives to grow in the faith. God loves us. He knows our hearts and the sincerity of our efforts. He will make sure that everything will turn out good, he desires our salvation probably more than we ourselves do. Just trust in God, go to church and just make sure that you don't turn away from God.
Don't worry about time. Just say what needs to be said. Some confessions will be long, some short. That said, be considerate of others and the priests time. If it's 30min before the liturgy and 7 people are waiting behind you, keep it short. Or if you know your confession will be a long one, go to Vespers and confess then when time is not an issue.
You should read a book in which it is written about sins according to God's 10 commandments. It will remind you and reveal that you have a sin without even knowing it. Read the lives of the saints, to see how they lived. Write down your observations about yourself, your sins committed before confession. Over time, you will get to know yourself like peeling an onion.❤
Baptism is like a swimmer jumping into the pool making a big splash... after doing so, swimmer continues by repeating same moves with his/her arms. That is what new brother/sister should do as well, except that our swimming after the splash is rhythmical repetition of prayers - fasting - services as prescribed by the Church.
First of all, i would suggest that you ask your priest that question. If you are able to have a spiritual father, he will especially direct your steps. It is important to stay connected in that way. If at all possible. ☦💝📿💝☦
How do I know what a true sin is. Maybe I don't think or never crossed my mind that what I did or say is a sin. Yes I know stealing & killing are sins...but the church says its a sin.. but what if I feel no shame..am I doomed.
I am new to Orthodoxy (still a catechumen) so I'm not sure and probably the wrong person to comment on this. but as far as I understand, first of all, I don't think you are "doomed" just because you didn't know that something is a sin or because you forgot to mention something. You confess what bothers your conscience according to your knowledge of God's commandments and the teachings of the church. As long as you keep humbly learning and listen to what your spiritual father is telling you. In preperation for a confession, the 10 commandments are an obvious guideline for an examination of your conscience. You can also go through the passions as described by the church fathers; have you been prideful, lustful, lazy, gluttonous etc? But Orthodoxy is not legalistic, it's not a list of things to do or not to do, there's no moralistic rule book. This is more about personal transformation, about looking deeply and honestly at yourself and your heart, about examining your conscience, about attempting to live a holy and sanctified life. If there's something you did or you are doing that bothers you, that you're not sure about, just ask your priest / your spiritual father about it. And God will not condemn you if you are really honestly trying. Even the Saints fell and stood back up, countless times. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, he doesn't punish us according to some arbitrary list of rules. That's a legalistic idea from western christianity about a vengeful accountant God who keeps track of all your mistakes and punishes you according to some rule book. I read a quote recently: "God doesn't judge Christians because they sin, but because they do not repent." God wants to transform us into his likeness. He looks at the heart, at your honesty, humility and your effort, your sincere repentence. He calls us to a loving relationship, he doesn't want slaves who just follow some arbitrary list of rules out of fear of damnation.
I respect this man's views inasmuch as they align with biblical principles. On the other hand, I understand this is tackled from the perspective of a person with a vocation from within the church, sort of the formal view of things. But just to share an alternative perspective, I think that ‘a voice of one crying out in the wilderness’ is just as much an honest and sincere act of confession as any confession done formally from within the walls of the church. I'd say, they are probably even more honest, done without the usual formalities, done from the very brokenness and grief of the heart and done directly to God or before God. I think that it says somewhere when we can no more speak to God due to the weight of the grief we carry, the spirit groans for us and delivers our pleas to God that way. I think that is just as legit as any act of confession done to a priest. Let's be honest among ourselves: not every Christian identifies with a church or belongs to a church, formally. So imagine how many Christians everyday confess in this way to God, in their deepest and most solitary silence, when they don't have a church or priest. They have God, Jesus, the Spirit for them.
God deals with everyone in their own way, but The Way was set before us to follow and all signs from God point towards Orthodoxy. That’s not to say that someone’s going to hell because they’re outside the Church, but it is to say that the Church was instituted by God to deliver salvation to the masses. The Church IS Christ’s presence on earth.
@@r4ngerr4ge32 Truly, the Church is the Bride of Christ who is His primary representative, biblically speaking, on this Earth. I hope that one day all those so-called outsider Christians should finally arrive at this divinely-instituted Church to worship together.
But, nothing, nothing compares to being within the Holy Orthodox Church.. even as we know that not everyone is. The Lord is gracious. I will not speak for Him or for how He handles things..but nothing compares to being within His Church. Nothing does.. ☦💝💝💝📿📿💝💝💝☦
Sweet, provides. Time for my story. Pass it around. Lord keeps sending me to build bridges and the orthodoxy is so slow it causes him bed sores. I have never been okay. My brain is a five pound quija board designed from birth by both the lords creation and the devils' manipulation to be a spiritual dynamo. I did not learn. Of elders. My faith was born in a sea of chaotic spiritual energies colliding into me as i am a lightning rod. My first devil, devil. Not demon. Showed to me in infancy i have been deeply at war since day one. I have walked with the apostles and done their works and have been given their honors. I work tirelessly for the lord. Not out of obligation, or even love. He knows my heart, i do this because i was chosen and the rewards are great. So when I say, I absolutely adore Orthodoxy? But you do not measure up, to even me, and I'm a lunatic who is only ever lucid enough to make sense when he's been given that gift. I see the spiritual world. I hear the spiritual world. I interact with the spiritual world more than the physical, when I breath Bow, to the lord and ask him, "how is this street urchin so comfident in his right to be my boss!?" It is the lord, and I only asked for the Mantle for power, the duties are just a perk. Not all in the kingdom of heaven are to take salvation peacefully. Though, we would like nothing more than to sleep. For as Orthodoxy Slept and Catholicism spread evil? The rest of us toiled. You are the church he chose to preserve. Congratualtions. Now its time to follow the lord, and modernize your faith. We dont need more basic disciples. We need apostles; we need great men of great faith. Great women of great faith. We need to be teaching our children how to war with the devil. You guys dont do. Any of that. You're adorable, you're rock solid, but you're cold. Spread the word. I am so very tired. You'll have read this angry. That's not me.
Bible tells us we confess to God directly. I agree we need to confess our own sins but we don't need to go to a pastor or priest to confess. Bible tells us to go to the throne of God directly and that's why the veil of Holy of Holies was torn in order to have direct access to God without going through levical priesthood. Jesus became our priest so there is no need for priests. In Timothy we see how the church should be run. We don't follow the old covenant ways to have a Holy of Holies. Praise God for giving all Christians, access to the throne of God to go to him directly with our prayers and supplications and confessions, etc.
Disciples of John the Baptist confessed their sins publicly, and so did early Christians (James 5:16). The Didache (1st century Christian document) also mentions this: "Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure." What probably happened historically is that as Christianity grew, it became dangerous to confess your sins before the entire congregation, so it changed to confessing only before the priest or bishop. There is no biblical precedent, as far as I can see, for completely private confession of sins, just you and God. Yes, Christ is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins which replaces the Old Testament sacrifice, and it is God alone who forgives sins, but the normative means by which Christians experience God's forgiveness is by a confession to God witnessed by a priest. Certainly one can and should ask for God's forgiveness in one's private prayers as well.
With all due respect, comparisons to doctors are not good ones. Cholesterol science is complex and not all doctors understand the nuances and they might be only too eager to prescribe medications instead of diet changes. All what has been done in service of mammon is corrupted by it.
Jesus is referred to as the good Doctor. Spiritual Healing. Many Saints have been Doctors of course he Church. A doctor comes to heal the sick. We are all sick.
I had a lot of bitterness about doctors. This is very common today because the drugs they hand out liberally can harm or even kill people. I will say that deep at the heart of anger at doctors is lack of trust in God. I used to think the pediatrician would kill my child inadvertently because another doctor hurt my Dad and he died. The Gospels mention that the woman with the issue of blood had suffered at the hands of many doctors. Jesus is the perfect Physician, though, as the other commenter said. 🙏
Assume good will in the analogy. No need to take things literally. Also some priests are also corrupted as well. So I don’t see how the analogy is bad. Sincerely, a doctor.
@@minasoliman I have immense respect for doctors who actually love God and people. This not an easy job, even more so as the medical industry seems more and more corrupted to me. There must be a lot of pressure to push pills. Corrupted priests do not last long near the altar when the Church itself is healty. I have seen some strange things and a death. Being a priest is a hard and humbling life. I wish more doctors would undrestand that they too answer to God for what they do. People serving mammon love money more than people. The result of this is horrific, if you play the game theory out to its conclusion. You can't trust institutions comprised of people who all pray to mammon. In the end there is no one else left to consume and then they will eat themselves.
What I've learned after 17 years in the Orthodox Church is that every church is different and every priest is different. My favorite priest was also a counselor. He was a licensed therapist and was going to school to get his doctorate in psychology. He did this because he felt he would be a better Confessor and a better counselor to his parish. His confessions were counseling sessions also. You would do your confession and then he would counsel you for 30 minutes. It was wonderful. God's grace certainly wasn't wasted by having a counseling as part of your confession. I heard a priest say confess your sins to God whenever God gives you the urge to do so, even if you're at home or at the grocery store. But you should also come to confession because it serves a purpose. So I don't get how confessing your sins to God on your own is somehow a bad confession. Especially if you go to the sacrament of confession also. And I've also never heard of priests say you should come to church and confess your sins TO the priest before this video. I've always been told that you are confessing your sins to God and the priest was just there to witness offer God's forgiveness to you. You weren't confessing TO the priest. Some of this reminds before when a priest told us if you aren't coming to church to receive communion every Sunday, why are you even here? Yet, I listened to a man's testimony once about how he'd been going to church every Sunday for 20 years, been an eider and on the board. But it wasn't until one day that it really hit him, that he needed to fully repent of his sins and he'd only been going through the motions for 20 years. So going to church every Sunday for 20 years, even though wasn't fully participating in his faith, was beneficial to him.
The Forgotten Medicine: The Mystery of Repentance by Archimandrite Seraphim Alexsiev is an excellent book on this topic. I recently read it and it was a great help to me.
Amen. That book is amazing
This is a great guide for Confessors!
Thank You for Fr. Josiah!
Thank you for this, Father. I would love a part 2 on how to have the right amount of specificity. If I say I’ve committed the sin of pride, do I talk about what way? If I’ve broken the fast, do I say what I ate and when? If I’ve sinned sexually, how much detail is necessary and how much is unfit to say?
I would really appreciate this aswell.
Its stupid I know but the dread of a life confession is holding me - delaying me - in converting. I only told my wife last week Id like to inquire and Ive been convinced for the better part of 6 months.
@@jakewilliam15don’t let those whispers get the best out of you. Life confession was the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life. But I left with a weight off my shoulders I didn’t know I had. Brother, if I may give you one advice, talk to your spiritual father and go for it. Write down everything, dig as deep as possible. Truly I was freed from so many things after I confessed. Good strength to you brother
@@sojournerpilgrim thanks for your advice. I think your first line is what I need to remember
I would think these are things you dial in with your spiritual father, the one who's actually hearing the confession....
I am going to my first confession ever in next two weeks before my baptism. And its going to be a BIG one. My sins from the past could of ended with me in prison. This is along time ago and definitely in the past but its going to be a big part of my new life in Christ.
How wonderful. How absolutely wonderful. Many saints will rejoice. Heaven has many saints who also had troubling things to confess..and did. Heaven is on our side.
Your relief will be beyond your ability to describe.
☦💝📿💝☦
How wonderful. How absolutely wonderful. Many saints will rejoice. Heaven has many saints who also had troubling things to confess..and did. Heaven is on our side.
Your relief will be beyond your ability to describe.
☦💝📿💝☦
dont you need to be baptized first in order to go to confession?
@@nananina982i don't know what others will answer, or how his priest will guide him, but you asked an important question.
My experience was that i went to confession, but my priest told me that he could not absolve me of my sins until after my reception into the Church.. As i understand it, that is usually how it works. Even that experience was of great benefit for me..
Friend, baptism washes away the sins, what you do afterwards is what you have to confess, but previous sins don't count, but ask your priest just in case
As a fairly new baptised orthodox, Fr Trenham here has described my first few confessions exactly! Very beneficial talk here. I've got plenty to learn in the ways of humility and life of Christ.
I received grace proportional to the quality of my confession. When I left, I wanted to go back again
The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest. I confess to him. ❤
Bad confession; what to do instead:
A confession avoided; go to confession,
Sin not articulated; don't avoid saying it,
Confessed in private, not to a priest,
Done without preparation, without humility,
Confessing other's sins; don't speak about others,
Too much verbosity; just say what you did and admit guilt, don't use verbosity to cover;
Don't be too specific or vague to avoid stating the sin,
Praising yourself, saying you've progressed,
Judging your sins, or ranking them; let your father confessor tell you what sin is relatively good or bad,
Leaving the embarrassing or preoccupying thing to last; say the most embarrassing thing first,
Don't giggle or laugh, even out of nervousness; calm yourself,
Don't confuse confession with other things like pastoral counseling, or ask theological questions; allow this sacrament its fullness,
God gives grace to the humble and He forgives.
Amen! The Mystery of Repentance: THE FORGOTTEN MEDICINE!
We are taught well about confession from Psalm 50:
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”
Thank you for this video, as a catechumen I really needed it! ☦️
Don't be afraid.. We can fear confession. But the Saints and the Church and the priests all help us thorough it. We may start slowly, but when we see that we are safe, and being saved, the words begin to flow, and we place those sins at the foot of the Cross, and understand Its blessing as never before.
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God bless you Fr. Trenham.
Thank you Fr. Josiah for edifying us on our confession.
Thank you Fr. Lord have Mercy on me a sinner 😞☦️
thank you Father...this was most helpful. Lord give us (ME) a good confession
This helped me prepare for confession today, actually. Thank you Fr. Josiah!
Thank you Father for the video!!! Bless.
Literally describing my “confession” I did yesterday. I’m sorry. 😐
Thank you, Fr. Josiah. In addition to being a sobering reminder, I think for many of us newly baptized Orthodox, or even long-term faithful, this has been a reassurance.
It is good to be vigilant about our spirit and how we partake of the sacraments, but I know that we may also struggle with overthinking. There is a balance to strike when it comes to these things.
Lord, have mercy on us! ☦️
Can’t say this enough: this is such great advice for me and so very helpful…if you wrote a book on confession it would be a best seller! Thank you, father!
Thankyou Father this is exactly what I needed to hear today God bless you ❤
Absolute Fire. Thx Pops 🔥
"God's Help."
This is a very important video for beginners in comfession. My life confession was the worst, I spoke so unclearly to make my priest not really understand what I was saying. The other confessions after that I giggled, maybe even said the sins of other ones, I said the worst things in the end, etc etc.
The other day I went to another priest to confess next to him (he didnt speak the language that well and he probably didnt understand most things) necause I was so ashamed of one thing that I didnt want to go to my Spiritual Father.
I am working on my comfessions; I didnt go for ~4 weeks but I will go in a few hours God willing.
Amen
Thank you Father
You are absolutely right Father.
Very useful I've been struggling with this for years
Thank you for the wisdom Father
Sometimes there are many people in line for confession and our priests just ask if we repent for our sins. There isn't enough time to listen to every confession, because there's to many people. I am wondering why this practice is never mentioned in such videos. I asked one priest and he said it's not important for him to hear my sins, but my intention to confess is much more important.
I've never gone to confession but I would imagine someone would have difficulty having a true resolve to confess while knowing the whole time they arent likely to have to expose those secret shames.
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Thank you Father for this short video on confession is so helpful, very interesting what we do oftentimes unconsciously but it is actually an effort to avoid confession.
Only one thing I would like to comment is that oftentines there is this comparison with the medical establishment. I am sure that in the old days physicians where true healers, sadly in today's world medical practice is corrupted and slave to big Pharmaceuticals. I wish we could refer to healers than doctors. Personally I question a lot the western allopathic approach in healing. This last comment doesn't in any way affect the value of this video feeling grateful for your guidance .
Yes, true for the world we live in now. But, why not go to the Great Physician, and to His Hospital, as it has been called for centuries..?
Why not hold firmly to that name? That description?
Let's hope that those around us return to what they have been called to be instead of to what they have become..
They deeply need the Great Physician as well.
God bless. ☦💝📿💝☦
People, you should may confession only to God , not to people.
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“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16
How would a survivor of childhood abuse confess to sins of self abuse? How much is appropriate to confess as their own doing? What level of detail is necessary to adequately articulate a proper confession?
I don’t even know all of my sins. I can name some, but I’m not sure 🤔 if it actually is a sin.
I don’t know 🤷 what displeases God, really.
All my thoughts 💭 all my attempts to be good 😊 but failing. I was told Friday I am a murderer if I harbor any resentment towards anyone ever. So, there’s no end to my sin. How many hours would I sit and confess to someone I don’t even know? 🤷♀️
Your pride.
1) the priest asks God to forgive any sins which you have forgotten as well
2) name what you can. If you don't know whether something counts or not, you can always ask
3) your experience is more common than you might think. Most people struggle with sin. With the murderer comparison, I can maybe understand why someone might say that, but in general I would say don't take it too literally. We don't tend to categorize sin as much as the Catholics, but if you actually killed someone it is still very different from resentment.
4) you are confessing to God. He knows you better than anyone.
How much distress would a mortal being need to suffer before you ask them why they might have felt pressure to commit a particular sin? I tried to live an Orthodox life for a few years and have seen that all the highest hierarchs in all the jurisdictions where I live are quite seriously sabotaging the Church here. I no longer feel safe to confess or participate, so I must give what you would have to call "No Confession". It seems they'll never change. Who does a bishop even confess to? But given I see myself blaming others for my problem, it seems you are better off without people like me, not hearing the **other** kind of bad confession I'd give. May God help us.
How are they sabotaging the church exactly? And how did you feel unsafe? I'm an enquirer and am considering joining the Orthodox Church and also have some qualms about this kind of thing.
Catholic here, I really appreciate your videos.
I’m continually shocked to hear about the experiences of priests in the confessional in terms of these bad confessional habits. Do you believe that some of these bad habits are the result of embarrassment of having to confess these sins or being unaware of what to do or both?
May the Lord bless you, father.
Thank you for the reflection Father. Could you do one on the Jesus Prayer? Would really be of help.
I've read that a confession should be as if you were to die tomorrow.
Is with confession actually meant to tell the sin to a priest, or can I, when repenting, tell God "Yes, I did this; I did that, absolutly". Does that count aswell?
I like that beer mug, where can I get one?
Believe it or not but there are those of us in this world that do not have access to a priest or a church community. I'm not in a position to pack up my stuff and move away from loved ones that needs my love and care...so it breaks my heart to hear that my confessions are bad. This is what troubles me greatly about any form of christianity; that priests and leaders make it sound like our faith isn't real unless we're part of a church community, take communion, confess to a priest.....then why did God place me in this place where all those things are out of reach? The world is bigger than the US...there are MANY areas where there are no orthodox church communities that take faith seriously and prioritize nurturing a hungry human soul..so God forgive me if I'm living my faith wrong but I'd rather worship the Lord through my love for others, being in nature, go in to my room and confess my sins and pray to the Lord in secret, than to join a church that has parted ways with the truth and constantly adapts to the ways of the world,..like the church community closest to where I live has done. I don't mean to offend or be rude...it just makes me really sad to think that the God I love would deem my confessions as bad if done in the privacy of my own home.
It might be worth your time to try and email a Priest at your nearest Parish (even if that is pretty far). You will probably get a lot better advice and discussion than the RUclips comment section.
Forgive me if I misspeak but Its my understanding the orthodox response would be that these are the normative ways where the church IS available. When it is not, you do the best you can with what you have. Examples are baptism of desire, the theif on the cross, etc. Phone calls might work if possible. If not possible then what youre doing is good.
But that doesnt mean if the church DID arrive on your doorstep you wouldnt be expected to join and to practice in the normative way. Again forgive me if I misspeak.
What is the distance to your closest orthodox parish?
It seems like you just got some good advice. It is easy to hear your heart. During the lockdown priests began to hear confessions by phone in ways they never did before. The priest who usually hears my confession now lives in another state.
All is not lost. There ARE priests to talk to. To contact. You will be graciously treated.
The Lord can work this out.
Trust in Him.
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Many Orthodox priests hear confessions over the phone!
What about when your spiritual father doesn’t live near you? How do you do a “correct” remote confession. What about absolution. What if your local priest won’t just do absolution or feels offended you won’t confess to him? What about confessing to multiple priests? If you don’t confess to your spiritual father how can he really give you the best advice if he doesn’t know your confession?
I think we shouldn't be so legalistic about these things. Orthodoxy is a much more organic faith than that. I'd say it's probably good to have a spiritual father that you trust and you should talk to him about these issues and trust what he says. If what he says is not as "hard core" and more "relaxed" than a lot of the online ortho bros make orthodoxy seem; then listen to your priest, not to anyone on the internet.
@@Martin-hd2tr So should we be “legalistic” about our preparation for holy communion then? Because that’s what it all boils down to. Everyone says “talk to your priest”. I would say a lot of people don’t have a “priest” and if they do, and he’s any good he’s almost always too busy for these kinds of questions. At least that has been my experience.
@@louishurr393 that has not been my experience at all. That may differ depending on where you live but I have been to serbian and antiochian orthodox churches and the priests were always very available and took their time to speak to me or talk over the phone. One of the priests doesnt speak any german or english so he introduced me to the bishop who immediately invited me for tea and gave me his phone number.
I realize that is probably not everybody's experience and I'm super grateful for it but I can't imagine that it's an entirely different world everywhere else.
But I would say that it's absolutely essential to talk to a priest and have a spiritual father. That's just part of the faith. If you don't have one, go find one. They will take the time eventually. They have to, it's basically their job. You can't live the orthodox faith without a priest, this is not protestantism where you basically live according to a rule book.
Some RUclips channel is not a substitute for a spiritual father in any way.
No, I don't think we should be legalistic about preparation for communion either. That doesnt mean that there arent rules but the rules are there to prepare you spiritually and mentally, theyre not an arbitrary list of commands.
Is Fr. Josiah low-key trolling Mormom--inquirers by taking a sip of coffee after the blessing intro and before sharing the reflection?
Can non church members attend confession? And if it’s my first confession, do I try and list every single one of my sins? Or the more recent/relevant. Inquiring Protestant who’s thinking about converting
in a earlyer video you talked about how devorce impact the children, and am a victim of that. And it has lead to a tremendously difficult life, and so it lead again to sin. And in this video there's no one else fulth but mine.
This is what I find hard about life, everything is contradictory, even the religion.
To much words, to much rules, to much.
Good advice but what if you didnt know how to do it before and only listen to this now?
No problem. God knows this and his mercy is infinite
It isn't me it is someone else, things like that, I think.
Same as before, my confessed story of woe comes from a little I did know. Her love like no other, I still think she's drawing nearer. Lord have mercy ever more. The relationship, I wish I could say, was like no other. No, it was a matter of distance, addiction and nonchalant way I treated her with the level of kindness a father would show his baby girl. Forgive me, for honestly, I was a fool not to be glued closer to you, dear Wusk... alas, I'm not trying to confess in vain and rather wish to better understand God's will. She knew this as well. For my religious convictions often were related to her own, so to say, sins. I mean to say, I'm sorry still that I feel responsible for not adhering closer last time this video was posted. Nonetheless, I know you're here...
Father, what advice would you give for catechumens who can't do official confessions yet?
I'm in the same spot. My approach is: pray, go to church, talk to the priest regularly, talk to the other people at the church, learn as much as I can about Orthodoxy and wait until I am ready to enter into the church. My bishop told me that there's no rush. And that's what I'm hearing over and over again. I think we converts tend to be very zealous at the beginning, which is a good thing and we try to get everything right, but we have the rest of our lives to grow in the faith. God loves us. He knows our hearts and the sincerity of our efforts. He will make sure that everything will turn out good, he desires our salvation probably more than we ourselves do. Just trust in God, go to church and just make sure that you don't turn away from God.
Fr. Josiah, how long should a confession last? When is it too long?
Don't worry about time. Just say what needs to be said. Some confessions will be long, some short.
That said, be considerate of others and the priests time. If it's 30min before the liturgy and 7 people are waiting behind you, keep it short. Or if you know your confession will be a long one, go to Vespers and confess then when time is not an issue.
What is the most important thing for the newly baptized to focus on for the first year or two?
You should read a book in which it is written about sins according to God's 10 commandments. It will remind you and reveal that you have a sin without even knowing it. Read the lives of the saints, to see how they lived. Write down your observations about yourself, your sins committed before confession. Over time, you will get to know yourself like peeling an onion.❤
Baptism is like a swimmer jumping into the pool making a big splash... after doing so, swimmer continues by repeating same moves with his/her arms. That is what new brother/sister should do as well, except that our swimming after the splash is rhythmical repetition of prayers - fasting - services as prescribed by the Church.
Pray and attend church as much as possible. Everything else comes from these.
First of all, i would suggest that you ask your priest that question. If you are able to have a spiritual father, he will especially direct your steps. It is important to stay connected in that way. If at all possible.
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@@lindaphillips4646 I have, I was hoping Fr Josiah would respond. 🙏🏻
How do I know what a true sin is. Maybe I don't think or never crossed my mind that what I did or say is a sin. Yes I know stealing & killing are sins...but the church says its a sin..
but what if I feel no shame..am I doomed.
I am new to Orthodoxy (still a catechumen) so I'm not sure and probably the wrong person to comment on this. but as far as I understand, first of all, I don't think you are "doomed" just because you didn't know that something is a sin or because you forgot to mention something. You confess what bothers your conscience according to your knowledge of God's commandments and the teachings of the church. As long as you keep humbly learning and listen to what your spiritual father is telling you.
In preperation for a confession, the 10 commandments are an obvious guideline for an examination of your conscience. You can also go through the passions as described by the church fathers; have you been prideful, lustful, lazy, gluttonous etc?
But Orthodoxy is not legalistic, it's not a list of things to do or not to do, there's no moralistic rule book. This is more about personal transformation, about looking deeply and honestly at yourself and your heart, about examining your conscience, about attempting to live a holy and sanctified life.
If there's something you did or you are doing that bothers you, that you're not sure about, just ask your priest / your spiritual father about it.
And God will not condemn you if you are really honestly trying. Even the Saints fell and stood back up, countless times. God doesn't expect us to be perfect, he doesn't punish us according to some arbitrary list of rules. That's a legalistic idea from western christianity about a vengeful accountant God who keeps track of all your mistakes and punishes you according to some rule book. I read a quote recently: "God doesn't judge Christians because they sin, but because they do not repent."
God wants to transform us into his likeness. He looks at the heart, at your honesty, humility and your effort, your sincere repentence. He calls us to a loving relationship, he doesn't want slaves who just follow some arbitrary list of rules out of fear of damnation.
Thank you Martin for such a detail explanation. God Bless you.
I respect this man's views inasmuch as they align with biblical principles. On the other hand, I understand this is tackled from the perspective of a person with a vocation from within the church, sort of the formal view of things. But just to share an alternative perspective, I think that ‘a voice of one crying out in the wilderness’ is just as much an honest and sincere act of confession as any confession done formally from within the walls of the church. I'd say, they are probably even more honest, done without the usual formalities, done from the very brokenness and grief of the heart and done directly to God or before God. I think that it says somewhere when we can no more speak to God due to the weight of the grief we carry, the spirit groans for us and delivers our pleas to God that way. I think that is just as legit as any act of confession done to a priest. Let's be honest among ourselves: not every Christian identifies with a church or belongs to a church, formally. So imagine how many Christians everyday confess in this way to God, in their deepest and most solitary silence, when they don't have a church or priest. They have God, Jesus, the Spirit for them.
God deals with everyone in their own way, but The Way was set before us to follow and all signs from God point towards Orthodoxy. That’s not to say that someone’s going to hell because they’re outside the Church, but it is to say that the Church was instituted by God to deliver salvation to the masses. The Church IS Christ’s presence on earth.
@@r4ngerr4ge32 Truly, the Church is the Bride of Christ who is His primary representative, biblically speaking, on this Earth. I hope that one day all those so-called outsider Christians should finally arrive at this divinely-instituted Church to worship together.
No dude, go to Church. I'm talking to myself here as well.
It’s obvious he’s speaking to those of us who are EASTERN ORTHODOX.
But, nothing, nothing compares to being within the Holy Orthodox Church.. even as we know that not everyone is. The Lord is gracious. I will not speak for Him or for how He handles things..but nothing compares to being within His Church. Nothing does..
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I've got a bad upload as there's no acoustic. Subtitles will suffice.👍
Sweet, provides. Time for my story. Pass it around. Lord keeps sending me to build bridges and the orthodoxy is so slow it causes him bed sores.
I have never been okay. My brain is a five pound quija board designed from birth by both the lords creation and the devils' manipulation to be a spiritual dynamo.
I did not learn. Of elders. My faith was born in a sea of chaotic spiritual energies colliding into me as i am a lightning rod.
My first devil, devil. Not demon. Showed to me in infancy i have been deeply at war since day one.
I have walked with the apostles and done their works and have been given their honors. I work tirelessly for the lord. Not out of obligation, or even love. He knows my heart, i do this because i was chosen and the rewards are great.
So when I say, I absolutely adore Orthodoxy? But you do not measure up, to even me, and I'm a lunatic who is only ever lucid enough to make sense when he's been given that gift.
I see the spiritual world. I hear the spiritual world. I interact with the spiritual world more than the physical, when I breath
Bow, to the lord and ask him, "how is this street urchin so comfident in his right to be my boss!?"
It is the lord, and I only asked for the Mantle for power, the duties are just a perk. Not all in the kingdom of heaven are to take salvation peacefully.
Though, we would like nothing more than to sleep. For as Orthodoxy Slept and Catholicism spread evil?
The rest of us toiled.
You are the church he chose to preserve. Congratualtions.
Now its time to follow the lord, and modernize your faith.
We dont need more basic disciples. We need apostles; we need great men of great faith. Great women of great faith.
We need to be teaching our children how to war with the devil.
You guys dont do. Any of that. You're adorable, you're rock solid, but you're cold.
Spread the word. I am so very tired. You'll have read this angry. That's not me.
Bible tells us we confess to God directly. I agree we need to confess our own sins but we don't need to go to a pastor or priest to confess. Bible tells us to go to the throne of God directly and that's why the veil of Holy of Holies was torn in order to have direct access to God without going through levical priesthood. Jesus became our priest so there is no need for priests. In Timothy we see how the church should be run. We don't follow the old covenant ways to have a Holy of Holies. Praise God for giving all Christians, access to the throne of God to go to him directly with our prayers and supplications and confessions, etc.
Disciples of John the Baptist confessed their sins publicly, and so did early Christians (James 5:16). The Didache (1st century Christian document) also mentions this:
"Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . . On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure."
What probably happened historically is that as Christianity grew, it became dangerous to confess your sins before the entire congregation, so it changed to confessing only before the priest or bishop.
There is no biblical precedent, as far as I can see, for completely private confession of sins, just you and God. Yes, Christ is the ultimate sacrifice for our sins which replaces the Old Testament sacrifice, and it is God alone who forgives sins, but the normative means by which Christians experience God's forgiveness is by a confession to God witnessed by a priest.
Certainly one can and should ask for God's forgiveness in one's private prayers as well.
@@daniels4669Kinda glad we don't do public confession anymore 😅
With all due respect, comparisons to doctors are not good ones. Cholesterol science is complex and not all doctors understand the nuances and they might be only too eager to prescribe medications instead of diet changes. All what has been done in service of mammon is corrupted by it.
Don’t take it too literally. You go to a doctor for physical healing. You go to confession for spiritual healing.
Jesus is referred to as the good Doctor. Spiritual Healing. Many Saints have been Doctors of course he Church. A doctor comes to heal the sick. We are all sick.
I had a lot of bitterness about doctors. This is very common today because the drugs they hand out liberally can harm or even kill people. I will say that deep at the heart of anger at doctors is lack of trust in God. I used to think the pediatrician would kill my child inadvertently because another doctor hurt my Dad and he died. The Gospels mention that the woman with the issue of blood had suffered at the hands of many doctors. Jesus is the perfect Physician, though, as the other commenter said. 🙏
Assume good will in the analogy. No need to take things literally.
Also some priests are also corrupted as well. So I don’t see how the analogy is bad.
Sincerely, a doctor.
@@minasoliman I have immense respect for doctors who actually love God and people. This not an easy job, even more so as the medical industry seems more and more corrupted to me. There must be a lot of pressure to push pills. Corrupted priests do not last long near the altar when the Church itself is healty. I have seen some strange things and a death. Being a priest is a hard and humbling life. I wish more doctors would undrestand that they too answer to God for what they do. People serving mammon love money more than people. The result of this is horrific, if you play the game theory out to its conclusion. You can't trust institutions comprised of people who all pray to mammon. In the end there is no one else left to consume and then they will eat themselves.
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