Repentance and Confession

The mystery of return: the healing of sins committed after baptism through metanoia — the change of mind and life — confessed before God in the presence of the priest, who is witness and physician, not judge.

Tradition: Pan-Orthodox

Repentance is the door back into the grace of baptism when it has been lost or dimmed by sin. This section treats its inner reality and its outward practice. The first file, the-mystery-of-repentance.md, treats metanoia itself and the ancient theme of confession as a “second baptism,” the baptism of tears. The second file, confession-and-the-spiritual-father.md, treats the practice of confession, the priest as witness rather than judge, and the relation of the mystery to spiritual fatherhood, linking Spiritual Direction and the hub essay on Confession.

Contents

File Description
the-mystery-of-repentance.md Metanoia; the second baptism of tears; repentance as return to baptismal grace
confession-and-the-spiritual-father.md The practice of confession; the priest as witness, not judge; confession and spiritual fatherhood

See Also