The first inhabitants of the Earth, the ancestors Adam and Eve, lived in Paradise, not knowing the need for anything. According to the conviction of the evil Serpent, they tasted the forbidden fruit - they sinned and were expelled to Earth. Modern man succumbs to other temptations, like Adam and Eve, and by his actions becomes ineligible for Paradise. It is never too late to ask God for forgiveness, while in earthly life you must have a firm desire not to sin - to confess and take communion. What communion is in the church and how it is performed requires clarification, because not everyone knows about it.
What does it mean to take communion in church?
Awareness of one's own sinfulness entails a desire to repent, that is, to admit a wrong action and the intention not to commit such a thing in the future. To ask for forgiveness for sins committed is to confess, and to reunite with him in soul - to take communion in church, to feel like a part of God’s great grace. Communion is prepared from bread and wine, which are the blood and flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How does communion work?
The main condition for receiving communion is confession with the priest, spiritual rebirth, in which a person admits the mistakes he has made and sincerely asks for forgiveness not from the priest, but from God himself. During church services, bread and wine are invisibly transformed into church communion. Taking communion is a Sacrament, through which a person becomes an heir to the kingdom of God, an inhabitant of paradise.
What is the sacrament for?
For a believer, the sacrament gives relief from bad thoughts, helps to fight the attacks of evil in everyday affairs, serves as spiritual reinforcement, and leads to internal spiritual rebirth. The unequivocal answer regarding thinking about whether it is necessary to take communion is yes. The human soul is the creation of the Lord, his spiritual child. Every person, coming to an earthly parent, rejoices if he has not seen him for a long time, and every soul rejoices when coming to God - the heavenly father, through this ritual.
On what days can you take communion in church?
It is taken on days when the Divine Service is held in the church. A person decides how often he can receive communion on his own. The Church recommends that at every fast, and there are 4 fasts, you come to confession and receive communion, preferably annually. If a person has not come to church for a long time - has not received communion, and the soul requires repentance, there is no need to be afraid of condemnation from the priest, it is better to come to confession right away.
How to properly take communion in church?
It is customary to follow the rules indicating. After confession, the priest gives his blessing to receive Holy Communion, which is celebrated on the same day. At the liturgy, after the Lord’s Prayer, the communicants approach the steps leading to the altar and wait for the priest to take out the Chalice. It is not appropriate to be baptized in front of the cup; you must listen carefully to the prayer.
At such a moment, there is no need to fuss, create a crowd - slowly approach the communion, letting children and the elderly pass first. In front of the Holy Chalice, fold your arms over your chest, say your name, open your mouth and swallow a piece, kiss the edge of the bowl, then go to the table with warm tea and prosphora, wash down the communion. After such actions, it is allowed to kiss icons and talk. It is prohibited to receive communion twice on the same day.
How to prepare for communion?
Preparation for the communion of an adult is to fast, make peace with enemies, not harbor feelings of hatred or malice, realize sinful offenses, regret what was done wrong, abstain from bodily pleasures for several days, perform repentant prayers, confess. The decision to give communion to seriously ill people is made by the priest without special preparation.
People who are in mortal danger, if they do not have the opportunity to prepare to receive the Holy Sacraments, are not deprived of the opportunity to receive communion. Church-baptized children under 7 years of age are allowed to receive communion without confession and fasting. After the Sacrament of Baptism, infants can receive communion very often; they are given a small particle - a drop in the guise of Blood.
Fasting before Communion
Before communion, it is customary to fast, to abstain from eating meat, dairy, and fish products for 3-7 days, unless this period includes the same fast established by the church for everyone, for example, Christmas or Great Lent. Deciding whether one can receive communion if one has not fasted due to the physical state of a person’s health must be done only on the advice of a clergyman. The exception to the rule is children under seven years of age and people whose health does not allow them to adhere to such a nutritional system.
The answer to the question whether it is possible for a repentant person to receive communion without confession is no. The priest listens to the sins of the repentant not out of curiosity, he is a mediator who testifies to God that the person repented, came to church, regretted, and expressed a desire to start life over a new leaf. The priest who confesses the person makes a decision on admission to communion and gives a blessing based on specific rules, and not personal motives.
Prayers before communion
On the day preceding communion, from the evening until the very reception of the Sacraments, they refuse to eat and drink water, do not smoke cigarettes, do not allow intimate relationships. You should first read - appeals to God, in which he expresses his sinfulness in words and asks for forgiveness. Before confessing, they read the prayers of repentance called canons:
- canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ;
- prayer canon to the Most Holy Theotokos;
- canon to the Guardian Angel;
- following to Holy Communion.
It is difficult to read the prayers prescribed before communion in one evening; it is permissible to divide the reading of the rules into 2-3 days. The Canon for Communion (Rule for Communion) is read the night before, after which there are prayers for the coming sleep. Prayers before Communion (Rule for Communion) are read in the morning on the day of Communion, after morning prayers.
Is it possible to receive communion during menstruation?
You cannot take church communion if a woman is menstruating. For Orthodox Christians, communion is a holiday of spiritual triumph; it is customary to prepare for it in advance, and not to put off the possibility of repentance until later. Coming to the temple, a person leads his soul to a living source - by receiving communion he renews his spiritual strength, and through a healed soul, bodily weaknesses are cured.
The most famous Romanian elder and confessor, Archimandrite Cleopas (Ilie), discusses who can begin Holy Communion and what to do for it: whether it is necessary to fast, confess and pray in a special way.
Holy Communion brings great benefit to a person if he truly receives communion with faith, having prepared himself and received the permission of his confessor. And whoever approaches unworthily eats and drinks judgment for himself, for Communion is a fire that burns the unworthy - you saw what was said in the prayers before Holy Communion.
— Who can partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ?
— The one whose life is pure, immaculate; whose communication of thoughts is pure, who has no canonical obstacles and who is authorized by the confessor, can receive communion, and who is not confessed, not authorized by the confessor and has not fulfilled the penance assigned to him, cannot begin Communion. For even if he receives communion only once a year, he will still be like Judas, who received communion once, and then Satan entered into him, and he betrayed the Lord (see: John 13:27).
If someone is unworthy, he should not receive communion once a year... But if he has cleansed himself and prepared according to canonical order Church of Christ confession and fulfilled the penance due to him - then let him approach with fear and trembling.
— What can you say about giving communion to children under seven years of age? Is confession necessary here?
— It would be good for innocent children under five years of age to receive communion, if possible, every Sunday. And for children six or seven years old, especially now, it would be good to confess and then receive communion, because today children see and hear many temptations: at home, on TV and everywhere when their parents are not watching them.
Saint Simeon of Thessaloniki also speaks about the old and sick: “It will be good for the old and sick, who have no canonical obstacles, to receive communion more often, and on great holidays.”
Always before Communion, after you have made your bows, after you have given up sin and performed the penance prescribed by the priest, you are not allowed to drink wine or eat fast food or food cooked in vegetable oil for at least three days before Holy Communion. And in the intervals between fasts, you cannot receive communion without confession, without penance and without a week of fasting (or at least three days). Before taking communion, do not eat food with vegetable oil and do not drink wine; only dry eating. This is how it is supposed to be before Holy Communion, brothers.
— Tell us about the communion of monks, about frequent communion.
— Monastic monks, if they have a good confessor, should confess as often as possible. We have confession, as you can see, once a week, on Friday. But I have very sober monks who come two or even three times a week to confession: “Father, I missed Matins,” “Father, I didn’t read the rules,” “Father, I ate something before.” meal,” and you’re amazed at what they won’t say. If his conscience reproaches him, then he comes, you put your hand on his head, you give him permission, and it becomes easy for him.
So that both old and sick monks can receive communion once a week; the rest, if their confessor allows them, can receive communion at least once every forty days, and best of all - once a month.
— Is there any instruction from the holy fathers about receiving communion once every forty days?
— Yes, there is, Saint Simeon of Thessaloniki. He says that once every forty days everyone should prepare and receive communion, if there is no canonical obstacle in his way. There is a sin that prohibits Communion for twenty years.
In case of death, if you see that a person can die, you give him Communion. Before death, one cannot forbid him to take communion; if he does not die and remains alive, he will continue to fulfill his penance. Know this.
— Is it possible for someone to receive communion without confessing?
- No. Never. Neither in case of mortal danger, nor in any other case, no. First confession, and then let him receive communion.
— What can you tell us about general confession, practiced locally, in which believers do not individually confess their sins and there is no resolution of sins with the laying on of hands on everyone?
— This confession is non-canonical, it does not have the power of the Sacrament, and sins remain unresolved. Such practices must be completely stopped so that the Sacrament of Holy Confession is not abolished and both the priest and the believer are not cast into condemnation.
— How many times a year should the laity go to confession?
— Confession is not confined to any particular time or period during the year. We can resort to a confessor every time we feel the need to relieve our soul from the burden of sins and receive consolation through grace and hope of salvation. The more often we confess, the better.
However, confession is usually tied to four fasts. The fourth commandment of the Church teaches us to confess our sins four times a year, during four fasts. Let the most successful and pious confess every month, and the rest at least once a year, namely during Great Lent.
— How many times a year should we receive communion, according to the rules of the Church?
- Holy Communion, being closely connected with confession, can be given, after the resolution of sins by the confessor, in four fasts or, most often, once a month for the most reverent and, at the very least, on Holy Easter, but only after fulfilling the imposed penance. Saint John Chrysostom advises believers to receive communion most often twelve times a year, on the twelve feasts, after the resolution of sins by their confessor, but “with fear and trembling, so as not to accept condemnation instead of food and death instead of life.”
—What are the main conditions that must be fulfilled in order to worthily accept the Body and Blood of the Lord?
— Preparation for Holy Communion is of two types: physical and mental. In general it consists of the following parts:
A) confession, that is, recognition of sins, without which no one can receive communion, even a clergyman. Only children under seven years of age are exempt from confession;
b) reconciliation with all people. No one should receive communion if he is in a quarrel with someone, has not reconciled with someone, or feels anger, hatred or a desire for revenge towards someone. God, being Love, accepts in the Holy Place only those who forgive and live in love;
V) abstinence from modest food and all bodily lust and uncleanness. Spouses must keep themselves clean for at least seven days before Holy Communion and three more days after Holy Communion.
Believers must keep themselves pure and fast on Wednesdays, Fridays and all four Lents, when they receive communion. In case of serious illness, the priest prescribes a shorter fast, depending on the circumstances. Those who receive communion outside of fasting times should fast at least three to seven days before Holy Communion. Before accepting the Holy Shrine, Christians must abstain from drunkenness, tobacco, entertainment, jokes, envy, slander, and so on;
G) performing penance, imposed by the confessor. Believers cannot receive communion without the consent of their confessor and the fulfillment of the penance imposed on them at confession, except in cases of illness and other difficult circumstances, when people who find themselves in them can receive the Holy Shrine, no matter what their situation;
d) prayer; Before receiving Holy Communion, believers must pray in a special way: read the Book of Hours, the Psalter and the Akathist the day before, make prostrations to the extent of their ability, give alms to the poor and perform other good deeds. They especially need to read in the evening the Akathist to the Savior, the Canon to the Mother of God, the Canon of Repentance, the Canon to the Guardian Angel and the Canon for Holy Communion, and in the morning - twelve prayers. After accepting the Shrine, believers must read thanksgiving prayers.
— How are monks supposed to confess and receive communion, as established by the holy fathers? How often can monks, schemamonks and sick monks receive communion?
- Everything that I have said so far about this Holy Sacrament is valid for monks. Monks and schemamonks must partake of the Body and Blood of the Lord more often than laity, but with proper preparation, according to the sacred canons, and with the permission of their confessor.
Monks can receive communion most often once a month or, as St. John Chrysostom says, on twelve great feasts. Schemamonks, especially the sick, as well as the elderly, can receive communion most often once a week, according to our monastic tradition. This is also what we are taught by the instructions from the “Service Book,” which says: “Let parish priests teach their believers that in a clear conscience, male and female, they should receive communion, if possible, on the Lord’s feasts throughout the year, and if not, then let them prepare for communion of the Holy Mysteries at least during four fasts, but with due preparation and with the consent of their confessor, let them do so.”
—Can a person be saved without a confessor and confession?
- No. No one can be saved - neither laymen, nor monks, nor clergy - without confession of sins and permission of their confessor, according to the word of the Lord, which reads: receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; whoever you leave it on will stay on it(John 20, 22-23). And elsewhere: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven(Matthew 18:18).
So, how can anyone enter the Kingdom of Heaven without being freed from their sins on earth? And this power [to knit and decide] is given only to the elect, that is, to the apostles, bishops and priests, but not to the laity. We should all have our own confessors and confess regularly, even those who think that they have no sins.
This is what the holy Apostle and Evangelist John teaches us: if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, then He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness(1 John 1:8-9). And Saint Simeon of Thessaloniki points out: “We all must repent - the laity, the monks, the priests, and the bishops. Let us all repent (confess) in order to be saved.” Without confession no one can be saved, because we all sin a lot(James 3:2). Every person is conceived and born in sins (see: Gen. 8:21; Ps. 50:7; Matt. 7:11; Rom. 3:9). Holy Bible explains to us that sin gives birth to death(James 1:15) and that nothing unclean will enter the kingdom of God(cf. Rev. 21:27).
So, let us remember that sin is a violation of God’s law, an abomination and uncleanness before Him, and that the wrath of God falls on those evil and sinful people who die unconfessed and unrepentant. Sinners, through confession and repentance, avert the righteous wrath of God from themselves and receive the salvation of their souls.
—What do you think about those clergy who too often and without properly examining the conscience of believers give them Holy Communion?
— Priests who administer Holy Communion to believers without proper study and penance need to carefully read the instructions in the Missal, which relate to the mental and physical preparation of believers for Holy Communion. Priests must be well acquainted with the sacred canons and practices of the Orthodox Church, and, if necessary, consult with the local bishop, to whom they must obey throughout their lives.
Priests should read the teaching of St. John Chrysostom on how to administer Holy Communion. This is what he says: “Considerable torment awaits you, priests, if you, knowing any evil behind someone, allow him to partake of this Meal. The blood of Christ will be required at your hands. Even if it were a governor, even if it was an eparch, even if it was the king himself, crowned, but if he approaches unworthily (to the Holy Place), forbid him. You have more power than him. Because worse than a demoniac is the one who has sinned and begins. For he, since he is possessed, will not suffer, but these, if they approach unworthily, will be given over to eternal torment. So, we will prohibit not only this, but, in short, everyone whom we see approaching unworthily. Let no one accept like Judas, so as not to suffer like Judas.”
And he also says: “Do not give a sword instead of food. But even if he came to take communion out of madness, forbid him. Don't be afraid. Fear God, not man. And if you do not dare to forbid him, bring him to me. I will not allow this to happen. I would rather part with my soul than give the Blood of the Master unworthily. And I will shed all my blood before I give such terrible blood to those who should not. And if, having studied a lot, he did not know anything bad about it, then there is no guilt.”
Therefore, the confessor must be very attentive during confession, deciding who to forbid and who is worthy to teach the Holy Place. If someone leads an immoral life and wants to receive Holy Communion through deception, Satan will enter into him (see: John 13:27) as into someone who has become like Judas.
It is said that before receiving communion, a layman must be at the evening service and observe fasting. Questions* from readers of “Thomas” that arose in this regard were answered by a participant in the Inter-Council Presence, candidate of theology, associate professor of the Moscow Theological Academy Archpriest Pavel Velikanov.
– The document “On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist” explains in a very balanced and reasonable manner the reasons for certain church requirements. In this case, we are talking about the fact that a church service is a holistic space that begins with an evening service. Therefore, it is naturally assumed that a person who intends to begin Communion, the climax of the service, must participate in it from the very beginning.
But at the same time, the document states that the impossibility for a person, for objective reasons, to attend the evening service, which he has not fully read prayer rule, or some others external conditions cannot be absolute obstacles to a person’s admission to communion. This is a question that the confessor must decide. It is he who has the right to determine whether a person’s absence from the evening service was actually due to some objective reasons or whether he was simply too lazy to go to the service when there were all the opportunities for this.
As for fasting on Saturday, the document says that people who observe all the statutory one - and multi-day church fasts and regularly receive communion - weekly - can, in agreement with their confessor, receive a blessing for not fasting on Saturday or observing a truncated fast form. For example, eating lean food for dinner or refusing dinner as such. That is, it is possible different variants depending on a person’s health, his life stresses, and the environment in which he lives. There are many different factors that require their own decision in each specific case. There cannot be any universal rule here. However, I’ll emphasize it again! - this applies only to those cases when a person is a faithful child of the Church, observes all one-day and multi-day fasts, that is, lives in the rhythm in which the entire Church lives.
But it’s a different matter when it comes to parishioners who receive communion rarely or extremely rarely. If a person receives communion, for example, once a month or once every six months, and does not observe one-day or multi-day fasts, then it is natural that in order to be allowed to receive Holy Communion, he must complete at least some minimal work of preparation - goveniya. For example, during the Synodal period, when the majority of people received communion once a year, it was a week of fasting. Later, in Soviet and post-Soviet times, many confessors blessed preparation in the form of a three-day fast or a four-day fast.
In general, there should be the following dependence - the more often a person receives communion and the more intense the church life he lives, the less burdensome the conditions for his preparation for Holy Communion should be. Because every day of the week for such a person should be a stage of preparation for participation in the liturgy and communion.
If a person does not have a confessor, then the priest to whom he confesses can help him resolve all these issues. A confessor is an extremely desirable, but not unconditional requirement. A person can solve all his questions in a conversation with the priest serving in the church where he goes, to whom he confesses, with whom he communicates. After all, it is addressed not only to parishioners: it is also addressed to the clergy, who must understand that the highest church authority gives priests the right, under certain conditions, to make concessions for a person. And, of course, it is worth remembering that the Liturgy itself is main preparation person to participate in Holy Communion. I would like to hope that the document adopted by the Bishops' Conference will serve to inspire the faithful children of the Church to more attentively prepare for the Divine Eucharist - the core of spiritual life - and will encourage more frequent communion with full and active participation in the celebration of the Liturgy - a common task commanded to us by Christ the Savior .
* “Before communion, a layman must be at the evening service.” And if a layman receives communion at the Liturgy on Saturday (he works on Friday and does not have time for the evening service), then he is not allowed to receive communion? It turns out that you can only receive communion on Sunday? Does this mean fasting on Saturday too?
“It’s better for you not to receive communion today...” Such penance imposed by a priest is often perceived as an undeserved punishment. For what reasons can a person be prevented from taking communion? The rector of the Assumption Church in the city of Krasnogorsk, Moscow region, dean of the churches of the Krasnogorsk district of the Moscow diocese, Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, answers.
The most dangerous thing is formalism
Father Konstantin, sometimes priests do not allow you to take communion because a person has fasted not for three days, but for two. Some refuse to receive communion Bright Week or on Christmastide, since parishioners do not fast at this time. On the other hand, there is an opinion that fasting before communion is not necessary at all - according to church calendar in a year and so about half of the fast days.
— Violation of fasting in itself does not apply to such grave sins and conditions in which a person should be prohibited from partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Church rules, including about fasting, this is a gift from the Church to its children, and not a burden that one has to bear with sadness so that the priest does not scold. If a person, for some reason beyond his control, is unable to take advantage of the gift of the Church, this is a matter of patience and humility. If, through frivolity, or addiction, or forgetfulness, a person has violated a rule given by the Church, this is a reason for repentance, but not yet for prohibition. I advise all violators of fasting and other similar church regulations not to excommunicate themselves from communion without permission, but to come to the service and bring the issue to the decision of their confessor. And decisions can be different, but they should never be formal. The task of a priest is not to observe the rule, but to bring benefit to a person or, at least, not harm. It happens that a person becomes so distracted and overeats (even if it is Lenten food) on the eve of communion that he himself feels the need to postpone communion. Well, let him put it aside, fast, and then take communion. And it happens that someone forgetfully put sour cream in the soup. I don't think that strictness is appropriate in such cases.
As for fasting before communion, I believe that it should not be abolished at all, but the severity and duration of fasting should correspond to the situation: different people must be given in different circumstances different tips. It’s one thing when a person, for some reason, takes communion once a year, and quite another thing when on all Sundays and holidays. Both health and a person’s habitual lifestyle matter. For some, giving up meat and dairy is a real feat, but for others sunflower oil in potatoes - an indulgence to gluttony.
The worst thing about solving questions about fasting is formalism. Some demand scrupulous compliance with what they read in the Typikon, others demand the abolition of strict rules. But in fact, let the rules remain as a norm, a guideline, and how and to what extent to apply them, let the priest decide in each specific case specifically, praying for the person, driven by love for him and the desire to help him on the path of salvation.
As for communion on Bright Week and on Holy Days after Christmas, then, of course, if a liturgy is being served in the Church, then you can receive communion. What about fasting? To those who ask me, I advise them to eat all kinds of food these days, but not to overeat. But I don’t want to impose anything on anyone; The worst thing, I think, in this area is disputes over the letter. If someone wants to eat greens for Easter, there is nothing wrong with that, just don’t be proud of it and don’t judge those who eat differently. And let those who do not fast strictly do not consider fasters backward and unspiritual.
Let me give you an extensive quote from the Apostle Paul: “...Some are confident that they can eat everything, but the weak eat vegetables. He who eats, do not disparage the one who does not eat; and whoever does not eat, do not condemn the one who eats, because God has accepted him. Who are you, judging another man's slave? Before his Lord he stands or falls. And he will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up. Some people distinguish day from day, while others judge every day equally. Everyone act according to the evidence of his own mind. He who distinguishes the days distinguishes for the Lord; and he who does not discern the days does not discern for the Lord. Whoever eats eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat does not eat for the Lord, and thanks God. ...Why are you judging your brother? Or are you also why you humiliate your brother? We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ. ...Let us no longer judge each other, but rather judge how not to give your brother any chance of stumbling or temptation. I know and am confident in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; Only to him who considers something unclean, it is unclean for him. If your brother is upset about food, then you are no longer acting out of love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. …For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14: 2-6, 10, 13-15, 17).
The basis for a ban on communion for a longer or shorter period can only be either a grave sin (fornication, murder, theft, witchcraft, renunciation of Christ, obvious heresy, etc.), or a moral state completely incompatible with communion (for example, refusal to reconcile with repentant offender).
Legalization of non-churchism
In the nineties, many priests did not allow unmarried people to receive communion. Patriarch Alexy II pointed out the inadmissibility of this. But what about those living in a so-called civil marriage? Formally it is fornication, but in fact it cannot always be called such.
- Indeed, the late Patriarch Alexy II pointed out the inadmissibility of excommunicating people from communion only on the grounds that they live in an unwed marriage. Of course, pious Orthodox Christians will not begin married life without a church blessing, which in our time is precisely taught in the sacrament of wedding. But there are many cases when unbaptized people entered into a legal marriage, have children, love each other, and remain faithful. And so, let’s say, the wife believed in Christ and was baptized, but the husband has not yet. What to do? Has their marriage now turned into fornication and must be destroyed? Of course not. Yes, the Apostle Paul writes about this: “If a brother has an unbelieving wife, and she agrees to live with him, then he should not leave her; and a wife who has an unbelieving husband, and he agrees to live with her, should not leave him” (1 Cor. 7: 12-13). Should the fulfillment of the apostolic order really entail a prohibition in church communion? Moreover, in the first centuries of Christianity, church weddings did not exist at all. Christians got married with the knowledge of the bishop, but according to the laws of the country, and then, together with the entire community, they partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, this was church recognition of their marriage. The church rite of marriage developed gradually over several centuries and became universally obligatory for Christians entering into marriage only at the end of the first millennium.
Regarding “civil marriage,” let’s clarify the terminology. Civil marriage(without any quotation marks) is a marriage concluded according to the customs and laws of the people or state to which the husband and wife consider themselves to belong. It is not by chance that I use here together the various terms “custom” and “law”, “people” and “state”, because in different time and the legality of marriage may be determined differently in different places. How to treat people who live as a family, but have not legally formalized their relationship? Can they be allowed to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ? In the overwhelming majority of cases, such cohabitations are unacceptable from a church point of view, and people must either enter into legal marriage or separate from their cohabitants, and only then receive remission of sins in the sacrament of confession and be accepted into church communion. But there are difficult situations, when a lawless family was created by non-church people and children were born to them. Here is an example from life: people have been living as spouses for many years, consider themselves husband and wife, but have not registered their marriage. They have three children. About two years ago, my wife believed in Christ and came to the Church; they explained to her that the marriage needed to be registered. She agrees, tries to persuade her husband, but he refuses, says that all his friends who got married are already divorced, but he doesn’t want to get a divorce. Of course, I don’t agree with him, that is, I think that I need to sign, but he doesn’t come to me for advice. But his wife cannot convince him. She goes to church, gives communion to her children (her husband even helps her with this), the children study with us in Sunday school. In this situation, would it really be necessary to prohibit this woman from receiving communion or demand that she destroy her family, even if it is unregistered? The rule requiring Christians to marry in accordance with the laws of the state is wise and must, of course, be followed. But we must not forget that although the law is higher than lawlessness, love is still higher than the law.
For some serious sins (murder, occultism), excommunication from communion is expected for almost 20 years. No one has canceled these rules, but today they are practically not applied.
- It seems to me that today long-term penance cannot fulfill its functions - healing the soul, reconciling it with God. In Byzantium this was possible. All the people there lived a church life, and those who committed a grave sin remained a member of the community that was gathered around the Church. Just imagine: everyone goes to work, but he remains on the porch. He doesn’t go to the cinema or lie on the sofa in front of the TV, but stands on the porch and prays! After some time, he begins to enter the temple, but cannot receive communion. All these years of penance, he prayerfully repents, realizing his unworthiness. What will happen today if we excommunicate a person from communion for five years? Not a member of the community, but most likely someone who came to confession for the first time in his life at the age of 40-50-60. Just as he didn’t go to church before, he won’t now. Moreover, it is “legal” - he will say: the priest did not allow me to receive communion, so I am lying at home, drinking beer, and when the period of penance has passed, I will go to receive communion. This is how it will be, only not everyone will live to see the end of the penance, and of those who will live, many will forget about God. That is, today, in modern conditions By imposing a long-term penance on a person who comes to church for the first time, we essentially legalize his non-churchhood. Meaning? After all, a person who is in mortal sin and does not want to repent or change his life cannot receive communion until repentance. If he has changed, he laments what he has done, I believe, even with the most grave sins if they forbid him to receive communion, it would not be for long, especially for those who came for the first time.
The attitude towards church people should be stricter. Fortunately, church people do not often fall into grave mortal sins, but I remember a case when a regular parishioner who had been going to church for many years and taking communion had an abortion. Here penance was appropriate, and the woman did not complain when it was assigned to her; a person has a conscience. But when a pensioner comes, whom her grandmother took to communion as a child, then she became a pioneer, a Komsomol member, got lost, had an abortion, and after 40 years thought about God, what kind of penance can there be? And even if she recently had an abortion, but by a non-church woman who walked in the ways of this world, and now has believed and repented, I also don’t think that penance should be imposed on her. I note, by the way, that the priest can impose even small penances solely with the consent of the penitent himself. The right of ecclesiastical court is only available to the ecclesiastical court itself and to the ruling bishop. As for long-term penances, this is especially not within the competence of the parish priest.
How often, in your opinion, should a layman receive communion? Is it possible to receive communion every day during Christmastide or Bright Week?
— It is absolutely normal when the entire community gathers on a Sunday or other holiday for the liturgy and everyone partakes of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. True, this norm has been forgotten by most of us. But daily communion was not the norm, because the liturgy was not served every day. But since then a lot of water has passed under the bridge, church customs have changed, and not only because of the lack of spirituality among parishioners and clergy, there are also those who do not depend on specific people factors. Now, I think, it is impossible to introduce or even recommend rules that are common to everyone.
There are people who recognize themselves as Orthodox, who do not fall into grave mortal sins, but who, however, take communion only three or four times a year and do not feel the need for more. I don't think they should be forced or even persuaded to take communion more often. Although, whenever possible, I try to explain to all Christians the meaning and saving power of the Sacrament of Body and Blood.
If Orthodox man He receives communion on all Sundays and holidays; this is natural for a Christian. If for some reason it doesn’t work out that way, let it be as it turns out. Once a month, it seems to me, anyone can go to church for communion, but if this is impossible, what can you do. The Lord welcomes the intention. Just don’t consider partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ as a feat! If so, then it is better not to take communion at all. The Body and Blood of Christ is not our achievement, but the mercy of God. If someone on Bright Week wants to take communion several times in a row, not in the order of achievement, but in simplicity, then what’s wrong with that? If there is nothing stopping a person, I usually don’t mind. But in order to constantly receive communion every day, there must be serious reasons. This in itself has never been a church norm. Here is Saint Theophan the Recluse in last years I took communion every day of my life. Let everyone look at what really prompts him to receive extraordinarily frequent communion: the grace of God or his own vainglorious fantasies. It’s also a good idea to consult with your confessor.
The confessors themselves must approach human souls with great care. I remember I once had to confess to an old woman (I was still a novice priest at that time), she said that she didn’t want to, but she took communion every day. "How so?" – I asked. She replied that her spiritual father had told her so. I tried to dissuade the old woman from such an absurd, in my opinion, feat, but the authority of my spiritual father prevailed. I don't know how it ended.
A friend of mine said that in modern conditions it is possible to receive communion without confession. She is sure that this is allowed and does not carry any sin. For example, in the Greek church, believers can constantly receive communion, but confess only when necessary to relieve the burden from the soul. I turned to my confessor for clarification: is it possible to receive communion without confession? It turns out that in Russian Orthodox Church It is not customary to receive Holy Communion without repentance. And this is what it has to do with it.
Participle
Only Christ is sinless, who was able to trample on the devil and defeat death. It is through the holy Blood of Christ that a person can be forgiven and find the kingdom of God in eternity. Before the agony of the cross, the Savior held the Last Supper, at which he called the bread his Body and the wine his Blood.
What does this mean for the believer? This means that through the Blood and Flesh of Christ a person becomes involved in the salvation of the soul. Now the question arises: is it possible to receive communion without confession? If your conscience allows, then you can. But will such a communion be true, as the apostles told the believers?
The believer must realize that he can receive communion only with clear conscience, and a clear conscience can only be after the Sacrament of repentance.
Communion in condemnation
Christians who receive communion unworthily do not receive God's grace, but punish themselves. If a person does not fully understand the meaning of the Savior’s suffering on the cross and accepts bread as a simple product, then he condemns himself in his unbelief.
Also included in those who receive communion unworthily are those who in their hearts are hostile to their neighbors, who are secretly involved in the occult and have not confessed mortal sins. Unworthy communion leads to spiritual and physical illnesses.
However, avoiding communion due to awareness of a sinful nature is also not correct. A person must be aware of his sinful nature, strive for correction with the help of the Holy Spirit, and repent of his sins. Otherwise, the path to the heavenly abode will be closed.
The life of a believer is a constant struggle with devilish temptations and resisting them with the power of the Holy Spirit. All the great saints were aware of their sinful nature, fought against it and did not refuse to accept the Holy Mysteries.
Didn't receive communion before death
Will a person’s soul really go to hell if he doesn’t have time to take communion before his sudden death? There is no definite answer, since everything depends on the state of a person’s soul. If he realized in his heart his sinful nature and sincerely repented, he will be forgiven. It's about about a baptized person, not an atheist.
For example, if a priest did not have time to come to a seriously ill believer, then the soul will go to heaven if the patient sincerely grieved for his sins. It was not his fault that the priest could not manage to give him communion before his death.
Unction and Communion
Many believers believe that the blessing of oil automatically removes all sins, so there is no need to confess. This is a big misconception. Blessing of oil removes those sins that a person has forgotten or did not pay attention to due to his spiritual ignorance. However, the consecration of oil will not remove a hidden sin that a person deliberately did not confess to the priest for any reason.
Therefore, if after unction a believer remembers a sin, he must tell it in confession. It doesn’t matter whether the unconfessed sin was discovered the day after the unction or a month later, it is necessary to confess.
Bottom line
A believer can confess without receiving communion, but it is not customary to receive communion without confession. Despite the fact that in the Greek Church believers receive communion without confession, in the Russian Church they will not be allowed to receive Communion without repentance. First you need to completely clear your conscience of sins, and then with a clear conscience partake of the Holy Gifts.