Heartfelt Renewal: Understanding Orthodox Confession
In Orthodox confession, the main emphasis is not on detailing every single thought but rather on the overall state of the heart and genuine inner repentance. The priest, acting as a spiritual healer, is not primarily concerned with legal facts but with what moves the soul—a person's deep feelings, mood, and desire to change. In other words, if you feel repentance and a need to cleanse your soul, it is not necessary to recite every thought literally; what matters most is that your inner state truly reflects repentance and a desire for spiritual renewal.Supporting citations:"Unlike in a legal process, in confession the Orthodox spiritual guide is instead interested not in sinful facts, but in sinful states. He, as a healer, strives to uncover the roots of the given malady, exposing a deeply hidden abscess..." (source: link txt)"Figuratively speaking, the Orthodox understanding of confession and repentance differs from the Catholic approach in this very point. The Roman spiritual guide, during confession, acts more like a judge, whereas the Orthodox one is primarily a healer." (source: link txt, page: 1)Thus, if you come to confession with a sincere desire to cleanse your soul and transform your life, providing a detailed account of every thought is not a mandatory requirement for the acceptance of repentance.