Topic: Confession

[Paisius]

Hello

I'm new to this board and new to Orthodoxy (chrismated last week) and I have a question. How often do you go to confession and are you ever concerned that you are receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

Thanks....

Yours in Christ
Paisius

[Anastasios]

You go as often as your spiritual father or confessor tells you to go is the simple answer. Once every 40 days is a fairly common measurement. We never receive the Eucharist worthily but the question is have we prepared for it.

[Thomas]

I agree with Anastasios.  You will find various jurisdictions have  requirements that vary in how often one must go to confession in order to commune.  ROCOR states one must confess weekly to be able to commune weekly.  Other jurisdictions have their own direction, as Anastasios  said it is always best to ask your priest and/or follow the direction of your spiritual father. There does seem to be a minimum requirement probably addressed by the canons that an Orthodox Christian should AS A MINIMUM confess  in preparation for communing on Pascha and Nativity of the Lord, Orthodox Christians are supposed to commune at those times as well.

Thomas

[Mickey]

ROCOR states one must confess weekly to be able to commune weekly.

This is how it is for our Church.

[username!]

Hello

I'm new to this board and new to Orthodoxy (chrismated last week) and I have a question. How often do you go to confession and are you ever concerned that you are receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

Thanks....

Yours in Christ
Paisius

Your Father Confessor will tell you how often to go.  As you progess and get settled in you'll know when to go if something arises.  I've been doing confession since I was 6ish, and it just becomes a part of who you are.  For good reasons that is!

[JoeS]

Hello

I'm new to this board and new to Orthodoxy (chrismated last week) and I have a question. How often do you go to confession and are you ever concerned that you are receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

Thanks....

Yours in Christ
Paisius

We are encouraged to go to confession at least once a month at our church. However, if there is some problem dealing with a particular sin and by this I mean a repetitive sin be it gossiping, lying, etc. it is best to see you priest and discuss ways of avoiding the temptation of falling into this sort of sin. 

As you know we dont make distinctions in whether a sin is veneal or Mortal as in the western church but we do focus on problem sins where we are constantly falling into.  We also view our  church as a  hospital of sorts where one can go to get spiritual healings and good spiritual advice on how to manage ones's spritual and corporal life.

Am I ever worried that I am receiving Communion unworthily.  Yes, I do. Now of course when one goes to confession this sort of feeling shouldnt occur, but if we read our Pre-Communion prayers it states that no one is worthy of communion we all have sinned and we still have those unknown sins stilll on our soul, and it is only by God's grace and mercy that we boldly approach the Eucharist with repentance and awe.

[Fr. George]

Hello

I'm new to this board and new to Orthodoxy (chrismated last week) and I have a question. How often do you go to confession and are you ever concerned that you are receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

Thanks....

Yours in Christ
Paisius 

Always concerned.

Anastasios' reply is a great starting point.  Ideally, the ending point would be that we strive constantly to live the best lives in Christ as possible, not for the sake of being prepared or not, but rather out of selfless love for Christ.  I'm certainly not even close to that point yet, so striving to prepare myself is all I can do, and provides a good model for how I should always live life.

[Paisius]

Thanks for all of the replies!

I know I'm not the only person who has these types of feelings but it's comforting to hear it directly from someone else.

I guess if you think about it no matter how often you confess or how much you pray and fast you're never worthy, at some point you have to trust in the infinite mercy of God.

Yours in Christ
Paisius

[zaphod]

ROCOR states one must confess weekly to be able to commune weekly

No, ROCOR does not state this.

There is a tendancy among the Russians though to confess as often as one communes. But it's just a tendency that individual priests apply as they see fit.

[Thomas]

Forgive me about that statement however, when I was a Reader and later a Subdeacon serving in ROCOR, I heard this from the lips of Bishop Constantine of blessed memory, Archbishop Hilarion, and  Bishop Gabriel and was led to believe that such was the requirement. If I have misstated a policy of ROCOR please forgive me.

Thomas

[Ziggernaut]

Hello

I'm new to this board and new to Orthodoxy (chrismated last week) and I have a question. How often do you go to confession and are you ever concerned that you are receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

Thanks....

Yours in Christ
Paisius

Welcome home to Holy Orthodoxy, Paisius!!  May God grant you many years!!

My spiritual father recommends roughly monthly confession, and requires a minimum of 4 times annually, during the major fast seasons.  He also has said that more frequent confession is laudable. He does not require confession before each time we commune as long as we confess regularly and fairly frequently.

As others have replied, none of us is worthy to partake, least of all me.  If the requirement for confession were to confess after each sin, well.....let's just say, thankfully that's not the case!  I'd have to move in with my spiritual father.  Now, that might not be such a bad idea--I'd probably end up sinning a lot less  !

Once again, welcome!  As a convert myself, I rejoice whenever I hear of a new conversion .

God bless,
Jeff

[brittrossiter]

My spiritual father recommends roughly monthly confession, and requires a minimum of 4 times annually, during the major fast seasons.  He also has said that more frequent confession is laudable. He does not require confession before each time we commune as long as we confess regularly and fairly frequently.

Seconded.  My Spiritual Father gave me precisely the same counsel just two days ago. 

[Paradosis]

Hello

I'm new to this board and new to Orthodoxy (chrismated last week) and I have a question. How often do you go to confession and are you ever concerned that you are receiving the Eucharist unworthily?

Thanks....

Yours in Christ
Paisius

Congratulations on becoming Orthodox, Paisius!    Like others have said, your spiritual father will guide you on how often you need to go to confession.  I find that it helps me to prepare for Holy Communion by spending the evening before the Divine Liturgy doing spiritual reading and prayer, along with keeping the fast.  This tends to resolve any fear that I’ve not prepared myself for Holy Communion.  All the Church asks in her fasting guidelines and other practices is that we make an effort to break from the things of the world in order to receive the holy gifts of God.  When we do this, we know that we’ve prepared ourselves well.

God bless,

Adam

[Orest]

Quote from: Thomas on November 16, 2007, 08:25:17 AM
ROCOR states one must confess weekly to be able to commune weekly


No, ROCOR does not state this.

There is a tendancy among the Russians though to confess as often as one communes. But it's just a tendency that individual priests apply as they see fit.

Actually, it is a tradition with a small "t" in Eastern Slavic Orthodox churches.  I am Ukrainian Orthodox (www.uocc.ca) and from time to time, our metropolitan has issued a statement  confirming this tradition a few times in my lifetime that one must confess before receiving the eucharist.
Confession is usually the night before the Divine Liturgy after Vespers, or before on Sunday.

[Andrew21091]

It is up to your spiritual father really. My SF tells me I should once a month or on feast days. As some have said, many Russian churches require weekly confession for communion.

[falafel333]

I thought these quotes which I came across in, "Letters from the Desert" by Sts Barsanuphius and John may be of some help:

Letter 170
Question
...If a fantasy occurs to me by night and, on the next day, there is Holy Communion, what should I do?

Response by John
Let us approach with all our wounds and not with any contempt, as people who are needful of a doctor, and he who healed the woman with the issue of blood (Mt 9:22) will also heal us. Let us love much, tha He may also say to us: "Your many sins are forgiven; for you have loved much" (Lk 7:47). When you are about to take Communion, say: "Master, do not allow these holy things to be unto my condemnation but unto purification of soul and body and spirit." Then, you may approach with fear, and our Master, who is loving-kind, will work His mercy with us. Amen.


Letter 463
Question
A Christ-loving layperson asked the same Old Manif one should reflect a great deal about the sacred mysteries, and whether a sinful person approaching these would be condemned as being unworthy.

Response by John
When you enter the holies, pay attention and have no doubt that you are about to receive the Body and Blood of Christ; indeed, this is the truth. As for how this is the case, do not reflect on it too much. According to him who said: "Take, eat; for this is my body and blood" (Mt 26:26-28), these were given to us for the forgiveness of our sins. One who believes this, we hope, will not be condemned.
   Therefore, do not prevent yourself from approaching by judging yourself as being a sinner. Believe, rather, that a sinner who approaches the Savior is rendered worthy of the forgiveness of sins, in the manner that we encounter in Scripture those who approach him and hear the divine voice: "Your many sins are forgiven" (Lk 7:47-48). Had that person been worthy of approaching him, he would not have had any sins. Yet, because he was a sinful man and a debtor, he received the forgiveness of his debts.
   Again, listen to the words of the Lord: "I did not come to save the righteous, but sinners" (Mt 9:13). And again: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but only those who are sick" (Lk 5:31). So regard yourself as being sinful and unwell, and approach him who alone can save the lost (cf Lk 19:10).