Repentance - The Sacrament of Holy Confession

Consciousness, memory, imagination, feeling, and will are helps to penitence. As we sin with all the powers of our soul, so penitence must be from our whole soul. Penitence in words only, without the intention of amendment and without the feeling of contrition, may be called hypocritical. Should the consciousness of sins be obscured, it must be cleared up; should the feeling be smothered and dulled, it must be roused; should the will become blunt and too weak for amendment, it must be forced; "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (St. Matt. 11:12) Confession must be sincere, deep, and full.
St John of Kronstadt (My Life in Christ, p. 280)

Introduction
Repentance leads us to salvation provided it is coupled with Confession. Confession is what reconciles us with the Father who loves us unconditionally. He does not want us to die as a sinner, but wishes us to return to union with Him and attain eternal life in His kingdom.... more

Preparation
To make a good confession it is necessary to prepare yourself carefully. Ask God to give you Grace to make a thorough examination of your conscience, the courage to make a sincere and complete confession, and the strength to amend your way of life in the days to come... more

10 Commandments
Questions for Self-examination

Scripture for Self-examination

51st Psalm

Parable of the Lost Son

Recommended Books

The Forgotten Medicine: The Mystery of Repentance, Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev.
Book Review/Summary by Rev. Richard Andrews

In The Forgotten Medicine, the renowned Bulgarian spiritual father Archimandrite Seraphim (†1993) details the reasons many give for not coming to Confession, and for each of these he clearly brings forth the truth of the matter. For those who feel awkward because of not knowing how to approach Confession, he explains in depth how to prepare beforehand and what to do afterwards.

“In the Mystery of Repentance the spiritual afflictions of a man are treated, impurities of the soul are removed, and a Christian, having received forgiveness of sins, becomes innocent and sanctified, just as he came out of the waters of Baptism”. — excerpt from The Forgotten Medicine
Chapter V - Rules for a Saving Confession

Do You Have a Ticket?, by Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili:
a very concise and inspiring small book on confession in the Orthodox Church. Written in the style of the great saints of our Church. A must-have for any pious Christian. "Not Three Times a Year": a profound chapter on the importance of frequent confession (Ch. 11).

Confession, by Met. Anthony Khrapovitsky (Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Monastery):
this was used as the primary reference for the section on Confession in the book A Guide to Orthodox Life and comes highly recommended by the author. It is mainly geared towards Priests (to teach them to be better confessors); however, there is a wealth of information for laypeople as well.

Audio/Video
Holy Sacraments Series: Penance with Rev. John Chakos (Scroll down to Sacraments Series)

Articles
Preparing for Confession by Department of Religious Education from "My Orthodox Prayer Book"

Rules for a Saving Confession by Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev (pdf)

The Ten Commandments by Rev. George Mastrantonis

Repentance and Confession - Introduction by Fr. John Chryssavgis

What Is Necessary for a Saving Confession? by Saint Innocent of Alaska, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlightener of North America

Self-Examination Before Confession by Saint Nicolas Varzhansky

How Everyone Should Prepare Before Confession:
An Excerpt from Exomologetarion (A Manual of Confession) by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

A Catechism on Confession.
Reprinted from The Shepherd, published by the Brotherhood of St. Edward the Martyr, London, England.

AN ORTHODOX CONFESSION WHICH LEADS THE INWARD MAN TO HUMILITY
From "The Way of a Pilgrim"

A Lament for Sin by St. Basil the Great

Some reflections on Confession by Alexander Schmemann (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall, 1961, pp. 38-44)