Initially, it must be said that confession is not a church sacrament, but a part of the sacrament of repentance before God. That is, a person who confesses will tell about all his sins. And only if he sincerely regrets all this, then the priest, as a guide from God, will forgive his sins.
How to Prepare for Confession
Of course, you should understand that just listing the sins will not be enough. A person who comes to repentance must understand the essence of sin. It is also worth recalling that sin is expressed not only in actions, but also in thoughts. It’s a pity, but there are people who constantly repeat some sins, and at the same time hope for forgiveness. But in reality it’s more complicated.
How to Prepare for Confession
So, you should understand that just to confess it will not be enough to go to church and tell the priest about your sins. Such a confession requires special preparation. First you need to choose a confessor and mentor. To do this, you can communicate with people who are familiar and close to the church. Next, you should think about what exactly will be told during confession. If confession will take place for the first time, then to help yourself, you can list all the sins on a piece of paper. It is also worth cleansing the body. Confession is required only after fasting. If a person is not used to this, then for the first time he will have to fast for 3 days. Then you should stop eating meat and dairy products, fish, as well as oils and fats of animal origin. To put it more clearly, it is worth eating the simplest food possible. Of course you need to pray.
As for how often you can confess, it is impossible to say for sure. Since everyone has their own opinion about this. Someone wants to do it once a year, and someone will do it only once in a lifetime. But, according to the priests, the ideal option is when confession takes place once a week, it is also permissible to do it once a month.
How to Prepare for Confession
According to some people, they can go to confession whenever they want and the clergyman will be obliged to receive them. But this is wrong. Most often, confession in churches occurs after the festive prayers, evening service and morning liturgy. You can also talk to the priest about taking on a certain day of the week. But you need to do this in advance, otherwise you may encounter various misunderstandings. In general, not only adults, but also children should confess.
