Guidance to the Repentant | Page 7 of 8 | Orthodox Church of the Mother of God

What to confess

Sins Against God and Church

Renouncing God or falling away from the Orthodox faith.

Skepticism and doubt regarding the veracity of the Bible’s and Church’s teachings – her canons, legality and correctness of the clergy, the truth of the Church Services and the Mysteries of the Church, and the authority of the holy fathers’ writings.
Little faith and doubt are products of a spiritually lacking upbringing, or the assimilation of materialistic, “eastern” or heretical teachings, or simply from being overburdened with life’s anxieties. “Empty” doubts are distinct from little faith as they are usually brought about through lack of understanding of one truth or another
Heresy and superstition. Heresy is a false religious teaching that has been rejected by the Church, yet has pretensions to Christian truth. It often springs from ignorance and pride – extravagant dependence on one’s personal intellect and experience. More destructive interests that are alien to the Christian teachings are: occultism, eastern mysticism, theosophy, spiritualism, extrasensory, personal perspicacity, ability to heal through incantations and conjurations etc.

Superstition in its various beliefs emanates from paganism and sorcery (magic, witchcraft, fortune-telling, symbols). These include national beliefs, customs and symbols that are associated with Church Feast days, and days commemorating specific Saints, as well as utilising holy church items and even the Sacraments toward blasphemously magic purposes. Superstitions are weeds in a spiritual meadow that smother spiritual offshoots and true faith. Fastening themselves like parasites on a person’s soul, they devour its energy, warp the true spiritual path and cloak Christ’s Truth. Superstitions foster spiritual illiteracy and blind faith in “ancient” (in reality pagan) traditions.

All these sins and problems of the mind are treated with studies of the Holy Scriptures and reading of spiritual books endorsed by the Church.

Passivity and indifference to Christian Teachings and absence of spiritual interests. This state is the result of a lazy mind and spiritual drowsiness. In a spiritually passive individual, the truth of faith is not rejected but simply ignored, thereby not allowing it to illuminate the mind with Christ’s Teachings. Signs of passivity: absence of thoughts on God, lack of love and gratitude to Him, indifference to the participation in the life hereafter.

Passivity engenders lukewarm relationship with God and to the purpose of saving one’s soul. Even though a person may pray, this spiritual tepidness emerges because of his inattentiveness and the feeling of being obliged to do it. In relation to Church Services, this feeling is reflected in rare and irregular church attendances, in inattentiveness or conversing during Church Services, unnecessary walking inside the church, distraction of other people through requests and comments and coming late or leaving early during the Service.

The sin of indifference to the Mystery of repentance is usually seen through infrequent confessionals, in preference for general confessions (rather than individual ones) thereby avoiding personal discomfort, in not wanting to deeply understand yourself, in maintaining an unrepentant and proud attitude, in the unwillingness to abandon sinful behaviour, to eradicate sordid leanings and conquer temptations: instead – strive to minimise the gravity of sin, to justify yourself and not reveal the more shameless deeds and thoughts.

It must be remembered that a person that partakes of Sacraments without the necessary preparation and not cleansing his soul through repentance, commits a grave sin and will bring upon himself more harm than good. After Holy Communion, he soon forgets that he has the Holy Gifts within him and quickly returns to his old iniquitous and sinful habits.

Reasons for passivity: attachment to earthly blessings and various pleasures. In its entirety, this sin leads to absence of awareness of God’s grace and His nearness to us and as a consequence, that person becomes a Christian in name while being a pagan in his lifestyle.

Stickler of the law – adherence to the letter of the law, extreme and fanatical commitment to the outward facet of church life, oblivious as to its meaning and purpose. Belief in salvation through the strict and accurate though perfunctory carrying out of ritual acts – without realizing their inner meaning – is testimony to a flawed conviction and a decrease in the true treasures of faith^{(Romans 7:6)}. This type of conviction arises from insufficient immersion into the good News from Christ, Who gave us the ability to be His servants of the New Testament – not to the word, but to the spirit, because “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” ^{(2 Cor. 3:6)}.

A stickler of the law testifies to an inadequate comprehension of the Church’s teachings and non-conformity to its majesty, or to an indiscriminate zeal in serving old customs.

Lack of trust in God through the absence of belief in that our life with all its minutest details is in God’s hands, Who loves us and is concerned for our salvation. This lack of trust occurs through not having a living relationship with Him and being engulfed in earthly interests.

This sin engenders ungratefulness toward God, despondency, pusillanimity and not being concerned for the future, anxious efforts to insure oneself against suffering and This sin is exhibited to avoid ordeals, and in instances of misfortune – to remonstrate against God. The antithesis to this – placing all your faith in God & having total trust in His fatherly concern for us.

Complaints. This sin is a consequence of not having trusted in God, which in turn may lead to a falling away from Church and total loss of faith.
Ungratefulness to God. Many people turn to God when faced with trials and tribulations, yet during auspicious periods, they forget Him, not realizing that all the benefits they receive are from Him. It is essential to compel yourself daily to thank God for his mercy – especially, for sending His Son, who suffered for our sins through the most humiliating death, and Who now constantly thinks about us, directing us toward our salvation.
Absence of fear of God and reverence before him. Careless, inattentive prayers, irreverent behavior in church before the Holiest of the Holy, disrespect for the clergy. No conscious realization of death and the expected Final Judgment. This condition ensues from a mindless attitude toward faith, which in turn prompts us to perform many of our obligations perfunctorily, through habit, just as it is written in the Bible: “as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from Me”^{(Is. 29:13)}.
Disobedience toward God’s will. This usually takes the form of open disagreement with God’s will as expressed in His Commandments, Holy Gospel, directives of the spiritual father, voice of one’s own conscience, misinterpret the will of God in one’s own favor so that it either justifies his actions or condemns another, placing one’s will above that of God’s, practicing senselessly ardent acts of asceticism and obliging others to emulate them, not honoring promises given to God during past Confessions.
Frivolous attitude to God and Church. The use of God’s name in jokes and idle conversations; flippant conversations and jokes on items of Faith; cursing or swearing with the use of His name.
Mercenary attitude toward Faith: Rushing to church and turning to God in times of need, not from feelings of love for Him or for the sake of saving one’s soul, but for the ulterior motive of receiving something instant and earthly. Having achieved success or with a change of the situation, the person reverts to his customary mundane activities.

Sins Against the Neighbor

To judge. Proclivity toward noting faults in others and present them in a reproaching manner. Sometimes, without even realizing his judgmental actions toward his neighbor, that person’s heart formulates a distorted picture of him. Consequently, this image serves as an inner justification for not loving and ignoring him.

Pride – attributing to yourself exceptional abilities (mental, knowledge, talents, “spirituality”) which give rise to feelings of superiority over others, or belief in one’s self-righteousness and sufficiency. Pride is expressed in feelings of ill will, or sometimes in highly opinionated and condescending attitudes toward others.
Vanity and conceit – are related to pride. We fall into these sins when we show off our talents, scholarship or when we demonstrate our spiritual knowledge, our attachment to the Church or our piety.

Ask yourself: don’t you boast in front of other people about your efforts, charitable acts, helping your neighbours, and expecting their approval or praise? How do you treat members of your family as well as people you come into contact or work with on a regular basis? Do you patiently tolerate their weaknesses or do they irritate you? Are you ever arrogant, testy, impatient to others failings or differing views?

Domineering – desire to be pre-eminent and to dictate to others. Do you love to have people listening to you or serving you? How do you treat people that rely on you both at home and at work? Do you love insisting people carry out your will? Don’t you strive to say the last word just for the sake of not agreeing with another person, even if he is right?
Self-isolation – alienation from people, unwillingness to associate or pray with others. Are you attentive to the needs of your family and close ones? Do you withdraw into yourself and your problems, ignoring the sorrow of others? This feeling comes about from the absence of spiritual fire and Christian love.
Neglect of and indifference to your close ones. This sin becomes especially frightful when it is applied against parents, when we do not express our gratitude, do not have concerns for them, are brusque and neglectful toward them. If the parents are dead, we must pray for them, serve Panihidas (requiems) and lodge commemorative notices during Liturgy.
Pleasing people. On the face of it, this sin is the opposite side of Dominance. We fall into it when we try to get people to like us by currying favor with them. Through this, we close our eyes to their iniquitous acts or even try to mask them. Have you practiced flattery in order to secure their favor? Because of covetous ambitions, have you subordinated yourself to other people’s opinions or tastes that differed to yours? Have you been untruthful, dishonest or hypocritical? Have you ever betrayed another for personal gain? Have you ever shifted your blame on others? Have you kept other people’s confidences?

There are many peoples’ sayings regarding flattery: “On top of the tongue – there is honey, underneath it – ice.” “Warm greetings – cold consequences.” “Where there is flattery – there is obloquy.”

Are you sinning by satisfying your physical passions through mindlessly adopting the lifestyle and behaviour of the people surrounding you, including those that are members of your church, but who are devoid of the Christian spirit?

Violation of peace. Are you able to maintain peace in your family, with your neighbors and fellow workers? Do you allow yourself to slander, defame, judge, evil laughter? Are you capable of curbing your tongue, is it too loquacious? Do you display a superficial curiosity toward the lives of others?
Envy and malevolence. Have you been jealous of another-s success or well-being? Have you wished misfortune and failure to another, or rejoiced when it happened? Have you instigated others to commit wrong deeds while remaining seemingly innocent? Have you ever been overly suspicious of another, seeing only deficiencies in him? Have you ever pointed out to one person the defects of another, so as to start an argument between them? Have you ever betrayed a trust of a close person, disclosing his or her deficiencies and sins to others? Have you ever spread rumors? Have you done anything to produce sorrow or jealousy in another person?
Anger, irritation and antagonism. Are you capable of controller your fits of anger? Do you use swearwords or curses when you argue, or when you are angry with your children? Do use foul language in everyday conversations so that you are “part of the crowd”? Do you permit yourself rudeness, vulgarity, impertinence, sarcasm?
Callousness and hardheartedness. Were you ever stingy, overcautious, afraid not to receive back that which was asked of you? Do you respond to requests for help? Are you prepared for self-sacrifice and charitable acts? Do you lend things and money freely and willingly? Do you rebuke your debtors? Do you rudely and persistently demand the repayment of your advance or return of borrowed property?

How do you bear the misfortunes of your close ones, do you remember the directive: “Bear one another’s burdens”? Are you prepared to come to the aid of another, sacrificing your rest and felicity? Do you a close one who is in trouble?

We succumb to these sins either, because of our attachment to earthly blessings or from fear of losing our material advantages – forgetting that God sends us people in need to test the sincerity of our love.

Grudges and vengeance. Excessive demands from your close ones. These sins deny the spirit as well as the written word of Christ’s Gospel. Our Lord teaches us to forgive our close ones their infractions against us. By not forgiving others, avenging our hurts and maintaining our animosity toward others, we cannot hope for forgiveness for our transgressions.
Insubordination. Have you sinned by disobeying your parents, your elders or your superiors at work? Have you violated the advice of your spiritual father or failed to fulfill acts of penance that he has directed you to perform?

Sins Against Yourself:

Sinful leanings.

Physical excesses. Have you been prone to abusing your physical rest and comfort by oversleeping or lying in bed for lengthy periods after awakening? Have you submitted yourself to laziness, lethargy, inactivity, feebleness? Are you so attached to your lifestyle that you are unwilling to change it for the sake of your close one? Did you indulge in various forms excesses to the detriment to your health, through: gluttony, gorging on sweets, appeasing the body, eating out of hours?
Have you sinned through drunkenness or attachment to narcotics – these most frightening vices that destroy body and soul, bringing suffering to our loved ones? How are you combating these iniquities?

Likewise, are you addicted to smoking, which also destroys health? As the cigarette replaces prayer to the smoker, smoking distracts him from a spiritual life, supplants the awareness of sin, destroys spiritual purity, serves as temptation to those around him and brings harm to them, especially the young.

Have tempted anyone to over drink, smoke or do something sinful?

Sensient thoughts and temptations. Do you wrestle with your sinful thoughts and desires? Do you avoid places that present tempting sights and sounds? Did you turn away from seductive conversations, feelings and self-defilement? Have you not sinned through immodest scrutiny of members of the opposite sex? Do you recall your past carnal sins with relish?
Unconscientiousness. Do you force yourself to discharge your obligations and promises? Have you sinned by not working conscientiously or through the careless upbringing of your children? Have you ill-treated people by your late arrivals, your offhandedness & flippancy? Are you responsible at work, in your household and when you are driving? Are you scatter-brained at work, forgetting to finish one task before embarking on another? Are you endeavoring to strengthen your resolve to render everything for God?
Laziness, wastefulness, attachment to things. Do you waste your time? Are you applying your God-given talents to achieve good? Are you dissipating your God-given money and other resources without any purpose? Are you sinning with your predilection to the comforts of life, your attachment to material things and your saving of resources for “a rainy day,” thereby showing your lack of faith in God and the realisation that you may appear before His Judgment tomorrow?
Hoarding. We succumb to this sin when we are captivated with accumulating money and riches: when we decline to pray or attend church because we are too busy – even on Feast days and Sundays, when we submit to many activities and bustle. This vice leads to a captive mind and a callous heart.
Egoism and self-love – when we place ourselves in the center of everything, endeavoring to utilize other people for achieving personal aims, and do everything for personal gain.
Lack of will to struggle with sin. Fallen spirits direct this feeling by implanting thoughts, that it is pointless to fight against sin, as sooner or later the person will fall again. These feelings must be vanquished with hope on God’s mercy and His omnipotence. He promised that He would help us. Therefore we must struggle. It is said that if death finds us in a state of battle and atonement, then God will be merciful to us, but if it finds us in a state of sin and despondency, then He will reject us. Consequently, we must assume that each day is our last one on earth. By inclining ourselves this way, we will be able to conquer the wiles of our enemy.
Impatience in our efforts. This refers to our non-fulfillment of our obligations toward reciting prayers, violating fast days, eating at abnormal times, leaving church before the conclusion of the Service.
Depression and despair. Have you ever succumbed to dark thoughts and feelings? Have you ever fallen into despair? Have you permitted yourself thoughts of suicide?