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Why Orthodox Christians Confess to a Priest
The speaker addresses the question of why Orthodox Christians confess to a priest rather than directly to God. In Orthodox practice, confession is made to God while the priest stands as a witness. The priest reminds the penitent that Christ stands invisibly present to receive the confession.
The priest does not act as a judge but prays with the penitent, offers guidance, and reads the prayers of forgiveness. The speaker cites Christ's words after the resurrection when he breathed on the apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven," giving that authority to the church.
He also quotes St. James: "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed," emphasizing that confession functions as a hospital rather than a courtroom. The speaker shares his personal experience: before regular confession, he repeated the same small sins, telling himself God would always forgive him, and because no one knew, nothing changed.
Since beginning confession, he finds himself holding back from sin because he knows he will have to speak it aloud to his spiritual father, and that accountability has changed him more than he expected.
Key moments
- The speaker addresses the common question of why one should confess to a priest instead of directly to God.
- The speaker says that in Orthodox tradition, confession is made to God, and the priest reminds the penitent that Christ stands invisibly present receiving the confession while the priest acts only as a witness.
- The speaker states that the priest is not a judge but is there to pray with the penitent, guide them, and read the prayers of forgiveness over them.
- The speaker cites Christ's words after the resurrection: he breathed on the apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven," giving that authority to the church.
- The speaker quotes St. James: "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed," emphasizing that confession is a hospital, not a courtroom.
- The speaker describes his own experience before confession: he repeated the same small sins again and again, telling himself God would always forgive him, and because nobody knew, nothing changed.
- The speaker says that since he started going to confession, he holds back from sin because he knows he will have to say it out loud to his spiritual father, and that accountability changed him more than he expected.