Confession

On making a good confession

Following His glorious Resurrection, as He appeared to His Disciples, Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the command that: “Whosoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever’s sins you retain, they are retained.” John 20:23

From that moment in history, the Church has seen Confession (or repentance) as one of the holy mysteries (or sacraments) of the Church, through which the penitent receives the divine forgiveness of Christ for any sins that are confessed.

The Lord Jesus Christ bestowed His authority upon the Church to forgive sins, and the priest or the bishop, as His representative on earth, through his ordination, prayers to God for the salvation of the servant of God who really repented of his / her sins and God forgives the sins through the priest. Not the priest but God through the priests’ prayer forgives. The Mystery of Holy Confession is holy because it connects God and His children, with the priest acting as the Bridge.

Dependent upon the sin committed , the priest has the right to ban a communicant from receiving Holy Communion, for serious sin requires a time of repentance. Every priest has the right to forgive and retain through God the sins of the faithful, who are coming to Confession, but every priest can not listen to Confessions, they have to be appointed by the local Bishop, they should be trained in the practice and in the spiritual life.

To make a good confession it is necessary to prepare yourself carefully. Ask God to give you Grace to make a thorough examination of your conscience. The following can be of real value, as you prepare to stand before the Gospel Book, with the priest as the witness, and make your confession before Christ Himself.

Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

A BRIEF FORM OF CONFESSION

When indicated by the priest to do so, the penitent may say the following:

I confess to the Lord my God before you, reverend father, all my sins which I have committed up to the present day and hour, in deed, word, and thought. Every day and every hour I sin through ingratitude to God for His great and numberless blessings to me and His most gracious providence and care for me, a sinner. I have sinned through:

The penitent then mentions those sins from the following list he is guilty of:
anger
concealing sins in confession
disobedience
disrespect
insubordination
drunkenness
gluttony or over-eating
evil speech
foul speech
saying unseemly things
gossip
grumbling
idle talk
lying
greed
inattention
carelessness
laziness
negligence or carelessness
love of money
love of sensual pleasure
sexual sins
impure thoughts
missing church services
sleeping in church
neglect of prayer
attachment to things
love of glory or honor
pride
self-love
self-will
vainglory or false values
envy
jealousy
remembering wrongs
reproaching others
judging others
condemnation of others
resentment
scorn
slander
theft

The penitent then mentions any other sins which he is guilty of, and concludes:

I repent of all my sins, and I beg forgiveness of our almighty God. I also ask forgiveness for all those sins I have not confessed because of their multitude and my forgetfulness.

Forgive and absolve me, reverend father, and bless me to receive the Holy Communion of the precious, holy, and life-creating Mysteries of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto the remission of sins and life everlasting.

Friday January 6, 2017 / December 24, 2016
29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three.
Fast. Food with Oil
The Eve of the Nativity of Christ 

Nun-martyr Eugenia of Rome, and with her Martyrs Philip her father, Protus, Hyacinth (Jacinth), Basilla, and Claudia (262).
New Hieromartyr Innocentius (1928).
New Hieromartyr Sergius priest (1942).
Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria (9th c.).
Venerable Antioch, monk of Palestine (635), and St. Vitimionus of Scete.
New Martyr Achmed (Ahmet) the Calligrapher (or Architect) of Constantinople (1682) (Greek).
Venerable Aphrodisius, monk of Palestine (6th c.).

The Scripture Readings

Hebrews 1:1-2 Royal Hours – 1st Hour
Matthew 1:18-25 Royal Hours – 1st Hour
Galatians 3:23-29 Royal Hours – 3rd Hour
Luke 2:1-20 Royal Hours – 3rd Hour
Hebrews 1:10-2:3 Royal Hours – 6th Hour
Matthew 2:1-12 Royal Hours – 6th Hour
Hebrews 2:11-18 Royal Hours – 9th Hour
Matthew 2:13-23 Royal Hours – 9th Hour
Hebrews 1:1-12 Liturgy
Luke 2:1-20 Liturgy