The (Brief) Orthodox View of Confession
Excerpted from Orthodox Motherhood websiteAn icon of the mystery of Holy Confession. Source unknown (found on Reddit).
When I was preparing to become an Eastern Orthodox Christian, the idea of confession scared the pants off me! It was so foreign to my experience as a Protestant Christian that I really had no frame of reference from which to understand it.
Over the years I have come to realize how much I need confession – to be reminded of my complete sinfulness, to be reminded of Christ’s forgiveness, to be encouraged and guided by my spiritual father. Now I truly cannot imagine my spiritual life without this sacrament.
For those who are new to the faith, or who are not Orthodox, I wanted to provide a brief (certainly not exhaustive!) overview of the Orthodox doctrine of confession.
Orthodox View of Confession
The Orthodox Church continues the early church practice of confession. Back in the earliest days of Christianity, confession was public — in front of the entire congregation.
Later as this became impractical, confession was done in the presence of the priest who represented the church.
In the Orthodox Church, we do not say that we confess our sins to the priest. We confess them to Christ in the presence of the priest. The priest listens as the Church and then reminds that Christ forgives. The priest, as a spiritual father, is able to give advice, see patterns of sin, and offer encouragement for holy living.
For a more detailed description of confession, you can read the Orthodox Church in America’s article here.