On Preparation for Holy Communion - Part 2

[CONTINUED FROM A PREVIOUS POST]

Part 2: Confession

Confession is typically a standard part in preparation for Communion in the Russian Church, and I do not wish to dwell on the specifics here for one simple reason: in the Russian tradition, most people do go to confession before Communion, which is usually not a weekly occurrence. There are exceptions, of course - mainly related to laity or clergy coming from or being exposed to other Orthodox traditions. In the first approximation, it may be said that the competing tradition in the United States is for people to partake of Holy Communion every week but to have confession once a month or even less frequently.

The quality of confession is truly something that should stay between the faithful and their confessing priest. Some are skilled at watching themselves and noting the symptoms of their fallen nature, others are not as skilled. Most certainly, all of us have room for improvement. Some are comfortable about telling the priest the most embarrassing thoughts, others are not. But what should be noted here is that many misunderstand what confession actually is - undoubtedly, because pastors have difficulty keeping up with the amount of teaching that is continuously needed.