The Orthodox Church secures for itself the seven holy sacraments, which allow the Orthodox person to unite with Christ. One of the main ones is the sacrament of the Eucharist. It needs to be approached with special preparation. Let's talk about how to fast before the sacrament.
Preparation for the Eucharist is determined for each Orthodox Christian by a priest, depending on his bodily or moral condition, employment, and other life circumstances.
How many days one should fast is impossible to say unequivocally. It is important to prepare properly for the sacrament, otherwise it would be a great sin to accept the holy gifts.
The extent and duration of fasting depends on different circumstances. For example, for certain diseases that require special nutrition or during pregnancy, as well as for those who are dying, the fast can be weakened or canceled. This also applies to those Christians who stay in places with common meals: the army, a boarding school, places of detention.
According to the general rules of the Church Rite, the duration of fasting before the sacrament is a week. As practice shows, those who receive communion several times a year can fast before confession for three days. It happens that Christians receive communion every day or several times a month. In this case, you can proceed to the Holy Chalice, keeping one day of fasting, but with the blessing of the priest.
Note! Communion is possible only after confession to the priest. Children under seven years of age begin the Holy Chalice without confession.
Allowed Products
The following fasting foods are allowed:
- Cereals.
- Vegetables.
- Fruits.
- Berries.
- Greens.
- Nuts.
- Dried fruits.
- Vegetable, olive, soybean oil.
- Jam.
You can often find a variety of delicious dishes on the Internet. In stores, shelves with lean products are specially created.
Before communion, it is necessary to abstain from meat, dairy products, eggs, and sometimes fish. Any products containing the listed ingredients should be excluded. Cakes, cakes and chocolates have to say no. It is advisable not to feast on the sacrament. It's okay if you allow yourself a little lean cookies, gingerbread, halva or sweets. There are plenty of things to eat on fast days. The main thing is not to get satiated with lean food.
Rules
Suffering before confession and communion is not only about refusing to eat fast food. On such days, you should visit church more often and follow the prayer rules.
The Orthodox prayer book contains morning and evening prayers performed by Christians daily.
What you need to refrain from:
- entertainment, visiting friends, watching TV and various entertainment programs;
- the bad habit of smoking (RCP calls for a complete refusal);
- drinking alcohol;
- spousal intimacy.
Questions often arise about how to fast. We must try not to condemn anyone, not to argue with anyone, not to be offended, to do good deeds. Helping the sick, the beggar, the thirsty, the weeping, the hungry, the condemned is alms, performed for the glory of God. It is not necessary to help with money, when you can give clothes, food, books, and sometimes moral support is enough.
The main thing is to observe not an external fast, but an internal one. Pharisees and hypocrites, who value the opinion of others, praise from their side, and not a desire to be with God in thought, heart and soul, show off their exploits.
Fasting before Communion requires a Christian to offer sincere repentance. A believing Christian remembers all his sins that he committed in his life if he confesses for the first time. If the believer has already been at the sacrament of confession, then he remembers the sins from the last time.
The books "Helping the Penitent", "The Experience of Building Confession" and others will help to prepare for confession. A sincere awareness of one's sinfulness and a desire to reform are pleasing to God.
Eating fish
This question often arises both among novice Christians and those who have been attending the Orthodox Church for a long time. There are days when fish is generally prohibited, for example, during the days of Great Lent. Then it cannot be eaten before Communion.
On the evening before the sacrament, one should abstain from fish. With strict abstinence from light food, the fish does not eat at all. The consumption of fish products largely depends on the state of health and on the frequency of communion.
If in doubt, the priest will help in resolving the issue. It happens that you unknowingly eat a prohibited product. You should not worry about this, but you need to say about it in confession.
In general, the question of whether it is possible to eat fish before the sacrament cannot be answered unequivocally. Everyone decides for himself whether he can do without it or not.
Note! Before the Sacrament of the Eucharist, three canons must be read: The Penitential Canon to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, the Canon to the Guardian Angel and the Follow-up to Holy Communion.
Starting from 12 at night and before eating the Holy Gifts, it is necessary to refrain from food and drinks. You should come to the liturgy on time, you can submit notes about the health or repose of loved ones. An important rule of how to fast before accepting the Holy Gifts is the preservation of the tongue and constant prayer.
Not all believers can observe the weekly fast on the eve of the sacrament. Many people are currently fasting for three days. And it will not be considered a sin. For some, the fast is canceled or reduced, but in this case, the blessing of the priest is required. Those who partake often can observe a one-day fast before the sacrament, but also with a blessing.
The number of fasting days depends on the bodily, physical, mental, emotional state, on other life circumstances: business trips, hard physical work, and more. But it is imperative to try to limit yourself in something.
Baby food
Is it possible for children to eat on the eve of the sacrament of the Eucharist? Until the age of three, a child is allowed to receive the Holy Gifts. Parents should gradually accustom the baby to fasting - to limit watching cartoons, sweets and entertainment. The duration of the fasting is determined by the parents upon prior consultation with the priest.
Until the age of seven, children are brought to the Holy Chalice for communion without prior confession. Parents should strive to receive communion with their children at least once a month so that the child understands the importance of this Sacrament. When the child begins to realize his actions, then he needs to tell the priest about them in confession. The kid should see his bad deeds and try to correct them.
The meaning of the post
Often, beginners ask if they should fast before the sacrament. The fasting before the sacrament is obligatory for everyone in one way or another.
Reading the Holy Scriptures, morning and evening prayers, restriction in entertainment, charity and work are what is necessary for worthy communion. Fasting helps to clear your mind and begin to see your own sins that need to be confessed.
The desire to improve, sincere repentance is necessary for a believer. Only after the heavy burden of sins has dropped from the soul can one approach the Holy Chalice with fear and trembling. Is it possible to receive communion if you are not reconciled with your neighbor, do you hold a grudge against someone?
In no case. We must show love and compassion to our neighbor. Observance of fast days is necessary for the purification of our conscience. Fasting is not only about restricting yourself in food. As the holy fathers say, the main thing is not to “have” people.
Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding observe fasting in accordance with the advice of a priest. For such, there may be certain restrictions in food, for example, refusal of meat. There are often times when women are able to fast completely. It is possible to independently decide how to fast for pregnant women before communion, what restrictions or indulgences to make. But in any case, you need to turn to your spiritual father for advice.
Prohibitions
In what cases it is impossible to receive communion:
- if the fast days before the sacrament are not properly observed;
- if you have not attended the Sacrament of Penance or received a prayer of absolution;
- there are unconfessed sins (deliberately hidden);
- women during critical days;
- intoxicated;
- in a state of anger;
- enmity with neighbors;
- non-believers and unbaptized also cannot participate in the sacraments.
Useful video
Let's summarize
One can only take communion if one has not fasted with the blessing of a priest. He can weaken or cancel fasting for pregnant women, seriously ill, dying, or other believers whose life circumstances prevent fasting.
Often, novices are afraid of numerous lists of restrictions and refuse important church ordinances - repentance and the sacrament. One should not pay attention to the obsessive thoughts of the evil one. The first step is always difficult to take. But for the sake of spiritual salvation, union with Christ, for gratitude to the Lord for his love, we must take the path of repentance and partake of the Holy Sacraments.
The topic of proper diet during fasting continues to cause a lot of controversy, especially when it comes to observing dietary rules before the ordinances. For example, the question of whether it is possible to eat fish before the sacrament does not have an unambiguous answer. The clergy believe that fasting is a test that is conducive to cleansing from committed sins. However, many people who have nothing to do with religious activity are sure that such actions of an ascetic nature only help to improve their health. Some people who identify themselves as, even believe that fasting does not make any sense.
On the days of abstinence, a person has the opportunity to improve his soul without being distracted by the needs of the mortal body. To better understand how to fast properly, what is the purpose of fasting and how to use it for the benefit of your immortal soul, it is worth talking to a clergyman. In addition to food restrictions, you should be even more careful about:
- to negative thoughts;
- idle talk;
- pride;
- idle entertainment.
Reading spiritual literature will also help clear your thoughts and focus on spiritual growth. In addition, during the period of fasting, one should give up intimate relationships.
Food
In the event that it is difficult for a person to move to a full-fledged post, you can start with moderate restrictions and expand this range over time. The Church has a positive attitude towards this wise approach regarding newcomers. Moreover, people suffering from serious illnesses, in particular diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as those who have not turned fourteen, pregnant and lactating women, are not required to make changes to the diet. Travelers and people in hardship are allowed not to fast.
All who do not belong to the above groups should remember about abstinence on days of sorrow, as well as the days preceding some ordinances. Abstinence in food involves the elimination of all possible excesses. The portion should be more moderate. It is necessary to exclude alcoholic beverages, meat, fish, eggs and milk products.
In the case of preparation for the sacrament, fasting is necessary for three days. On these days, the diet should include only vegetables, fruits, bread and cereals. Also, on the eve, from 24:00 until the very communion, food and water are generally excluded. Of course, with serious ailments, diabetes mellitus, as well as for infants, this rule does not apply.
At first, the list of foods that fall under the ban does not seem very long, but without them it can be quite difficult to cook something. The Church also cannot keep track of all new products that were previously impossible to buy in our stores. For example, many seafood (mussels, oysters, squid, shrimp, etc.) are not considered fish, but they are real aphrodisiacs that increase libido.
Although it is recommended to eat in moderation during fasting, in some cases the number of meals should be higher. This will prevent stressful conditions of the body. If three meals a day were habitual for a person before fasting, the number of meals should be increased to five. It is advisable to adhere to a certain dietary schedule, this will benefit the body even after the end of the fast.
To make it easier to endure fasting, you can use self-training: tell yourself that the food you refuse is harmful and dirty, it pollutes the body and interferes with living fully. This technique is used by doctors when it is necessary to motivate the patient and exclude some of the products in order to avoid certain complications of the disease.
Pay attention to the motivation of vegetarians. They are driven by reluctance to kill animals. For meat-eaters, it all comes down to just eating. However, everything is very individual, and someone in a few days of fasting can undermine their psychological health. Therefore, when the question arises whether it is possible to eat fish before communion, it is worth starting not only from, but also from your own feelings.
The sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) is impossible before preliminary fasting, home prayer and confession. Fasting allows us to humble our bodily passions, to renounce earthly pleasures, to look deep into ourselves and come closer to the realization of sins. Prayer serves as a "bridge" between the physical and spiritual nature of man; it is an additional strengthening for the preparation for sincere repentance performed in confession. But it all starts with fasting.
In Orthodoxy, in one calendar year, there are four multi-day fasts (Great, Petrov, Assumption and Rozhdestvensky) and a large number of one-day fasts (Wednesday, Friday, Epiphany Eve, Beheading of John the Baptist, Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord). With strict observance of the fast for many days, there is no need to specially fast before the sacrament. The only exception is fish - it must be discarded three days before the sacrament.
Believers who do not observe the fasts established by the Church should first speak with the priest to whom they plan to confess. Admission to the sacrament is carried out after confession - accordingly, this conversation cannot be avoided. Usually, the priests establish a strict (it is allowed to eat vegetable food, fresh and boiled, seasoned with vegetable oil) three-day fast, but depending on the capabilities of the person and other factors known only to him, this period can be increased to seven days.
Believers who strictly observe both multi-day and one-day fasts, in turn, can count on some indulgences, but they, too, must first agree on them with the priest. The same applies to people suffering from certain diseases and pregnant women: if for health reasons they cannot refuse to take specific food and medicine, then at the beginning they must notify the priest about this and only then proceed to fasting.
Medicines should not be taken before the sacrament, since the sacrament itself is a medicine not only for the soul, but also for the body. Herbal teas, vitamin supplements, and ointments during fasting are allowed. Prohibited drugs include only drugs taken by mouth.
The minimum fasting before the sacrament lasts three days. It implies the rejection of food of animal origin - meat and dairy products, eggs, butter, alcohol. People who smoke should give up cigarettes, or at least try to do so. During fasting, it is advisable to refrain not only from "forbidden" food, but also from everything that gives a person pleasure in earthly life - sex, entertainment (discos, theaters, concerts, watching TV, etc.) and all kinds of excesses, in including in lean food (fasting and gluttony are incompatible things!).
On the eve of communion, starting from twelve o'clock in the morning, the use of any food and water is prohibited. You also can't brush your teeth after midnight. If the sacrament falls at night (Christmas, Easter), then strict fasting begins - at least eight hours before the sacrament is performed (around five in the evening).
Many Orthodox Christians attend communion on Sundays. In this case, the fast before the sacrament actually lasts not three, but four days: fast Wednesday, Friday and Saturday is almost always joined to fast Wednesday, with the only difference that fish is allowed during it. On continuous weeks (weeks when fasting Wednesdays and Fridays are canceled), the Wednesday is not fast, but you still need to observe fasting before communion.
Children under seven years of age receive communion without fasting and confession, but the sooner parents teach them to abstain and realize their sins, the better. You can introduce your child to fasting by giving up your favorite sweets and cartoons.
Each church activity requires adherence to certain rules. A true Christian should perform repentance and the sacrament, which helps a person to be cleansed from sins and start life with a pure soul and thoughts. However, not all parishioners, especially beginners, know how to prepare for the sacrament (fasting before the sacrament).
What is the meaning of abstinence before the sacrament
To perform the sacrament rite, the believer must undergo training, which includes:
- Fasting, or abstaining from animal products, fish and vegetable oil on special days.
- Refusal of intimacy.
- Reading prayers.
- Moral humility, or rejection of worldly entertainment, bad thoughts and actions.
Fulfilling church canons, a parishioner prepares his soul and body for the opportunity to receive divine gifts and the grace of the Lord.
Why is it necessary to fast in food, deeds and thoughts, if after confession and communion all committed sins are nullified? The essence is simple, if a parishioner on the eve of the sacrament is in a state of satiety, satiety with fun, gluttony, bodily pleasures, then he will not be able to accept the grace of God. A full body is more drawn to sleep and rest, and prayers do not reach his soul and mind in the quality required for spiritual enlightenment and forgiveness of sins both by God and by the Christian himself.
The listed abstinence is a kind of sacrifice of a repentant and partaking person, which makes it possible to let Christ into his soul. If fasting is done deliberately, and not for a tick, then the believer will feel the heaviness of sin more deeply and will not want to commit it again. The Lord cannot be deceived, and one who is frivolous about preparing for the sacrament may be punished even more, and forgiveness will not happen.
Types of posts and their features
Which fast to observe before the sacrament depends on the time at which the Christian prepares for the sacrament and how often he attends church and confesses to the confessor.
In church rules, there are the following types of fasting:
- Fasting can be strict when eating animal products and even fish is unacceptable. An exception for persons with pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract, diabetes mellitus, pregnant women, lactating women, children and other parishioners with recommendations from a doctor on nutrition. If a person is going to communion when Christmas or Easter fast is observed according to the church calendar, then all the days of fasting must be excluded from foods prohibited at fasting.
- During a regular fast, there are days when it is permissible to include fish in the diet before communion. But otherwise the rules of fasting are the same.
- Fasting, during which you cannot eat not only fish, meat, dairy products, eggs, but also vegetable oil. Such a post is called "oil".
- Dry eating is a type of fasting when any food is prohibited before sunset, and then only lean foods can be eaten.
In order to observe the rules of preparation before the sacrament and to understand what kind of fast a layman should keep, you need to seek help from the ministers of the church - they will explain, taking into account the peculiarities of the time chosen for confession and the sacrament.
Fasting rules before the sacrament
Fasting before the sacrament must be followed to the fullest extent, taking into account the time and possible fasting according to the Orthodox calendar. In addition to fasting food, the believer needs to put his thoughts in order and think about his actions before the sacrament.
- Restrict viewing of entertainment programs on TV, computer, attendance of events.
- You can devote time in your free time from household chores and work to reading church literature for personal enlightenment.
- Eliminate quarrels, resentments in relationships with people around. Reconsider your actions and, if possible, do a good deed.
- Refuse for the period of fasting before the sacrament from intimacy with a partner.
- On the third day of fasting, the day before communion, read the obligatory canons: penitent to Christ, prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, the guardian angel. The canons can be read at a convenient time during the day before the sacrament. On the day of communion, in the morning you need to read the communion prayer. All prayers and canons can be found in the prayer book for Orthodox Christians or buy separate literature on preparing for the sacrament.
- The believer must fast, or fasting, until the end of the morning liturgy and the celebration of the sacrament. A church day begins not in the morning, but in the evening of the previous day. Therefore, a parishioner who has gathered for communion and has maintained a three-day fast should completely refuse food and drinks in the evening, on the eve of communion.
- Attend the evening service before the day on which the sacrament is scheduled. If Sunday is selected, then be in church for the evening liturgy on Saturday.
- Until the moment you taste the gifts of God, you need to cleanse yourself from sins with the help of confession, telling the priest about what is in your soul.
Only after a sincere confession and no offense will the sacrament of the sacrament have the power and meaning that is preached by the Orthodox religion. If after three days of fasting there are doubts and unfinished business, it is better to postpone the ceremony and prolong your humility and achieve peace of mind so as not to commit other sins.
How long is fasting
There are different requirements for the number of days of fasting that a believer must observe before the sacrament:
- Long fasting for a week is the best option for fasting and humility for Christians who rarely attend church and do not observe all the canons. For 7 days, a person has time to think over their actions, pacify pride, forgive offenders and ask for forgiveness from relatives and friends. Having received earthly forgiveness, they will be forgiven by the Lord. Until recently, it was obligatory for all believers wishing to receive the Holy Communion.
- A three-day fast is the main preparation for communion for an Orthodox person. For a beginner and those with health problems, it is possible not to keep a strict fast in food, but otherwise the requirements do not change.
- Fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays for those attending the temple weekly for Sunday services.
It is not necessary to fast before the sacrament for believers engaged in military service or tourism, because these people eat only what is available and being in such a position regarding food, they should observe spiritual fast.
Is it possible to eat fish in fasting before communion
It will not be difficult for a Christian who observes fasting according to the church calendar systematically to endure fasting for three days. But for a beginner, giving up everyday food can be difficult at first. Eliminating meat and animal products from the diet, the newcomer parishioners have a worldly question, is it possible to eat fish during these three days? Are seafood and fish on the prohibited list? It is impossible to answer unequivocally whether it is possible to fish in fasting before communion or not.
It all depends on the period in which confession and communion are supposed. You can eat fish on the days when it is allowed for consumption during the usual fast. But on the days of strict fasting, even fish is forbidden for believers.
Fish is allowed for pregnant, lactating, children, so as not to deprive them at the time of preparation for the ritual of good nutrition and not to harm their health. For the rest of the Orthodox who doubt whether it is possible to eat fish during fasting, it is better to refuse it for three days, given that the period is short. Any doubts will be resolved by the priests of the church, if the parishioner asks questions of interest, so that mistakes are not made in fasting before communion due to lack of information.
List of approved products
The meal basket during the three-day fast is not meager. The assortment is varied and contains a complex of useful vitamins and minerals, if you make the menu correctly, and do not eat monotonous dishes:
- cereals;
- pasta without eggs, flour and water;
- fruits;
- vegetables, herbs;
- berries;
- nuts;
- mushrooms;
- vegetable oil;
- lean bread;
- tea, black coffee, decoctions, compotes.
Spices, herbs and natural sauces without the addition of animal fats are not prohibited. If you approach the preparation of a menu with imagination, then fasting will not seem like a torment, but the body will be prepared for cleansing and atonement for sins.
Finally
The sacrament should be taken seriously and the rite should be performed not because it is customary to do so, but only to readily fulfill the church rules of preparation as a true Christian. Only with a full understanding of the meaning of divine gifts can you open your soul to enter into it the faith and grace of Christ.
In this article, you will learn how the preparation for Communion on the part of the priests takes place: the canonical norms and practice of the Local Orthodox Churches.
Your Eminence!
Honest fathers, brothers and sisters!
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man
and drink His blood, you will not have life in you.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will resurrect him on the last day
(John 6: 53-54)
The Gospel commandment given to us by Christ the Savior about the need to partake of His Body and Blood is the foundation on which the Church is built. For an Orthodox Christian, this statement seems so obvious that it would seem that it does not require any special proof, because indeed, without the sacrament of communion, true spiritual life is impossible. At the same time, in the church environment there is still no unequivocal opinion about how often the believing Orthodox people should begin the sacrament of the sacrament and what preparation for this sacrament should be.
To begin with, I would like to cite a few quotes: All the faithful who enter the church and listen to the scriptures, but do not stay in prayer and holy communion to the end, as if they produce disorder in the church, should be excommunicated from church communion (9 Apostolic Canon). According to the largest interpreter of the canons, Patriarch Theodore Balsamon, “the definition of this rule is very strict. For he excommunicates those who are in the church, but who do not remain to the end and do not receive communion. And other rules (rule 80 of the VI Ecumenical Council, and rule 11 of the Sardican Council) similarly determine that everyone is ready and worthy of communion, and excommunicate those who do not receive communion on three Sundays ”.
Thus, we see that the communion of an Orthodox Christian, whose conscience is not burdened with mortal sins, is, after each Liturgy, a canonical norm of the Church, a departure from which is fraught with falling away from the Church.
Today we can observe that an increasing number of our parishioners strive to begin Holy Communion not from time to time (once in Lent), but regularly. It is not uncommon for lay people to express a desire to receive communion every Sunday. At the same time, quite legitimate questions arise about what should be the standard of preparation for the sacrament of communion.
The prevailing church practice tells us about the need to observe a three-day fast before communion, read out the sequence of three canons and the rule for holy communion, evening and morning prayers, obligatory confession the day before, or on the day of communion itself. Of course, communion is only possible on an empty stomach. This practice, which has become almost a church rule, has become the norm for most parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, we must understand that this practice is not ancient and does not have the status of a conciliar decree.
From a canonical point of view, the practice of preparing for Communion is governed by the following rules: Council of Carthage 47 (58) and Trull Council 29th; St. Nicephorus the Confessor 9th; Timothy of Alexandria 5th and I Ecumenical Council 13th. According to the rules of the Carthaginian and Trull cathedrals, one can only receive communion on an empty stomach, the 9th rule of St. Nicephorus the Confessor speaks of the possibility of communion for a dying person even after eating his food. The Rule of Timothy of Alexandria determines the need for marital abstinence on the eve of communion.
Summing up, we can say that, according to the canons of the Church, an Orthodox Christian can start Communion on an empty stomach (without eating food from midnight), for those Orthodox Christians who are married, on the eve of Communion, marital abstinence is necessary. The scope of the prayer rule, the need to observe additional fasting days and the obligatory confession before communion are not regulated by the canons of the Church.
All this, of course, does not mean that the prayer rule, fasting days and confession should be absent in the life of Orthodox Christians. The practice of preparing for communion existing in the Russian Church, in the event that a person receives communion only several times a year, is completely understandable and justified for those who rarely receive communion. Indeed, if a person does not live the church life for most of the church year, does not observe the fasts established by the Church, does not have the experience of private prayer at home, it will be useful for him to carry out some spiritual work on himself before receiving communion. Questions arise when lay people living a full-fledged church life, attending regular services, observing all the multi-day and one-day fasts established by the Church, express a desire to receive communion at each Sunday liturgy. What to do in this case with the obligatory three-day fast, given that fasting on Saturday is prohibited by the 64th Apostolic Canon (If any of the clergy is seen to be fasting on the Lord's day, or on Saturday, except for only one (Great Saturday): let him be cast out. But what about a layman: let him be excommunicated)?
I don’t think it will be a big secret to say that the priest preparing for the celebration of the Liturgy does not observe additional fasting days before communion, except for those fasts established by the Church. To this one can hear the objection that a priest cannot celebrate the Liturgy without taking communion, but this is exactly what the canons say about the laity. 9 Apostolic canon we have already cited. As for the preparation for communion, priests do not have any special privileged position, as St. John Chrysostom writes about: “But there are cases when the priest does not differ from the subordinate one, for example, when it is necessary to commune the Holy Mysteries. We are all equally rewarded with them, not in the same way as in the Old Testament, where the priest tasted something different, another people and where the people were not allowed to partake of what the priest received, people were forbidden to participate in what was for the priests. Now it is not so - but one Body and one Bowl is offered to all ... ”.
Thus, we see that a certain collision arises - the priest performing the Liturgy is freed from the need to observe additional fasting days and the obligatory confession before communion, a layman who has expressed a desire to receive communion every Sunday is forced, among other fasts, to observe a three-day fast before communion, while violating 64 Apostolic canon prohibiting fasting on Saturday.
What is the situation in other Local Churches? It should be said right away that we have not been able to conduct a comprehensive study in relation to the practices of all Local Orthodox Churches. In world Orthodoxy, we conditionally identified two main traditions - conditionally Greek and conditionally Russian. The Greek practice, to which we refer the parishes of the Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Greece, Cyprus Churches, suggests the possibility of communion of the laity at the Liturgy without obligatory confession. Parishioners try to receive communion every Sunday, while confession is performed at a time separate from the liturgy and is in no way connected with the sacrament. Moreover, not every clergyman can confess, but only those who have received a special letter from the bishop, which gives the right to confess. Usually, such permission is issued to a clergyman who already has sufficient pastoral experience. The very fact of ordination to the priesthood in the Greek tradition does not mean that the newly ordained priest immediately receives the power to "knit and decide."
There is no uniformity in the Serbian Church: everything depends on where "the father studied". Graduates of Greek theological schools adopt the traditions of the Greek Church, and the priests of the Russian school consider confession to be an indispensable eve of communion, and many of them advise against taking communion outside of the fasting time.
The youngest Local Church - the Orthodox Church in America, which in the last century had the same problems that we are asking in this speech, is currently one of the most dynamically developing Churches in North America. The preparation for communion is the Liturgy itself, according to the words of St. Nicholas Cabasilas: "psalms and readings of the Scriptures prepare us for the consecration of the Holy Mysteries." Every faithful partakes of Communion at each Liturgy. The canon for holy communion and prayers for communion are included in the home prayer rule.
No additional post is required. Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as large fasts, is sufficient. Those. the same requirements are imposed on the faithful that the priests themselves fulfill (we have already quoted a quote from St. John Chrysostom on this score).
Confession is required on a regular basis (on the advice of a priest - once every one or two months), according to the believer's own will (in most churches you can always confess before the beginning of the liturgy or after Vespers), if the faithful has fallen into mortal sin (murder, adultery, idolatry - including leaving the church for a long period). In Great Lent, confession is obligatory for everyone.
Back in the 70s of the last century, Orthodox Christians in America lived in the tradition of "infrequent" communion. Thanks to the efforts of such renowned pastors as Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann and Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, today the attendance of Sunday liturgies and holidays in the Orthodox Church in America (which has no other resources except, in fact, church ones) is the highest among all Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States.
Alas, the situation is not so favorable in all Local Orthodox Churches. Many of us are familiar with the modern practice of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, in which the following of the liturgy almost everywhere excludes the possibility of communion of the laity, since the requirements for communion are unreasonably strict - a month of fasting before the sacrament. The result was the half-empty temples of Bulgaria.
Whether the Russian Church wants to follow in the footsteps of the Orthodox in Bulgaria or not depends on the position that the clergy of our Church will defend. It seems to us that the existing diversity of liturgical traditions in various Local Churches is a completely normal and understandable phenomenon. But the attitude to the sacraments cannot be the tradition of this or that Church. In this matter, we can only talk about who is more and who is less consistent with what is called the Tradition of the Church.
Of course, we are not talking about removing all possible restrictions and giving communion to everyone indiscriminately. As we have already said, for people who partake of the rarely existing practice is quite justified. But the task of the pastor is to inspire the faithful to constantly participate in the Sacraments and to help develop a reasonable and feasible rule of preparation. In the event that the faithful himself wants a fuller participation in the Sacraments, we must in every possible way support such an aspiration and develop reasonable pastoral approaches. In this matter, we desperately need what is called consensus patrum in Orthodox theology, i.e. "By the consent of the fathers." And if the patristic consensus patrum on this issue is unambiguous, the consent of the fathers who are now living is not always obvious.
It seems expedient, relying on the canons of the Church, to determine an individual approach for each parishioner, taking into account his experience of church life. In the event that a person expresses a desire for regular communion at each Sunday liturgy (which ideally should become the norm for all parishioners), it is possible to give a blessing for communion without an additional three-day fast (of course, with the obligatory observance of the fasts available in the Church). The volume of the prayer rule should be no less than the Rule for Holy Communion available in our prayer books, which includes three psalms, a canon and prayers before communion. The reading of the three canons should be left to the discretion of the one preparing for the sacrament.
The question of obligatory confession is, of course, one of the most delicate. Confession is not a service sacrament in relation to communion, and it is especially sad when confession by many parishioners, according to Fr. Alexander Schmemann is perceived as a "ticket to the sacrament." Of course, an individual approach is also possible here, especially in cases where parishioners (according to rule 66 of the VI Ecumenical Council) wish to receive communion on all days of Bright Week. Trying to protect the laity from formalizing the sacrament of the sacrament, we, in fact, formalize the sacrament of confession, which from the sacrament of "second baptism" becomes one of the conditions for the sacrament.
In any case, a pastor must always remember that he has no right to demand from his flock what he himself does not fulfill. It would not be superfluous for us to remember the words of Christ: "... Woe to you, legalists, that you lay burdens on people that cannot be borne, but you yourself do not touch them with one of your fingers" (Luke 11:46).
And I would like to conclude my speech with the words of Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery, which he said when he brought the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos to Russia:
“I know that in Russia some priests say that you have to fast for three days before Communion, and some for five days. In fact, there is no obligatory law for how many days to fast before Holy Communion. Proof of this is the fact that priests do not fast without compulsory, and then not only receive Communion the next day, but also serve the Liturgy. After all, we observe certain fasts - four fasts a year and fasts on Wednesday and Friday, I think that these fasts are enough. If someone wants to fast before Communion even for a whole week for the sake of asceticism, for the sake of reverence, please, but for the confessors to legalize this - we have never heard of this anywhere. If this were a prerequisite for Communion, first, priests would have to fast always. It is sometimes said that Christians only need to receive communion once every two or three months - there is no such law either. When a Christian does not have deadly sins, he has the right to receive communion much more often. "
Thank you for your attention!