Quick tips for Byzantine confession, pretty please?

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My regular confessor is out of town for the next few weeks… Because of this, I’ll need to find a priest to “fill in” to hear my confession. I’ve only been to one Great Vespers/Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (actually it’s a new mission that meets in the Chancery chapel). I would like this priest to hear my confession this Saturday, but I’m a bit nervious (I have trouble with changes and newness at times :rolleyes:). Could someone give me an idea of what to expect? Also, for what it’s worth, I tend to have what I’m going to confess written down (when I’m nervious I tend to forget things :o) to ensure a complete confession. Would this be acceptable to do in the Byzantine form of confession? Also, if I’m not using correct terms, could someone let me know, please?

Thanks a bunch!!
~E
 
I wouldn’t worry about the differences unless you are planning to go to this priest regularly. Just let him know you are Latin Rite and that you are confessing before a Byzantine for the first time - usually Byzantines in the US have dealt with this and will accommodate you by accepting the Latin form.
 
I should have explained a bit further… Because of my desire to be “stale and unchanging” I’ve been trying to break out of my comfort zone. Also, I am feeling very drawn to experience as much as I can of the “other lung” of the Universial Church… including the differences in Confession. I may start confessing to this priest regularly… I’ve but only had a taste of Divine Liturgy, but I wish to go back and experience more, and if that happens, then the need may arise to confess to the Byzantine priest.
 
I have gone to Confession at a Byzantine Church, Ruthenian Rite. I honestly never thought of it being different. There is door in the icon screen to the left. The priest is sitting in a chair and it’s arranged so that you kneel at his side, I rested my hands on the arm of his chair is how close you are. I am accustomed to face to face in the Latin Rite, so I was OK with that. Then I just went Confession the regular way and he led me through the regular way. I must say, he knew I am Latin Rite and he used to be Latin Rite himself, I am not sure if he is considered bi-ritual or completely Byzantine now.
You can just tell him before you start, if there is anything you should do differently. I am going to ask if I go to this priest again, just to know!
At any rate, how wonderful the Sacrament of Reconciliation is!! We are so blessed to be Catholic!!!
 
Get your body there and the priest and Holy Spirit will do the rest.

It’s all right to bring a list if you find it helpful.
 
Glory be to Jesus Christ!

Don’t worry about anything - you are approaching the Healer of Souls Himself in the Holy Mystery. Fr. Richard will be very familiar with the Latin form of Confession if you do not know the Ukrainian form in English.

Confession is usually made before an icon (sometimes a stand with the Holy Gospel and a cross) and the priest usually stands to the side of the penitent. At the end he will cover you with his epitrachil (stole). Some priests cover the pentitent during the entire confession.
 
I have been going to a Byzantine-Rite (Ukrainian, actually) church for over a year now but I have still gone to Confession by a Latin-Rite priest.

If I want to go to confession with the priest at the church I am actually going to, in the rite I am actually practicing, how would I do it?
 
Cecilianus said:
I have been going to a Byzantine-Rite (Ukrainian, actually) church for over a year now but I have still gone to Confession by a Latin-Rite priest.

If I want to go to confession with the priest at the church I am actually going to, in the rite I am actually practicing, how would I do it?
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As I have said elsewhere on this thread, get your body there and the Priest and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. Foillow their lead.
 
Don’t worry about the particulars of your rite, but rather where you are receiving the Mystery. If you are doing it in a Latin church, use their form, since the priest will likely not know another form. Because of distances between our parishes, times of availability, our priests having to cover large areas, etc. my regular confessors are often in Latin parishes.
 
datingtrappists said:
My regular confessor is out of town for the next few weeks… Because of this, I’ll need to find a priest to “fill in” to hear my confession. I’ve only been to one Great Vespers/Divine Liturgy in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (actually it’s a new mission that meets in the Chancery chapel). I would like this priest to hear my confession this Saturday, but I’m a bit nervious (I have trouble with changes and newness at times :rolleyes:). Could someone give me an idea of what to expect? Also, for what it’s worth, I tend to have what I’m going to confess written down (when I’m nervious I tend to forget things :o) to ensure a complete confession. Would this be acceptable to do in the Byzantine form of confession? Also, if I’m not using correct terms, could someone let me know, please?

Thanks a bunch!!
~E
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Aloha Datingtrappists:

During your quandary, I hope that you avoided the risk of scrupulosity, and just confessed directly to Jesus (the High Priest!). When we acknowledge our sinfulness and sincerely ask for His mercy, we know that He will forgive us. Amen?

Were you placing too much emphasis on the formalities of confession and not enough on its blessings? Look at it this way: The majority of the Roman rite Catholic faithful (faithful to God!) obviously now go directly to Jesus for forgiveness (as Mass begins). Weekly, they all receive Communion, yet only a handful regularly confess privately to a priest (sometimes only once a year).

This phenomenon goes against church rule and has been allowed by the church’s leadership for decades. Therefore, it may be the sensus fidelium (i.e., the sense of the faithful through which the Holy Spirit guides the Church to do things His way). It may be the will of the Holy Spirit that we go back to general absolution during Mass. Who knows! The Spirit of God works in wondrous ways! Amen? But Is the Church listening to Him!?

Only after private confession was started by Irish monks in the 8th century, as I recall, was it made a general practice in the Church. (Think of the power it gave the Abbot!) At the first Eucharist, I’m confident that Jesus didn’t first hear the disciples confessions, it’s not in the Gospel. Amen?

Scrupulosity works against our spirit, and should be avoided by all of us, as you know. When we confess, I do believe that our concern should be to go by the spirit of the law, and not “sweat out” the letter of the law. But I could be wrong.
Shalom, Richard
 
Richard_Hughes said:
Aloha Datingtrappists:

During your quandary, I hope that you avoided the risk of scrupulosity, and just confessed directly to Jesus (the High Priest!).
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We do this every time we confess to a priest, Richard.
Were you placing too much emphasis on the formalities of confession and not enough on its blessings? Look at it this way: The majority of the Roman rite Catholic faithful (faithful to God!) obviously now go directly to Jesus for forgiveness (as Mass begins). Weekly, they all receive Communion, yet only a handful regularly confess privately to a priest (sometimes only once a year).
Click to expand...
This phenomenon goes against church rule and has been allowed by the church’s leadership for decades. Therefore, it may be the sensus fidelium (i.e., the sense of the faithful through which the Holy Spirit guides the Church to do things His way). It may be the will of the Holy Spirit that we go back to general absolution during Mass. Who knows! The Spirit of God works in wondrous ways! Amen? But Is the Church listening to Him!?
Click to expand...
  1. The Church never practiced “general absolution” during Mass.
  2. Disobedience to the Church is always a sin.
  3. The “sensus fidelium” is a theological heresy. The Holy Spirit guides the Church through the Magisterium - the faithful are not actually faithful unless we follow the shepherds Christ has appointed for His Church.
Only after private confession was started by Irish monks in the 8th century, as I recall, was it made a general practice in the Church. (Think of the power it gave the Abbot!) At the first Eucharist, I’m confident that Jesus didn’t first hear the disciples confessions, it’s not in the Gospel. Amen?
Click to expand...
All of this was defined as heresy by the Council of Trent. Oral confession goes back to the Apostles - as evidenced by James 5:16, among others - and is NECESSARY for the forgiveness of your sins. This is the Catholic Faith.

And regarding the first Eucharist, you can’t seriously expect it to look in every way like the Mass today. The Apostles came expecting a Passover supper, not a High Mass. It was an extraordinary event. Christ did not need to “first hear the disciples confessions” - but the priest today does.
Scrupulosity works against our spirit, and should be avoided by all of us, as you know. When we confess, I do believe that our concern should be to go by the spirit of the law, and not “sweat out” the letter of the law. But I could be wrong.
Shalom, Richard
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Yes - but we can’t have the “spirit” of the law without the letter. (And for the record, have you ever even heard of an example of the formality of Confession “get in the way” of repentance? I can’t even imagine how it could be possible.) We do need to confess. Nor do I think that our intentions were scrupulous. I asked how to confess in the Byzantine Rite simply because I do wish to practice my Faith in the rich cultural and spiritual setting of Byzantine Christianity - and in order to do so, I need to know how to do it.
 
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