Spiritual fathers have the duty to open people’s mind so that they may understand things that, on their own, they may not understand. I have said that most of the people do not have a spiritual father, meaning that they confess their sins once a year and even then in a hurry. Usually, in confession, people talk about superficial things and not about something that troubles their mind that is meaningful to them. And then, they come after many years and say they couldn’t talk about this or that since the beginning. We understand people who have difficulties in opening their soul. The problem is that spiritual fathers need to tell Christians that hiding sins in confession means their multiplication. Every time you hide a sin that you carry it for many years, but you still have confessed and received communion in this time, the reality is that your sins are multiplied.

“If you shall hide from me a sin – says a word from the confession ordinance- your sins will be doubled”. So, every time someone hides a sin, or forgets it, needs to say it with the first occasion and be troubled by it! When he has the opportunity, he needs to say it.

(Translation from Arhimandrit Teofil Părăian, Cum putem deveni mai buni – Mijloace de îmbunătăţire sufletească, Editura Agaton, p. 334)