Thank you Father ,It has been over 50 years and now I feel that I can come back to the church where I belong

This is an excellent analogy for why confession is important. Thank-you Father David!

I'm going to confession tomorrow after 3 yrs and 7mos. Thank you father.

Father Bless . Excellent presentation. So simply yet fully explained . We make things complicated . The comparison to training for a race creates a great word picture . I will forward this presentation to my children and grandchildren . Thank you Father for your ability to keep things simple and thus understandable . Good Strength .

God bless you father for encouraging me to go for confession

That was the best explanation I've ever heard. I am going this Saturday

Thank you so much father David. I appreciate your honesty and the analogies and the tips. 5 years later and your talk, with the Grace of God, is still benefiting people. Thank you for your efforts.

God bless this awesome Priest

Bless you, father. Thank you ☦️

Thank you Father for making it easy for me to understand. I will put confession at a much higher priority.

That was wonderful, Father David; thank you so much! I was very touched when you said that you say, "Forgive me", near the end of each confession... acknowledging your own human propensity for sin & the "position" that the newly absolved penitent holds, having just been absolved/cleansed of their own sins! What a beautiful awareness to drive home! After many (~35) years of avoiding Confession & simply "going through the motions", because I was terrified that if I stopped going to Mass I would stop even TRYING to be reconciled with Him, I was finally blessed about 5 years ago with a series of occurrences that brought me back to Confession, & ramped up my pursuit & then continuous pursuit of Him, through the increasingly fervent practice my Catholic Faith. I almost always come out of Confession feeling lighter & joyful, & with the resolve to do better, in keeping with the realization of that moment of having been totally forgiven; what an absolutely tremendous gift! I am so SO VERY blessed, & incredibly grateful! God bless you, Father!😇 ["How to Make a Good Confession" - Fr. David Smith] [4.26.2024]

God bless you, father !

Thank you Father .i am new in the orthodox church and i need to start over from the beginning

Thank you Father! This was wonderfully explained

Brillant, an eye opener. I too will go to confession ASAP.

I’ve been wanting to do a general confession for a long time and this was helpful.

Thank you Father, for the detailed explanation and for sharing your own personal story. I've never understood the importance of confessing to a priest but now I do. I'm truly grateful that I found your video. 🙏 God Bless

I am Roman catholic and go reguarly to confession. It's such a joy to offload all the garbage of sin

Father I love this video it's one of the best explanation I've heard on confession.

Thank you, Father. You really helped me to see confession in a much more positive light. You also made me laugh a few times at our shared human nature (wanting the results of training but not wanting to actually train), which helps too.

God bless you father

I read scripture that said to confess your sins and pray for one another so we can heal. Makes sense.

Thank you Father. I just got baptized @ the Easter Vigil on Saturday April 20, 2019. I am new @ confession. And I want to be as brutally honest in my confessions. Tara

James 5:16 therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed🙏🏻 The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and affective amen May the Lord bless all brothers and sisters in the Lord with health wealth and happiness may the Lord surround you with love and peace❤️🇬🇷

Thank you Father David. You are very inspiring.

Thank you, Father.

Thank you, #FrDavidSmith. This was more informative, clarifying, inspiring and motivating than I could have hoped for. May God bless you and yours, and all here with the Grace and Mercy to continue growing ever closer to Him...for HIS Glory.

This has been very helpful. And changed my attitude.

And then you go again and again and again 😂 sounds funny but when you know confession and the struggles it shakes you 🤦🏼‍♀️😂😕

very good teaching Father !

Thank you

Dear Father David - Your blessing. Glory to God for this video and explanation. Thank you, In Christ and His love, Rachel

that was amazingly comprehensive. I really look forward to beginning my training for confessions and look forward to the challenges that may be set for me by my spriritual Father. I truly hope all goes well. Thank you very much.

This was very useful.

Thanks ~ good videos. Do what you enjoy, what brings “meaning to you”?

Please pray for me Father. In danger spiritually physically...very sick, dying...noone to care for me.

Good video

Thank you father. I recently did a f$#$ up and got a tarot reading without realizing that it's not something we should do. I'm going to do a confession soon to repent. I just feel really regretful right now..

Thank you for posting this video! I try to go to Confession every other week and one of the problems I have is driving back home and remembering all of the sins I wanted to confess but forgot. Sometimes my mind goes blank and then, only when I reached my home, do I remember what I wanted to confess. Does anyone else have the same problem? Thanks!

31:00 is that a Theosis reference?

Father, I'm 13 do I have to confess this young? I like, feel that I'll sin right away because I still have no spiritual experience

In Russian orthodox tradition including some OCA. Frequent confession is seen best practice so to say. I go to Antiochian now and was told not to come as often. What should I do?

Mine me asking, but what do I the sins that I wish to confess are so hard for me to say, I don't think I could actually confess it?

What if our confession is really bad? Borderline criminal? What if it indicates mental health disorder? What if it makes my Priest want me out of the parish? Can he kick me out for what I confess?

My question is What if you do things that you know are wrong and confess them and then do them again?

The Orthodox often say they are different from Catholics, in that they say the priest does not forgive sins, you are just forgiven in his presence. In which case why does your rite of absolution contain the words that he the priest forgives your sins

One Orthodox priest said he gave out a penance to a woman who had an abortion to adopt a child. Do you agree he should or can do that?

Dont you have to receive reconciliation in order to receive the eucharist?

We sin throughout ea day so without regular confession of sin, the promise of continual cleansing is rendered null and void resulting in broken fellowship. "If we confess our sins, 'HE' is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1Jn1:9. In Mt 27:51 when Christ died on the cross "The veil was rent from top to bottom" signifying that no longer was a priest needed for 'confession that formally only one priest was allowed to present to God. Mk 2:7 "Who can forgive sins but God only?" Christ opened the door to the Throneroom of Grace where GOD said we may come at anytime, including confession. God doesn't want to wait a (RCC MONTH), to hear from a confession, he asks for immediate repentance. If I stole from u would u wait a month? Proof that ONLY GOD can forgive sin: Mt 6:14 "For if u forgive other people when they sin against u, ur heavenly 'Father' will also forgive u". Eph 4:32 "Be kind & compassionate to one another, forgiving even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you", Col 3:13 "Bear w/each othEr & forgive one another if any of u has a grievance against someone. Forgive AS the LORD forgave u", 1Sam2:25 “If one man sins against another, GOD will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” “For there is one God, and ONE mediator also between God & men, the man Christ Jesus” 1 Tim. 2:5 God desires a 'relationship' w/ea of 'us', God never mentions a go-between-priest in scripture. 'WE' are now the Temple where God lives IN 'us' so we don't need a 'eucharist' that the RCC claims is God. God is Omnipresent in ALL of HIS CHURCH - the BELIEVERS, not just in a cement building. "Do you not know that you are God'sTemple and that God's Spirit dwells in you"? 1Cor3:16. Do u not realize that the 'sacraments' are meant to trick u into believing u can't please God or enter Heaven unless you remain a member of the RCC? Wake up! You already have everything within u as a Believer in Christ! `How long will u remain a seeker of man's religion instead of a seeker of God & HIS teachings & truth? And you, sir, teach a false Gospel that millions are led away from God from thinking, speaking & doing what u falsely teach. Shame on you for contradicting GOD. see: >Roman Catholicism vs the Bible OR Roman Catholicism vs Biblical Christianity

Are you a ortodox priest?

I m not against Confession but it is an irony when priests are suggesting to the faithful to go to Confession. Why ? Because according to serious statistics, only 8 per cent of priests go regularly to Confession . The prescriptions are good but many priests are not going regularly for many reasons. Some don't have discipline, somme don't trust their fellow brothers ,some are indifferent and some never had their own self examination. It is not a criticism this comment but it is a reality what happened "behind the curtains" !

Why is this so hard for people? I’ve had a couple of horrible priests but not because they berated me for my sins. They berated me for wasting their time. When I encounter this type of nonsense I move on to the many other good priests out there. Go to confession!!!

Thought confession is supposed to be private, and here you are, telling everyone minus the names

You make a good “confession” by eliminating guy in black suits like this,and talking directly to GOD ! clergy keep you dependent on their man made rituals !go directly to GOD. JESUS NEVER FAILS !

"The sacrament which removes that which is between us and God"? You repeat over and over. No one needs you. We dont necessarily even have to confess things one at a time to God verbally, just REPENT and he forgives. No one needs you. You are trying to be essential to others salvation. You aren't.