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Do Eastern Orthodox Christians have to do confession, as in the Roman Catholic Church?
The Mystery of Confession
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
In Romans 12: 1-2, Saint Paul says, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God …… And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (the nous, the eye of the soul), that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” [The implication is to change one’s disposition and attitude about that event that led them into sin, leading them to restoration.]
Repentance is not just a feeling of mere remorse of being sorry for a wrong done. It is a beginning; it is an invitation to better life, an opportunity to become anew. The message of the last of the Profits St. John the Forerunner, Christ’s first message, and St. Peter at Pentecost was confessing repentance for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Secrets are said to be of the devil and un-confessed sins never go away, becoming heavier and burdensome as time passes. When sin enters our life it divides and separates our relationship with Christ and one another and often times feels like a part of us dies. Ironically, it is because of sin (separation) that one discovers, “being is communion with others” or one might say “to be human is to be in relationship.” Confession and repentance are the only solution to repair and heal this disposition of the soul.
Man was created in the image (love) and likeness (holiness) of this triune God (Genesis 1: 26-27). Man is created as a “personal being” — one who is truly human when he loves and is loved, and one who can only be defined by these loving relationships. He cannot stand alone and be fully human because to be human, is to relate to others.
Therefore, in the Eastern Orthodox Church the Mystery (Sacrament) of Confession is an imperative. This sacrament of confession is the process of healing and restoring our damaged and wounded fallen nature. It is essentially a healing medicine since sin is viewed primarily as a disease that needs to be addressed and treated, rather than a crime that needs to be punished. It must also be noted that it is in most cases, confession is not a one-time event, but most often a lifetime struggle.
God accepts all repentant sinners tenderly and rejoices greatly in their act of repentance. All sins are forgivable except one: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Christ respects our free will to choose and, in this case, an unrepentant and callous heart of the individual who entirely rejects God can not be saved.
To confess and repent is not merely to induce a restoration of lost innocence but to transcend our fallen condition. Through the sacrament of confession, the past is no longer a burden, but rather an encouragement for what lies ahead.
Even in Buddhism, the confession of sins publicly before Buddha and the congregation by monks is practiced; the phenomenology is the same as in the Church, even if the theology or ideology is different.
The administration of the Sacrament of Confession
The administration of the Sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Church is different from that of the Roman Catholic Church that was established in 1054 AD, with historical roots from the beginning.
In Mystery (Sacrament) of Confession in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the priest is a facilitator and representative of Christ, and it is Christ who directly forgives your sins. The priest merely reads the prayers, invoking the remission of sins by God. The confession of sins is considered to be God’s highest gift to man (cf. Matthew 18:18; John 20:22-23).
In the completion of the penitent’s confession, the priest places his stole over the kneeling penitent and reads the prayer of absolution, by which the forgiveness of God is pronounced and bestowed, for it is Christ who is the forgiver and the healer of the penitent, not the priest.
It is my understanding that the Roman Catholic Church declares that the priest, in the administration of his ministry, represents Christ, who acts through the priest: “the priest truly acts in the place of Christ” (In Persona Christi). The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, Chapter 3, Article 6 The Sacrament of Holy Orders, 1548 and 1549. From the Roman Catholic Prayer of Absolution “….may God give you pardon and peace, and “I absolve you” (the priest) from your sins….”.
However, the confession of the penitent is what is really important, and I suspect depending on the sincerity and willingness of the penitent to oppose those sins the result in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Roman Catholic Church would be the same.
Yes, the priest in both churches can withhold the absolution at their discretion, authority that was given to them in the Sacrament of Ordination.
From St. John Chrysostom…..”Did you commit sin? Enter the Church and repent for your sin; for here is the physician, not a judge; here one is not investigated, but one who receives the remission of sins” (for healing, peace of mind and eternal life).
