Eight main passions in Orthodoxy, main types of hierarchy

There are eight main passions: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity, pride.

Passions are of two kinds: natural, degenerating from natural needs, such as gluttony and fornication, and unnatural, not rooted in nature, such as the love of money. Their actions manifest themselves in four ways: some act only in the body and through the body, like gluttony and fornication, and some manifest themselves without the assistance of the body, like vanity and pride; Further, some are aroused from the outside, like love of money and anger, while others come from internal reasons, like despondency and sadness. This kind of discovery of the action of passions gives reason to admit two more types in them, dividing them into carnal and spiritual: carnal ones arise in the body and nourish and delight the body; and spiritual ones come from spiritual inclinations and nourish the soul, but often have a destructive effect on the body. These latter are healed by simple healing of the heart - internal; and the carnal are healed with twofold medicine - both external and internal.

The passions of gluttony and fornication, rooted in the body, are sometimes aroused without the assistance of the soul, simply by irritation of the needs from which they come; but they also attract the soul through its connection with the body. To curb them, mental tension alone against them is not enough, but at the same time it is necessary to tame the body itself through fasting, vigil, exhaustion through labor; Temporary solitude is also necessary, and often complete hermitage. For, since they arise from the depravity of the soul and body, they can be defeated only by the labor of both. Vanity and pride arise in the soul without the body. For what need does vanity have for anything bodily, when, because of the mere desire for praise and glory, it brings the soul captive to it to fall? Or what bodily action took place in the pride of Lucifer, when he conceived him in one soul and thought, as the prophet says: “You said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven and ... I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14:13-14). He had no outside instigator in such pride; it was born and matured entirely within him.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

For all Orthodox believers, one of the most powerful intercessors is the Mother of God. She helps in difficult life situations and forgives the sins of those who have stumbled, but sincerely repent of a bad deed. You can contact the Mother of God through different prayers in order to:

• drive away problems;
• receive support from above;
• improve your life;
• find a quick path to faith.

One of the prayers of repentance to the Mother of God sounds like this:

“Oh Mother of God! Intercessor of all believers! I stand on my knees before You and beg you, grant me forgiveness and repentance for my sinful acts and unclean intentions. I beg you, give Your blessing, for I repent. Forgive me, servant of the Lord, for all sinful thoughts and evil deeds. Guide me on the righteous path, strengthen my faith in Christ and do not leave me alone on the path of sorrow and sin. Guide me to true faith and pray for me before our Lord in Heaven. May I glorify You, immaculate Virgin, may I thank You forever. From now on and forever and ever. Amen".

These strong prayer words for the forgiveness of sins must be read for 2 weeks, at least once a day. This prayer is very powerful and allows a sinner to atone for his sin, after which his affairs will go uphill.

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You can also

Connecting passions in a chain

These eight passions, although they have different origins and different actions, however, the first six (gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency) are connected to each other by a special affinity, according to which the excess of the previous one gives rise to the next one. For from excess of gluttony, fornication necessarily comes, from fornication, love of money, from love of money, anger, from anger, sadness, and sadness, despondency. Therefore, one must fight against them in the same order, moving in the fight against them from previous to subsequent ones: in order to defeat despondency, one must first suppress sadness; to drive away sadness, you first need to suppress anger; to extinguish anger, you need to trample on the love of money; in order to extirpate the love of money, one must tame fornication; in order to suppress fornication, one must curb the passion of gluttony. And the other two passions (vanity and pride) are connected in the same way; the strengthening of the first of them gives rise to the other, from excessive vanity the passion of pride is born; victory over them is achieved in the same manner; in order to destroy pride, it is necessary to suppress vanity. But they are not united in a generic way with those six passions; for they are not born from them, but, on the contrary, after their destruction. We fall into these two passions especially after conquering other passions. However, although these eight passions are in such a relationship with each other, as now shown, however, upon closer examination they are divided into four unions: lust is united in a special union with gluttony, anger with the love of money, despondency with sadness, pride with vanity.

Prayer to Jesus Christ

Repentance addressed to the Son of the Lord has enormous power. Prayers directed to Jesus Christ always help to obtain forgiveness and heal the soul. Such words strengthen faith, help to live with a kind heart and continue your own path on earth with a clear conscience.

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The text of the repentant prayer to Christ sounds like this:

“Oh, our Lord Jesus Christ! I turn my prayer to You and pray for the forgiveness of my sins. Forgive me, a sinner, for my unworthy actions and thoughts. Heal my soul from selfishness and envy and do not leave me, do not leave me alone. Give me blessings and joy. Cleanse my soul and heart and strengthen my faith, so that I may continue to bear my cross along the path of a righteous life. May I glorify You, O God, forever. Yes, I thank you, Jesus, son of the Lord. Let Your will be done. Amen".

Prayer is endowed with enormous power. It should be read twice a day: early in the morning and before bed. It's best to do this every day for a whole week. At this time, one should abandon unpious actions, then the soul can truly be cleansed and filled with light. Prayer will help get rid of sin, since the support of higher powers will be colossal.

To help the penitent

The Holy Fathers identify eight passions from which all sins arise: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, untimely sadness, despondency, vanity, pride.
The book talks in detail about these passions and their manifestations. Here is an excerpt from the book.

On the virtues opposite to the eight main sinful passions

1. Abstinence

Avoidance of excessive consumption of food and nutrition, especially excessive consumption of wine. Maintaining strict fasts established by the Church, curbing the flesh with moderate and constantly equal consumption of food, from which all passions in general begin to weaken, and especially self-love, which consists of a wordless love of the flesh, its life and peace.

2. Chastity

Avoidance of all kinds of fornication. Avoidance of voluptuous conversations and reading, from the pronunciation of voluptuous, nasty and ambiguous words. Storing the senses, especially sight and hearing, and even more so the sense of touch. Modesty. Rejection of the thoughts and dreams of prodigals. Silence. Silence. Ministry to the sick and disabled. Memories of death and hell. The beginning of chastity is a mind that does not waver from lustful thoughts and dreams; the perfection of chastity is purity that sees God.

3. Non-covetousness

Satisfying yourself with one thing necessary. Hatred of luxury and bliss. Mercy for the poor. Loving the poverty of the gospel. Trust in God's providence. Following Christ's commandments. Calmness and freedom of spirit and carelessness. Softness of heart.

4. Meekness

Avoidance of angry thoughts and indignation of the heart with rage. Patience. Following Christ, who calls His disciple to the cross. Peace of the heart. Silence of the mind. Christian firmness and courage. Not feeling insulted. Kindness.

5. Blessed cry

A feeling of decline, common to all people, and of one’s own spiritual poverty. Lamentation about them. Cry of the mind. Painful contrition of the heart. The lightness of conscience, grace-filled consolation and joy that vegetates from them. Hope in God's mercy. Thanks be to God in sorrows, their humble enduring from the sight of their many sins. Willingness to endure. Cleansing the mind. Relief from passions. Mortification of the world. The desire for prayer, solitude, obedience, humility, confession of one’s sins.

6. Sobriety

Zeal for every good deed. Non-slothful correction of church and cell rules. Attention when praying. Careful observation of all your deeds, words, thoughts and feelings. Extreme self-distrust. Continuous stay in prayer and the Word of God. Awe. Constant vigilance over oneself. Keeping yourself from a lot of sleep and effeminacy, idle talk, jokes and sharp words. Love of night vigils, bows and other feats that bring cheerfulness to the soul. Rare, if possible, departure from cells. Remembrance of eternal blessings, desire and expectation of them.

7. Humility

Fear of God. Feeling it during prayer. Fear that arises during especially pure prayer, when the presence and greatness of God is felt especially strongly, so as not to disappear and turn into nothing. Deep knowledge of one's insignificance. A change in view of neighbors, and they, without any coercion, seem to the humbled person to be superior to him in all respects. The manifestation of simplicity from living faith. Hatred of human praise. Constant blaming and beating yourself up. Rightness and directness. Impartiality. Deadness to everything. Tenderness. Knowledge of the mystery hidden in the Cross of Christ. The desire to crucify oneself to the world and passions, the desire for this crucifixion. Rejection and oblivion of flattering customs and words, modest due to compulsion or intent, or the skill of pretending. Perception of the riot of the gospel. Rejection of earthly wisdom as obscene before God (Luke 16:15)

. Leaving word justification. Silence before those who offend, studied in the Gospel. Putting aside all your own speculations and accepting the mind of the Gospel. The casting down of every thought placed upon the mind of Christ. Humility or spiritual reasoning. Conscious obedience to the Church in everything.

8. Love

Changing during prayer the fear of God into the love of God. Loyalty to the Lord, proven by the constant rejection of every sinful thought and feeling. The indescribable, sweet attraction of the whole person with love for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the worshiped Holy Trinity. Seeing the image of God and Christ in others; resulting from this spiritual vision, the preference for oneself over all neighbors, their reverent veneration for the Lord. Love for neighbors is brotherly, pure, equal to everyone, joyful, impartial, flaming equally towards friends and enemies. Admiration for prayer and love of the mind, heart and whole body. Indescribable pleasure of the body with spiritual joy. Spiritual intoxication. Relaxation of bodily members with spiritual consolation (St. Isaac of Syria. Sermon 44)

. Inactivity of the bodily senses during prayer. Resolution from the muteness of the heart's tongue. Stopping prayer from spiritual sweetness. Silence of the mind. Enlightening the mind and heart. Prayer power that overcomes sin. Peace of Christ. Retreat of all passions. The absorption of all understandings into the superior mind of Christ. Theology. Knowledge of incorporeal beings. The weakness of sinful thoughts that cannot be imagined in the mind.

Sweetness and abundant consolation in times of sorrow. Vision of human structures. The depth of humility and the most humiliating opinion of oneself... The end is endless!

Prayer to the Lord

The strongest prayer is considered to be one of repentance directed to the Lord himself. Such words can:

• support in the most difficult moments;
• cleanse yourself from sins;
• free yourself from devilish temptations;
• receive God's help and blessing.

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Text of the prayer for repentance:

“Oh merciful Father! Our Father! To You I offer a prayer for forgiveness for my sinful actions! I beg You, allow me to repent of my mistakes and unrighteous actions. Give me Your forgiveness, allow me to cleanse my soul from sins and fill my heart only with love for You and sincere faith. I pray, forgive me, Your servant, for I repent. May I praise You to the heavens, my Lord. In the name of heaven and all saints. Amen".

The main thing is that the words of prayer come from the heart. If you do this with a pure soul, you will be able to free your conscience from sin and strengthen your faith. It is also very important to thank the saints for their help and never repeat your mistakes!

__________

Basic manifestations of passions

Each passion manifests itself in more than one form. Thus, gluttony is of three types: the desire to eat before the appointed hour; seeks to eat a lot of food before overeating, without considering the qualities of food; requires tasty food. Hence the indiscriminate eating, casually, gluttony and voluptuousness. From these three, various evil ailments arise in the soul: from the first, annoyance with the monastery rules is born - from this annoyance, dissatisfaction with life in the monastery increases to intolerance, which is usually quickly followed by flight from the monastery; from the second, carnal lust and voluptuousness are aroused; and the third plunges into the love of money and does not give room to the poverty of Christ.

There are three types of fornication: the first occurs through the mixing of one sex with another; the second is done without mixing with a woman, for which Onan, the son of the patriarch Judah, was struck by the Lord (Gen. 38:9-10), and which in Scripture is called uncleanness; the third is produced by the mind and heart, about which the Lord says in the Gospel: “Whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). The blessed Apostle Paul indicated these three types in the following verse: “Mortify your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness... evil lust” (Col. 3:5).

There are three types of love of money: in the first, it does not allow the one who renounces the world to be stripped of all property; in the second, it forces the one who has already distributed everything to the poor to acquire the same property again; in the third, it kindles the desire for acquisitions even in those who had nothing before.

There are three types of anger: the first is the one that burns inside; the second is the one that breaks through into word and deed; the third is the one that burns for a long time and is called rancor.

There are two types of sadness: the first occurs after the cessation of anger or is caused by damages and losses and failure to fulfill desires; the second comes from fears and fears for one’s fate, or from unreasonable worries.

There are two types of despondency: one plunges you into sleep, and the other drives you out of your cells.

Although vanity comes in many forms, it has two main types: in the first, we are exalted in carnal advantages and visible things; and in the second - spiritual.

There are two types of pride: the first is contempt of neighbors; the second is attributing good deeds to oneself.

Although these eight passions tempt the entire human race, they do not attack everyone in the same way. For in one the main place is occupied by the spirit of fornication; in another, anger predominates; in others vanity reigns; and in the other, pride dominates: so that although all passions attack everyone, each of us in a different way and order serviles them.

Therefore, we need to wage war against these passions in such a way that everyone, having discovered which passion especially harms him, directs the fight against it, using every effort and care to observe it and suppress it, directing the spears of daily fasts against it, throwing every minute arrows of heartfelt groaning and sighing, and constantly shedding tears in prayer to God for an end to the war that troubles him.

When you win victory over one or more passions, you should not be proud of this victory. Otherwise, the Lord, seeing the arrogance of your heart, will cease to protect and protect it, and you, abandoned by Him, will again begin to be outraged by the same passion that you defeated with the help of the Grace of God. And the prophet would not have prayed: “Do not, O Lord, betray the soul of your turtledove to the beasts” (Ps. 73:19), if he had not known that those who exalt themselves in heart again give themselves over to the passions that they have conquered, so that they would humble themselves.

Aid to Confession

(FOR PRIESTS AND CONFESSIONALS)

Prayers before confession

Trisagion: by

Our Father: Lord have mercy,
12. Glory, and now:
Come, let us worship
(three times).
Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and I will take away my sin before me. You alone have sinned and committed evil before You, so that You may be justified in Your words and overcome, never judge You. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. You have loved the truth; you have revealed to me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Give joy and gladness to my hearing; humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins, and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Master’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your way, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will proclaim your praise. For even if you would have sacrificed, you would have given; you will not be pleased with burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God—a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart—God will not despise. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then favor the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering; Then they will place the bullock on Your altar.

Tropari

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us; Bewildered by any answer, we offer this prayer to You, as the Lord, we offer sins, have mercy on us.

Glory:

Lord, have mercy on us, for we trust in You; Do not be angry with us, do not remember our iniquities, but look now, as if you are gracious, and deliver us from our enemies; For Thou art our God, and we are Thy people; all works are done by Thy hand, and we call upon Thy name.

And now:

Open the doors of mercy for us, blessed Mother of God, who trusts in You, so that we may not perish, but may be delivered from troubles by You: for You are the salvation of the Christian race.

Lord have mercy, 40.

Priest.

Let's pray to the Lord.

Prayers

God, our Savior, like Thy prophet Nathan, granted remission of his sins to David, who repented of his sins, and accepted the prayer of Manasseh in repentance, Himself and Thy servant (or

and Thy servant)
named,
who repents
(or
repents), about the same sins she has committed, accept with Your usual love for mankind, despise all that has been done to him
(or
her), forsake untruths, and surpass iniquities. For you have said, Lord: I do not want the death of a sinner by will, but as if he were to be converted, and I should live, and for the seventy of seven to forsake sins. For Thy majesty is without application, and Thy mercy is immeasurable: if you have seen iniquity, who will stand.

For You are the God of the repentant, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Let's pray to the Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Shepherd and Lamb, take away the sin of the world, which bestowed upon two debtors, and granted to the sinner remission of her sins: O Master, weaken, forgive, forgive sins, iniquities, sins, voluntary and involuntary, even within your knowledge and these servants did not know what transgression and disobedience were. And if, like men, bearing flesh and living in the world, we are deceived by the devil. If in word or in deed, or in knowledge, or in ignorance, or trampled upon the priestly word, or under the priestly oath, or fell under one’s own anathema, or fell under an oath: Thou Thyself, as a good and gentle Master, these are Thy servants with the word be pleased to resolve yourself, forgive them both your anathema and oath, according to Your great mercy. Hey, Master, Humanity-loving Lord, hear us, praying to Your goodness for these servants of Yours, and despise, as You are Most Merciful, all their sins, change their eternal torment. You have declared, O Master: if you bind anything on earth, it will be bound in heaven; and if you permit it on earth, there will be permission in heaven.

For You are the only sinless one, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Russian translation

God our Savior! Through Your prophet Nathan, You granted forgiveness to David, who repented of his sins, and accepted the repentant prayer of Manasseh. You Yourself, now, according to Your inherent love for mankind, accept Your servants who repent of the sins they have committed, and do not impute to them everything that has been done, but let go of untruths and forgive the iniquities. For You, Lord, said: “I do not want the sinner to die, but for him to turn from his way and live,” and that “up to seventy times” sins are forgiven, because just as Your greatness is unparalleled, so is Your mercy immeasurable; if You, Lord, notice iniquities, then who can stand? But You are the God of the repentant, and to You we send up Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Shepherd and Lamb, who took upon Himself the sins of the world, forgave the debt of two debtors and granted the sinner forgiveness of her sins! You Yourself, Master, let go, leave, forgive these Your servants too, sins, iniquities and sins, voluntary and involuntary, committed through crime and disobedience. And if they, as people clothed in flesh and living in the world, are deceived by the devil or have sinned in word or deed, consciously and unconsciously, or have violated the priestly word, or are under priestly excommunication, or have brought a curse upon themselves and have fallen under their own excommunication , then You Yourself, as the Merciful and Gentle Lord, Who said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” - be pleased, according to Your word, for the sake of Your great mercy , to release these Your servants, removing the curse from them and their own excommunication. Hear, O Humane-loving Master Lord, us praying to You, the Merciful, for these Your servants, and, as the most merciful, forgive all their sins and deliver them from eternal torment, for You are our God, and in Your power to have mercy and save and forgive sins, and we send up glory to You, with Your Originless Father and Life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.

Therefore the priest says:

Behold, Christ stands invisibly, receiving your confession, do not be ashamed, do not be afraid, and do not hide anything from Me, but without hesitation, you have done everything, so that you may receive forgiveness from our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, His icon is before us; I am exactly a witness, and I testify before Him all, as you have spoken to me; If you hide anything from me, it will be a sin for you. Take heed: even though you have come to the doctor’s office, do not leave unhealed.

Prayer

Lord God of the salvation of Thy servants, merciful and generous and long-suffering, repent of our evils, not wanting the death of the sinner, but to be converted, and to live to be him: You yourself have now had mercy on Thy servant (or

Thy servant)
named,
and give him an image of repentance, forgiveness of sins and remission, forgiving him
(or
her) every sin, voluntary and involuntary: reconcile and unite him
(or
her) of Your holy Church, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with Him power and splendor befit you, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Russian translation

Lord God of the salvation of Your servants, Merciful, Generous, Long-suffering, Regretful of our iniquities, not desiring our iniquities, not desiring the death of the sinner, but his conversion and life! You Yourself and now have mercy on Your servants and grant them ways of repentance, forgiveness and remission of sins and forgive them every voluntary and involuntary sin, reconcile and unite them with Your holy Church in Christ Jesus our Lord, with Whom belongs to You glory, honor and worship, now and always and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Ignatius Brianchaninov's prayer for patience

Lord, You visit and accept sinners! And you raise the dead! And you command the waters of the sea, the winds of the sky! And the loaves grow miraculously in Your hands, giving a thousand-fold harvest - they are sown, reaped, baked and broken at the same time, in one instant! And You hunger to deliver us from famine! And You long for our thirst to go away! And you travel through the country of our exile, straining Yourself to return to us the calm, heavenly nature filled with sweets that we have lost! You shed Your sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane, so that we stop shedding our sweat in obtaining bread, and learn to shed it in prayers for worthy communion of the Heavenly Bread. The thorns that the cursed earth produced for us, You took upon Your head; Thou hast crowned and bruised Thy most holy head with thorns! We have lost the heavenly tree of life and its fruit, which imparted immortality to those who ate it. You, prostrate on the tree of the cross, became for us the fruit that bestows eternal life on your partakers. Both the fruit of life and the tree of life appeared on earth in the camp of our exile. This fruit and this tree are superior to those of paradise: they imparted immortality, and these communicated immortality and Divinity. Through Your suffering You have poured sweetness into our suffering. We reject earthly pleasures, we choose suffering as our lot, just to become partakers of Your sweetness! It is like a foretaste of eternal life, sweeter and more precious than temporary life! You fell asleep in the sleep of death, which could not keep You in eternal sleep. You - God! You rose up and gave us excitement from this dream, from the cruel sleep of death, gave us a blessed and glorious resurrection! You raised our renewed nature to heaven, and planted it at the right hand of the eternal, co-eternal with you, your Father! Our Lord! Grant us both on earth and in heaven to glorify, bless, and praise Your goodness! Grant us with a frank face to behold Your terrible, unapproachable, magnificent Glory, to behold It forever, to worship It and bliss in It. Amen.