An anastasios' site, someone asked people how often they go to confession. I assumed that almost everyone would confess each time they went to receive communion. Instead I see stories how people go to a 'general confession' and how some of the ('new world orthodoxy') NWO churches have confession only once a year!
Does anyone know when regular usage of these innovations started?
Methodius wrote:An anastasios' site, someone asked people how often they go to confession. I assumed that almost everyone would confess each time they went to receive communion. Instead I see stories how people go to a 'general confession' and how some of the ('new world orthodoxy') NWO churches have confession only once a year!
Does anyone know when regular usage of these innovations started?
I beleive that general confession was invented by Fr. Alexander Shmemeon(?), or at least invented by the not so occasionally modernist Paris school and heavily pushed by him in the 1970's (?). I remember reading some guidlines for it written by him some time ago. I don't know when some juristictions have dropped Confession all together or do it only once a year, my guess is that this happened around the same time, or even earlier. In that reguard the New Calendar Greek Churches are by far the most guilty, where you will find people who have never been to Confession or don't even know it exists.
As a side note, the practice of recieving it being mandatory to recieve Confession before Communion started in Russia relativlely recently a few centuries ago, due to the fact that many people would only take Communion once a year and they wanted to make sure that they were prepared. While I do think the practice of frequent Confession and even every time before taking Communion, is a great and beneficial practice (It is the practice of many monks to confess everyday!), I don't think that it is totally nessessary being so recent a regulation in the scope of things. I think that there is a chance that it can become a sort of mechanical process where people do it out of duty or so that they can recieve the Sacrament of Communion and not out of a sincere motive of repentence. However, if we were all halfway self-aware of our sinfulness, we would want to confess a lot more frequently, at the very least, before every Communion.
In Christ,
Nicholas
Saint John of Kronstadt held general confessions, but that this was an extremely rare situation. As one article put it:
"St. John of Kronstadt was capable of holding general confessions, because he could see directly into a person's soul and did not allow the unrepentant to approach the chalice. But we," said Fr. Sergius, "cannot do this. With general confession the sin stays with the person. Someone once came to me and said that a particular sin had been tormenting him for six years. 'How often do you commune?' Each Sunday.' 'And you have confession?' 'General confession.' Once the man had had a proper confession, he was delivered of this terrible burden."
General Confession is the reading, by the priest, of since in the Church and then the person (in the OCA practice I am aware of) goes to the priest and gets absolution for all the sins they mentally checked off from the list read. In the MP, I have seen (on video from when a parishioner went to Liturgy in an MP church) the same is done, but people, in a line, walk under the epitrachelion of the priest rather quickly to be absolved. It all seems rather hokey to me.
Dear Friends in Christ,
Regular confession should be subject to your spiritual father. Of course there are times when we feel the need to confess a particular sin(s), but in general if we lead a healthy spiritual life, then we turn to our spiritual father as to a loving physician, who helps us grow in Christ.
General confession is a rejection of repentance. It undermines the spiritual life and makes us trust in our own judgment regarding sin. Of course here in the US, we are encouraged to do our own thing. But to grow in the Orthodox Faith we must trust others, especially our spiritual father. This has nothing to do with guruism or blind obedience. It is a matter of a trusting and loving relationship with another. If you can't find a priest, confess to a friend. (By this I don't mean instead of a priest!). It is better to seek counsel than trust in one's own judgment. This applies to priests as well, who usually confess to each other.
General confession is somewhat like going to the library and choosing a few books. The Church however, is not merely a spiritual resouce. The Church is a living community - a family where we grow through giving and being obedient to God's law and to each other.
I would dare to say that a parish thrives because its members confess regularly and strive to deal with their sins, realizing that they need regular treatment. It is repentance and striving to deal with sin, that attracts God's love and grace, not spiritual and moral success.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Serafim
I grew up in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of N & S America ("New Calendrist Greek Churches" as it was called above) and never knew that confession was an Orthodox practice until I was in university, where there was a local OCA presence where confession was practiced. I had definitely read about it, but just figured that the Orthodox Church had dropped it somewhere along the way.
Why was my home church this way? To this day, I still don't know, but I think it has something to do with the Greek Orthodox wanting to distance themselves from the Roman Catholics (who were the practicers of confession) and wanting to gain favor with (or to be more like) the overwhelming Protestant majority in the Northeast USA where I grew up. I have heard that things are changing in the Greek Archdiocese, and even see articles these days urging the people to confession in the "Orthodox Observer." I think I was short-changed of spiritual benefit because confession wasn't encouraged. It's the best spiritual medicine (along with Holy Communion). To this day, I have Greek Orthodox relatives who have never been to confession, and I do feel sorry for them.
I encountered "general confession" only once -- I was visiting a church for vespers, and there was general confession after vespers. I thought it was very "hokey" also (great word!!) -- sort of like the chicken's way out! Thankfully, I've never been to "general confession" again, and my subsequent parishes haven't offered it.
That is so true what Fr. Seraphim wrote above -- we need to be trusting of others, especially in these current times, when it's encouraged to NEVER trust others. My priest doesn't require confession before each reception of Holy Communion, but a good rule of thumb I heard was from my priest while living in Arizona and worshipping at an Antiochian church there (in Tucson): 4 times a year at least. I don't even know my priest that well, but I feel good confessing my sins to him -- I don't feel that he's judgmental at all.
