How to prepare for confession and communion correctly

Confession and Communion are the most important Christian ordinances established by Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity to repent of your sins, to correct your life and keep it clean. How to prepare for confession and communion to the person going to the commission of this sacrament for the first time is a very serious matter.

First of all, there is nothing to be afraid of. Many parishioners do not confess for many years out of a sense of false shame, when they are afraid to expose their sins aloud to the priest. They do not understand that the Lord sees and knows everything, and He only needs our repentance and the desire to change his life, to make it better. It can be done only by cleansing the burden of the past.

Suppose a person decides to repent and be cleansed of his sins, but he does it for the first time and does not know how to prepare. To confession and communion one must be approached by a pure body and soul. Prepare for this in advance, at least a week. First of all, put your thoughts and feelings in order. This is helped very much by the morning and evening prayers, to which it will be useful to add the daily reading of the Penitential Canon, which is in the prayer-book, throughout this week. If you confess for the first time, you need to remember all the transgressions and sins from the age of seven. This is a serious work, and it will be better to write everything down on a piece of paper, so as not to miss anything. At this point, you are already beginning the path to repentance.

Every day prayers before confession and communion should be imbued with special attention and humility. In everyday life, also watch your speech, do not swear, dispense with condemnation, gossip and cursing. Try to abandon entertainment, theater, cinema, TV. A calm and focused inner life during the week will help you tune in.

How to prepare for confession and communion physically? Be fasted this week or at least the last three days, giving up any animal food (meat, fish, milk and dairy products, eggs, butter). Eat moderately. Refuse to marital intimacy.

To confession before the communion are either in the evening service, or in the morning, just before the performance of the sacrament. Regardless of when you confess, you need to be sure in the evening service. Now about turning to God. Prayer before confession and communion is special. In addition to the evening rule is recommended Read the Penitential Canon, the Moleben Canon to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and also to the Guardian Angel. In the evening on the eve of the Communion after twelve and before the adoption of the sacrament, it is necessary to refuse food and drink, and smoking - from tobacco. In the morning, after reading the morning prayers, the following is read to the Holy Communion. All canons are in the Orthodox prayer-book.

Having confessed and received your communion, keep in yourself the joy of this day as long as possible - spend it quietly and without fuss, foul language and gossip. Upon returning home from the temple, read the Thankful Prayers after Communion.

How to prepare for confession and communion is now clear. Many people are interested in how often you need to start these sacraments? Opinions are different. One of the priests answered this question: "How often do you go to the bath, cleaning the body? Does not our soul deserve even more reverent attitude to ourselves? "How often one needs to cleanse the soul, everyone decides for himself.