Hello Cafe!
I've compiled several sources for preparing for confession. Some may be familiar or all may be, but I put them all together and go through them in order to cover as much ground, if you will, that will help me contemplate my list of sins to confess. Some are a list, some are prayers and others are sermons. All will pretty much cover any aspect of our activities to help be completely prepared. I hope it will be helpful for everyone here.
In Christ, Joanna
Sins Against God
Do you pray to God in the morning and evening, before and after meals?
During prayer have you allowed your thoughts to wander?
Have you rushed or gabbled your prayers? or when reading in church?
Do you read the Scriptures daily? Do you read other spiritual writings regularly?
Have you read books whose content is not Orthodox or even anti-Orthodox, or is spiritually damaging?
Have you pronounced the name of God without reverence, joking? Have you asked God's help before starting every activity?
Have you made the sign of the Cross carelessly, thoughtlessly? Have you sworn? Have you murmured against God?
Have you sinned by forgetting God?
Have you been slack in attending church?
Have you consecrated even part of the feast days, particularly Sundays and the Twelve Great Feasts, to God?
Have you tried your best to attend church on these days? or have you spent them more sinfully than ordinary days?
If unable to attend church for some reason, have you nonetheless tried to devote some part of these days to prayer and spiritual reading?
Have you joined with people not of the Faith in prayer, or attended their worship services?
Have you kept the fasts?
Have you behaved irreverently in church, or before the clergy and monastics?
Have you laughed or talked in church, or moved about unnecessarily, thus also distracting other people from prayer?
Have dressed modestly and in a becoming manner when in church?
Have you tried to pay reverent attention to the readings, hymns, and prayers in church?
Have you striven to pray with the service, crossing yourself, etc., or have you rather simply stood and day-dreamed?
Have you prepared for the services beforehand, looking up the Scriptural readings, making sure you have the texts to follow the service etc., especially if the service will be in a language you do not readily understand?
Have you ever left church after the Divine Services, and particularly after receiving the Holy Mysteries and immediately engaged in light talk and thus forgotten the blessings and graces you have received?
Have you been ashamed of your Faith or the sign of the Cross in the presence of others?
Have you made a show of your piety?
Have you used your Orthodox Faith or its teachings merely to browbeat others or belittle them?
Have you used it as a shield or excuse for your own inadequacies rather than humbling yourself?
Have you believed in dreams, fortune telling, astrology, signs and other superstitions?
Do you give thanks to the Lord for all things?
Have you ever doubted God's providence concerning yourself?
Do you at least try to perceive His purpose in all the things that come upon you?
Sins Against Your Neighbours
Do you respect and obey your parents?
Have you offended them by rudeness or contradiction?
(These two apply also to priests, superiors, teachers and elders.)
Have you insulted anyone?
Have you quarrelled or fought with anyone? Have you hit anyone?
Are you always respectful to old people?
Are you ever angry, bad tempered or irritable?
Have you called anyone names? Do you use foul language?
Have you derided any that are disabled, poor, old or in some way disadvantaged?
Have you entertained bad feelings, ill will or hatred against anyone?
Have you forgiven those who have offended you?
Have you asked forgiveness from those whom you have offended?
Are you at peace with everyone?
Have you left the needy without help when you could have helped?
Have you attended the sick or elderly when they have asked you to do so?
Have you shown kindness and attention to all, remembering that God is expecting just such an attitude from you?
Have you hit animals without a cause or been cruel to them, or neglectful of those in your care?
Have you stolen anything?
Have you taken or used other people's things without asking?
Have you kept money or things that were lent you without returning them?
Have you wasted your employers' time or resources? Have you taken things from work for your own use, used the firm's phone or other facilities for your own purposes without permission or repayment?
Are you obstinate, and do you always try to have your own way?
Have you been inconsiderate of other people's feelings?
Have you tried to have your revenge against those who have offended you?
Have you harboured resentment? Have you deceived people?
Have you gossiped?
Have you told untruths?
Have you judged and condemned others?
Have you taken pains before approaching for confession to be reconciled with all?
Sins Against Yourself
Have you been proud? Do you boast of your abilities, achievements, family, connections or riches?
Do you consider yourself worthy before God?
Are you vain, ambitious? Do you try to win praise and glory?
Do you bear it easily when you are blamed, scolded or treated unjustly? Do you think too much about your looks, outward appearance and the impression you make?
Have you sinned in thought, word or deed, by a look or glance, or in any other way against the seventh commandment? (Adultery, fornication, all extra-marital sexual relationships with others, masturbation, engaging in unnatural sexual acts, fantasizing, pornography, etc.)
Have you envied anyone anything? Have you been over-sensitive?
Have you been lazy? Have you done your duties heartily?
Have you wasted your time, energy or abilities in things that do not profit the soul?
Have you become obsessive about anything? Have you been despondent or listless?
Have you had thoughts of committing suicide?
Have you brought a curse on yourself or others or ill-wished them, being impatient?
Have you a weakness for alcohol? Have you drunk too much, or become dependent on drink?
Have you taken drugs, other than necessary medicines? Have you smoked?
Have you watched television too much or indiscriminately? Have you given yourself up to any other similar pastime which wastes your time and energy and might have harmed you?
Have you been greedy, either with regard to food or to possessions?
Have you indulged in comfort-eating? Have you become accustomed to eating between meals?
Have you been picky about your food, or wasteful of foods, forgetting that so many people are without proper nourishment? Have you been extravagant? Have you been wasteful?
Do you care for and seek first the salvation of your soul, the spiritual life and the kingdom of God, or have you put earthly considerations in the first place?
Is there any other sin, which burdens your conscience, or which you are ashamed to tell?
Anyone preparing for confession must ask God to help his resolve to tell all his sins. A penitent should prepare for confession and collect his thoughts regarding his sins at least a day before confession. The most valuable thing in the eyes of God is the confession of the sin which weighs most on the conscience.
The questions listed are intended to help the Orthodox Christian examine himself and identify the symptoms of his spiritual ills; they should not be taken as some kind of test to ascertain how well we are doing as if there was a certain "pass-mark." Before God's perfections, we shall always fail. It is for that reason that, as believing Christians, we throw ourselves on the mercy of the Lord and do not trust in our own righteousness.
Remember that our sins can never outweigh God's love towards us. Even if we should seem to have failed with regard to all the points mentioned above and more, we should not lose heart but confess our sins unshamefacedly, we should regret the wrongs we have done, be resolved to make amends, and receive whatever remedy our confessor should be guided to lay upon us. Most of all, one should be assured of the blessing of God which these endeavours will bring upon you.
From The Shepherd, Vol. XVI, No. 6, March 1996, pp. 12-17. Reprinted in Russian with the blessing of Archbishop Lavr in the 1994 Trinity Russian Orthodox Calendar, Jordanville, N.Y.
From the Full Confession of St. Demetrius of Rostov
I confess to the Lord my God and before thee, venerable father, all my countless sins, committed by me unto this very day and hour, in deed, word and thought. I sin daily and hourly by mine ingratitude toward God for His great and countless blessings and benevolent providence over me, a sinner.
I have sinned through: idle talking, judging others, stubbornness, pride, hard-heartedness, envy, anger, slander, inattention, negligence concerning my salvation, carelessness, indifference, impertinence, irritability, despondency, rendering evil for evil, bitterness, disobedience, complaining, self-justification, contradicting others, self-will, being reproachful, gossiping, lying, light-mindedness, tempting others, self-love, ambition, gourmandizing, eating and drinking to excess, vanity, laziness, entertaining unclean thoughts, acquisitiveness, impure glances, absence from divine services because of laziness and carelessness, absent-mindedness at prayer both in church and at home; I have sinned in deed, word thought; in sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and the rest of my mental and physical senses; of all my sins I repent and beg forgiveness.
(Here one should mention specifically any other sins which may be burdening the soul.)
I also repent and ask forgiveness for all those sins that I have not confessed because of their multitude and my forgetfulness.
Forgive and absolve me, venerable father, and bless me to commune of the holy and life-creating Mysteries of Christ unto the remission of sins and life everlasting.
Prayer before confession - St. Symeon the New Theologian
O God and Lord of all! Who hath the power over every breath and soul, the only One able to heal me, hearken unto the prayer of me, the wretched one, and, having put him to death, destroy the serpent nestling within me by the decent of the All-Holy and Life-Creating Spirit. And vouchsafe me, poor and naked of all virtue, to fall with tears at the feet of my spiritual father, and call his holy soul to mercy, to have mercy on me. And grant, O Lord, unto my heart humility and good thoughts, becoming a sinner, who hath consented to repent unto Thee, and do not abandon unto the end the one soul, which hath united itself unto Thee and hath confessed Thee, and instead of all the world hath chosen Thee and hath preferred Thee. For Thou knowest, O Lord, that I want to save myself, and that my evil habit is an obstacle. But all things are possible unto Thee, O Master, which are impossible for man. Amen.
A Preparation for Confession - by St. John of Kronstadt
I, a sinful soul, confess to our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, all of my evil acts which I have done, said or thought from baptism even unto this present day.
I have not kept the vows of my baptism, but have made myself unwanted before the face of God.
I have sinned before the Lord by lack of faith and by doubts concerning the Orthodox Faith and the Holy Church; by ungratefulness for all of God's great and unceasing gifts; His long-suffering and His providence for me, a sinner; by lack of love for the Lord, as well as fear, through not fulfilling the Holy Commandments of God and the canons and rules of the Church.
I have not preserved a love for God and for my neighbor nor have I made enough efforts, because of laziness and lack of care, to learn the Commandments of God and the precepts of the Holy Fathers.
I have sinned: by not praying in the morning and in the evening and in the course of the day; by not attending the services or by coming to Church only half-heartedly, lazily and carelessly; by conversing during the services, by not paying attention, letting my mind wander and by departure from the Church before the dismissal and blessing.
I have sinned by judging members of the clergy.
I have sinned by not respecting the Feasts, breaking the Fasts, and by immoderation in food and drink.
I have sinned by self-importance, disobedience, willfulness, self-righteousness, and the seeking of approval and praise.
I have sinned by unbelief, lack of faith, doubts, despair, despondency, abusive thoughts, blasphemy and swearing.
I have sinned by pride, a high opinion of my self, narcissism, vanity, conceit, envy, love of praise, love of honors, and by putting on airs.
I have sinned: by judging, malicious gossip, anger, remembering of offenses done to me, hatred and returning evil for evil; by slander, reproaches, lies, slyness, deception and hypocrisy; by prejudices, arguments, stubbornness, and an unwillingness to give way to my neighbor; by gloating, spitefulness, taunting, insults and mocking; by gossip, by speaking too much and by empty speech.
I have sinned by unnecessary and excessive laughter, by reviling and dwelling upon my previous sins, by arrogant behavior, insolence and lack of respect.
I have sinned by not keeping my physical and spiritual passions in check, by my enjoyment of impure thoughts, licentiousness and unchastity in thoughts, words and deeds.
I have sinned by lack of endurance towards my illnesses and sorrows, a devotion to the comforts of life and by being too attached to my parents, children, relatives and friends.
I have sinned by hardening my heart, having a weak will and by not forcing myself to do good.
I have sinned by miserliness, a love of money, the acquisition of unnecessary things and immoderate attachment to things.
I have sinned by self-justification, a disregard for the admonitions of my conscience and failing to confess my sins through negligence or false pride.
I have sinned many times by my Confession: belittling, justifying and keeping silent about sins.
I have sinned against the Most-holy and Life-creating Mysteries of the Body and Blood of our Lord by coming to Holy Communion without humility or the fear of God.
I have sinned in deed, word and thought, knowingly and unknowingly, willingly and unwillingly, thoughtfully and thoughtlessly, and it is impossible to enumerate all of my sins because of their multitude. But I truly repent of these and all others not mentioned by me because of my forgetfulness and I ask that they be forgiven through the abundance of the Mercy of God.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
- Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
- Thou shalt not make any graven image, or bow down before any
- creation in heaven or on earth.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
- Thou shalt not covet that which is thy neighbors.
COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH
- To abstain for servile work on Sundays and Holy Days.
- To attend Divine Liturgy on Sundays and Holy Days.
- To fast and to abstain on the days appointed by the Church.
- To confess our sins and to receive the Holy Mysteries at least once a year
- Not to solemnize marriage at forbidden times.
- To pray to God every day, especially at morning and evening.
SEVEN DEADLY SINS
- Pride
- Covetousness
- Lust
- Anger
- Gluttony
- Envy
- Sloth
ACCESSORIES TO SIN
By counseling, by commanding, by consenting, by provoking another to sin; by praise of flattery, by concealment, by silence, or by defending that which is wrong.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF TO PREPARE FOR CONFESSION
• Have you prayed to God upon rising and before eating and sleeping?
• During prayer were you distracted by other thoughts?
• Did you make the sign of the Cross carelessly?
• Have you attended Church services regularly?
• When in Church, have you been inattentive, laughed or talked unnecessarily?
• Have you used the name of the Lord in swearing or in a joking way?
• Have you sworn or murmured against God?
• Have you been ashamed to make the sign of the Cross in front of others?
• Have you attended parties, movies, etc. during the hours of Church services?
• Have you failed to keep the fast or other rules of the Church?
• Have you believed in astrology, superstitions, fortune-tellers or the like?
• Have you strayed from the teachings of the Church by unbelief or indifference to the Faith?
• Have you failed to ask for God's help in every effort?
• Have you concealed sins at confession?
• Do you show your parents proper respect? Have you been rude
• to them, talked back or otherwise offended them?
• If your parents are reposed, have you prayed for them.
• Have you been disrespectful to members of the clergy, your
• elders, teachers or superiors?
• Have you been angry or irritated?
• Have you abused anyone? Used foul language? Struck someone?
• Offended someone in an argument?
• Have you raised your voice in anger?
• Have you joked or made fun of the handicapped, unfortunate, or elderly?
• Are you truly at peace with everyone?
• Have you asked forgiveness of those you may have offended?
• Have you failed to give aid to someone in need, especially when asked?
• Have you donated to the needs of the Church?
• Have you been cruel to animals?
• Have you taken something without asking?
• Have you failed to return a book or other thing that you have borrowed?
• Have you been stubborn, insistent on pressing your point of view?
• Have you plotted or taken revenge on one who's offended you?
• Have you told falsehoods, distorted the truth, cheated, judged others or gossiped?
• Have you joked of the faults of others, or exposed the faults of another to make yourself the better?
• Have you been vain? Sought glory or praise for yourself?
• Does your inner peace disappear when others are unfair to you or judge you?
• Are you proud? Do you brag of your abilities, position or possessions? Do you consider yourself worthy or sinless in the sight of God?
• Have you been overly concerned with your appearance? Are you
• properly attired in God's house?
• The 7th commandment includes all sins of a sexual nature, either by thought, word, or deed, any of these must be confessed.
• Have you been envious of another's possessions, appearance or standing?
• Have you fulfilled all obligations faithfully? Have you been lazy?
• Have you been impatient? Fallen into despair or apathy? Had thoughts of suicide?
• Are you attached to smoking, alcohol, or other drugs? Food or drink?
• Do you give up your heart to money or other earthly possessions?
Preparation for Confession
I, a sinful soul, confess to our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, all of my evil acts which I have done, said or thought from baptism even unto this present day.
First Torment: Idle speech
• Have you spoken without thinking? or spoken too much? or spoken anything that is impure? or shameless? or without need or order? or unreasonable? or unclean?
• Have you thought or said angry words or foul words?
• Have you participated with or sung worldly shameless songs in word or thought?
• Have you laughed unnecessarily or excessively? or laughed about things that you shouldn't have laughed about or found funny?
• Have you acted too silly?
Second Torment: Lying
• Have you kept the vows of your baptism?
• Have you failed to keep oaths or promises to God?
• Have pronounced the name of God without reverence?
• Have you falsely confessed your sins? or was insincere about, belittled, justified, or kept silent about your sins during confession?
• Have you lied?
• Have you been sly or secretly mischievous? or have you been deceptive or hypocritical?
• Have you honestly obeyed traffic laws?
• Have been argumentative or stubborn?
Third Torment: Spoke evil of others
• Have you spread rumors or gossiped in thought or in word?
• Have you slandered anyone wanting to or intending to injure the reputation of another?
• Have you given bad ideas or words to people?
• Have you laughed at other's deficiencies or misfortunes?
• Have you maligned treated anyone with malice or shown hatred toward or abused or wronged or injured anyone?
• Have you condemned anyone? or declared others unfit?
• Have you made fun of people in thought, word, or action? or mocked in a harmful way?
• Have you reproached anyone or reflected on anyone abusively?
• Have you taunted, teased, or tempted anyone?
• Have you insulted anyone?
Fourth Torment: Gluttony
• Have you eaten before I put on the sign of the cross?
• Have you eaten when you were not hungry?
• Have you eaten too much at one time or became too full during the fasts?
• Have you eaten without having thankfulness to God?
• Have you eaten like a slob or out of control stuffing food in your mouth?
• Have you consumed too many alcoholic beverages to the point of being drunk?
• Have you respected the feasts and fasts as much as I should?
• Have you broken the fasts?
• Have you not looked forward to the fasts taking in mind the true meaning and purpose of them?
• Have you eaten too many sweet foods for the enjoyment of them or had a love of sweets?
• Have you had gluttonous fantasies?
Fifth Torment: Sloth
• Have you taken efforts to remember and extensively learn the Commandments of God and the precepts of the Holy Fathers by reading spiritual things?
• Have you kept your physical and spiritual passions in check all the time? Or had a general carelessness about doing things having to do with the salvation of your soul?
• Have you devoted yourself to the comforts of life?
• Have you lacked endurance towards my illnesses and sorrows by not struggling against your passions as much as you should?
• Have you been idle? or not worked as hard as you could have? or fallen asleep at work? or not wanted to get out of bed?
• Have you complained about having to work or attend long services or say long prayers?
• Have you cared to praise and thank God as much as I could or should have throughout the day?
• Have you failed to keep in continual prayer trying always to keep your mind on serving God?
• Have you dwelled upon your previous sins?
• Have you fallen into despondency? Or given up hope or not having faith in God that He can and will change you?
• Have you forgotten to pray at certain times during the day?
• Have you rushed through or not said your morning and evening prayers whole-heartedly?
• Have you attended the services completely?
• Have you been fully prepared to go to Church to worship? or have you gone to Church only half-heartedly, lazily, and carelessly?
• Have you conversed during the services about things not having to do with the service?
• Have you paid complete attention during the services?
• Have you let your mind wander or daydream or think other ungodly thoughts during prayer or services?
• Have you left the Church before the dismissal and blessing?
• Have you forced yourself to do good at all times?
• Have you had a weak will?
Sixth Torment: Stealing
• Have you stolen anything or thought seriously about stealing something?
Seventh Torment: Avarice and love of money
• Have you loved riches?
• Have you been content with what God gave you?
• Have you wished in your mind that you had more money than you do already?
• Have you acquired unnecessary things? or had and immoderate attachment to material things?
• Have you been too concerned or caught up with material things?
• Have you been too concerned with things having to do with the flesh?
• Have you bought things in exchange for proper tithing?
• Have you been greedy or selfish?
• Have you worried about money or financial circumstances instead of putting your trust in God?
• Have you had fantasies about material wealth or having riches?
Eighth Torment: Usury
• Have you gained riches by exploiting people?
• Have you accepted bribes?
• Have you acquired something that belonged to another?
Ninth Torment: Injustice
• Have you judged anyone?
• Have you acquitted the guilty and condemned the innocent all for the sake of gain
• Have you been unjust in anyway?
• Have you accused an innocent person of committing an act that they did not do?
Tenth Torment: Envy
• Have you envied anyone? or been jealous?
Eleventh Torment: Pride
• Have you been prideful?
• Have you thought myself better than anybody else?
• Have you considered yourself worthy while considering others unworthy?
• Have you had a high opinion of yourself in any way?
• Have you talked down to anyone?
• Have you compared or measured yourself up to anyone?
• Have you looked out for other people's faults rather than your own?
• Have you tried to conceal the shortcomings of others while trying to conceal your virtues?
• Have you been critical of other people or criticized anyone?
• Have you been arrogant, vain, or conceited?
• Have you relied completely on yourself rather than God?
• Have you bragged or boasted of things that you have accomplished? Have you loved praise and honors? Have you put on airs?
• Have you been prideful of the good deeds that you have done?
• Have you failed to give proper honor or obey your parents or superiors appointed by God? Have you been disobedient?
• Have you thought yourself self-important?
• Have you been self-willed instead of trying always to do the will of God?
• Have you been self-righteous? Have you self-justified your sins?
• Have you disregarded the counseling of your conscience?
• Have you failed to confess any of your sins through negligence or false pride?
• Have you been impatient or anxious about anything in which you shouldn't be that way about?
• Have you been prejudice towards anyone for any reason?
• Have you had prideful fantasies of power, fame, or glory?
Twelfth Torment: Anger and Ruthlessness
• Have you felt anger?
• Have you said anything unfeeling towards anyone? Have you harmed or hurt anyone's feelings in any way?
• Have you carried on arguments with anyone about anything in your head?
Thirteenth Torment: Bearing grudges
• Have you nurtured evil thoughts against anyone?
• Have you returned evil for evil?
• Have you remembered wrongs anyone did to you in the past?
• Have you bore any grudges instead of understanding, loving, and forgiving?
• Have you kept in mind when anyone made offences towards you?
• Have you imagined ways you could have revenge on anyone?
Fourteenth Torment: Murder
• Have you wounded anyone is some way?
• Have you had any violent or destructive thoughts?
• Have you had any harmful thoughts aimed towards anyone?
• Have you wished evil upon anyone?
• Have you been angry with people without a just cause?
Fifteenth Torment: Magic, sorcery, poisoning, and incantations
• Have you thought about your past interest in magic and things relating to magic?
• Have you imaged Holy things having some sort of magical properties?
Sixteenth Torment: Fornication
• Have you had any sensual or lustful thoughts? carnal thoughts?
• Have you daydreamed about amorous and lustful things and found them sweet?
• Have you made impure glances?
• Have you touched yourself in a lustful or passionate way that was pleasing or arousing?
• Have you had blasphemously lustful thoughts about saints and holy people?
• Have you been unchaste in thought, word, or deed?
• Have you waken up from lustful bad dreams and found them pleasing to think about?
• Have you had fantasies of lust or fornication?
Seventeenth Torment: Adultery
• Have you had any adulterous thoughts with married people?
Eighteenth Torment: Sodomic sins
• Have you sinned against your nature?
Nineteenth Torment: Heresies
• Have you participated in Holy Communion having as much humility or the fear of God as you should?
• Have you loved and feared the Lord always?
• Have you turned away from the Orthodox confession of faith by apostatizing and agreeing with false doctrines or beliefs?
• Have you lacked faith?
• Have you doubted or had misconceptions about the faith?
• Have denied holy things or had a negative attitude towards them?
• Have you been grateful for all of God's great and unceasing gifts, His mercy, His long-suffering, and His providence?
• Have you fulfilled the Holy Commandments of God, the canons, and the rules of the Church?
• Have you blasphemed or swore in thought or word?
• Have you thought curse words when you pray?
• Have you turned words of prayer into profane words or filthy concepts?
• Have you feared man instead of God?
• Have you been too attached to parents, relatives, and friends?
• Have you answered the telephone during prayer?
Twentieth Torment: Lack of compassion and cruelty of the heart
• Have you lacked mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and love for anyone?
• Have you felt hatred toward anyone? or any other manifestation of hatred?
• Have you been unfriendly to anyone? or been cruel?
• Have you ridiculed anyone?
• Have you rejoiced at the misfortunes of other's?
• Have you had abusive or violent thoughts?
• Have you been polite and friendly while driving on the roads and highways?
I have sinned in deed, word, and thought, voluntarily and involuntarily, knowingly and unknowingly, in knowledge and in ignorance, willingly and unwillingly, thoughtfully and thoughtlessly, by day and by night, and it is impossible to enumerate all of my sins because of their multitude. But I truly repent of these and all others not mentioned by me because of my forgetfulness and I ask that they be forgiven through the abundance of the mercy of God.
A LIST OF THE PASSIONS - by Saint Peter of Damaskos
The passions are:
harshness,
trickery,
malice,
perversity,
mindlessness,
licentiousness,
enticement,
dullness,
lack of understanding,
idleness,
sluggishness,
stupidity,
flattery,
silliness,
idiocy,
madness,
derangement,
coarseness,
rashness,
cowardice,
lethargy,
dearth of good actions,
moral errors,
greed,
over-frugality,
ignorance,
folly,
spurious knowledge,
forgetfulness,
lack of discrimination,
obduracy,
injustice,
evil intention,
a conscienceless soul,
slothfulness,
idle chatter,
breaking of faith,
wrongdoing,
sinfulness,
lawlessness,
criminality,
passion,
seduction,
assent to evil,
mindless coupling,
demonic provocation,
dallying,
bodily comfort beyond what is required,
vice,
stumbling,
sickness of soul,
enervation,
weakness of intellect,
negligence,
laziness,
a reprehensible despondency,
disdain of God,
aberration,
transgression,
unbelief,
lack of faith,
wrong belief,
poverty of faith,
heresy,
fellowship in heresy,
polytheism,
idolatry,
ignorance of God,
impiety,
magic,
astrology,
divination,
sorcery,
denial of God,
the love of idols,
dissipation,
profligacy,
loquacity,
indolence,
self-love,
inattentiveness,
lack of progress,
deceit,
delusion,
audacity,
witchcraft,
defilement,
the eating of unclean food,
soft living,
dissoluteness,
voracity,
unchastity,
avarice,
anger,
dejection,
listlessness,
self-esteem,
pride,
presumption,
self-elation,
boastfulness,
infatuation,
foulness,
satiety,
doltishness,
torpor,
sensuality,
over-eating,
gluttony,
insatiability,
secret eating,
hoggishness,
solitary eating,
indifference,
fickleness,
self-will,
thoughtlessness,
self-satisfaction,
love of popularity,
ignorance of beauty,
uncouthness,
gaucherie,
light-mindedness,
boorishness,
rudeness,
contentiousness,
quarrelsomeness,
abusiveness,
shouting,
brawling,
fighting,
rage,
mindless desire,
gall,
exasperation,
giving offence,
enmity,
meddlesomeness,
chicanery,
asperity,
slander,
censure,
calumny,
condemnation,
accusation,
hatred,
railing,
insolence,
dishonour,
ferocity,
frenzy,
severity,
aggressiveness,
forswearing oneself,
oath taking,
lack of compassion,
hatred of one's brothers,
partiality,
patricide,
matricide,
breaking fasts,
laxity,
acceptance of bribes,
theft,
rapine,
jealousy,
strife,
envy,
indecency,
jesting,
vilification,
mockery,
derision,
exploitation,
oppression,
disdain of one's neighbour,
flogging,
making sport of others,
hanging,
throttling,
heartlessness,
implacability,
covenant-breaking,
bewitchment,
harshness,
shamelessness,
impudence,
obfuscation of thoughts,
obtuseness,
mental blindness,
attraction to what is fleeting,
impassionedness,
frivolity,
disobedience,
dull wittedness,
drowsiness of soul,
excessive sleep,
fantasy,
heavy drinking,
drunkenness,
uselessness,
slackness,
mindless enjoyment,
self-indulgence,
venery,
using foul language,
effeminacy,
unbridled desire,
burning lust,
masturbation,
pimping,
adultery,
sodomy,
bestiality,
defilement,
wantonness,
a stained soul,
incest,
uncleanliness,
pollution,
sordidness,
feigned affection,
laughter,
jokes,
immodest dancing,
clapping,
improper songs,
revelry,
flute playing,
license of tongue,
excessive love of order,
insubordination,
disorderliness,
reprehensible collusion,
conspiracy,
warfare,
killing,
brigandry,
sacrilege,
illicit gains,
usury,
wiliness,
grave-robbing,
hardness of heart,
obloquy,
complaining,
blasphemy,
fault-finding,
ingratitude,
malevolence,
contemptuousness,
pettiness,
confusion,
lying,
verbosity,
empty words,
mindless joy,
daydreaming,
mindless friendship,
bad habits,
nonsensicality,
silly talk,
garrulity,
niggardliness,
depravity,
intolerance,
irritability,
affluence,
rancour,
misuse,
ill-temper,
clinging to life,
ostentation,
affectation,
pusillanimity,
satanic love,
curiosity,
contumely,
lack of the fear of God,
unteachability,
senselessness,
haughtiness,
self-vaunting,
self-inflation,
scorn for one's neighbour,
mercilessness,
insensitivity,
hopelessness,
spiritual paralysis,
hatred of God,
despair,
suicide,
a falling away from God in all things, utter destruction -- altogether 298 passions.
These, then, are the passions which I have found named in the Holy Scriptures. I have set them down in a single list, as I did at the beginning of my discourse with the various books I have used. I have not tried, nor would I have been able, to arrange them all in order; this would have been beyond my powers, for the reason given by St. John Klimakos: 'If you seek understanding in wicked men, you will not find it.' For all that the demons produce is disorderly. In common with the godless and the unjust, the demons have but one purpose: to destroy the souls of those who accept their evil counsel. Yet sometimes they actually help men to attain holiness. In such instances they are conquered by the patience and faith of those who put their trust in the Lord, and who through their good actions and resistance to evil thoughts counteract the demons and bring down curses upon them.
A LIST OF THE PASSIONS, Saint Peter of Damaskos - The Philokalia; The Complete Text compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, Volume Three. Translated from the Greek and edited by G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherard, Kallistos Ware faber and faber, 1984
A Lament for Sin - St. Basil the Great
Weep over your sin: it is a spiritual ailment; it is death to your immortal soul; it deserves ceaseless, unending weeping and crying; let all tears flow for it, and sighing come forth without ceasing from the depths of your heart.
In profound humility I weep for all my sins, voluntary and involuntary, conscious and unconscious, covert and overt, great and little, committed by word and deed, in thought and intention, day and night, at every hour and minute of my life.
I weep over my pride and my ambition, my self love and my boastfulness; I weep over my fits of anger, irritation, excessive shouting, swearing, quarreling and cursing;
I weep for having criticized, censured, gossiped, slandered, and defamed, for my wrath, enmity, hatred, envy, jealousy, vengeance and rancor;
I weep over my indulgences in lust, impure thoughts and evil inclinations; covetousness, gluttony, drunkenness, and sloth;
I weep for having talked idly, used foul language, blasphemed, derided, joked, ridiculed, mocked, enjoyed empty gaiety, singing, dancing and every pleasure to excess;
I weep over my self indulgence, cupidity, love of money and miserliness, unmercifulness and cruelty;
I weep over my laziness, indolence, negligence, love of comfort, weakness, idleness, absent-mindedness, irresponsibility, inattention, love of sleep, for hours spent in idle pursuits, and for my lack of concentration in prayer and in Church, for not observing fasts and not doing charitable works.
I weep over my lack of faith, my doubting, my perplexity, my coldness, my indifference, my weakness and unfeelingness in what concerns the Holy Orthodox Faith, and over all my foul, cunning and reviling thoughts;
I weep over my exaggerated sorrow and grief, depression and despair, and over sins committed willingly.
I weep, but what tears can I find for a worthy and fitting way to weep for all the actions of my ill fated life; for my immeasurable and profound worthlessness? How can I reveal and expose in all its nakedness each one of my sins, great and small, voluntary and involuntary, conscious and unconscious, overt and covert, every hour and minute of sin? When and where shall I begin my penitential lament that will bear fitting fruit? Perhaps soon I may have to face the last hour of my life; my soul will be painfully sundered from my sinful and vile body; I shall have to stand before terrible demons and radiant angels, who will reveal and torment me with my sins; and I, in fear and trembling, will be unprepared and unable to give them an answer; the sight and sound of wailing demons, their violent and bold desire to drag me into the bottomless pit of Hell will fill my soul with confusion and terror. And then the angels of God will lead my poor soul to stand before God 's fearful seat of judgment. How will I answer the Immortal King, or how will I dare, sinner that I am, to look upon My Judge? Woe is me! have no good answer to make, for I have spent all my life in indolence and sin, all my hours and minutes in vain thoughts, desires and yearnings!
And how many times have I taken the Name of God in vain!
How often, lightly and freely, at times even boldly, insolently and shamelessly have I slandered others in anger; offended, irritated, mocked them!
How often have I been proud and vainglorious and boasted of good qualities that I do not possess and of deeds that I have not done!
How many times have I lied, deceived, been cunning or flattered, or been insincere and deceptive; how often have I been angry, intolerant and mean!
How many times have I ridiculed the sins of my brother, caused him grief overtly and covertly, mocked or gloated over his misdeeds, his faults or his misfortunes; how many times have I been hostile to him, in anger, hatred or envy!
How often have I laughed stupidly, mocked and derided, spoke without weighing my words, ignorantly and senselessly, and uttered a numberless quantity of cutting, poisonous, insolent, frivolous, vulgar, coarse, brazen words!
How often, affected by beauty, have I fed my mind, my imagination and my heart with voluptuous sensations, and unnaturally satisfied the lusts of the flesh in fantasy! How often has my tongue uttered shameful, vulgar and blasphemous things about the desires of the flesh!
How often have I yearned for power and been gluttonous, satiating myself on delicacies, on tasty, varied and diverse foods and wines; because of intemperance and lack of self-control how often have I been filled past the point of satiety, lacked sobriety and been drunken, intemperate in food and drink, and broken the Holy Fasts!
How often, through selfishness, pride or false modesty, have I refused help and attention to those in need, been uncharitable, miserly, unsympathetic, mercenary and grasped at attention!
How often have I entered the House of God without fear and trembling, stood there in prayer, frivolous and absent-minded, and left it in the same spirit and disposition! And in prayer at home I have been just as cold and indifferent, praying little, lazily, and indolently, inattentively and impiously, and even completely omitting the appointed prayers!
And in general, how slothful I have been, weakened by indolence and inaction; how many hours of each day have I spent in sleep, how often have I enjoyed voluptuous thoughts in bed and defiled my flesh! How many hours have I spent in empty and futile pastimes and pleasures, in frivolous talk and speech, jokes and laughter, games and fun, and how much time have I wasted conclusively in chatter, and gossip, in criticizing others and reproaching them; how many hours have I spent in time-wasting and emptiness! What shall I answer to the Lord God for every hour and every minute of lost time? In truth, I have wasted my entire life in laziness.
How many times have I lost heart and despaired of my salvation and of God's mercy or through stupid habit, insensitivity, ignorance, insolence, shamelessness, and hardness sinned deliberately, willingly, in my right mind, in full awareness, in all goodwill, in both thought and intention, and in deed, and in this fashion trampled the blood of God 's covenant and crucified anew within myself the Son of God and cursed Him!
0 how terrible the punishment that I have drawn upon myself!
How is it that my eyes are not streaming with constant tears?.. If only my tears flowed from the cradle to the grave, at every hour and every minute of my tortured life! Who will now cool my head with water and fill the well of my tears and help me weep over my soul that I have cast into perdition?
My God, my God! Why hast Thou forsaken me? Be it unto me according to Thy will, 0 Lord! If Thou wouldst grant me light, be Thou blessed; if Thou wouldst grant me darkness, be Thou equally blessed. If Thou wouldst destroy me together with my lawlessness, glory to Thy righteous judgment; and if Thou wouldst not destroy me together with my lawlessness, glory to Thy boundless mercy!
What Is Necessary for a Saving Confession? - Metropolitan Innocent of Moscow
What is Confession? Confession is the oral avowal of one's sins which lie heavy upon the conscience. Repentance cleanses the soul and makes it ready to receive the Holy Spirit, but confession, so to speak, only empties the soul of sins.
Let us present a simple analogy and comparison to confession. For example, suppose you had only one vessel of some kind, which you through negligence or laziness let reach a stage where little by little it accumulated all sorts of dirt so that your vessel became not only unusable but even unbearable to look at without repugnance.
But what if a king wanted to give you as a gift some sort of fragrant and precious balm, one drop of which could heal all infirmities and protect - what then? Would you refuse such a valuable gift only because you had no other clean vessel in which to put it? No! It would be very natural for you to accept such a gift and you would try to clean your vessel. How would you begin to clean your vessel? No doubt, before anything else, you would rid it of all uncleanness; you would begin by washing it with water and, perhaps would even burn it out so that it no longer retained any of its former odors. Isn't that so?
Now let the vessel represent the soul given to you by God, which you have brought to such a state that it has been filled with all kinds of transgression and iniquities; let the sweet-smelling balm, given by the king, signify the Holy Spirit, Who heals all infirmities and afflictions, Whom the King of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ, freely bestows upon us.
To examine your vessel signifies feeling your guilt before God and recalling all sins, which have stolen into your heart.
To clean out the vessel typifies the confession of your sins before your spiritual father, and washing with water and burning with fire signifies a sincere and even tearful repentance and a voluntary resolve to endure all unpleasantness, needs, afflictions, misfortunes, and even calamities that befall us.
Now tell me: Is Confession profitable or needful? Certainly it is profitable and even essential; because, just as it is impossible to cleanse a vessel without ridding it of all uncleanness, so it is impossible to purge your soul of sins without confession.
But tell me, is confession alone enough for the reception of the Holy Spirit? Certainly not, because in order to receive the sweet-smelling and precious balm into a defiled vessel it is not enough to just empty it, but it is necessary to wash it with water and refine it with fire. Just so, in order to receive the Holy Spirit, it is not enough just to confess or recite your sins before a spiritual father, but it is necessary together with this to purge your soul with repentance or contrition and grief of soul, and burn it out with voluntary endurance of afflictions. So then, this is what confession and repentance mean!
What does a true and correct confession consist of?
When we wish to cleanse our conscience of sins in the Mystery of Repentance: Before everything else it is necessary to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and firmly hope that He is ready to forgive all sins, no matter of what magnitude, if only the sinner repents open-heartedly; it is necessary to believe and hope that the God of all wants and seeks our return.
Of this He assures us through the prophet thus: "As I live, saith the Lord," i. e., I assure and swear by My life, "In desiring I do not desire", i.e., I do not at all desire, "the death of a sinner, but entirely desire his conversion."
It is necessary to have a broken heart. Who is God? And who are we? God is the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth; He is the awful and righteous Judge. And we? We are weak and insignificant mortals. All people, even the greatest people, are less than dust before God, and we can never imagine how disgusting to God is any sin and how any transgression offends Him.
And we, insignificant and weak, we mortals endlessly benefited by our God, dare to offend Him - the All-Good One? Oh! This is so horrible! We are such debtors before God, such transgressors, that not only should we not dare to call ourselves His children, but are not even worthy of being His lowliest servants.
Therefore, picturing all this, you see what contriteness, what lamentation it is necessary to have then, when we want to purge ourselves of sins. And such a feeling must be had not only before confession and during confession, but also after confession. And even more important, do you want to offer a sacrifice to God such as will be acceptable to Him? Naturally we all gladly want this and as far as possible we offer it. But what can we offer Him really acceptable? A broken heart. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled, here is an offering to God more priceless than all offerings and oblations!
It is necessary to forgive all our enemies and offenders all the harmful and offensive things they have done to us. Forgiveness—what does it mean to forgive? To forgive means never to avenge, neither secretly nor openly; never to recall wrongs but rather to forget them and, above all, to love your enemy as a friend, a brother, as a comrade; to protect his honor and to treat him right-mindedly in all things. This is what it means to forgive.
And who agrees that this is difficult? So, it is a hard matter to forgive wrongs, but he who can forgive wrongs is for this reason great - truly great, both before God and before man. Yes, it is a hard matter to forgive your enemies; but it is necessary to forgive, otherwise God Himself will not forgive. Jesus Christ said: If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your trespasses. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you yours.
On the contrary to this, though you pray to God every hour, though you have such faith that you can move mountains, even though you give away all of your belongings to the needy, and give your body to be burned, if you do not practice forgiveness and do not wish to forgive your enemy, then all is in vain, for in such circumstances neither prayer, nor faith, nor charity, will save you, in short, nothing will save you.
But if it is needful to forgive our enemies, so likewise it is indispensable to ask also forgiveness of those people whom we have offended. Thus, if you have offended anyone by word, ask forgiveness of him, come and bow down at his feet and say, "Forgive me." Have you offended by deed? Endeavor to expiate your guilt and offenses and recompense his damage, then be certain that all of your sins, no matter how heavy they be, will be forgiven you.
It is necessary to reveal your sins properly and without any concealment. Some say, "For what reason should I reveal my sins to Him Who knows all of our secrets?" Certainly God knows all of our sins, but the Church, which has the power from God to forgive and absolve sins, cannot know them, and for this reason She cannot, without confession, pronounce Her absolution.
Finally, it is necessary to set forth a firm intention to live prudently in the future. If you want to be in the kingdom of heaven, if you want God to forgive your sins - then stop sinning! Only on this condition does the Church absolve the penitent of his sins. And he who does not think at all about correcting himself confesses in vain, labors in vain, for even if the priest says, "I forgive and absolve," the Holy Spirit does not forgive and absolve him!
From Orthodox Life, vol. 38, no. 4 (July-August, 1988), pp. 20-22.