"Confession is not an obligation, it is an opportunity...to receive the grace of cleansing and healing." Great rhetoric and way of thinking about this.
I suspect most who disagree with or dislike the idea of Confession with a priest have never experienced what a gift and balm it truly is. As a former Evangelical of 30+ years who's now been in the Church for 10 years, Confession is an invaluable gift that I am so grateful for.
Thank you, B. Irenei. Christ is altogether lovely; great is the mystery of Godliness -- these words came to mind! We should want every gift He so abundantly provides & freely offers us, and prepare our hearts to be a dwelling place for Him. Your discourses are a great blessing. God be with you.
Thank you dear Vladika, for the 5 years of opportunity I had with you in confession at St. Tikhons in San Francisco. I truly repent of my sins & failures & thank you for allowing me to come & receive God's blessings & yours. Kassiani.
Thank you dearest Vladika! Your sermons are so inspiring and live giving! Thank you for your ceaseless efforts and prayers. Please visit us again soon in our parish in Berne! 🙏
[A Psalm] of David. A Contemplation. Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [Whose] sin [is] covered. Blessed [is] the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit [there is] no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Psa 32:1-5
It’s a question some people need to ask simply because such frequent sacramental confession is in practice impossible given family obligations, etc. And of course we all confess our sins many times during the Liturgy, so the Didache, is not a clear statement of the need for frequent *sacramental* confession.
Nor is it a clear statement of *how* frequent sacramental confession must be. Nor is it a clear statement of *how close in time* a confession must be before communion. Rather, it is clearly *unspecific* . It was expected that each person would seek the sacrament of confession as opportunity was given to do so; likewise the sacrament of communion. It encourages the whole community to arrange its affairs so that the sacraments can be conjoined to the extent possible. It makes no rules, for it recognizes that no rule can be kept in a perfectly regular way. In any case, the need must reside in each person's heart, and then the gift of the sacrament(s) can be fulfilled. We should always expect to prepare our life and our souls as best we can given our circumstances, asking God's help in everything, and giving Him glory for all things that come to us. If we do that honestly, will God not bless us in His sacraments? And does He not know that we are dust? Rules can express only ideals, not requirements. Even the Didache expresses an ideal, without a rule, which in my opinion makes for a better understanding of the ideal.
"Confession is not an obligation, it is an opportunity...to receive the grace of cleansing and healing." Great rhetoric and way of thinking about this.
I suspect most who disagree with or dislike the idea of Confession with a priest have never experienced what a gift and balm it truly is. As a former Evangelical of 30+ years who's now been in the Church for 10 years, Confession is an invaluable gift that I am so grateful for.
Very helpful!
This is really wonderful ❤️
This would make the perfect publication in text. I've never heard a better, more meaningful response to this question!
Thank you Bishop Irenei. Hope to see you again soon at our parish.
God bless you! ☦️
Thank you, B. Irenei. Christ is altogether lovely; great is the mystery of Godliness -- these words came to mind! We should want every gift He so abundantly provides & freely offers us, and prepare our hearts to be a dwelling place for Him. Your discourses are a great blessing. God be with you.
Beautiful sermon, Bishop Irinei.
Thank you Bishop Irenei 🙏🏼☦️
Thank you dear Vladika, for the 5 years of opportunity I had with you in confession at St. Tikhons in San Francisco. I truly repent of my sins & failures & thank you for allowing me to come & receive God's blessings & yours. Kassiani.
Thank you!
Thank you dearest Vladika! Your sermons are so inspiring and live giving! Thank you for your ceaseless efforts and prayers. Please visit us again soon in our parish in Berne! 🙏
Amen
🙏
[A Psalm] of David. A Contemplation.
Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [Whose] sin [is] covered.
Blessed [is] the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit [there is] no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Psa 32:1-5
We are not alone, God is with us ❤️☦️🙏💪🤗
❤🔥🔥❄😍✌👩❤👨💪🕊🙏✝MERRY CHRISTMAS ☦️🙏💒🌟👨👩👧👦☃🫶🎄🥇⛸️🎁🚨🙌❤
It’s a question some people need to ask simply because such frequent sacramental confession is in practice impossible given family obligations, etc. And of course we all confess our sins many times during the Liturgy, so the Didache, is not a clear statement of the need for frequent *sacramental* confession.
Nor is it a clear statement of *how* frequent sacramental confession must be. Nor is it a clear statement of *how close in time* a confession must be before communion. Rather, it is clearly *unspecific* .
It was expected that each person would seek the sacrament of confession as opportunity was given to do so; likewise the sacrament of communion. It encourages the whole community to arrange its affairs so that the sacraments can be conjoined to the extent possible. It makes no rules, for it recognizes that no rule can be kept in a perfectly regular way. In any case, the need must reside in each person's heart, and then the gift of the sacrament(s) can be fulfilled. We should always expect to prepare our life and our souls as best we can given our circumstances, asking God's help in everything, and giving Him glory for all things that come to us. If we do that honestly, will God not bless us in His sacraments? And does He not know that we are dust? Rules can express only ideals, not requirements. Even the Didache expresses an ideal, without a rule, which in my opinion makes for a better understanding of the ideal.