During Confession, it is important that we show sorrow for sins and resolve to sin no more, the Head of the UGCC in the catechesis

"Modern man does not fully understand what sin is and cannot comprehend the whole tragedy of the reality we denote by this word," the Primate said in the program aired on Zhyve Television on May 15, 2021.

He explained that sin is the rupture of man's relationship with God. That is why in the Scriptures, particularly in the books of the Old Testament, sin is always associated with death - "the penalty for sin is death," it says.

But the good news, the Primate emphasized, is that Jesus Christ Himself healed this deep wound of human sin with His Blood. He forever opened the possibility for man to be reunited with the Source of life and gave people the opportunity to be freed from sin.

To be healed of one's own sin and to receive God's forgiveness, one must be prepared. The Head of the Church explained where to start.

"Confession is first and foremost about repentance and conversion. If a person does not really repent, then he is probably not yet fully ready for this Sacrament,” he said and added, “although the Lord God sends him the Holy Spirit, which touches the human heart and helps him change his life. "

Then His Beatitude spoke in detail about the first three conditions of good confession: the test of conscience, regret for sins, and the decision to no longer sin.

"It is necessary to make a firm resolution not to sin anymore, even when we understand that our bad habits can sometimes be stronger than our desire to get rid of them. This personal desire is very important. If we really want it, the Lord God will help us,” the Head of the Church assured.

He also explained why the Confession takes place before the priest: “Our sins are forgiven only by the Lord God… But He wanted a certain person on earth - His representative – to tell us that we are forgiven. Those who can administer the Holy Sacrament of Confession are ordained priests who have the appropriate authority from the bishop...”

The Head of the UGCC added that in the Confession before the priest we must confess all our sins, and most importantly - the grave ones.

"If we knowingly and voluntarily hide something, then our Confession will not be valid. The priest can be deceived, but the Lord God, who sees our heart, cannot. If we deliberately hid something from the confessor, we have committed another grave sin - sacrilege, and therefore despised the very Sacrament of Reconciliation," said the Primate.

The penance imposed by the priest, according to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, is a kind of medicine that we must take after Confession. This can be fasting, prayer, almsgiving, or other actions that should correct the wrong that was done.

The Head of the UGCC also spoke about how often the Holy Sacrament of Penance should be administered. According to him, confession should be made at least once a month.

We remind you that the video project of "Zhyve Television" "His Beatitude Sviatoslav: #clearly_about_complicated" started on May 16, 2020. A series of recent issues is devoted to the explanation of the seven Holy Sacraments. You can watch the catechesis of His Beatitude Sviatoslav on the Zhyve TV channel on YouTube or Facebook every Saturday at 9 p.m.

The UGCC Department for Information