With all the humility and awareness, we stand beside the priest, seen
by the whole community, in front of the icon screen. We face one
person, He who loves us in our filth and corruption, God. We face Him
with sorrow, contrition of heart and determination to amend.
After we make the sign of the cross, we open our heart to Christ and
delve into our inner depths, to what constitutes ourselves and our
relations with other human beings. This requires honesty, self-
examination and self-critique. The prest has the right to ask for penance
which is not a sort of punishment or atonement for the sins committed.
Rather, it is to impress upon the penitent the reality of forgiveness and
to heal and guide the person in their future life.
Confession is very much rooted in the Bible, both Old Testament and
New Testament. Thus we read in Proverbs (7:8-13), Leviticus (5:5),
Matthew (3:6), Acts (19:18), James (5:16) and John (20:23).
When going to confession it is very important to remember four things. First, the priest is not a judge, but a witness. Second, confession is not legalistic in nature. Third, Jesus Christ is in us all. He is the center of the Sacrament and its ritual, and forgiveness belongs to Him and Him alone. Fourth, repentance can not be reduced to the short period during which the ritual takes place. On the contrary, it is a process that starts with conversion before we get inside the church, and extends to our whole life. It must be from now on a life of thanksgiving, to the merciful God and His abundant love, and a constant expression to him.
