The importance of confidentiality between the confessor and penitent
The Seal of Confession is a hard and fast rule throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. Since the priest, in Orthodox theology, is but a witness to the confession, since the confession is made to Christ Himself, confidentiality is an absolute must. The secrecy of this Mystery of Penance is vital, for one could not expect a sincere and open confession if the penitent was doubtful of the confidentiality of his confession. Breaking the Seal of Confession is so serious, in fact, that betrayal of this secrecy can lead to the canonical punishment of the priest, including the possibility of his being deposed from the holy priesthood, as suggested in The Rudder.
It is also imperative that the spiritual direction given by a priest in confession be for the penitents ears only. If the priest is not permitted to divulge what the penitent says in confession, then the penitent should not divulge what his confessor says. This does not mean sharing what was said by the priest during your confession is anywhere near as reprehensible as having your sins revealed by the priest, but sharing anything said by either the priest, or the penitent, opens the door to the breaking of the Seal of Confession, for this could easily lead to a friend sharing your confidentially shared words with another person, and having it passed on as gossip to any number of people.
I remember hearing members of a parish accuse their priest of having broken the Seal, only to find out later that the penitent was the one who’d revealed the content of the confession, thus betraying the priest and the congregation. This one slip of the confidentiality of the confession led a whole congregation to believing they could not trust their priest!
Another good reason to always refrain from sharing what was said in confession is that your spouse will feel they have a right to ask what was said, fearing they might look bad in the eyes of the priest. Confession must be the one place where the penitent can always be upfront, if spiritual therapy is to result in healing. Honesty has to be central to the confession.
As a final note, an Orthodox priest should NEVER pronounce absolution in the case of murder, rape, pedophilia, or any other serious crime, unless the person agrees to turn themselves into the police. An important element in confession for any person who is truly sorry for their sins, must be their willingness to accept the consequences of justice rendered.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Wednesday January 20, 2016 / January 7, 2016
34th Week after Pentecost. Tone eight.
Fast. Fish Allowed
Afterfeast of the Theophany
Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John.
Martyr Paphnutius (1938).
New Hieromartyr Basil, priest (1939).
Martyr John (1940).
Martyr John (1942).
New Martyr Athanasius of Attalia and Smyrna (1700) (Greek).
St. Cedd, bishop of Lastingham (664) (Celtic & British).
St. Brannock (Brynach) of Braunton (6th c.) (Celtic & British).
St. Kentigerna, hermitess of Loch Lomond.
Scripture Readings
Hebrews 5:11-6:8
11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Spiritual Immaturity
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The Peril of Not Progressing
6 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Mark 12:28-37
The Scribes: Which Is the First Commandment of All?
28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
Jesus: How Can David Call His Descendant Lord?
35 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36 For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
37 Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?”
And the common people heard Him gladly.
Would you advise against even saying something like “I got daily reading of James 3 as a penance again”?
Not sure what you mean by this question, John.
I love the pictures you post on your blog. I would love to visit your beautiful monastery one day.
Thank you for your blog. It is usually the best daily thing I read on the Internet.
I have read that it is permitted/required for a priest to reveal what was said in a confession to his bishop under certain circumstances. Is this true?
As far as I know, this would only be required if a priest had information that would involve the canonical worthiness of a fellow priest to continue serving as a priest.
I know our priest keeps EVERYTHING said to him in confidence, even outside of confession, almost to a fault! He is very, very careful to protect the privacy of our parishioners, and we all know we can tell him anything at any time without it being shared with anyone, unless we explicitly ask him to. It is a very comforting and helpful thing and something that I am trying to emulate.
Really appreciate your words about keeping what the priest tells us in confession confidential as well. I hadn’t heard that before, and it makes sense and is so important to know!
Father, bless!
In the past I have shared advice given to me during confession because I thought it was useful. “He told me I shouldn’t…,” that kind of thing. Should I refrain from doing this in the future?
Thank you!
If you can share something of spiritual benefit to a friend, do so. As long as it does not touch on the sin that was committed. This would be sort of like sharing the context of a homily.