Communion for Easter when to confess. At the sacrament, the priest in our church scolded me for not coming on the days of fasting for communion, but for Easter.

The question of Communion of the laity throughout the year, and especially on Easter, on Bright Week and during the period of Pentecost, seems to many to be debatable. If no one doubts that on the day of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ on Holy Thursday we all take Communion, then there are different points of view about the Communion on Easter. Supporters and opponents find confirmation of their arguments from various fathers and teachers of the Church, indicate their pro et contra.

The practice of the Communion of Christ's Holy Mysteries in fifteen Local Orthodox Churches changes in time and space. The point is that this practice is not an article of faith. The opinions of individual fathers and teachers of the Church from different countries and eras are perceived as teologomene, that is, as a private point of view, therefore, at the level of individual parishes, communities and monasteries, a lot depends on a particular abbot, abbot or confessor. There are also direct decrees of the Ecumenical Councils on this subject.

During fasting, no questions arise: we all partake, especially preparing ourselves in fasting, prayer, in works of repentance, and that's why the tithe of the annual circle of time is Great Lent. But how to receive communion on Bright Week and during the period of Pentecost?
Let us turn to the practice of the ancient Church. “They were constantly in the teaching of the Apostles, in communion and the breaking of bread and in prayers” (Acts 2:42), that is, they constantly received communion. And the whole book of Acts says that the first Christians of the apostolic age received communion constantly. The communion of the Body and Blood of Christ was for them a symbol of life in Christ and an essential moment of salvation, the most important thing in this fast-flowing life. The sacrament was everything to them. This is what the Apostle Paul says: “For to me life is Christ, and death is a gain” (Phil. 1:21). Constantly partaking of the Honest Body and Blood, the Christians of the early centuries were ready for both life in Christ and death for Christ's sake, as evidenced by acts of martyrdom.

Naturally, all Christians gathered around the common Eucharistic Chalice at Easter. But it should be noted that at first there was no fasting before Communion at all, at first there was a common meal, prayer, sermon. We read about this in the epistles of the apostle Paul and in Acts.

In the Four Gospels, the sacramental discipline is not regulated. The evangelical synoptics speaks not only of the Eucharist celebrated at the Last Supper in the upper room of Zion, but also of those cases that were the prototypes of the Eucharist. On the way to Emmaus, on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, during the miraculous catch of fish ... In particular, when multiplying the loaves, Jesus says: “I don’t want to let them go without eating, so that they do not faint on the way” (Matthew 15:32). Which way? Not only leading home, but also on the path of life. I do not want to leave them without Communion - this is what the Savior's words are about. We sometimes think: "This person is not pure enough, he cannot receive communion." But it is to him, according to the Gospel, that the Lord offers Himself in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, so that this person does not faint on the road. We need the Body and Blood of Christ. Without this, we will be much worse.

The Evangelist Mark, talking about the multiplication of the loaves, emphasized that Jesus, having gone out, saw a multitude of people and took pity (Mark 6, 34). The Lord took pity on us because we were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus, multiplying the bread, acts like a good shepherd, giving his life for the sheep. And the Apostle Paul reminds us that every time we eat the Eucharistic Bread, we proclaim the death of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:26). It was the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, the chapter on the good shepherd, that was the ancient Passover reading, when everyone received communion in the temple. But how often one should receive communion, the Gospel does not say.

Guard requirements appeared only from the 4th-5th centuries. Contemporary church practice is based on Church Tradition.

What is Communion? A reward for good behavior, for fasting or praying? No. The Sacrament is That Body, this is the Blood of the Lord, without which you, if you perish, you will perish completely.
Basil the Great replies in one of his letters to a woman named Caesarea Patricia: “It is good and useful to partake every day and partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, since [the Lord] Himself clearly says:“ He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, has eternal life. " Who, then, doubts that to partake of life incessantly is nothing but to live in diversity? " (that is, to live with all mental and physical forces and feelings). Thus, Basil the Great, to whom we often attribute many penances, excommunicating from the Sacrament for sins, very highly appreciated worthy Communion every day.

John Chrysostom also allowed frequent Communion, especially on Easter and Bright Week. He writes that one should incessantly resort to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, receive communion with proper preparation, and then one can enjoy what we desire. After all, the true Easter and the true holiday of the soul is Christ, who is offered as a Sacrifice in the Sacrament. Forty days, that is, the Great Fast, happens once a year, and Easter three times a week, when you receive communion. And sometimes four, more precisely, as many times as we want, for Easter is not fasting, but Communion. Preparation is not about reading the three canons for a week or forty days of fasting, but about cleansing the conscience.

It took the prudent thief a few seconds on the cross to clear his conscience, recognize the Crucified as the Messiah and be the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Some take a year or more, sometimes a whole life, like Mary of Egypt, to partake of the Most Pure Body and Blood. If the heart requires Communion, then Communion must be given on Great Four, and on Great Saturday, which is the Annunciation this year, and on Easter. Confession is enough one the day before, unless the person has committed a sin that must be confessed.

“Whom should we praise,” says John Chrysostom, “those who receive communion once a year, those who receive communion often, or those who rarely? No, let us praise those who start with a clear conscience, a pure heart, and an impeccable life. "
And confirmation that Communion is also possible on Bright Week is found in all the most ancient anaphoras. In the prayer before Communion it is said: "Grant by Thy sovereign hand to teach us Thy Most Pure Body and Honest Blood, and by us to all people." We also read these words at the Paschal Liturgy of John Chrysostom, which testifies to the common Communion of the laity. After Communion, the priest and the people thank God for this great grace, which they are rewarded with.

The participatory discipline problem became controversial only in the Middle Ages. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Greek Church experienced a deep decline in theological education. The revival of spiritual life in Greece began in the second half of the 18th century.

The question of when and how often one should receive communion was raised by the so-called kolyvads, monks from Athos. They got their nickname because they did not agree to perform a memorial service on Koliv on Sundays. Now, 250 years later, when the first Kolivads, such as Macarius of Corinth, Nicodemus Svyatorets, Athanasius of Paris, became glorified saints, this nickname sounds very worthy. "The memorial service," they said, "distorts the joyous nature of Sunday, on which Christians should receive communion rather than commemorate the dead." The dispute over the Koliva lasted for more than 60 years, many Kolivads suffered severe persecution, some were removed from Athos, deprived of their priesthood. However, this controversy served as the beginning of a theological discussion on Mount Athos. The kolyvads were recognized by all traditionalists, and the actions of their opponents looked like attempts to adapt the Tradition of the Church to the needs of the times. For example, they argued that only clergymen can receive communion on Bright Week. It is noteworthy that St. John of Kronstadt, also a defender of frequent Communion, wrote that the priest who takes Communion on Easter and on Bright Week alone, but does not receive Communion of his own parishioners, is like a shepherd who teaches only himself.

You should not refer to some Greek books of hours, where it is indicated that Christians should receive communion 3 times a year. A similar prescription migrated to Russia, and until the beginning of the twentieth century they rarely received communion in our country, mainly on Great Lent, sometimes on Angel's Day, but no more than 5 times a year. However, this instruction in Greece was associated with the imposed penances, and not with the prohibition of frequent Communion.

If you want to receive Communion on Bright Week, you need to understand that worthy Communion is associated with the condition of the heart, not the stomach. Fasting is a preparation, but by no means a condition that can hinder Communion. The main thing is that the heart is cleansed. And then you can take communion on Bright Week, trying not to overeat the day before and refrain from fast food for at least one day.

Nowadays, many sick people are forbidden to fast at all, and people with diabetes are allowed to eat even before Communion, not to mention those who need to take medicine in the morning. The essential condition for fasting is life in Christ. When a person wants to commune, let him know that no matter how prepared he is, he is not worthy of Communion, but the Lord wants, desires and gives Himself as a Sacrifice, so that a person becomes a partaker of the Divine nature, so that he will be converted and saved.

Each time you will have to solve this issue individually. There is no consensus in the Church. Some priests do not receive Communion on Easter, while some, on the contrary, believe that, according to the word of St. John Chrysostom, both the worthy and unworthy should approach the Chalice. So what is right?

Are you baptized?

The Master of Theology, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Troitskoye-Golenishchevo, Archpriest Sergiy Pravdolyubov, does not commune on Easter those whom he sees for the first time in front of the Chalice: “When I commune on Easter, I will not commune a single stranger. I have no right to give him communion. And if he is not baptized? Where did he confess? You need to know that he is baptized, a believer and fasted. In our parish, about 700 people have been receiving Holy Communion for 20 years already. I know them all by sight and by name, I know their families, their difficulties. " Of course, you can ask such people, unfamiliar to the priest, and in front of the cup ask: have you been baptized, have you confessed? But on Easter it is not very convenient: there are too many participants. Besides, there are misunderstandings. Father Sergiy tells about one of these misunderstandings with a laugh: “Once it turned out that I asked Prince Zurab Chavchavadze if he was baptized. I didn't know him by sight! It seems to me that he took offense at me for a long time. "

Long argument

“According to the recollections of my father, grandfather and great-grandfather, none of the people in the 19th century received Communion on Easter. Only the priests in the altar. It is not right. - says Father Sergius. - For me personally, the opinion of Father John Krestyankin is a serious basis for communion on Easter. He said that one should receive communion once every two weeks. Sick and pregnant women can do it once a week. These are the words of Father John, who was never a modernist. "

Ilya Krasovitsky, a senior lecturer at the Department of Practical Theology at PSTGU, says: “During the synodal period, church life in Russia has largely lost its“ Eucharistic ”, that is, it has become detached from the Eucharist. It was believed that the Feast is one thing, but the Communion is quite another, something very sad, associated with the need to fast, confess, pray a lot and give up entertainment. The majority received Communion once a year, and only the very zealous - once in each fast. The whole country lived, one might say, almost without full participation in the Eucharist. And we know how it all ended. The revival of frequent communion is associated with the name of St. John of Kronstadt. He called for communion very often, and all the crowds of many thousands who gathered at his service received communion each time.

Nowadays, many fathers judge this in different ways. Someone is in favor of taking Communion often and on Easter is obligatory, someone is against it. But these disputes are not new. In the 18th century, it was believed that one should receive communion no more often than once every forty days. “For what reason are we fasting these forty days? In the past, many have tackled the Mysteries just the way and how it will happen. And this was par excellence at the time when Christ gave us this Sacrament. The Holy Fathers, realizing the harm caused by careless Communion, gathered together and determined forty days of fasting, prayers, listening to the Scriptures and attending church, so that in these days all of us, being cleansed through thoroughness, and prayers, and alms, and fasting, and all-night vigils, and tears, and confession, and all other virtues, as far as we can, thus with a clear conscience approached the Sacrament ", - these words of St. John Chrysostom are quoted by supporters of rare communion, and they are quoted in their" Psychic Book of Unceasing Communion Holy Mysteries of Christ "Saint Nicodemus Svyatorets. He suggests, in response, not to take the patristic quotations out of context, but to think about what will happen if the supporters of the “forty days” themselves begin to accurately fulfill these words: “Therefore, they should not say only what Chrysostom says about the divine fathers' definition of forty days, which we, by fasting, partake of, but we should consider both what precedes these words, and what follows after them, and what this divine father leads in the same word, and for what reason and to whom his conversation is directed. Those who object to us assert and prove that the divine Chrysostom limited the use of Divine Communion only on the day of Easter. If these defenders of the forty days want to substantiate this, then they must, in accordance with their opinion, either receive communion only once a year, that is, on the feast of Easter, and become like those to whom Chrysostom spoke then, or they must perform ten Great Lent a year - that much how many times it is customary for them to receive communion. "

It is unlikely that the practice of the rare communion can be substantiated with the words of St. John Chrysostom, because it is known that as a pastor he himself was upset when he saw that his parishioners, his flock, rarely receive communion. In his sermons, John Chrysostom complains about those parishioners who listen to the sermon and immediately go home without waiting for Communion. At the same time, his creations prove that the tendency towards rare communion arose not at all in Russia in the 18th century, but in Byzantium in the 4th century.

On Light

If there is no consensus in the Church about communion on Easter, then everything is all the more confusing about the frequent communion on Easter week. After all, you need to prepare before communion. But how to prepare if everyone eats everything, celebrates and prayers are minimized?

Father Sergius believes that one should not often receive communion on Bright Week: “You cannot mechanically transfer early Christianity to the 21st century. After all, even the clergy, who every time receive communion when they serve, suffer from this. One must have such a spiritual trepidation and fear of God so as not to get used to receiving the Sacrament, and the layman can get used to it all the more: he simply does not have enough time, opportunity and mental strength to realize all the time what the Sacrament is. And it will turn out according to the apostle Paul: in judgment of myself I pits and I drink, without reasoning, the Body and Blood of our Lord. And many of them get sick, and many die. This is a very serious thing and there is no need to take such risks. Only saints can live like this, but even schema monitors do not receive communion every day. Are we worldly people? Moreover, there can be no normal preparation for communion on Bright Week. And it is difficult for young people to fulfill the rule of abstinence from married life on Bright Week. "
“These issues must be resolved by each person separately with the priest, to whom he will come. The fact that one is not allowed, the other, perhaps, can. In our prayer books and canons, which we usually read in preparation for communion, it is indicated that on the days of Bright Week, instead of the three canons, it is necessary to read the canon of Easter. This means that such a practice is provided for by the Church, says the head of the department of pastoral and moral theology of PSTGU, priest Pavel Khondzinsky. - Historically, fasting and the sacrament seem to have become so inseparable from each other due to the fact that, according to tradition, the sacrament had to be preceded by a long period of preparation for it. And since this tradition is quite ancient, insofar as we have no reason to assert that in the 16th century they received communion more often than in the 19th. But by the 19th century, or rather after the reforms of Peter, the life of the Church had changed significantly, and then gradually an understanding arose that frequent communion is necessary for Christians in these new conditions more than anything else. At the same time, according to svschm. Sergius Mechev, even such a consistent supporter of frequent communion as his father, St. Alexey Mechev believed that everyone here should have their own norm, determined by the confessor. Of course, communion on Easter is wonderful. In any case, there are no special obstacles to this, and it is possible not to commune a person on this day only for the same reasons for which he cannot be communed on any other day of the church year - that is, if he has grave sins in which he not ready to bring active repentance. "

Irina SECHINA

« Our Easter is Christ, slain for us» ( 1 Cor. 5: 7), says the Apostle Paul. And all the Christians of the universe gather together on this day to glorify the Risen Lord, waiting for His return. And the visible sign of this unity in Christ is the common Communion of the whole Church from the Chalice of the Lord.

Even in the Old Testament, God gave a commandment about this terrible night: “ this is the night of vigil with the Lord from generation to generation» ( Ref. 12:42). All the children of Israel were to gather in houses and eat of the Passover lamb, but whoever does not eat, that soul will be cut off from his people. - The destroying angel will destroy him ( Num. 9:13). Likewise now, the great vigil of the Passover night should be accompanied by the eating of the Passover Lamb - the Body and Blood of Christ. The beginning of this was laid by the Lord Himself, who revealed Himself to the apostles in the breaking of Bread ( OK. 24). It is no coincidence that all the meetings of the Risen Christ with the disciples were accompanied by mysterious meals. So He made them feel the joy that is prepared for us in the Kingdom of Heavenly Father. And the holy apostles have established to celebrate Holy Easter with the Holy Communion. Already in Troas, the Apostle Paul, according to custom, celebrated the night liturgy on Sunday ( Acts. 20: 7). All the ancient teachers of the Church, referring to the celebration of Easter, first of all spoke of Easter communion. So, Chrysostom generally identified Easter and communion. For him (and for the entire church meeting) Easter is celebrated when a person takes communion. A " the catechuchman never celebrates Passover, although he fasts annually, because he does not participate in the offering of the Eucharist"(Against the Jews. 3: 5).

But when many began to withdraw from the Spirit of Christ and began to shy away from communion on Bright Week, the Fathers of the Trull Council (the so-called Fifth-Sixth Council) 66 with the rule testified to the original tradition: “from the holy day of the Resurrection of Christ our God to the new week, in Throughout the week, the faithful in the holy churches must constantly practice psalms and singing and spiritual songs, rejoicing and triumphing in Christ, and listening to the reading of the Divine Scriptures, and enjoying the holy mysteries. For in this way, with Christ, we will be resurrected and ascended. For this, by no means on these days, let there be no horse rippling, or any other folk spectacle. "

The Council of 927 (the so-called Tomos of Unity) allows even triples to receive Holy Communion on Easter. Tain.

The same striving for the Passover union with the Lord can be traced in our worship. Indeed, according to Chrysostom, “ we fast not for the Passover and not for the cross, but for the sake of our sins, because we intend to proceed to the mysteries"(Against the Jews. 3: 4).

All holy Forty-days prepares us to meet God on Easter night. It is no coincidence that even before the beginning of Lent, the Church sings: “ Let us ascend to repentance, and purify our feelings, fight against them, create the entrance of fasting: the heart is known for the hope of grace, they are not clean, they did not use them. And the Lamb of God will be borne by us, in the sacred and luminous night of the Resurrection, for our sake the sacrificing brought by the disciple on the evening of the sacrament, and the darkness destroying ignorance with the light of his resurrection”(Stichera on verse, in the meat-eating week in the evening).

During fasting, we are cleansed of iniquity, we learn to keep the commandments. But what is the purpose of fasting? This goal is to participate in the banquet of the Kingdom. At the Easter Canon of St. John Damascene urges us: “ Come Drink new drink, not a miracle-working from a barren stone, but an incorruptible source from the tomb of Christ who gave birth», « come the rods of the new Grape in the deliberate day of the Resurrection of the Divine Joy of the Kingdom of Christ let us partake, singing Him as God forever».

At the end of the light-bearing Easter Matins we hear the words of Chrysostom: “ The meal is complete, enjoy everything. A well-fed Taurus - let no one go hungry: all enjoy the feast of faith, all take in the wealth of goodness". And so that we do not think that Easter is about breaking the fast, our Charter warns: “ Easter is Christ Himself and the Lamb, who took away the sins of the world, on the altar in a bloodless sacrifice, in pure secrets, of His Honorable Body and His Life-giving Blood from the priest to God and the Father, offered, and those who partake of the true eat Easter". It is no coincidence that the one who participates on Easter sounds like this: “ Receive the body of Christ, taste the source of the immortal". Just before the removal of St. Gifts of the Church calls on everyone to enjoy the Divine Mysteries.

And recent saints have continued to confirm this understanding of the greatest Feast. Rev. Nikodim Svyatorets says: “ Those who, although they fast before Easter, but do not receive Communion on Easter, such people do not celebrate Easter ... because these people do not have the reason and reason for the holiday, which is the Sweetest Jesus Christ, and do not have the spiritual joy that born from Divine Communion. Those are deceived who believe that Easter and the holidays consist of rich meals, many candles, fragrant incense, silver and gold jewelry, with which they decorate churches. Because God does not require this from us, because it is not the primary and not the main thing."(Book about the most soulful about the unceasing communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Pp. 54-55).

It is no coincidence that those who shy away from Holy Communion on Easter and on Bright Week feel a decline in spiritual strength. They are often attacked by despondency and relaxation. This is exactly what the Lord warned us about, saying: “ Look after yourself, so that your hearts are not burdened with overeating and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that that day does not suddenly overtake you. For he, like a net, will suddenly find on all living on the face of the earth» ( OK. 21: 34-35).

But, unfortunately, in recent years, not only some careless parishioners have shied away from Communion at St. Easter because of their gluttony, but some priests began to introduce novelty, forbidding devout Christians to fulfill the will of Christ. They say:

- There was a fast, and you could receive the Holy Communion. So why take communion on Easter?

This objection is absolutely insignificant. After all, St. The sacrament is not a sign of sorrow, but the predestination of the future Kingdom. It is no coincidence that in the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great says that when we partake of the Sacrament, we proclaim the Lord's death, and we confess His resurrection. Yes, and if Easter were incompatible with the Eucharist, then why then celebrate the Liturgy in churches? Are modern fathers wiser than the Universal Church? I'm not even saying that during our consecration we all take an oath to follow the sacred canons. And the Ecumenical Council requires communion on Easter and on Bright Week. Specifically rejecting this argument, St. John Chrysostom says: “ A non-fasting person who approaches with a clear conscience celebrates Passover, whether today, tomorrow, or in general whenever he participates in communion. For worthy communion does not depend on the observation of time, but on a clear conscience."(Against the Jews. 3: 5).

Others say that since communion is performed for the remission of sins, then it has no place on Easter night.

To this we will answer with the words of the Lord, if the donkey and the ox are pulled out of the pit on Saturday, then it should not have been necessary to free a person from the burden of sin on Easter. Both Ancient Easter and the current canons indicate that the best time for the forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of Baptism is Easter night. Yes, not a place for confession at this time. But the post has already passed. People mourned their iniquity, received absolution at confession on Holy Thursday. So, on what basis can we prevent them from reaching the Holy Chalice on the day of Resurrection? I'm not even saying that the Sacrament is performed not only for the remission of sins, but also for eternal life. And when is it better to make a person a partaker of eternal life if not on Easter? Of course, if a person is in unrepentant mortal sin, then the road to the Cup is closed to him by his iniquity. But if this is not the case, then a person must resort to Christ.

Some people say:

- Here you will receive communion on Easter, and then you will go to eat meat. You can not do it this way.

This opinion is directly condemned by Canon 2 of the Gangres Cathedral. Anyone who considers meat to be unclean or makes a person unable to receive communion has fallen under the influence of the deceiving spirits, about which the Apostle Paul prophesied ( 1 Tim. 4: 3). He is excommunicated from the holy Church. It must be remembered that at the Last Supper itself, Christ and the apostles ate the meat of a lamb, and this did not prevent them from receiving communion. Yes, you can't overeat to break the fast, you can't sin with gluttony. But it does not follow from this that one should not receive communion. Rather, the opposite is true. Out of reverence for the sacred, one must be moderate, and so we will preserve both the purity of the soul and the health of the stomach.

Likewise, some priests say:

- You will overeat and get drunk, and then you may vomit, and so you will defile St. Participle. Therefore, it is better not to take communion.

But this logic actually declares sin to be inevitable. It turns out that we are offered to exchange Christ the Savior for lawlessness, which is obviously impossible to avoid. And the holiday seems to be pushing us to this. But if so, then maybe it is worth canceling the holiday altogether? What is this holy day on which we withdraw from God and inevitably commit sin? Obviously, God did not establish Easter for gluttony and drunkenness, so why do abominations on this day and not partake of Communion on this basis? I think that it would be much wiser to partake of the Holy Gifts and then break the fast with moderation, taste a little wine and then not suffer either body or soul.

- Easter is a time of joy, and therefore you cannot take communion.

We have already quoted the words of St. Nicodemus, who says that the true joy of Easter lies precisely in the Eucharistic union with Christ. Likewise, Chrysostom says that he who does not partake does not celebrate Easter. In fact, communion is especially appropriate on Easter due to the fact that, in accordance with the Liturgy, when we celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we confess the Resurrection of Christ and see the image of His rising from the dead ( Eucharistic Canon and Prayer After Consumption). But the most important thing is that Christ Himself promised to give joy to His disciples, then He Himself will return from the depths of death, and modern confessors remove Christians from this joy.

And even if you think about it, what will the non-communist rejoice at on Easter - prayers, but they tell us about communion with God, and he refused it, the Liturgy - but it is served for the sake of the sacraments, singing - but Christ is the true Easter Singer ( Heb. 2:12)? If the purpose of the divine service is lost, then only the “joy” of serving the womb remains of the greatest holiday. How could we not incur the bitter words of the Apostle Paul: “ they are enemies of the Cross of Christ, their end is destruction; their god is a womb, and their glory is in shame; they think about earthly» ( Phil. 3: 18-19).

Another objection to the Passover Communion is the assertion that there is such a fuss before the holiday that it is virtually impossible to properly prepare for St. Communion. But this is again an attempt to justify the violation of the commandment with "good purposes." The Lord said to one such bustling woman: “ Martha! Martha! You worry and fuss about many things, but one is necessary. Mary chose the good part, which will not be taken away from her» ( Mt. 10:40). Of course, this primarily applies to Easter. It is not by chance that at the Liturgy of Great Saturday the words are sung: "Let every human creature be silent, and let it stand with fear and trembling, and let nothing earthly think in itself." This is the correct spiritual dispensation before the holiday, which alone makes our souls capable of receiving grace. In Russia, all preparations for Easter were completed for the Great Four, and then they stayed in the temple. And this is very correct. And the current practice of postponing all cooking and cleaning on Holy Saturday is really soulful. It deprives us of the opportunity to experience the services of the Passion of the Lord, and often our churches are half-empty at the most beautiful Easter Vespers (Liturgy of Great Saturday), and Christians and Christians on this day off, instead of worshiping the Dead Lord, torment themselves in the kitchens. Then, on Easter night, instead of rejoicing, they peck their noses. We must not give up the Easter communion, but simply change the cleaning and cooking schedule. - Finish everything by the evening of Great Wednesday, fortunately, almost everyone has refrigerators, and take care of your soul in the saving Trinity.

Finally, they claim that on Easter night there are a lot of outsiders who are not ready for communion, and there is no time to confess them.

Yes it is. But what was the fault of the regular parishioners, that because of those of little faith they are deprived of their connection with the Creator? We must not deny the Communion to everyone, but simply watch carefully those who partake and those who are not ready to remove. Otherwise, no one will be able to commune in large parishes. After all, there are always those who, out of ignorance, are eager to "take communion at the same time."

But where did this practice come from, which contradicts both Scripture and St. canons and teachings of the saints? Indeed, many, out of ignorance, consider it to be almost a part of the sacred Tradition. We know of young pastors who say that the Church forbids communion on Easter! Its origin lies in the dark years of persecution of Christians in the USSR. If in Stalin's time they wanted to physically destroy the Church, then later, during Khrushchev's persecutions, the God-fighters decided to decompose it from the inside. A number of closed resolutions of the Central Committee of the CPSU were adopted on weakening the influence of the Church. In particular, it was proposed to prohibit the communion on Easter. The goal of this was the complete destruction of Christianity in the USSR by 1980. Unfortunately, many priests and bishops succumbed to pressure from the religious commissioners and stopped taking communion on Easter. But the most amazing thing is that this insane, anti-canonical practice, designed to destroy the Church, has survived to this day, and moreover, some grief - zealots pass it off as an example of piety. Risen God! Rather, put down this evil custom, so that Your children can be partakers of Your Chalice on the holy night of Easter.

Fasting and Prayers Before Communion

Until this year, I confessed and received Communion only once in my life, as a teenager. Recently I decided to take communion again, but forgot about fasting, prayers, confession ... What should I do now?

According to the canons of the Church, before communion, abstinence from intimate life and communion on an empty stomach are mandatory. All canons, prayers, fasting are just means to tune oneself to prayer, repentance and the desire to correct. Even confession, strictly speaking, is not obligatory before the sacrament, but this is in the event that a person regularly confesses with one priest, if he does not have canonical obstacles to communion (abortion, murder, going to fortune-tellers and psychics ...) the blessing of the confessor is not always necessary to confess before the sacrament (for example, Bright Week). So in your case, nothing particularly terrible happened, but for the future you can use all these means of preparation for the sacrament.

How much to fast before the sacrament?

Strictly speaking, the Typikon (charter) says that those who wish to receive the Holy Communion must fast for a week. But, firstly, this is the monastery charter, and the "Book of Rules" (canons) contains only two necessary conditions for those wishing to receive communion: 1) the absence of intimate marital relations (not to mention prodigal) on the eve of communion; 2) the sacrament must be taken on an empty stomach. Thus, it turns out that fasting before the sacrament, reading the canons and prayers, and confession are recommended for those preparing for the sacrament in order to more fully evoke a repentant mood. Nowadays, at round tables devoted to the subject of the sacrament, priests came to the conclusion that if a person observes all four large fasts during the year, fasts on Wednesday and Friday (and this time takes at least six months a year), then for such a person it is enough eucharistic fast, that is, to receive communion on an empty stomach. But if a person has not gone to church for 10 years and decided to take communion, then he will need a completely different format of preparation for communion. All these nuances must be coordinated with your confessor.

Can I continue to prepare for the sacrament if on Friday I had to break the fast: they asked me to remember a person and gave me non-fast food?

You can say this in confession, but this should not be an obstacle to the sacrament. For breaking the fast was forced and justified in this situation.

Why are kakons written in Church Slavonic? After all, they are so hard to read. My husband does not understand anything he reads and is angry. Should I read aloud?

It is customary in the Church to conduct services in the Church Slavonic language. We pray in the same language at home. This is not Russian, Ukrainian or any other language. This is the language of the Church. In this language there are no swear words, swear words, and in fact, you can learn to understand it in just a few days. After all, he has Slavic roots. This is the question of why we use this particular language. If your husband is more comfortable listening when you read, you can do so. The main thing is that he listens carefully. I advise you in your free time to sit down and sort through the text with the Church Slavonic dictionary in order to better understand the meaning of the prayers.

My husband believes in God, but in his own way. He believes that it is not necessary to read prayers before confession and communion, it is enough to realize sins in oneself and repent. Is this not a sin?

If a person considers himself so perfect, almost holy, that he does not need any help in preparing for the sacrament, and prayers are such help, then let him take communion. But he remembers the words of the Holy Fathers that we then partake worthily when we consider ourselves unworthy. And if a person denies the need for prayers before communion, it turns out that he already considers himself worthy. Let your husband think about all this and with heartfelt attention, while reading the communion prayers, prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Is it possible to be at the evening service in one church, and in the morning for communion in another?

There are no canonical prohibitions on this practice.

Is it possible to read the canons and the obedience to the sacrament during the week?

It is better to attentively, pondering the meaning of what is being read, so that it really is a prayer, to distribute the recommended rule for communion for a week, starting with the canons and ending with prayers for communion on the eve of accepting the Mysteries of Christ, than to read mindlessly in one day.

How to fast and prepare for the sacrament while living in a 1-room apartment with unbelievers?

The Holy Fathers teach that one can live in the wilderness and have a bustling city in his heart. Or you can live in a noisy city, but there will be peace and quiet in your heart. So, if we want to pray, we will pray in any conditions. People prayed both in sinking ships and in trenches under bombardment, and this was the most pleasing prayer to God. He who seeks finds opportunities.

Communion of children

When to give communion to a baby?

If the Blood of Christ is left in a special Chalice in churches, then such babies can be given communion at any time, at any time, as long as there is a priest. This is especially practiced in big cities. If there is no such practice, then the child can only be communed when the liturgy is performed in the church, as a rule, on Sunday and on major holidays. With babies, you can come to the end of the service and commune it in the general order. If you come with babies at the beginning of the service, they will start crying and this will interfere with the prayer of the rest of the believers, who will grumble and resent their unreasonable parents. Small amounts of water can be given to an infant of any age. Antidor, prosphochka is given when the child is able to use it. As a rule, infants are not given communion on an empty stomach until 3-4 years old, and then they are taught to take communion on an empty stomach. But if a 5-6-year-old child, out of forgetfulness, drank or ate something, then he can also be given the Holy Communion.

The daughter has been partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ for a year. Now she is almost three, we have moved, and in the new church the priest gives her only Blood. At my request to give her a piece, he remarked about the lack of humility. Accept?

At the level of custom, indeed, in our Church, an infant under 7 years of age is given communion only with the Blood of Christ. But if the child is taught to take the sacrament from the very cradle, the priest, seeing the adequacy of the infant when he grows up, can already give the Body of Christ. But you need to be very careful and control that the child does not spit out a particle. Usually, infants are given full communion when the priest and the infant get used to each other, and the priest is sure that the child will fully consume the sacrament. Try to talk once with the priest on this topic, motivating your request by the fact that the child is already accustomed to partaking of both the Body and Blood of Christ, and then humbly accept any reaction of the priest.

What to do with the clothes that the child burp on after the sacrament?

A piece of clothing that has gotten the sacrament is cut out and burned. We patch the hole with some kind of decorative patch.

The daughter was seven years old, before the sacrament she will have a confession. How can I prepare her for this? What prayers to read before communion, what to do with a three-day fast?

The main rule in preparation for the reception of the Holy Sacraments for young children can be summed up in two words: do no harm. Therefore, the parents, especially the mother, must explain to the child why to confess, for what purpose to receive communion. And the prescribed prayers and canons gradually, not immediately, maybe even read with the child. To begin with one prayer, so that the child does not overwork, so that it is not a burden for him, so that this coercion does not push him away. Likewise, with regard to fasting, limit both the time and the list of prohibited foods, for example, refuse only meat. In general, at first it is necessary that the mother understands the meaning of the preparation, and then, without fanaticism, gradually, step by step, teach her child.

The child is prescribed a course of vaccinations against rabies. He is not allowed to contain alcohol for a whole year. What to do with the sacrament?

Believing that the sacrament is the best medicine in the universe, when we approach it, we forget about all the limitations. And according to our faith, we will heal both soul and body.

The child was prescribed a gluten-free diet (no bread). I understand that we eat the Blood and Body of Christ, but the physical characteristics of the food remain wine and bread. Is the sacrament possible without partaking of the body? What's in a wine?

Again, the sacrament is the best medicine in the world. But, given the age of your child, you can, of course, ask to receive communion only with the Blood of Christ. The wine used for the sacrament can be real wine made from grapes with added sugar for strength, or it can be a wine product made from grapes with added ethyl alcohol. What wine is used in the church where you receive communion, you can ask the priest.

Every Sunday the child received Communion, but the last time he approached the Chalice, he had a terrible hysteria. The next time, in another church, everything was repeated. I'm desperate.

In order not to aggravate the child's negative reaction to the sacrament, you can try to simply go to the temple without taking communion. You can try to introduce the child to the priest, so that this communication will smooth out the child's fear, and over time he again begins to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Communion on Easter, on Bright Week, syllabic weeks

Do I need to observe a three-day fast, subtract the canons and the order in order to receive Holy Communion on Bright Week?

Starting from the night liturgy and throughout all the days of Bright Week, the sacrament is not only allowed, but also commanded by the 66th rule of the sixth Ecumenical Council. Preparation on these days consists in reading the Easter Canon and following to Holy Communion. Starting from the week of Antipascha, they prepare for communion, as throughout the year (three canons and succession).

How to prepare for communion in continuous weeks?

The Church, as a loving mother, cares not only about our soul, but also about our body. Therefore, on the eve of, for example, a rather difficult Great Lent, it gives us a kind of relaxation in food through a continuous week. But this does not mean that we are forced to eat more fast food these days. That is, we have a right, but not an obligation. So as you want to prepare for the sacrament, get ready. But remember the main thing: first of all, we prepare our soul and heart, cleansing them with repentance, prayer, reconciliation, and the stomach is in last place.

I heard that it is possible to receive Holy Communion on Easter, even if he did not observe the fast. Is it true?

There is no special rule allowing communion on Easter specifically without fasting and without preparation. On this question, the answer must be given by the priest after direct communication with the person.

I want to receive Holy Communion on Easter, but I ate soup in non-fasting broth. Now I am afraid that I cannot take communion. What do you think?

Remembering the words of John Chrysostom, which are read on Easter night, that those who fast do not condemn those who have not fasted, but that we all rejoice, you can boldly proceed to the sacrament of the sacrament on Easter night, deeply and sincerely realizing your unworthiness. And most importantly - bring God not the contents of your stomach, but the contents of your heart. And in the future, of course, we must strive to fulfill the commandments of the Church, including fasting.

At the sacrament, the priest in our church scolded me for not coming on the days of fasting for communion, but on Easter. What is the difference between the sacrament at Easter service and “simple” Sunday?

This should be asked from your father. For even the canons of the Church welcome the sacrament not only on Easter, but throughout the entire Bright Week. No priest has the right to prohibit a person from receiving communion at any liturgy, if there are no canonical obstacles to this.

Communion for the elderly and sick people, pregnant women, nursing mothers

How to properly approach the communion of an elderly person at home?

It is advisable to invite a priest to sick people at least during Great Lent. It will not hurt in other posts. It is mandatory during an exacerbation of the disease, especially if it is clear that things are going to death, without waiting for the patient to fall into unconsciousness, his swallowing reflex will disappear or he will vomit. He must be in a sober mind and memory.

My mother-in-law has recently taken to her bed. I offered to invite the priest home for confession and communion. Something was stopping her. She is not always conscious now. Advise what to do.

The Church accepts a conscious choice of a person, without forcing his will. If a person, being in memory, wished to proceed to the sacraments of the Church, but for some reason did not do this, then in case of a clouded mind, remembering his desire and consent, you can still make such a compromise as communion and unction (this is how we partake infants or insane). But if a person, being in his sound mind, did not want to accept the sacraments of the church, then even in the event of a loss of consciousness, the Church does not force the choice of this person and cannot receive communion or unction. Alas, this is his choice. Such cases are considered by the confessor, directly communicating with the patient and his relatives, after which the final decision is made. In general, of course, it is best to clarify your relationship with God in a conscious and adequate state.

I am diabetic. Can I receive the Holy Communion if I took a pill and ate in the morning?

In principle, it is possible, but if you wish, you can limit yourself to a pill, take communion at the first services, which end early in the morning. Then eat to your health. If you cannot go without food for health reasons, then stipulate this in confession and take communion.

I have a thyroid disease and cannot go to church without drinking water and having a snack. If I go on an empty stomach, it will become bad. I live in the provinces, the priests are strict. It turns out that I cannot receive communion?

If it is required for medical reasons, there are no prohibitions. In the end, the Lord looks not into the stomach, but into the heart of a person, and any competent, sane priest should understand this perfectly.

For several weeks now I have been unable to receive the Holy Communion due to bloody discharge. What to do?

Such a period can no longer be called an ordinary female cycle. Therefore, it is already a disease. And there are women who have such phenomena for months. Moreover, and not necessarily for this reason, but for some other reason, during such a phenomenon, the death of a woman may occur. Therefore, even the rule of Timothy of Alexandria, forbidding a woman to take the sacrament during "women's days," nevertheless, for the fear of a mortal (a threat to life), allows the sacrament. There is an episode in the Gospel when a woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years, desiring healing, touched the robe of Christ. The Lord did not condemn her, but on the contrary, she received recovery. Considering all of the above, a wise confessor will bless you to receive Holy Communion. It is quite possible that after such a Medicine your bodily ailment will be healed.

Is preparation for confession and communion different for pregnant women?

The service life of military people participating in hostilities is considered as a year for three. And during the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet army, soldiers were even given front-line 100 grams, although in peacetime vodka and the army were incompatible. For a pregnant woman, the time of bearing a child is also "wartime", and this was well understood by the Holy Fathers when they allowed pregnant and lactating women to relax in fasting and prayer. Pregnant women can still be compared with sick women - toxicosis, etc. And the rules of the church (canon 29 of the holy apostles) for the sick are also allowed to weaken the fast, up to its complete abolition. In general, every pregnant woman, according to her conscience, based on the state of her health, herself determines the measure of fasting and prayer. I would recommend taking Communion as often as possible during pregnancy. The prayer rule for communion can be performed while sitting. You can also sit in the church, you can not come at the beginning of the service.

Common questions about the sacrament

In recent years, after the Sunday liturgy, I have had severe headaches, especially on the days of the sacrament. With what it can be connected?

Similar cases in various variations are quite common. To look at all this as a temptation in a good deed and, naturally, continue to go to church for services, not succumbing to these temptations.

How often can you receive Holy Communion? Do I need to read all the canons before the sacrament, observe fasting and confess?

The purpose of the Divine Liturgy is communion of believers, that is, bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ so that they can be eaten by people, and not only by the ministering priest. In ancient times, a person who attended the liturgy and did not receive Holy Communion was then obliged to give an explanation to the priest why he did not do it. At the end of each liturgy, the priest, appearing at the Royal Doors with the Chalice, says: "With the fear of God and faith, approach." If a person takes communion once a year, then he needs a preliminary weekly fast in food, and canons with prayers, and if a person observes all four great fasts, fasts every Wednesday and Friday, then he can receive communion without additional fasting, fasting the so-called Eucharistic fast , that is, to receive communion on an empty stomach. As for the rule for communion, we must be aware that it was given in order to evoke feelings of repentance in us. If we often partake of Communion and we have this repentant feeling and it is difficult for us to read the rule before each communion, then we can omit the canons, but it is still advisable to read the prayers for the sacrament. At the same time, one should remember the words of the Monk Ephraim the Syrian: "I am afraid to receive communion, realizing my unworthiness, but even more - to remain without communion."

Is it possible to receive communion on Sunday if you were not at the All-night Vigil on Saturday because of obedience to your parents? Is it a sin not to go to the service on Sunday if your family needs help?

To such a question, the best answer will be given by a person's conscience: was there really no other way out not to go to the service, or is this a reason to skip prayer on Sunday? In general, of course, it is desirable for an Orthodox person, according to God's commandment, to attend a service every Sunday. It is generally desirable to be at the Saturday evening service before Sunday afternoon, and especially before communion. But if for some reason it was not possible to be at the service, and the soul longs for communion, then, realizing its unworthiness, with the blessing of the confessor, one can commune.

Is it possible to take communion on a weekday, that is, after the sacrament, go to work?

You can, at the same time, preserve the purity of your heart as much as possible.

How many days after the sacrament not to do bows and bows to the ground?

If the liturgical charter (during Great Lent) prescribes prostrations to the ground, then already starting from the evening service they can and should be laid. And if the charter does not provide for bows, then on the day of communion, only bows are performed in the waist.

I want to receive communion, but on the day of communion it is the Pope's jubilee. How to congratulate your father so as not to offend?

For the sake of peace and love, you can congratulate your father, but do not stay long at the holiday, so as not to "splash" the grace of the sacrament.

Father refused to give me Communion because my eyes were tinted. Is he right?

Probably, the priest thought that you are already a mature enough Christian to realize that they go to church without emphasizing the beauty of their body, but to heal the soul. But if a beginner has come, then under such a pretext it is impossible to deprive him of the sacrament, so as not to forever scare him away from the Church.

Is it possible, having received the sacrament, to receive a blessing from God for some business? Successful job interview, IVF procedure ...

People receive communion for the healing of soul and body, assuming through the sacrament to receive some kind of help and God's blessing in good deeds. And ECO, according to church teaching, is a sinful and unacceptable business. Therefore, you can take communion, but this does not mean at all that this communion will help in the non-pleasing business you have planned. The sacrament cannot automatically guarantee that our requests will be fulfilled. But if we try to lead a Christian way of life at all, then, of course, the Lord will help us, including in earthly matters.

My husband and I go to confession and communion in different churches. How important is it for spouses to partake of the same Cup?

In whatever Orthodox canonical church we receive communion, still, by and large, we all partake from one Chalice, consuming the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It follows from this that it is absolutely unimportant whether spouses partake in the same church or in different ones, for the Body and Blood of the Savior are the same everywhere.

Prohibitions for Communion

Can I go to the sacrament without reconciliation, for which I have neither the strength nor the desire?

In the prayers before communion there is a kind of announcement: "Although you are human, the Body of the Lord, first reconcile thee to those who grieve." That is, without reconciliation, the priest cannot admit a person to communion, and if a person has decided to arbitrarily take communion, then he will commune with himself in condemnation.

Is it possible to partake of the sacrament after desecration?

You cannot, you are only allowed to taste the prosphora.

Is it possible for me to receive communion if I live in an unmarried civil marriage and on the eve of communion I confessed my sins? I intend to continue such a relationship, I'm afraid, otherwise my beloved will not understand me.

It is important for a believer to be understood by God. And God will not understand us, seeing that the opinion of people is more important to us. God wrote to us that fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and according to the canons of the Church, such a sin excommunicates a person from the sacrament for many years, even if he is corrected. And the cohabitation of a man and a woman without a registration in the registry office is called fornication, this is not a marriage. People who live in such "marriages" and take advantage of the condescension and kindness of their confessor, in fact, very expose them to God, because the priest has to take upon himself their sin if he allows them to participate in the sacrament. Unfortunately, such a promiscuous sex life has become the norm of our time, and pastors no longer know where to go, what to do with such flock. Therefore, have pity on your priests (this is an appeal to all such prodigal roommates) and legitimize your relationship at least in the registry office, and if you mature, then receive a blessing for marriage and through the sacrament of wedding. You have to make a choice what is more important to you: the eternal destiny of your soul or temporary bodily consolations. After all, even a confession without the intention to correct in advance is hypocritical and resembles a trip to the hospital without a desire to be treated. Whether to admit you to communion or not, let your confessor decide.

The priest imposed a penance on me and excommunicated me from the sacrament for three months, because I had a relationship with a man. Can I confess with another priest and, with his permission, take the Holy Communion?

For fornication (sex outside marriage), according to the rules of the Church, a person can be excommunicated from the sacrament not for three months, but for several years. You have no right to revoke the imposed penance with another priest.

My aunt read fortunes on a nut, then confessed. The priest forbade her to receive communion for three years! How should she be?

According to the canons of the Church, for such actions (in fact, engaging in occultism), a person is excommunicated from the sacrament for several years. So everything that the priest you indicated has done is within his competence. But, seeing sincere repentance and a desire not to repeat anything like that, he has the right to shorten the term of penance (punishment).

I have not yet completely got rid of my sympathy for Baptism, but I want to go to confession and receive Holy Communion. Or wait until I am completely sure of the truth of Orthodoxy?

Whoever doubts the truth of Orthodoxy cannot begin the sacraments. So try to fully establish yourself. For the Gospel says that "according to your faith it will be given to you," and not according to formal participation in the sacraments and rites of the church.

The sacrament and other ordinances of the Church

I was invited to be the godmother of the child. How long before baptism should I receive the Holy Communion?

They are not related ordinances. In principle, you must take communion constantly. And before baptism, think more about how to be a worthy godmother, taking care of the Orthodox upbringing of the baptized person.

Is it obligatory to confess and receive communion before unction?

In principle, these are unrelated sacraments. But since it is believed that forgotten and unconscious sins, which are the cause of human illnesses, are forgiven in unction, there is a tradition that is that we repent of those sins that we remember and know, and then we were unconscious.

Superstitions about the sacrament of the sacrament

Is meat allowed on the day of the sacrament?

When a person is going to see a doctor, he takes a shower, changes his clothes ... Likewise, an Orthodox Christian, preparing for communion, fasts, reads the rules, comes more often to services, and after communion, if it is not a fast day, you can eat any food , including meat.

I heard that on the day of communion, nothing should be spat out and no one should be kissed.

On the day of the sacrament, anyone takes food and makes it with a spoon. That is, in fact, and, oddly enough, licking a spoon many times while eating, a person does not eat it with food :). Many are afraid to kiss the cross or icons after the sacrament, but they “kiss” the spoon. I think you already understand that all the actions that you mentioned can be performed after washing the sacrament.

Not long ago, in one of the churches, before communion, the priest admonished those who confessed: "Do not dare to come to the sacrament those who brushed their teeth or chewed gum this morning."

I also brush my teeth before the service. And you really don't need to chew gum. When we brush our teeth, we take care not only of ourselves, but also so that those around us do not hear an unpleasant odor from our breath.

I always go to the sacrament with a bag. The temple worker told to leave her. I got annoyed, left the bag and in a state of anger took communion. Can I go to the Cup with a bag?

The demon must have sent that grandmother. After all, the Lord has nothing to do with what is in our hands when we come to the Holy Chalice, for He looks into the heart of a person. But, nevertheless, there was no need to be angry. Repent of this in confession.

Is it possible to get infected with some kind of disease after the sacrament? In the temple where I went, it was required not to lick the spoon, the priest himself threw a particle into his wide open mouth. In another temple I was corrected that I was not taking the sacrament correctly. But this is very dangerous!

At the end of the service, the priest or deacon uses (eats up) the sacrament remaining in the Chalice. And this despite the fact that in the vast majority of cases (about what you have written, I hear for the first time that a priest "loaded" the sacrament into his mouth like an excavator) people take communion by taking the sacrament with their lips and touching the liar (spoon). I myself have been using the remaining Gifts for more than 30 years, and neither I nor any of the other priests have ever suffered from any infectious diseases after that. Going to the Chalice, we must understand that this is a Sacrament, and not an ordinary plate of food, from which many people eat. The Sacrament is not an ordinary meal, it is the Body and Blood of Christ, which, in fact, cannot initially be sources of infection, just as they cannot be the same source of icons and holy relics.

My relative says that the sacrament on the day of the feast of St. Sergius of Radonezh is equal to 40 communions. Can the Sacrament of the Sacrament be stronger on some day than on another?

The sacrament at any Divine Liturgy has the same power and meaning. And in this matter there can be no arithmetic. He who accepts the Mysteries of Christ must always be equally aware of his unworthiness and be grateful to God for allowing him to take the sacrament.

Of all the gifts bestowed on the priesthood, the greatest is the mystery performance, and above all the Divine Liturgy. This is a gift given to the Church to all believers. The priest is not the owner of this gift, but the distributor of it, who is responsible before God so that no one is left superfluous at the "feast of faith." The most gratifying thing in our church life is the "Eucharistic revival", foretold by the righteous John of Kronstadt.

We have no right to refuse Christians who wish to partake of the holy mysteries of Christ. The only obstacle here is the continuing state of mortal sin. The sacrament should be a deep inner need. It is unacceptable to receive communion formally, for external reasons: because Schmemann orders to receive communion every Sunday, or because mother asked, or because everyone is coming ...

Communion is a personal matter, the most important event in a person's life. The priest should remind the congregation of the importance of communion. But there is no need to demand complete uniformity. When a so-called little church person comes to me, I tell him that an indispensable duty of a Christian is annual communion. To those who have the habit of annual communion, I say that it would be nice to receive communion during all the fasts of many days and on the day of the angel. To those who go to church regularly and seek spiritual guidance, I speak of the desirability of taking communion once a month or once every three weeks. Who wants more often - maybe every week and even more often. There are people who strive to receive communion daily. These are lonely, elderly, and infirm people. I cannot refuse them, although I believe that even they should confess every time.

The norms of fasting and abstinence for each are determined individually. If a person takes communion once a year, why not talk for a week like it did before? But if you receive communion every week, you can probably fast no more than three days. At the same time, it is difficult to force people to fast on the Sabbath, remembering how much ink was shed to condemn the Latin Sabbath fast.

This raises the problem of "double morality": the clergy do not fast either on Saturday or on other non-fasting days, when they receive communion the next day. Obviously, the ecclesiastical order does not require a clergyman to fast before communion, not because he is "better" than a layman, but because he takes communion more often than a layman. It is difficult to prescribe to others what you yourself do not fulfill, and it seems that the only healthy way to overcome the "double morality" is to approximate the measure of fasting of frequently communing laity to the measure of the clergy, in accordance with this very frequency. There is no canonical basis for the orders of those rectors who solve the problem in the opposite direction, obliging subordinate clerics to abstain from meat for a certain number of days before communion.

Regardless of communion, the measure of fasting is different for different people. You cannot demand strict fasting from sick people, children, pregnant and lactating mothers. It cannot be required from those who are not accustomed to fasting or from those in cramped living conditions: those living in unbelieving families, in the army, in a hospital, in a prison. In all these cases, the fast is either softened (and here there is the possibility of multi-grade gradation) or is canceled altogether.

It is hardly advisable to demand abstinence from food and drink from infants up to seven years of age: the moment of mystical meeting with Christ, which the child's soul cannot but feel, should not be overshadowed and overshadowed by hunger for the child, not only painful, but also completely incomprehensible. It happens that a person urgently needs to take medicine: in case of a heart attack, headache, etc. This should in no way be an obstacle to communion. For those suffering from diabetes, frequent meals are necessary, which also does not in any way deprive them of the right to partake of the holy mysteries.

Nowadays, pilgrimage travels have been greatly developed. They are often timed to coincide with major holidays. It is a pity when a Christian cannot take Communion on a holiday due to the fact that on the way he could not observe fasting in all its form. In such cases, relaxation is also necessary.

There is also the problem of marital fasting. This is a delicate area, and perhaps the parishioners should not be interrogated on this topic. If they themselves want to fulfill all the rules, they need to remind them of the words of the apostle of tongues that spouses should have fasting only by mutual consent. If one of the spouses is an unbeliever, or even if they are on a different spiritual level, both being Orthodox, the imposition of abstinence on a less spiritual spouse can have very serious consequences. And if a married believer wants to receive communion, the intemperance of his husband or wife should not be an obstacle to communion.

Prayer preparation for communion is also a problem. Let us remember that in our liturgical books a distinction is made between literate and illiterate, and the latter is allowed not only to all cell rules, but even church services (Vespers, Matins ...) to be replaced by the Jesus Prayer. In our time, it seems that there are no illiterates, but there are people who are just beginning to master church books. Modern man is immersed in the cycle of worldly vanity much more than it was 300 years ago. Many modern people find it difficult to read the monastic rule: the three canons and the akathist. It is advisable to require the reading of the Succession to Communion or at least ten prayers from it. Otherwise, the parishioner begins to conscientiously read the three canons, but due to lack of time he does not reach the Follow-up. But if a person did not have time to subtract the Follow-up, but sincerely wants to receive Holy Communion, it is difficult to refuse him.

It is not always easy for everyone to attend services on the eve of communion. Hardly anyone will demand this from the old woman, who gathers strength only a few times a year to go to church and receive communion. But it is also difficult for a worker working on evening shifts and a mother of small children. In general, these days it is difficult to require everyone to attend evening worship on the eve of communion, although, of course, this should be encouraged and welcomed.

The practice of confession before each communion is generally justified. This requires, with the frequent communion of parishioners, a great deal of effort from the priests. Unfortunately, in some cases this turns into the fact that the priest, in order to make his life easier, prevents the frequent communion of his parishioners, limiting communion to fasting periods, preventing communion on Easter, on other holidays, although the church canon (66th of the VI Ecumenical Council) prescribes take communion every day of Bright Week (of course, fasting is out of the question in this case).

Easter and Christmas are holidays when many “non-church” people come to church. It is our duty to give them all we can on such days. Therefore, parishioners need to confess on the eve of, say, the first three days of Holy Week. Of course, one who has confessed and received the Holy Communion on Holy Thursday can also receive Holy Communion on Easter. Generally speaking, communion at Easter is a gratifying achievement in our church life in recent decades. But, unfortunately, this achievement is not universal. Some abbots do not give Communion to the people at Easter at all (probably, so as not to overwork), while others agree to give Communion only to those who have regularly served the entire Holy Forty Day. In this case, the reading of the Paschal word of St. John Chrysostom, where the fasting and non-fasting are called to communion, turns into an empty and hypocritical formality. Easter is the day when many of our contemporaries come to church for the first time. We must do everything in our power for the meeting of these people with Christ to take place. They need to be confessed if they want to, and perhaps also to receive the Holy Communion.

Undoubtedly, it is positive to get rid of the "common confession" in our days. However, if a parishioner, well known to the priest, comes up to the analogue and says that he wants to receive Holy Communion, the priest can probably confine himself to reading the prayer of permission.

One cannot deny the importance of penance in the matter of the spiritual revival of a person. In some cases, excommunication for a certain period may also be applied. In modern conditions, this period should not be long. At the same time, some self-proclaimed elders practice an annual or even two-year excommunication not only from communion, but also from visiting the temple. In our time, this leads to the de-churching of people who, before this unsuccessful penance, had already managed to get used to regularly attending divine services.

In conclusion, I would like to cite a quote from St. John Chrysostom, answering the question about the frequency of communion that is widely discussed in our time. As we can see from these words of the saint, in his time various practices of communion collided: some took communion very often, and some once or twice a year (and not only hermits and hermits).

“Many partake of this Sacrifice once throughout the year, others twice, and others several times. Our words apply to everyone, not only to those present here, but also to those who are in the wilderness, because they receive communion once a year, and sometimes even two years later. What? Whom should we approve? Whether those who receive communion once, or those who often, or those who rarely? Neither one nor the other, nor the third, but those who receive communion with a clear conscience, with a pure heart, with an impeccable life. Let them always start. And not like that - not once ... I say this not in order to forbid you to start once a year, but more wishing that you would incessantly approach the holy mysteries. "

Thus, the saint does not declare formally obligatory one of the practices of communion that existed in his time, as do some doctrines in fashion today, but establishes an internal, spiritual criterion.