✦ The Holy Mysteries
The Mystery of
Repentance
In the Eastern tradition, Confession is not a courtroom but a hospital. Christ is not the judge who sentences — he is the Physician who heals.
✦ A Different Understanding
Healing, Not
Punishment
The Eastern Christian tradition has always understood sin primarily as a wound — a disorder in the soul, a turning away from the life we were made for — rather than as a crime requiring punishment. This is not a softening of the tradition; it is its original and deepest understanding, rooted in the Scriptures and the Fathers.
When St. John Chrysostom speaks of sin, he speaks of it as a disease. When the Desert Fathers speak of repentance, they speak of it as a return — the prodigal coming home, the lost sheep found, the lost coin recovered. The image is always one of restoration, not retribution.
The Greek word for repentance is metanoia — literally, a change of mind, a change of heart. It is not primarily about feeling bad for what one has done. It is about turning: turning away from what diminishes us and turning toward the One who made us and loves us and is always waiting for our return.
At Magdalene House, Confession is offered in this spirit. Fr. Joseph approaches the sacrament not as a judge pronouncing sentence but as a fellow patient in the hospital of the Church — one who has himself been healed and who is privileged to be present at the healing of another.
✦ When to Come
Confession Schedule
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."— Luke 15:20
✦ The Fathers Speak
Voices from the
Eastern Tradition
"God does not need our repentance — we do. Repentance is not something we offer to appease an angry God; it is the medicine by which we are healed of the disease that separates us from the life we were made for."
"The Lord is a physician. He does not come to condemn the sick but to heal them. Do not be ashamed to show him your wounds — he has seen worse, and he has healed worse, and he will heal you too."
"A monk asked Abba Moses: 'What should I do when I fall?' The elder replied: 'Get up.' The monk asked again: 'And if I fall again?' 'Get up again.' 'And again?' 'Get up again. That is the whole of the spiritual life.'"
"Repentance is not grief over the past but a turning toward the future — a reorientation of the whole person toward God. The Greek word is metanoia: a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of direction."
✦ Preparation
How to Prepare
for Confession
Come as You Are
There is no required formula for entering Confession at Magdalene House. You do not need to have memorized a list of sins or prepared a formal statement. Come as you are, with whatever is on your heart, and speak honestly. The Holy Spirit will guide you in what needs to be said.
Examine Your Heart, Not Your Ledger
The Eastern tradition does not approach Confession as an accounting of moral debts. Instead, we ask: Where have I turned away from God? Where have I closed my heart to love — love of God, love of neighbor, love of self? Where am I not yet free? These are the questions that lead to genuine healing.
Read the Psalms
The Psalms are the prayer book of the Church, and many of them are prayers of repentance and return. Psalm 50 (51 in Western numbering) — 'Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy' — is the great Eastern Catholic prayer of repentance, sung at every Matins service. Praying it slowly before Confession can open the heart.
Pray the Jesus Prayer
'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.' This prayer, prayed slowly and repeatedly in the days before Confession, is itself a form of preparation — an act of turning toward Christ and acknowledging our need for his mercy. It is not a formula but a posture of the heart.
Do Not Wait Until You Are 'Ready'
One of the most common obstacles to Confession is the feeling that one must first become better before approaching God. This is precisely backwards. We do not clean ourselves before going to the physician — we go to the physician because we need to be cleaned. Come as you are. That is enough.
Speak with Fr. Joseph First if Needed
If you have been away from the sacraments for a long time, or if you carry something heavy that you are not sure how to bring to Confession, Fr. Joseph is available for a pastoral conversation before the sacrament. There is no shame in asking for guidance. That conversation is itself a form of healing.
✦ The Great Prayer of Repentance
Psalm 50
The Miserere
Sung at every Eastern Matins. The Church's daily prayer of return.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy;
according to the abundance of your compassion, blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgression, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight,
that you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.
Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin my mother bore me.
Behold, you desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 50 (LXX) — Eastern Psalter
✦ Questions
Frequently Asked
Questions
✦Who may receive the Mystery of Repentance?
Any person who is seeking healing and reconciliation is welcome to approach Confession at Magdalene House. We do not require that you be a member of our community, of any particular tradition, or in any particular state of life. As an Open and Affirming congregation, we welcome all people — regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, or background. If you are unbaptized and seeking to enter the Church, speak with Fr. Joseph about the catechumenate.
✦What does the priest do in the Eastern rite?
In the Eastern Catholic tradition, the priest does not sit behind a screen. He stands beside you, before the Gospel book and the Cross, as a witness — not a judge. He is not the one who forgives you; Christ is. The priest is present as a witness to your repentance and as the instrument through whom Christ's words of healing are spoken. At the end, he places his stole over your head and reads the prayer of absolution — words of restoration, not condemnation.
✦Is there a list of sins I need to confess?
There is no required list. The Eastern Catholic tradition does not approach Confession as a legal inventory. What matters is honesty — speaking from the heart about where you have been wounded and where you have wounded others, where you have turned away from God and from love. Fr. Joseph may ask gentle questions to help you articulate what you are carrying, but there is no checklist.
✦What is a 'penance' in the Eastern Catholic tradition?
In the Eastern tradition, what is sometimes called a 'penance' is more accurately understood as a prescription — a spiritual medicine given by the priest to help with healing. It is not a punishment, and it is not meant to 'make up for' what was done. It might be a prayer to pray, a fast to observe, an act of charity, or simply a practice of attentiveness. It is always proportionate, always gentle, and always oriented toward restoration.
✦How often should I go to Confession?
The Eastern Catholic tradition encourages Confession at least before the major fasts — the Great Fast before Pascha, the Apostles' Fast, the Dormition Fast, and the Nativity Fast. Many people find that going more frequently — monthly, or whenever they feel the need — is a great support to the spiritual life. There is no rule. The question to ask is: Do I feel the need for healing? If so, come.
✦What if I have been away from the Church for a long time?
You are especially welcome. The parable of the Prodigal Son — which the Eastern Catholic tradition calls the parable of the Loving Father — is the icon of Confession. The father does not wait for the son to arrive and present his credentials. He sees him 'while he was still a long way off' and runs to meet him. That is the God you are returning to. Come home.
✦Is Confession confidential?
Absolutely and without exception. The seal of Confession is inviolable in the Eastern Catholic tradition. Nothing said in Confession may ever be revealed by the priest, under any circumstances, to any person. This is not a policy — it is a sacred obligation that admits of no exceptions.