The Girl Fell into Fornication and Became Ashamed to Confess

Priest Mikhail Vorobyov

Question to the priest.

I am 19 years old. I go to the church weekly, sing on the kliros and love everything connected with the church. I fell into fornication, and, the strangest or most terrible thing, I cannot leave him: he is a good person, kind, but not very religious, we are former classmates with him. Father, help! Not only that I can’t go to confession, I'm ashamed to look at icons. What should I do? I can't tell anyone about this.

The priest Mikhail Vorobyov, rector of the church in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, town of Volsk, answers.

There can be found no way out of the current situation, except for sincere and deep repentance. You condemn yourself, condemn your sin, you are ashamed of your ambiguous stay in the church - this is the voice of your conscience, which is nothing but the voice of God in the human heart. The Lord calls you to repentance, to the discovery of your sin at confession, which shall be courageous, precise, ruthless towards yourself.

The Dying Woman Came to Her Senses to Confess and Take Communion

Archpriest Vasily Borin (1916 - 27.12.1994)

From the biography of Archpriest Vasily Borin.

One of the parishioners of the church of the prophet Elijah was a person of deep faith. Working on a collective farm, she never stopped reading the Gospel, and when her team went to lunch break, she retired to read the Word of God. But now it's time for her to die. The Father was informed about this, but when he came to her house, it was already too late. "Did you take all the actions?" he asked the doctor. “Yes,” she replied. Then Father Vasily said: “This servant of God did not leave out the Gospel, and God will not leave her without Communion.” And, turning to the recumbent, he said: “Repent, servant of God!” And he began to list the sins. At that moment, everyone saw two tears rolling out of her closed eyes. And the priest asked: “Will you take Communion?” She opened her mouth, and the priest gave her Communion. “Yes,” said the doctor, “there is God!”, and from that time, she started to believe in the Lord.

Source

The Monk Concealed his Love for Money

Biographies of the Ascetics of Athos. Hegumen Fr. Gerasim, a Bulgarian († 1875).

Gerasimos of Athos (1770 - 1875)

Something like this also happened: in the monastery, there lived one monk, already tonsured to the Stavrophore, a Greek by birth. He gave a large amount of money to the monastery, but also kept a little for himself. The hegumen told him: - If you want to live with us, then don't have anything at your place; it is now in your power. And if you miss it and don't want to part with it, then don't give anything, but find a place where you can live with it. And if you hide it, and after death it will be found, then it will be thrown into the grave with you, and you, as the destroyer of the cenobium, will not be considered worthy of commemoration of the brethren. He answered: - Holy Father, what I have, I give everything. The hegumen accepted him, and then tonsured him into the schema. The monk was very humble and meek, and useful to the monastery, as a good craftsman and carpenter, and the brethren loved him very much. But the hegumen saw the serpent of greed for money lurking in him, and often he called and exhorted him with tears to reveal his money.

Being hardened in it, he said that he no longer has it. The hegumen, seeing his hardening and the death of his soul approaching, wanted to correct him. One day, in front of all the brethren, he ordered some of the brethren to drive him out of the monastery with dishonor, and throw away all his property, and gave him his money. He did not take the money, and said that the money was donated to the monastery forever. The brethren greatly regretted him and tearfully mourned that the hegumen punished such a humble man without mercy. The monk left the monastery and found himself a friend and bought a cell. He paid 4,000 levs, and used 2,000 for the construction. Then all the brethren understood why the abbot had expelled him from the monastery. But when he bought a cell, and spent all the money, despondency fell upon him, and he could no longer live in a cell, and gave it to a friend, and he himself went to the monastery and began to ask the gatekeeper to report to the abbot that he wanted to ask for forgiveness. The gatekeeper said to the hegumen. He, having heard, ran out himself, took him into his arms and said: - You spent all your money, is there anything left? He replied with shame and tears: “Forgive me, Holy Father, that I have sinned before God and before you. Now there is nothing left but my sins”. The hegumen said to him: “And now I rejoice that the Lord has cleansed you; now you will be a monk. And he gave him a cell.

In general, Elder Gerasim almost every day does deeds worthy of surprise: he knows whom to punish, and whose infirmities to forgive.

Source

The Elder Convicted a Woman Who Caused a Whole Village to Burn Down

"By the God-created caves." Pskov-Caves ascetics of the 20th century. "

St. Simeon (Zhelnin) (1869 - 18.1.1960)

The servant of God Anna, a resident of Pechory (from Ovrazhnaya street) told:

“I happened to be a witness to the following case. Once in the summer, leaving the St Michael Cathedral, we, all worshippers, saw a woman lying on the stones near the temple and crying. To our question, what happened with her and what she cries about so bitterly, she told the following:

“I came to Pechory and went to Fr. Simeon for a blessing. I knocked once and I hear the answer: “Go out!” I knocked a second time and looked into the cell. Father Simeon stood at the lectern and, not looking at me, shouted a second time: “Go out!” And when I knocked again, Father Simeon said again: “Go out!” And added: “You have a mouthful of firebrands”. Then I immediately recalled my grave sin. I confess to you that I committed a great crime in my life: offended by my neighbor, I set fire to his bathhouse, and the whole village immediately caught on fire from it. ” And then she burst into tears even more. We were stunned and surprised by the clairvoyance of Fr. Simeon and immediately began to pray to the Lord, asking him to forgive the great sinner, weeping over her sin.”

Source

The Woman did not Want to Admit and Repent that She Used to Steal While Working in Trade

"I love everybody". Memories of Archimandrite Pavel (Gruzdev).

Archimandrite Pavel (Gruzdev) (1910 - 13.1.1996)

In 1985, I took courses in Yaroslavl. At the beginning of winter, I took a commuter train. A woman sits down next to me and wonders how far it is to the Shestikhino station. I answer her that I go there, and I will tell when to go out. She asks: “They say you have an elder living there?” “We have Father Pavel. I'll explain how to get to him".

The woman was traveling from the Chita region. She said that she was full of all sorts of diseases. She was in hospitals, nothing helped, she decided to go to holy places. She got to Yaroslavl. In Yaroslavl, she was told that such a miracle-worker lives not far from Nekouz. I explained how to get to Nikulskoye, and we said goodbye.

A couple of days later I hear a knock at the door. I open it, that lady is standing. I wonder: "How did you find me?" “I asked where such and such a teacher lives, and they told me.”

Well, you can’t kick her out since she came. I began to find out how she went to the Father in Verkhne-Nikulskoe. “Oh, oh,” she says, “I don’t even know what to say. He scolded me all over, just about beat me.”

She arrived in the evening. Father Pavel let her spend the night in the lodge. In the morning the woman met him and began to talk about her misfortunes, passions and illnesses. He cut her off and asked: “Listen, my dear, and where do you work?” “I don’t work now, I’m retired. And I worked all my life in trade. I worked as a store manager, head of a depot, director of a restaurant. “How he, — she says, — shouted with bad language at me: “You bastard, you stole so much in your life! And now you want the Lord not to punish you yet? You deserve yours, so gulp down now. Take your baggage and get out of here.” She was upset, kept repeating: “What should I do? What to do?"

This woman did not go home immediately. Through acquaintances, I learned that she lived for a month at the Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon in Yaroslavl, cleaned the church and tried to find a person who would solve her problems with one movement of his hand.

Source

Headaches because of Unconfessed Sin

Elder Paisios the Athonite. "Words". Vol. 3.

Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain (1924 – 12.7.1994)

One time, a middle-aged man came to my Hut with a suspicious air about him...  From a distance, when I first spotted him, I could tell he was under a demonic influence. 

"I came here so you can help me", he said. "Pray for me, because I've been having terrible headaches for a whole year, and doctors can't find what's wrong."  

"You've got a demon", I said to him, "because you've given rights to the devil". 

"But I didn't do anything!"

"You didn't do anything?" I replied. "Didn't you cheat on a young woman? Well, she went and had a spell put on you.  Go and ask her to forgive you, then go to confession, ask to have Exorcisms read over you, and you will regain your health.  If you can't perceive your error and don't repent, even if all the spiritual fathers in the world get together and pray for you, the demon won't leave you."

When people like him come to me, with such an air, I speak to them openly. They need to be shaken up in order to come to realization.

Source

An Elderly Woman is Ashamed to Confess to a Young Priest

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov (1951-21.10.2020)

Questions to Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov on the air of the Radonezh radio.

Question: I'm an elderly woman, in my sixties. I can’t walk for many years and a priest comes to me, whom I have known since the age of nine, very young. And in old age, I am suddenly visited by such thoughts and sinful feelings, which I am ashamed, as an old woman, to tell him, the child, because I know him from infancy. What do I do?

- Shame is like a mustard plaster. It burns, but heals. Therefore, there is nothing special about this. As before a doctor, one has to undress and talk about his sores, the same is here. For many people, this is a rather serious barrier. But we must overcome it. Age has nothing to do with it. After all, the main thing is still healing. You see, if you are tormented, it is better to apply a plaster to this. Therefore, I would advise you to pray stronger, and, as they say, go into battle. May God help you.

Source

Falling into Fornication Happens to a Monk for Disobedience and Unconfessed Sins

Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin)

Archimandrite Raphael. "From time to eternity. Sayings of the Fathers".

Hieromonk Vasily (Pirtskhalava) said: “The worst sin for a monk is fornication. Other sins, compared to it, are dust that can be easily blown away.”

He said: “I heard from an elder who lived for many years on Mount Athos that a priest who commits fornication and at the same time serves Liturgies is in hell even before death. When he proclaims: "Peace to all" and "The blessing of the Lord is upon you," the Angel of the altar says: "Blessing from God to the people, and to you - a curse." When he takes communion, his soul turns black, like burnt coal. When he finishes serving the Liturgy, the devil comes up to him and kisses him on the lips as his friend.”

He said: “Two monk brothers lived not far from each other. One went to the city on some business and fell there. And the other saw in a dream: a seething sea, his brother-monk was walking on a slippery rock and suddenly fell into the abyss. He began to scream in his sleep: “Help!”, but the sea drowned out his voice.”

I asked Hieromonk Vasily: “Is there a sin worse than this sin?”—“Despair and suicide,” he answered.—But most often it is fornication that leads a monk to despair.” “And why is a monk allowed to fall into fornication, because he prays to God and wants to be saved?” — “For disobedience and unconfessed sins.” I asked again: “Can this sin be forgiven for the priest?” “Let the bishop decide this,” he replied.

Source

Elder Joseph the Hesychast about Concealment

Elder Joseph the Hesychast. "Monastic wisdom". From letter 3.

Elder Joseph the Hesychast (1897 - 1959)

And so, my child, force yourself from the beginning to enter the narrow gate, because only it leads to the spaciousness of paradise. Cut off your own will every day and hour, and seek no other path besides this one. This is the path that the feet of the Holy Fathers trod. Reveal your path unto the Lord and He will guide you, too. Reveal your thoughts to your elder, and he will heal you. Never hide a thought, because the devil conceals his cunning within it: as soon as you confess it he disappears. Do not reveal another person’s fault to justify yourself, because at once grace, which had covered you until that point, will reveal your own faults. The more you cover your brother with love, the more grace warms you and guards you from the false accusation of men.

As for the other brother you mentioned, it seems that he has some unconfessed sins, because he is ashamed to tell them to the elder. And this is why that temptation takes place. But he must correct this improper behavior, for without frank confession, one cannot be purified. It is a shame to be ridiculed by the demons. Deep down his ego is hiding. May the Lord enlighten him to come to his senses. And you should pray and love him as well as everyone; yet guard yourself from all.

Source

Unconfessed Sins Can Cause Suffering and Demonic Attacks

Elder Joseph the Hesychast (1897 - 1959)

Elder Joseph the Hesychast. "Monastic wisdom". From letter 16.

As for the brother you wrote about who is suffering, we shall say prayers on his behalf. He must be committing some hidden sin now or in the past, and for this reason God allows him to suffer in this way. Many times a person commits a sin without realizing that he is sinning by doing it. He walks like a blind man in the darkness, without the courage to see himself in the light and to say, “I have sinned, my God!”

Source

The Elder Helped a Man to Make His Confession

From a conversation with Elder Mikhail (Pitkevitch).

Elder Mikhail (Pitkevitch) (1877-1962)

The elder said, ‘An elderly lady came to visit me once with her daughter. She told me that her son, a good and religious man by nature, an often churchgoer, nevertheless attends services without taking Holy Communion for years. This way her son used to attend the church caused his mother to worry. She asked me to lead her son on the right path. I agreed to make an attempt to do so. Soon this man visited me. I found him a pleasant and sincere person. I asked him about his education, work, way of his life, etc. He described everything in detail and was frank with me. ‘Why don’t you go to the Holy Communion?’  I asked my visitor, ‘you are already of middle age, you live in unsettling times, and suddenly death may well come to you.’ ‘You are absolutely right, Father’, my guest replied, ‘but I fear to confess because I am not used to do this.’ ‘My friend, you don’t have to make your confession now,’ I told him. ‘I just heard one of the fullest confessions of my life. Get on your knees, and I will pray above you for absolution.’ He did so, and I absolved his sins. Now he is a well-known religious man.

Source

Concealing the Sins and Aerial Tollhouses

Protopriest Oleg Stenyaev. “An exam without the right to re-sit it: how can we pass the toll houses”.

Protopriest Oleg Stenyaev

There are people who, when making their confession, show false shame in front of a priest and conceal their sins. Such people are in a serious danger of being stuck at the second tollhouse. This kind of shame at making confession is related to the fact that when a person begins to communicate closely with a priest, he or she thinks that if they reveal all their sins, the priest will change his attitude to a negative one.  In fact, it’s the devil who whispers such thoughts into one’s ears. The opposite is true: a priest, if he feels that the confession is not sincere, may become cold towards this person. When a priest sees that the person trusts him completely, he gets compassion for such a person.

The First Epistle of John states, ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us’ (1 John, 1:9-10). I mean, if we are not hiding anything in confession, we will be forgiven. If we say that we have not sinned, then ‘we make him a liar, and his word is not in us’. If we go to confession and we are doing it in front of a priest, being selfish, concealing our sins or looking for some kind of excuse, there is a danger that we may be stuck at the second tollhouse.

Knowing that the Elder Saw All the Sins of a Person, the Girl Concealed her Sin Anyway

Protopriest Vladimir Vorobyev. "Hieromonk Pavel Troitsky".

Story of Hegumenia Iuliania, when she was a young girl and wrote letters to elder Paul (Troitsky)

It was as long as several years before I felt enough courage to confess a special sin. I suffered a lot because of that but could not do anything about it. I feared to write to Fr Pavel about that, just putting at the end of every my letter to him the words of asking forgiveness and prayers. I believe it was for his prayers only the Lord gave me enough courage and I could confess my sin.

https://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/1017-knowing-that-the-elder-saw-all-the-sins-of-a-person-the-girl-concealed-her-sin-anyway

Other People’s Sins were Revealed to Abba Eulogios

St Ignatius (Brianchaninov). "Paterikon".

A presbyter (hieromonk) Abba Eulogios, while celebrating the Holy Liturgy, was overwhelmed by the Divine Grace so much, that he could see the spiritual condition of anyone who came to him. Often he forbade to some monks who drew near to take the Holy Communion, saying, ‘How dare you draw near the Holy Communion, having unclean thoughts? This night you enjoyed unclean lustful thoughts, thinking, that both an unclean sinner and a pure man can draw near the Grace of Christ’. He also rebuked other people of different sins. ‘Do not take the Holy Communion for a short time,’ he used to say to them, ‘and repent sincerely to have your sins be pardoned and you became worthy of the Communion with God. The man who does not repudiate any communion with sinful thoughts cannot draw near to the Holy Mysteries of God.’

The communion with sinful thoughts means agreeing and enjoying them by one’s own will, but not the involuntary submission to their flood: the second cannot be avoided, but anyone can withstand them.

https://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/1011-other-people-s-sins-were-revealed-to-abba-eulogios

A Man who Neglects to Reveal his Thoughts will not Gain Any Benefits

Apophthegmata Patrum translated by St Theophan the Recluse.

40. The same Elder both in order to prove the virtues of the law and to teach us told us this story: two brothers who lived in Lavra in separate cells used to visit each other. Once one of them said to his brother, ‘I would like to visit Abba Zenon to reveal him a thought of mine.’ The latter answered, ‘So would I.’ Therefore, they went together. Each of them confided their thoughts to Abba privately. The first one prostrated before Abba with begging him with tears and Abba told him, ‘Go, do not neglect, do not judge, and do not omit your prayer.’ Then that brother came back to his cell, spiritually healed. The latter, however, did not beg Abba with pain but said only, ‘Pray for me.’ After a certain time two monks got together and one asked another, ‘Did you reveal your thought to Abba you wanted?’ He said, ‘I did.’ The brother asked again, ‘Did you get any benefit revealing it?’ He said again, ‘I did; God has healed me by the prayers of the Elder.’ The latter said, ‘I did reveal my thought; however, I did not get any relief.’ Then the healed one said, ‘How did you ask the Elder?’ The brother told that he asked to pray for him, as he has such and such thoughts. The healed brother answered, ‘I poured my tears on his feet and begged him to pray for me, when revealing him my thoughts, and God healed me by his prayers.’ Therefore, concluded the Elder his story, a brother, who is asking an Abba about his thoughts, has to beg him with all his might and pain, as if he were asking God himself, and he will get help then; the one, however, who reveals neglectfully or even tempting his Abba, not only will get no help whatsoever, but will be condemned.

https://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/997-a-man-who-neglects-to-reveal-his-thoughts-will-not-gain-any-benefits

Cruel Death Because of Secret Sin

Elder Mikhail (Pitkevitch) (1877-1962)

Hieroschemamonk Mikhail (Pitkevich). "Conversations with S.N.Bolshakov. Second Conversation"

I heard most incredible stories about some people who were repenting their sins. Therefore, I am fully confident that love and compassion can convert the worst sinner into a very pious person; that a human wreck in extreme condition, even at the edge of suicide can be converted into a good man or woman, or even become a saint. Unbelievable but true – there is a multitude of people who are spending their lives in the gloomy shade of a secret sin or crime without having enough courage to confess them to a fellow-man as they do not want to lose his respect. I was called once to hear the confession of a dying monk who was greatly venerated by everyone for his spotless life. His agony was long and painful. He experienced a great fear. Of course, I understood the situation at once. The passing away monk was concealing a sin, unrevealed at the confession. I asked him straightforward, what it was. He committed it thirty years ago but never could confess until he lay on his deathbed. He rested in peace.

https://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/975-cruel-death-because-of-secret-sin

About the Importance of a Pure Confession

New Patericon of Mt Athos. Vol. 2. Stories about asceticism

About elder Isichios of Grigoriou Monastery

A bishop from Romania asked Elder Isichios to say a word to him. ‘Teach your herd to make good confession,’ the elder replied. ‘Let them all confess, without hiding anything. Confession is a great sacrament, as is the Holy Communion. I knew some old fathers in our monastery, who made pure confessions and foresaw their deaths.’

https://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/974-about-the-importance-of-a-pure-confession

Death Agony of a Monk Who Concealed the Sins He Committed as a Layman

Archimandrite Ephraim of Arizona (1928-2019). From the "Homily on Remembrance of Death".

Elder Ephraim of Arizona (1928-2019)

When we for the first time founded our fraternity in the New Skete, something happened to an elder of the Skete, both frightening and beneficial for all of us. Of course, the older fathers can remember that.

This elder had heart disease, therefore he should have a special sort of remembrance of the death. But, alas, the temptation overcame him and did not allow him to confess some sins related to his secular life when he was still a layman. When he felt very ill and realized that he is close to death, he send his brother, also a monk, to see me. His brother told me that the sick man was dying of impatience and was looking forward to see me. He is in need of consolation as he is being tortured by thoughts of his soul going to perish.

I was surprised, of course, that he told me that he had lost his patience, because I know that the monks are somewhat patient in temptation, in sickness and other labours. We went to his cell.

When I saw this elder I realize that it was not the problem of him being impatient. His bed was surrounded by demons. After we were left alone with the sick man, I asked him if he could see the evil spirits. He nodded. His face was distorted with anger, he was looking on the left and right and trying to protect himself with his arms. He behaved as if he was attacked by a pack of rabid dogs struggling with all his might.

I raised my voice to distract him from the demons and asked him what the demons were telling him. ‘Alas! What they are telling me… I dare not to say that.’

Father Anthony Knew How to Make a Person Want Pure Confession

From the biography of the Venerable Anthony of Optina.

St. Anthony of Optina

Anthony of Optina imperceptibly led everyone to getting conscious of their spiritual weaknesses. So once, someone repented before him in some sins, and kept silence about others. Anthony of Optina did not denounce the incompleteness of repentance, but, on the contrary, told the repentant that with his repentance he had pleased the Angels in heaven, and with these words great contrition and zeal for the perfect cleansing of conscience aroused in this man.

“When you ask someone,” said Anthony of Optina, “then you receive benefits according to the measure of faith: whoever comes with little faith, receives little benefit, and who comes with great faith – gets a great benefit. It happened to me at first to ask the elder, as if tempting: “What will he say to this?” Well, the answers were corresponding. And if you put it in your heart that you will hear the answer of God himself from the elder, then God will notify, and a completely different person will appear, and you will hear what you do not expect.” To some visitors, Anthony spoke about their circumstances in hints, and to simple people who accepted his words with simplicity of heart and with faith, he spoke directly and simply. If someone had already proved his sincerity and devotion by a long-term spiritual relationship, he sometimes even called for an explanation. It happened that one of his spiritual children, disturbed by a thought, revealed it to him not in the course of the confession, but in a simple conversation, narratively; then the elder himself resumed the conversation about this, and calmed down only when everything had been properly confessed. And in conclusion he would say: “Now it’s good; otherwise you show the shell, but you do not show the grain itself”. It also happened that he reminded some of those who referred to him about the cases, which they never revealed not only to him, but forgot about themselves; or commanded to pray for some sin, of which they were not aware in themselves, and did not understand at all, or did not consider it a sin, and after some time, with a careful review of their life, they discovered in themselves with a surprise what the elder had indicated. But the elder did this to those whose sincerity he tested, and when it was clear to him that they were hiding this or that, not because of stubbornness or lack of frankness, but precisely because of ignorance. In other cases, with extraordinary patience, he waited until the person himself came to his senses and consciousness; because only then spiritual healing is effective. Also, when the remarks made out of paternal love and care were not taken in the way it should have been, then he refrained from such remarks; and if he did not have the opportunity to influence on somebody with the word, he tried to bring to goodness by secretly praying for such person.

http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/868-father-anthony-knew-how-to-make-a-person-want-pure-confession

Is it Necessary to Confess the Sin that Is Forsaken?

Question to a priest

Last winter, after worshiping the relics of the Saint Blessed Matrona of Moscow, miraculously, sin which I could not overcome for many years left me. Do I need to confess this sin, if it is in the past?

Answer of the priest Dimitry Vasiliev, the clergyman of the church of Saint Princess Olga Equal-to-the-Apostles in Kalininsk.

Even if you have forsaken the sin through the prayers of St. Matrona, this does not mean that you do not need to confess it. If the sin included, for example, accidental killing? Even if not a single person was killed after that one for decades, does this mean that confession is superfluous? However, concealing the sin in confession, we fall under the words that we hear every time before we are covered with the epitrachilion: "If you conceal something from me, you will have a double sin." Find the strength in yourself to open up to the confessor, because even when you come to the doctor whom you know, you will not be embarrassed by the fact that your illness is very personal in nature – here the situation is the same.

http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/796-is-it-necessary-to-confess-the-sin-that-is-forsaken