Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: history, time of celebration and Eucharistic fast. Fasting before divine communion

There is home and church prayer. Anyone who wishes to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ must prayerfully prepare himself for this: pray more and more diligently at home, attend church services.
On the eve of communion, it is customary to attend evening church services.
For prayer preparation for Holy Communion on the eve of communion, you need to read:
- Follow-up to Holy Communion. It is in the Orthodox prayer book.
There is also a pious tradition (but not an obligation) reading three canons and akathist before receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ:
- the canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ (see the meaning of the term Canon),
– canon of prayer Holy Mother of God,
– canon to the Guardian Angel.
(On the days of celebrating the Resurrection of Christ (40 days), instead of these canons, it is usually blessed to read the Easter canon).
If a person wants to read canons and akathists and has time for this, then such reading can bring nothing but benefit.

Fast

Before Communion there is a liturgical fast. For newcomers who have fallen away and who have not observed the multi-day and one-day fasts established by the Church, the priest may establish an additional 3-7 day fast before Communion.
Fasting, in addition to food restrictions, also consists of eating and drinking less than usual, and also refraining from visiting the theater, watching entertaining films and programs, and listening to secular music. It is necessary to maintain bodily and mental purity. Spouses should abstain from physical contact on the day before and after communion.
On the eve of communion, it begins at 12 o'clock at night. strict fast– complete abstinence from drinking and eating (in the morning, when going to church for communion, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything; those suffering from tobacco addiction must also abstain from their passion).

Mood and behavior

Those preparing for Holy Communion must make peace with everyone and protect themselves from feelings of anger and irritation, refrain from condemnation and all indecent thoughts and conversations, spending time, as far as possible, in solitude, reading the Word of God (Gospel) and books of spiritual content.

Confession

Those who wish to receive communion must, on the eve, before or after the evening service, verbally confess their sins to God in the presence of a witness - a priest, sincerely opening their soul and not hiding a single sin they have committed and have a sincere intention to correct themselves.
Before confession, you must certainly reconcile with both the offenders and the offended, humbly asking everyone for forgiveness. The task of preparing for confession is to find specific qualities of your soul, character traits, actions, events or conditions that violate the Commandments of God, preventing communication with God.
During confession, it is better not to wait for the priest’s questions, but to tell him everything that weighs on your soul, without justifying yourself in anything and without shifting the blame to others.
It is more correct to confess in the evening on the eve of communion in order to participate in the liturgy in the morning. (Important! For your first confession in your life or after a long break, it is better not to come on a Sunday, when churches are full of parishioners. The priest simply will not have time to confess you in detail. It is also advisable to warn the priest that you have never confessed sins before.) In extreme cases In this case, you can confess in the morning, before the start of the liturgy. After the end of the liturgy, before communion in some churches, small children and the sick are confessed. Coming to confession when the liturgy has already begun is an extreme neglect of the Sacrament. Having confessed, you need to make a firm decision not to repeat your previous sins again. Without confession, no one can be admitted to Holy Communion, except for children under 7 years of age and in cases of mortal danger.

Before Holy Communion and during Holy Communion

Even before the opening of the royal doors and the removal of the Holy Gifts, it is best soon after singing “Our Father,” you need to approach the altar and wait for the removal of the Holy Gifts with the exclamation “Come with the fear of God and faith.” At the same time, it is customary to let children, elderly and infirm parishioners go ahead. When approaching the Chalice, you need to bow in advance, from afar, and fold your arms crosswise on your chest (right over left). There is no need to cross yourself in front of the Holy Chalice, so as not to accidentally push it. Approaching the Chalice, you need to clearly pronounce your full Christian name, open your lips (mouth) wide and reverently, with full consciousness of the holiness of the great Sacrament, accept the Body and Blood of Christ and immediately swallow. Having accepted the Holy Mysteries, without crossing yourself, kissed the edge of the Chalice and immediately went to the table to taste a piece of prosphora and wash it down with warmth.

After Holy Communion

It is not customary to leave the church before kissing the altar cross in the hands of a priest. You should also listen thanksgiving prayers(or read them when you get home).
On the day of Holy Communion - behave reverently and decorously, in order to “honestly keep Christ accepted within you.”

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From a canonical point of view, the practice of preparing for Communion is regulated by the following rules: the Council of Carthage 47 (58) and the Council of Trullo 29; St. Nikephoros the Confessor 9th; Timothy of Alexandria 5th and I Ecumenical Council 13th.
According to the rules of the Councils of Carthage and Trullo, one can receive communion only on an empty stomach; the 9th rule of St. Nikephoros the Confessor speaks of the possibility of giving communion to a dying person even after he has eaten food. The rule of Timothy of Alexandria defines the need for marital abstinence on the eve of communion.

The Inter-Council Presence has developed and published a number of draft documents, including “On Preparation for Holy Communion.” Such documents claim to reflect the conciliar opinion of the Church on important issues in its life. Now there is an opportunity to discuss the submitted projects and encourage members of the relevant commissions to make changes to them. We bring to your attention a review of the draft document “On Preparation for Holy Communion” by Archpriest Andrei Dudchenko.

The portal “Bogoslov.ru” published a draft official document of the Moscow Patriarchate, regulating the rules of preparation for the main Christian sacrament- Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. The document drawn up by the commission of the Inter-Council Presence was also sent to the Russian dioceses Orthodox Church in order to receive feedback. The very appearance of such a document is undoubtedly an important and long-awaited phenomenon. The good news is that the document does not “come down from above” in finished form, but is offered for feedback. This means that it is hoped that opinions will be heard and taken into account when drawing up the final version.

What can be said about the essence of the proposed document?

First of all, the document presents communion as an individual matter for each Christian. Instead of focusing on the fact that communion is integral to the entire rite of the Divine Liturgy, for which, in fact, it is performed, attention is again switched to individual “rules of preparation.” Of course, it is also necessary to talk about the individual, but when Communion remains a purely individual matter, we lose something very important - namely, our liturgy, which in translation means “a common cause,” turns into “the work of some who have prepared.” It would be better, in my opinion, to write about the fact that the very structure of the liturgy presupposes communion, just as, for example, an invitation to a festive meal presupposes that all guests will at least try the food. Communion at every liturgy in which a Christian participates is not an unattainable ideal and not “super-frequent” communion, as some say, but a norm that follows, first of all, from the very structure of the service.

The very rite of the Divine Liturgy, at which it is performed, that is, bread and wine are consecrated, is performed so that everyone who takes part in this service will receive communion. It is this meaning that is expressed in the prayers of the liturgy. In the liturgy there can only be participants, and there cannot be spectators. This worship is a common cause, emanating from the very essence of the Church.

The common communion of all believers at the liturgy was so self-evident that deviation from this principle is considered in church canons as a falling away from the Church: “All the faithful who enter the church and listen to the Scriptures, but do not remain in prayer and holy communion to the end, as causing disorder in the church, should be excommunicated from church communion,” says the 9th Apostolic Canon. And canon 80 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council says that those who, without a good reason, did not receive communion on 3 Sundays in a row, actually excommunicated themselves from the Church.

I would like the document to reflect the main condition of communion: we accept the Holy Gifts not because we fasted, confessed, read the rule, etc., but for the only real reason - because Jesus Christ calls us to this. Approaching the Chalice, we respond to His call, which sounds at the liturgy: “Take, eat... Drink from it, all of you...”. Bishop Philaret (Zverev), in one of the conversations about Communion, noting this liturgical exclamation, commented: “Do you hear what is said? Not “those who fasted, who read the rule...”, but all of them!” This does not mean, of course, that everyone can receive communion indiscriminately. But all Christians who live responsibly according to their faith are called to always approach the Chalice. And here the task of the confessor is to explain this and inspire to take communion more often!

The document assigns an overly exclusive role to the confessor - to determine for each believer the requirements of preparation for Communion. And this is in our time, when among all Christians the crisis of responsibility is more noticeable than ever. Our believers very often strive to shift responsibility from themselves to someone else, and the priest ends up in the role of this other. Yes, the confessor should prompt and guide, but the task of the confessor is to ensure that the spiritual child grows and strengthens, and no longer requires the priest to make a decision for himself every time.

The practice of fasting, which arose in our Church in the centuries of decline of Eucharistic consciousness, is elevated by the document to the rank of a norm, to which an honorable second point is given! Of course, the practice that arose for obvious reasons cannot be dismissed altogether, but it would be worth explaining that main preparation Communion should be the whole life of a Christian, and not a certain period of “fasting”. This practice should be reserved for those who receive communion rarely - once a year or once during a multi-day fast, but should not be required of those who receive communion every Sunday or once every two weeks.

Otherwise, the result is absurd: those who receive communion more than once a month are called upon by the document to fast an additional day before receiving communion. Considering that the Eucharistic day is primarily a Sunday day, believers are called upon to systematically violate the Apostolic rule prohibiting fasting on Saturday! And this despite the fact that the priests themselves, who receive communion at each service, do not fast additionally. Isn't this introducing the vicious practice of double standards?

It seems to me that it would be better to state the requirements of additional fasting in the following wording: “For those who receive communion one or more times a year, it is enough to fast for at least three days before communion; for those who receive communion less often than once every three weeks - one day; for those who receive communion more often, it is enough to observe the fasts and fasting days established by the church charter, and also to abstain from eating food from midnight.” Additional fasting is also possible for those who receive communion frequently, but it should not be mandatory!

Quite rightly, the document points out the inappropriateness of fasting and the desirability of communion during Bright Week. However, being consistent, the same approach should be applied to other continuous weeks, especially Christmastide.

A separate question is about the relationship between confession and Communion. It is clear that with rare communion, the practice of mandatory confession before Communion that arose in the Russian Church is necessary and should not be violated. However, with frequent communion, the need for confession is within the competence of the confessor and the believer himself. There is nothing wrong with the fact that a person will receive communion every Sunday and confess once a month or as needed, provided that he keeps himself from mortal sins.

The document unconditionally prohibits communion on the days “ female uncleanness" Here, firstly, it would be worth softening the wording, calling the mentioned period “days of purification”, and secondly, it is necessary to stipulate the conditions under which women in such a state are still allowed to receive communion. Such conditions may be illness, death, or other special circumstances at the discretion of the confessor.

The issue of preparing children for Communion requires separate study. The document refers to the 18th rule of Timothy of Alexandria, according to which the first confession of a child is made when he reaches the age of ten. In the Russian tradition, the custom of confessing children from the age of seven has been established. But can frequent confession be useful at this age? Isn’t it better, following Fr. Vladimir Vorobyov, advise children to confess once every 7 years, the next time at eight years old, and the third time at nine?

The question of Eucharistic fasting for children raises the same question. The document suggests giving communion to children on an empty stomach starting from the age of three. From the experience of my family and the families of parishioners, I can testify that not every child, even at five years old, is able to withstand fasting until Communion, especially when the liturgy does not begin very early, and you still need to get to the temple. Wouldn't it be better to require communion on an empty stomach from the age when the child first makes confession, and for younger children to leave this to the discretion of the parents, indicating that after three years the child should begin to gradually be accustomed to the Eucharistic fast? Is there anything sinful in the fact that a five-year-old child drinks water at home in the morning or eats a cookie, and then, coming to church with his parents, calmly and joyfully approaches the Chalice?

As can be concluded from paragraph 6 of the project under discussion, the document proposes not to allow persons who are not in a registered marriage or who are unmarried to receive Communion. Of course, it is impossible to encourage prodigal cohabitation and it is criminal. But in pastoral practice one has to encounter situations that do not fit into simple circuits. We are not talking about young people: for young couples, marriage is, of course, mandatory. However, it happens that people who already have children get together and begin to live as husband and wife.

They do not register the marriage so as not to get involved in difficult questions distribution of inheritance - that is, say, one of the parties wants to leave their property to their children, or, conversely, being bound by obligations on a loan, the husband does not want this responsibility to pass to the new spouse. It happens that people live in such a “marriage” for more than ten years - so what, deprive them of the opportunity to receive communion? It is unlikely that such a couple should be perceived as “cohabitants” - an analogue of the Roman concubinage. After all, this is not “free love without obligations,” but in fact a family with full responsibility to each other.

In this regard, it seems possible, for economic reasons, to apply the norm permissible in Jewish law: marriage is considered a free union of a man and a woman, whose life together can be confirmed by two or more witnesses. But I’ll make a reservation again that such an approach cannot be applied to everyone, but only to mature couples who have lived together for quite a long time, and in special, exceptional cases, when other ways of resolving this situation are impossible.

In conclusion, I will give my own answer to the question “How to prepare for Communion?” This text is included in my book “Confession and Communion: practical advice”, which was published last year on the recommendation of the Review Commission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

How to prepare for Communion?

1. Understand the meaning and sincerely desire Communion. Those who come to Communion must understand what it is and why. We receive communion in order to unite with God Himself, enter into communion with Him, and accept the Body and Blood of Christ for sanctification and cleansing from sins. You must have a sincere personal desire for this, and not forced by some authority, “duty,” or recommendation of a healer or “grandmother.”

2. Have peace with everyone. To take communion, you must be at peace with all people, at least not have a desire for revenge. You cannot accept the Sacrament in a state of hostility or hatred. The Lord Jesus said, “If you are bringing your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

3. Do not commit mortal sins, excommunicating from Communion. This is primarily murder (including abortion), adultery, betrayal of God with various fortune-tellers, psychic healers. In case of apostasy, it is necessary first of all to reunite with the Church through confession with a priest.

4. Live as a Christian every day. In order to receive Holy Communion, it is better not to invent special periods of preparation, but to live in such a way that everyday life itself is compatible with regular participation in the Lord's Table. The essential content of such a life is daily personal prayer, reading and studying the Bible - the Word of God, the obligatory fulfillment of God's commandments and the constant internal struggle with the “old man” living inside us, with our nature damaged by sin, which attracts us to sin.

Important components of spiritual life are daily examination of conscience (for example, before going to bed) and regular confession. It is extremely important for a correct spiritual life to strive to live not for oneself, but for the sake of one’s neighbor, internal honesty, truthfulness and humility before each person. It is also important, as far as possible, to balance your life rhythm and schedule with the liturgical rhythm, observing generally accepted fasts (Wednesday and Friday, as well as multi-day fasts, of which the most important is the pre-Easter fast). Lent) and, if possible, participating in holiday services, which occur not only on Sundays.

5. Liturgical fast. It has long been customary in church tradition to approach Communion on an empty stomach. This disciplinary norm is called “liturgical fasting.” As a rule, one abstains from food and drink from midnight before Communion. According to the definition of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the duration of liturgical fasting should be at least 6 hours (in cases where the liturgy is celebrated at night, for example, on Easter or Christmas, 6 hours of complete fasting is not required). That is, if you accidentally drank water after midnight, and in the morning you are going to Liturgy at 9 o’clock, this is not a reason to refuse Communion. In the same way, there is no reason to refuse Communion if you swallowed a little water while washing your face in the morning.

It should be remembered that the disciplinary norm applies to physically healthy people. For those who, for example, suffer diabetes mellitus, you are allowed to eat in the morning. In the same way, you can take medications necessary for health reasons before Communion. In the end, and Last Supper, and the Eucharistic meals of the first Christians were celebrated in the evening, after meals. And when preparing for Communion, what matters is the state of the heart and soul, not the state of the stomach.

Additional post. Those who have not received Communion for a long time, as a disciplinary preparation, need to fast an additional three days or a week before Communion - abstain from meat and dairy products, and also focus on prayer, reading the Word of God and preparing for confession during these days. An additional fast before Communion for three days or a week was not a tradition of the Orthodox Church for many centuries and became a custom only in the era of decline, when most believers began to receive communion only once a year or during each of the multi-day fasts.

Until now, many priests require all parishioners to fast an additional three days before Communion, which, in fact, turns into the need to fast for four days in a row - after all, in the case of preparation for Communion on Sunday, fasting lasts from Wednesday (which itself is a fast day ) until Saturday inclusive. But at the same time, the requirement for additional post strangely does not apply to the clergy themselves.

As noted, the requirement from the laity is more strict rules preparation for Communion than from the clergy is unacceptable and contrary to the liturgy itself, in which “everyone - the bishop, the priest, and the laity - appears before God and stands before God in equal dignity, or, more precisely, in equal unworthiness.”

Last years more and more bishops and priests, in particular Metropolitan. Hilarion (Alfeev), come to the opinion that for those people who live a serious Christian life, have experience in daily personal prayer, observe the fasts and fast days established by the Church and strive to receive Communion often (if possible at every Sunday and holiday liturgy), an additional three-day fast before Communion is not required. At the same time, notes Metropolitan. Hilarion, the rules of preparation should be more strict for those who receive communion rarely than for those who receive communion often.

6. Confession. As a rule, before Communion in churches they require mandatory confession. It can be performed either immediately before the liturgy, or the evening before or several days before. Those people whom the priest knows to be conscious Christians who live according to the faith and regularly receive communion may be allowed to receive communion without the obligation of confession - such a practice is generally accepted in the Greek Church.

7. Prayer preparation before Communion includes reading the canon and prayers for Holy Communion - in the evening or in the morning before the liturgy. A healthy person is recommended to come to the temple the day before for the evening service. The reading of other prayers, such as the canons of repentance, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel, and the akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, entered into practice and became a fairly widespread custom.

The injunction to read the three canons before communion is published today in many prayer books, however, according to the remark of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev), the question of the mandatory nature of this rule remains “debatable.” It should be remembered that in ancient times the reading of Small Compline with three canons constituted the usual evening prayer rule and was not directly related to Communion. To this day, Little Compline is the evening prayer rule in the Greek Church.

Regarding duration prayer rule You can consult with the priest with whom you usually or most often confess. Thus, the practice of reading the three canons is not mandatory, for example, in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy, where the rector of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University, Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov, serves as rector.

During the liturgy in church, you need to pray together with everyone, and not read your rule, which you did not have time to “read” at home. The liturgy is a “common affair” in which all worshipers should be involved. If for some reason it was not possible to fulfill the prayer rule before the start of the service, then it would be better to directly tell the priest about this and ask for a blessing for Communion.

8. Bodily abstinence. On the night before Communion, it is customary for spouses to abstain from physical marital relations.

Finally, it is worth recalling that those wishing to receive communion must come to the church at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. The Sacrament of Communion cannot be considered in isolation from the entire service at which it is celebrated. The need for everyone to gather in one place is evident from the very word “liturgy”, which translated from Greek means public service or work, general service. All early Christian monuments testify to the fact that the meeting was the first and necessary condition The Eucharist, its basis and beginning. This is also indicated by the designation of the bishop or priest leading the liturgy as primate, enshrined in our liturgical books.

The bishop or priest standing at the throne is the “primate of the brethren.” He performs the service together with everyone present in the temple, offering prayers not on his own behalf, but on behalf of the entire assembly of the faithful. Strictly speaking, the Eucharist is celebrated by the entire community, since each believer is not only present in the temple, but participates in common prayers. The community and the primate co-serve each other, and this co-service is expressed in the dialogic structure of church prayers. Almost all Eucharistic prayers are said on behalf of the entire congregation and are sealed with the word Amen; The main parts of the service - reading Scripture, consecration of the Gifts and communion - begin with the mutual teaching of peace: Peace to all - and to your spirit. Finally, as he writes, “all prayers have as their content our praise, our thanksgiving, our communion, and their goal is “to unite us all to each other in one Communion of the Spirit...”.”

The bishops' meeting, held in Moscow on February 2 and 3, approved the document of the Inter-Council Presence« ». Nun Evgenia Senchukova, at the request of Pravmir, comments on the new provision on communion.

Breakthrough - it seems that with the advent of this document in the Russian Orthodox Church, the obligatory three-day fast before communion, which created a lot of problems for those wishing to receive communion, has come to an end.

I know quite a few people who were not ready to receive communion every Sunday or even every other Sunday, because four days of fasting a week (and even in a row) is clearly not a requirement for the laity, who have never dreamed of a fasting life.

In the document, this norm remains for those who begin the sacrament several times a year - for those who receive communion weekly or several times a month, fasting is reduced or completely abolished:

“The current practice, according to which the person receiving communion several times a year fasts for three days before communion, is fully consistent with the tradition of the Church. Also acceptable should be considered the practice when a person who receives communion weekly or several times a month, and at the same time observing the multi-day and one-day fasts specified in the Charter, proceeds to the Holy Chalice without additional fasting, or maintaining a one-day fast or fasting on the evening of the eve of communion.”

Ultimately, this question is left to the discretion of the confessor, but at least no one can call weekly communion zeal beyond reason, delusion, and so on.

It seems to me that the three-day fast before a rare communion is also due to penitential practice. Refusal to participate in the Eucharist without satisfactory reasons - and what are they in our time? major cities with dozens of parishes, can there be satisfactory reasons? – a serious, at least canonical violation.

Post, in in this case, could act as a kind of “compensation” for the ungodly attitude towards the shrine.

About the frequency of Communion

Even more revolutionary was the recognition of the right of believers to receive communion, and even without fasting, during Bright Week and Christmastide.

“...The laity are called to receive communion at the liturgies of Bright Week. Bearing in mind that during Bright Week the Charter does not provide for fasting and that Bright Week is preceded by seven weeks of the feat of Great Lent and Holy Week, –It should be recognized that, in accordance with canonical tradition, the practice that has developed in many parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church is when Christians observing Lent during Bright Week begin Holy Communion, limiting the fast to not eating food after midnight. A similar practice may be extended between Christmas and Epiphany.”

Cases when people were denied communion during continuous weeks because “it is impossible to fast now, and without fasting it is impossible to receive communion” are, unfortunately, not uncommon. Meanwhile, the document even quotes the well-known 66th rule of the Trullo Council, according to which the faithful must receive communion on Bright Week.

Here we smoothly approach the topic of “frequent communion.”

Several years ago, from among those misunderstoodly called “conservative,” there were accusations of the “heresy of hyper-frequent communion.” The “superfrequency” category included the most different modes: from daily participation in the Eucharist (which, in fact, is rare - very few people manage to attend the liturgy every day) to a very relaxed communion once every two weeks.

Now, at least, the faithful have been reminded that the practical answer to the question of the frequency of communion for the laity has changed many times, and precisely by last stage Church history (1931), every Sunday communion was declared the norm.

“In particular, in 1931, the Provisional Patriarchal Synod, in its resolution of May 13, indicated: “The wish regarding the possible frequent communion of Orthodox Christians, and for those who are successful among them–and consider every Sunday acceptable.”

Some laity consider it natural to participate more frequently in the Sacrament. It seems that this is only relevant for church workers - others simply do not have time to visit the temple every day - and even for people whose lives are concentrated around the temple (monastics or deeply pious laity).

In any case, this is too individual a question to be discussed in detail in a document. It certainly must be decided personally by the confessor and the child.

More than once I have met people who sincerely believe that the question of the frequency of communion is absolutely individual, to such an extent that a confessor is not at all needed here: “And a priest asks his confessor how many times he can take communion?”

I disagree. There is still hierarchy and obedience in the Church - and this is normal. The priest serves the liturgy with the blessing of his bishop. A layman participates in the liturgy with the blessing of the priest. Moreover, a layman in choosing a confessor (at least in big cities) is more free.

The choice of a confessor is in many ways the responsibility of the flock itself. So the position of the document seems restrained and correct.

About the Eucharistic Fast

Personally, I do not quite understand the concept of Eucharistic fasting presented by the authors. It seems that historically the Eucharistic fast was formed as a time of abstinence from food and drink on the day of communion:

“Eucharistic fast in the strict sense of the word–complete abstinence from food and drink from midnight until Holy Communion".

Then where does the six hours of abstinence come from? The requirement for a minimum of six hours of fasting (ideally from midnight) appears, as correctly noted in the text, in the decision of the Holy Synod of 1968 and concerns evening communion:

“When celebrating the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening hours, abstinence for those receiving communion from eating and drinking must be at least six hours; however, abstinence before communion from midnight to the beginning of the given day is very commendable, and those who have physical strength can adhere to it.”

« One should also be guided by a minimum six-hour norm of abstinence when preparing for communion at the Divine Liturgy performed at night (for example, on the holidays of Holy Easter and the Nativity of Christ).”

But the festive Divine Liturgies are celebrated at night just after the day when, according to the rules, the Liturgy is celebrated in the evening! I know parishes where on Christmas Eve they fast until the evening, then they perform vespers with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, then a Lenten meal, and very soon a new service begins, already in remembrance of the Nativity of Christ (not to mention the bread distributed at the liturgy during the all-night vigil vigils).

The very logic of Holy Saturday - the only fast Saturday of the year, according to Apostolic Canon 64 - presupposes an evening meal. After all, the prohibition of fasting on Saturday concerns not so much the diet (whether we eat food of animal origin), but rather abstaining from food for the whole day - this is how fasting was understood in ancient times.

As Bishop Nikodim (Milash) comments: “Here we are talking about dry fasting (dry eating), when it was forbidden to eat all day until the evening, and in the evening it was allowed to take only strictly lean food without fish.”

Of course, now few people fast according to strict rules. Usually on Holy Saturday a light meal is offered after the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which no one (almost: I know of only one church where the Liturgy of Holy Saturday is served from four o'clock in the afternoon) does not serve in the evenings.

But there are a sufficient number of believers who try to spend as long a time as possible in fasting - as a rule, they refresh themselves in the evening shortly before the night Easter service, in accordance with the ancient Charter.

I could be wrong, but it seems that the celebration of the liturgies of the most significant holidays - Christmas and Easter - at night and the actual absence of the Eucharistic fast (only the time of worship itself) are connected. During the many-day fast, people purified themselves with repentance and abstinence, and on the day of the holiday itself, fasting is canceled altogether: the day begins with celebration - with the Eucharist.

About prayer

The clearly defined prayer rule in the document looks somewhat unexpected:

“The prayer rule usually includes canons to the Savior, Mother of God, Guardian Angel and other prayers."

There is no doubt, “Following to Holy Communion” is an unchangeable and obligatory part. But few people are now preparing according to the Followed Psalter. The practice is varied: one person is blessed with the reading of three canons with two akathists, another - three canons without akathists, a third - the canons of the day, a fourth - not canons at all, but the Holy Scriptures, and a fifth is asked to limit himself to a careful and thoughtful reading of the Sequence.

I don’t know how exactly this formulation was born, but it seems to me that the question of a personal prayer rule is even more individual. As a last resort, a softer formulation could be used: “The most common prayer rule includes...”.

Let me suggest that reading the canons would be appropriate precisely for those who, for one reason or another, have not been to evening worship. This would be a great help for parishioners of those churches where there is no permanent priest - it would be good if the priest came on major holidays...

About uncleanness

The question of female impurity is only special case themes of impurity in general, but this is what constantly comes up. Several years ago, Pravmir offered its readers polemics and...

Sister Vassa defends the point of view that the very posing of the question of impurity is a relapse of pre-Christian consciousness and, according to by and large, contradicts Christian theology in principle. Father Sergius considers this approach superficial.

The problem is, in fact, not simple, and the document offers a view from only one side - the canonical one.

“The canons prohibit communion in a state of female impurity (2nd canon of St. Dionysius of Alexandria, 7th canon of Timothy of Alexandria). An exception may be made in case of mortal danger, as well as when bleeding continues. long time due to a chronic or acute illness.”

Indeed, these rules categorically require the purification of a woman if she wishes to begin the sacrament. But there are other texts, including canonical ones.

Saint Athanasius the Great in his letter to Ammun writes:

“I am amazed at the trick of the devil, that although he is corruption and destruction, he apparently puts in thoughts of purity. But what he does is more of a slander or a temptation. For, as I said, in order to distract the ascetics from their usual and saving care, and, as he imagines, to defeat them, for this purpose he stirs up such rumors that do not bring any benefit to life, but only empty questions and vanity, which must be avoided .

For tell me, beloved and most reverent, what is sinful or unclean in any natural eruption, such as, for example, if someone wanted to blame the discharge of phlegm from the nostrils and spitting from the mouth. We can talk about more than this, about the eruptions of the womb, which are necessary for the life of an animal. Moreover, if, according to Divine Scripture, we believe that man is the work of God’s hands, then how could a desecrated work come about from pure power; and if we are the race of God, according to the Divine Scripture of the Apostolic Acts (17:28), then we have nothing unclean in ourselves.”

“Indeed, if you, wife, think that during the seven days when you have your period, you do not have the Holy Spirit in you; it follows that if you die suddenly, you will leave without the Holy Spirit and boldness and hope in God. But the Holy Spirit, of course, is inherent in you, because He is not limited by place, and you have a need for prayer, the Eucharist and the coming of the Holy Spirit, although you have not sinned in the least.”

No less famous are the words of St. Gregory Dvoeslov:

“It is impossible at such a time to forbid a woman to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. If she does not dare to accept him out of great respect, this is commendable; but, having accepted it, she will not commit a sin... Leave women to their own understanding, and if during their menstruation they do not dare to approach the sacrament of the flesh and blood of the Lord, they should be praised for their piety. If, having become accustomed to a pious life, they want to accept this sacrament, they should not, as we have already said, be prevented from doing so.”

Why does such a contradiction arise in Tradition? First, I would like to find out what is called “the intention of the legislator.” Why do canons about uncleanliness arise at all? Is this related to jurisprudence? With hygiene? With religious practice?

Perhaps there are special studies on this topic. And, of course, I would like the following editions to indicate different points of view on this delicate issue.

About Confession

« Those preparing for holy communion undergo a test of their conscience, which involves sincere repentance of their sins and revealing them to the priest in the Sacrament of Repentance» .

It has been said many times that the sacraments of repentance and communion cannot be reduced to one another. However, even the apologist for continuous communion, the Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, insists on the need to confess before communion:

“Before anyone receives communion, he needs to make the proper preparation, that is, he confesses to his spiritual father, is contrite, corrected, touched, acquires attention to his spiritual life, is protected from passionate thoughts, as far as possible, and from any other evil” ( A most soul-helping book about the unceasing communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ), “...The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, with due preparation, that is, contrition, confession, cleansing through penance and necessary fasting; secondly, spiritually and mentally in the mind and heart.”

Here, however, it is worth making a reservation: these texts were written by a monk. For a monk, constant contrition for sin and working to eliminate it through confession to the spiritual father are normal and natural. For a layman, all this is also desirable, but in reality it is hardly feasible.

In an ideal situation, a monk is in constant communication with his spiritual father. Listening to confession and assigning penance, the confessor knows what and to whom he recommends. Do you know many lay people who are in such a connection with their confessors? Me not. And games of “revelation of thoughts” have nothing to do with piety.

It seems to me justified for the laity:

“In my opinion, if a person does not feel any serious sins that would force him to seek a full confession, he does not have to confess before each communion... It’s okay if, having received communion three or four times a month, you confess only twice.” .

On the other hand, it is very important and correct that in the document under discussion the need for mandatory confession for the laity is explained by purely practical considerations:

“many who come to churches are not yet sufficiently rooted in church life, and therefore sometimes do not understand the meaning of the Sacrament of the Eucharist or do not realize the moral and canonical consequences of their sinful acts; confession allows the confessing priest to judge the possibility of allowing the penitent to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.”

The idea that a priest becomes a “guardian of the Sacrament” seems far-fetched to me. This is what he is assigned as a shepherd to do - to assess the spiritual state of the believer.

Not every priest will use his power to drive a layman away from the Chalice. I dare say not even half. But it is necessary to define the boundaries of what is permissible for a Christian.

If this seems wrong to deeply churched people, just take a closer look and listen around. Even among the parishioners of your native churches, you will easily meet people who believe that drunkenness is a Christian, if not a virtue, then an innocent fun, referring to the textbook “Rus' is the joy of drinking.”

A huge number of completely religious people believe that it is absolutely impossible not to fornicate, because abstinence is harmful to health. More large quantity People who regularly visit the temple are greatly surprised to learn about the sin of fortune telling.

This does not mean at all that all these people should be excommunicated from the Eucharist. On the contrary, perhaps the Holy Gifts will enlighten them and strengthen them in the fight against sin. But confession before communion will allow them to understand that sin stands between them and Christ. Not a short post. Not an unread prayer rule. And sin. Which, perhaps, they did not understand as a sin.

Finally, I would like to say what, in my opinion, is missing from the document. What is missing is a reminder of the obvious truth (apparently, because of the obviousness, it was not included in the document) that liturgy is a common matter. The purpose and culmination of this service is the unification of the faithful into one Body of Christ. The rest is details that will gradually and as necessary be clarified and clarified.

The opportunity to leave comments is provided to everyone.

The initial draft of this document was prepared by the Inter-Council Presence commission on issues of parish life and parish practice, then edited by a special working group, consisting of representatives of theological schools. Next, the project was sent for study to the Inter-Council Presence Commission on Divine Services and church art, after which it was finalized by the editorial commission of the Inter-Council Presence, chaired by the Patriarch.

1. Brief historical overview

The spiritual life of an Orthodox Christian is unthinkable without communion of the Holy Mysteries. By partaking of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, believers are mysteriously united with Christ the Savior, form His one Body - the Church, and receive the sanctification of soul and body.

Already in the apostolic era, the Church established the tradition of celebrating the Eucharist every Sunday (and, if possible, more often: for example, on the days of remembrance of martyrs), so that Christians could constantly be in communion with Christ and with each other (see, for example, 1 Cor 10 :16-17; Acts 2:46; All members of the local community participated in the weekly Eucharist and received communion, and refusal to participate in Eucharistic communion without sufficient grounds was considered as neglect of the Church and was subject to censure.

The quantitative growth of the Church in the 3rd and especially the 4th century led to significant changes in its organization. In particular, Eucharistic meetings began to be held more and more often, and the presence of ordinary Christians at them began to be perceived by many as desirable, but not obligatory - as well as participation in communion. The Church contrasted this with the following canonical norm: “All who enter the church and listen to the Holy Scriptures, but, due to some deviation from order, do not participate in prayer with the people, or turn away from the communion of the holy Eucharist, may they be excommunicated from the Church until they confess, show the fruits of repentance, and ask forgiveness, and thus will be able to receive it"(2nd rule of the Council of Antioch).

However, the high ideal of constant readiness to receive the Holy Mysteries has proven difficult to achieve for many Christians. Therefore, already in the works of the Holy Fathers of the 4th century there is evidence of the coexistence of different practices regarding the regularity of communion. Thus, St. Basil the Great speaks of receiving communion four times a week as the norm: “To receive communion every day and partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ is good and beneficial, since [Christ] Himself clearly says: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life... We receive Communion four times every week: on Sunday, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as on other days, if the memory of any saint occurs"(Message 93).

Less than half a century later, St. John Chrysostom notes that many - including monastics - began to receive communion once or twice a year, and calls on zealous Christians to adhere to the ancient norm of receiving communion at every Liturgy: “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 in the desert, because they [also] receive communion once a year, and often once every two years. What? Who should we approve? Are those who [take communion] once, or those who often, or those who rarely? Neither one nor the other, nor the third, but those who partake with a clear conscience, with with a pure heart, with an impeccable life. Let such people always begin; but not such [should not receive communion] even once [a year].”

In the 4th century, the norm of obligatory Eucharistic fasting - complete abstinence from food and drink on the day of communion until the moment of receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ - was finally fixed: “Let the holy sacrament of the altar be performed by people who have not eaten”(41st rule of the Carthage Council; confirmed by 29th rule of the Fifth-Sixth Council). However, already at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries, as St. John Chrysostom writes, many Christians associated communion not only with Eucharistic abstinence before the Liturgy, but also with the observance of Lent. The saint condemns the elevation of this custom to the rank of norm: “Please tell me: starting communion once a year, do you really think that forty days is enough for you to cleanse your sins for the entire [this] period? And then, after a week, you indulge in the same things again? Tell me: if you, having recovered for forty days from a long illness, then again took up the same food that caused the illness, would you not have lost the previous work? Obviously so. If this is how physical [health] is structured, then even more so is moral health... [In total] forty - and often not forty - days you devote to the health of your soul - and you think that you have appeased God?<...>I say this not to forbid you to begin once a year, but rather to desire that you always begin the Holy Mysteries.”(Conversations on Hebrews 17:4).

At the same time, in Byzantium, by the 11th-12th centuries, the monastic environment had established a tradition of receiving communion only after preparation, which included fasting, testing one’s conscience before the monastic confessor, and reading a special prayer rule before communion, which originated and began to develop precisely in this era. Pious laypeople also began to focus on this same tradition, since monastic spirituality in Orthodoxy has always been perceived as an ideal. In its most strict form, this tradition is presented, for example, in the instructions of the Russian Typikon (chapter 32) about the obligatory seven-day fast before communion.

In 1699, an article entitled “Teaching News” was included in the Russian Service Book. It, in particular, contains instructions about the obligatory period of preparation for Holy Communion - during four multi-day fasts, everyone can receive communion, and outside the fasts one should fast for seven days, but this period can be reduced: “Let them fast for three days or one day”.

In practice, an extremely strict approach to preparing for Holy Communion, which had positive spiritual aspects, led, however, to the fact that some Christians did not receive communion for a long time, citing the need decent training. In particular, the rule on compulsory communion for all Christians was directed against this abuse Russian Empire at least once a year, contained in the “Spiritual Regulations”: “Every Christian should partake of the Holy Eucharist often, and at least once a year. This is also our most graceful thanksgiving to God for the great salvation accomplished for us by the Savior’s death. As often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until it comes. And parting words to the eternal life. Unless you eat the Body of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you. And there is a character or sign with which we show ourselves that we are the uds of the one mental Body of Christ, that is, accomplices of the one Holy Church... For this reason, if a Christian seems to be moving away from the Holy Communion, he thereby reveals to himself that he is not in The Body of Christ, sitting, is not an accomplice of the Church.”.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, pious people sought to receive communion at least during all four Lents, and the saints of that time, among whom were St. Theophan the Recluse, Righteous John of Kronstadt and others, called for people to approach the Holy Mysteries even more often. The confessional feat of the Church during the years of godless persecution of the twentieth century prompted us to rethink the previously existing practice of rare communion, so that now the majority of church-going Orthodox people receive communion with much greater frequency than Christians in pre-revolutionary Russia.

2. Fasting

The requirements for preparation for Holy Communion determined by the confessor depend on the frequency of communion of the Holy Mysteries and the spiritual and moral state of the believer.

The practice of preparatory fasting (fasting) is regulated by the ascetic tradition of the Church. Fasting in the form of abstinence from fast food (and in a more strict version - in the form of dry eating) and withdrawal from entertainment, accompanied by fervent prayer and repentance, traditionally precedes communion of the Holy Mysteries. At the same time, the duration and severity of fasting as preparation for Holy Communion can vary depending on the internal state of a Christian, as well as the objective conditions of his life.

The current practice, according to which for those who receive communion several times a year it is enough to fast for three days, and for those who receive communion more than once a month - one day, subject to one-day and multi-day fasts - is fully consistent with the tradition of the Church, reflected, among other things, , in the Teaching News.

According to church tradition, fasting consists not only of refusing certain foods, but also of more often attending church services, as well as performing a certain home prayer sequence, which usually consists of canons and akathists to the Savior, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel, saints, and others. church prayers. The volume and composition of the home prayer rule during the fasting period, according to the Followed Psalter (more precisely, included in its composition “The Rule for those preparing to serve, and those who want to partake of the Holy Divine Sacraments, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ”), can change and depends on the spiritual the dispensation of the person preparing for communion, as well as the objective conditions of his life. The most important part of the prayer preparation of a communicant is the preparation for Holy Communion, consisting of the appropriate canon and prayers. Since the Eucharist is the pinnacle of the entire liturgical circle, presence at the services preceding the Divine Liturgy - first of all, Vespers and Matins (or all-night vigil) - is an important part of the preparation for receiving the Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

When determining the measure of fasting and the scope of the prayer rule for those preparing for Holy Communion, confessors should take into account the mental and physical state of the fasting person, general employment and burden of caring for others.

When preparing for Holy Communion, it is necessary to remember that the purpose of fasting is not the external fulfillment of formal conditions, but the acquisition of a repentant state of soul, sincere forgiveness and reconciliation with others.

3. Bright Week

A special case in relation to the practice of fasting is Bright Week - the week after the holiday of Easter. The ancient canonical norm about the obligatory participation of all the faithful in the Sunday Eucharist in the 7th century was extended to the Divine Liturgies of all days of Bright Week: “From the holy day of the Resurrection of Christ our God until New Week, throughout the entire week, the faithful must in the holy churches continually practice psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, rejoicing and triumphant in Christ, and listening to the reading of the Divine Scriptures, and enjoying the Holy Mysteries. For in this way we will be resurrected together with Christ and ascended.”(66th rule of the Trullo Council). From this rule it clearly follows that the laity are called to receive communion at the liturgies of Bright Week. Based on this rule, and also bearing in mind that the Rules do not provide for fasting during Bright Week and that Bright Week is preceded by seven weeks of labor of Great Lent and Holy Week, we should recognize the practice that has developed in a number of parishes and dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church as corresponding to canonical tradition , when Christians observing Lent during Bright Week begin Holy Communion, limiting the fast to not eating food after midnight.

4. Eucharistic fast

Eucharistic fasting in the strict sense of the word should be distinguished from fasting - complete abstinence from food and drink from midnight until Holy Communion. This post is canonically obligatory (see above) and cannot be canceled. It should be noted that the requirement of compulsory Eucharistic fasting cannot be applied to infants, as well as to persons suffering from serious illnesses that require continuous medication, and to the dying.

Since the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, according to the Rule, is connected with Vespers, celebrating it in the evening presupposes an increase in the duration of the Eucharistic fast, which includes not only night and morning, but also day. Therefore, during evening communion during the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, abstinence from food from midnight is maintained as the norm. However, for persons who do not have physical strength, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, at its meeting on November 28, 1968, established the possibility of reducing the Eucharistic fast during communion in the evening to six full hours.

Canon law prescribes abstaining from marital intercourse during the period of preparation for Holy Communion. Rules 5 and 13 of Timothy of Alexandria speak of abstinence for 24 hours before communion.

5. Confession and communion. Obstacles to receiving the Holy Mysteries

During the fasting period, those preparing for Holy Communion undergo a test of their conscience, which involves sincere repentance of their sins and the opening of their conscience before the priest in the Sacrament of Repentance. Confession before communion is an integral and important part of fasting, since it not only cleanses the soul for the acceptance of Christ, but also testifies to the absence of canonical obstacles to participation in the Eucharist. In some cases, with the blessing of their confessor, lay people intending to receive Holy Communion several times within one week - first of all, on Holy and Holy Communion Bright Weeks, - may, as an exception, be exempted from confession before each communion.

It is not allowed to receive communion in a state of embitterment, anger, in the presence of serious unconfessed sins or unforgiven grievances. Those who dare to approach the Eucharistic Gifts in such a darkened state of soul expose themselves to the judgment of God, according to the words of the Apostle: “Whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment upon himself, without considering the Body of the Lord.”(1 Cor 11:29).

The canons also prohibit communion in a state of female impurity (2nd canon of St. Dionysius of Alexandria, 7th canon of Timothy of Alexandria, 19th and 44th canons of the Council of Laodicea, 69th canon of the Fifth-Sixth Council).

6. Communion and issues of family life, as well as personal morality

As noted in (X. 2) and in the definition of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church dated December 28, 1998, the Church, while insisting on the need for church marriage, still does not deprive the communion of the Holy Mysteries from spouses who are in a marriage union, which is concluded with the assumption of all legal rights and obligations and is recognized as a legally valid marriage, but for some reason is not consecrated by a wedding. This measure of church economy, based on the words of the Holy Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 7:14) and canon 72 of the Trullo Council, is intended to facilitate the possibility of participation in church life for those Orthodox Christians who married before the beginning of their conscious participation in the sacraments Churches. Unlike adulterous cohabitation, which is a canonical obstacle to communion, such a union in the eyes of the Church constitutes a legal marriage (except for those cases where legally permissible “marriages” - for example, a union between close relatives or same-sex cohabitation, which are recognized in a number of countries, - from the point of view of the Church are unacceptable in principle). However, it is the duty of pastors to remind believers of the need not only to enter into a legally valid marriage, but also to consecrate it in a church ceremony.

Preparing children for Holy Communion has its own characteristics. The duration and content of the preparation are determined by the parents in consultation with the confessor and must take into account the age, state of health and degree of church involvement of the child. The first confession before communion, according to the 18th rule of Timothy of Alexandria, is made upon reaching the age of ten years, but in the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first confession occurs, as a rule, at the age of seven years. It should be recognized that for children under three years of age the Eucharistic fast is not obligatory. According to tradition, from the age of three, children in Orthodox families begin to be taught to abstain from food and drink before receiving the Holy Mysteries. By the age of seven, the child should be firmly accustomed to receiving communion on an empty stomach; from this time on, the child should be taught to observe a feasible one-day fast before receiving communion and to read the prayers from the Follow-up to Holy Communion.

7. Conclusion

The sacrament of the Eucharist is the central sacrament of the Church: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”, says the Savior (John 6:53-54). Therefore, regular communion is necessary for a person to be saved.

With regard to the frequency with which a believer should receive communion, various approaches are possible, subject to the above rule of St. John Chrysostom to always receive communion “with a clear conscience, with a pure heart, with an impeccable life”. The holy fathers also testify to this last centuries. According to Saint Theophan the Recluse, “the measure of [taking communion] once or twice a month is the most measured”, Although “there is nothing disapproving to say” and about more frequent communion. In this matter, every believer can be guided by these words of this saint: “Participate the Holy Mysteries more often, as your spiritual father allows, just try to always approach with proper preparation and, even more so, with fear and trembling, so that, having gotten used to it, you do not begin to approach indifferently.” .

See: Alexopoulos S., Hoek A., van den. The Endicott Scroll and Its Place in the History of Private Communion Prayers // Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 2006. Vol. 60. P. 146-188.

Journal No. 41 of the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church dated November 28, 1968 // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. 1969. No. 1. P. 3-5.

Saint Theophan the Recluse. Letters. V, 757.

Saint Theophan the Recluse. Letters. IV, 693.

Communion of the Holy Mysteries by Christians on an empty stomach is an ancient church-wide norm. It is established by the 16th canon of St. Timothy of Alexandria, canons 41 (50), 47 (58) of the Carthage Council and the 29th canon of the Fifth-Sixth Ecumenical (Trullo) Council. In addition, in the indicated 47th canon, the fathers of the Council of Carthage, saying that Divine Liturgy you can serve only on an empty stomach, they make a reference to the First Ecumenical Council: “we heard about the Nicene study of faith: about the sacred rite that happens after dinner, it is truly there, but it is worthily performed by those who have not eaten, and then this is approved.”

The canons establish not only a general principle, but also specifically stipulate cases when the Liturgy is served not at the usual time, in the morning, but at a later time - after lunch, in the evening: during the late Eucharist, communion should also be celebrated on an empty stomach. The 41st canon of the Council of Carthage says: “If there is a commemoration of certain bishops or others who have died in the evening, then let it be accomplished through prayers only when those who perform it find themselves having dined.” The 47th rule quoted above also states that when the Liturgy is served late (after lunch), it is celebrated “without eating.”

As is known, the document “On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist”, approved at the Bishops’ Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2015, referring to the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of November 28, 1968, allows for a six-hour Eucharistic fast before communion at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, if it is served in the evening time (section II.2).

The decision of the Holy Synod in 1968 was made in response to petitions from foreign bishops based on the historical information of the professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy N. D. Uspensky (see Appendix). Professor N.D. Uspensky reported that “there are no direct rules that would abolish abstinence and allow the communion of the Presanctified Gifts of those who have eaten,” but pointed out that the 29th rule of the Trullo Council mentions “certain fathers” who permitted the communion of the Holy Gifts on the Great Thursday went “for some local reasons useful to the Church.” Thus, concludes N.D. Uspensky, “ church hierarchy, obviously, can allow the communion of the Holy Mysteries at the Liturgy of the Presanctified, celebrated in the evening by those who eat, establishing for them fasting not throughout the entire day, but for several hours, as far as this will be considered “useful for the Church.”

Indeed, the 41st rule of the Carthage Council allows, as an exception, once a year (on Maundy Thursday) to receive communion without an empty stomach. However, Canon 29 of the Trullo Council abolished this rule, indicating: “The rule of the father of the Council of Carthage commands that the sacred rite of the altar should be performed only by people who do not eat, except for the one day in the year on which the Lord’s Supper is celebrated. These holy fathers, perhaps for some local reasons useful for the Church, made such an order. And since nothing prompts us to abandon reverent strictness: then, following the apostolic and patristic traditions, we determine that it is not appropriate to allow fasting on the fourth of the last week on Lent, and thereby dishonor the entire Lent.”

Consideration of these two rules leads to the following conclusions:

1) Canons 41 (50) and 47 (58) of the Council of Carthage clearly say that the fathers of the Council of Carthage allowed communion only strictly on an empty stomach. The only exception was Maundy Thursday; no other occasions were envisaged. Therefore, it is incorrect to consider this canon as a precedent for the possibility of receiving communion on an empty stomach on other days of the year.

In addition, the weekday days of Great Lent, when the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served, cannot be compared in their status (as a time of strict abstinence) with Maundy Thursday. This is a solemn day of remembrance of the Last Supper, on which the full Liturgy is celebrated. Obviously, eating food before Communion in the Carthage Church was allowed not because people could not abstain without food and drink before Communion, but in imitation of the Gospel events, when the Lord gave the Apostles Communion after they had eaten the meal (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25).

The famous Byzantine canonist Deacon Alexy Aristinus, warning against possible attempts to revise the canonical prohibition and turn directly to the Gospel events of the Last Supper, wrote: “For although the Lord secretly performed the Passover with his disciples after the supper, we should not, according to the theological voice, follow the examples that are above us, but to observe the custom of the Church, and the priests, without eating food and drink, should bring the Holy Gifts at the altar, just as those who partake of them should not eat food and drink before this.”

2) But even if we assume that the 41st Carthaginian canon creates a precedent for the possibility of receiving communion without an empty stomach, the obligation of the Eucharistic fast remains immutable, since the fathers of the Trullo Council - according to the status of the Fifth-Sixth Ecumenical Council - canceled this decree of the local Carthage Council. This decision, made at the pan-Orthodox level, from that time until now has become normative for all Local Churches. Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ should always be done on an empty stomach, including at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, if it is served in the evening.

To complete the coverage of this issue, I would like to add several ascetic-liturgical considerations to the canonical analysis.

The service of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, established by the liturgical regulations, in conjunction with Vespers (here it does not matter how precisely in the “evening” time: at 14:00, 15:00, 18:00) is included in the general system of ascetic feat of Great Lent, when eating food is allowed only once a day after Vespers. And therefore, abstaining from food and drink until the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in Lent is both the observance of the Eucharistic fast and the Great Lent.

The desire to observe the letter of the regulations on the service of this Liturgy in the evening astronomical time will inevitably lead to the question of the possibility of violating not only Great Lent, but the much more important norm of Eucharistic fasting by those who cannot abstain throughout the day. Therefore, church oikonomia is realized here not through a shortening of the Eucharistic fast, but through the service of the Liturgy at an earlier time - which is what is done in practice. Therefore, it is quite appropriate to recognize: those who, for health reasons, cannot withstand a long Eucharistic fast, out of humility, should receive communion at full Liturgies or at those Liturgies of the Presanctified Gifts that are served at an earlier time.

In conclusion, I would like to cite an excerpt from an article by Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, who writes on the topic under consideration: “The unusually long Eucharistic fast is the only serious questioning on the way to the evening Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. But isn’t that what fasting is for, to feel hunger and thirst, some subtle weakness in the body and slight dryness in the belly? Have we completely abandoned work, effort, abstinence and are only good for gratifying our weaknesses? One has only to try, and there will be more people ready to fight and pray than we thought. Children do not receive communion at this service. For them there is Saturday and Sunday. They will say: they say, old people cannot live without medicine and food for long. But for them there is Saturday and Sunday. And those who can not eat or drink until the evening, who are strong and strong, who, due to their youth and excess strength, are disturbed by carnal passions, let them endure and fight with themselves. I’ll tell you more: in fact, it turns out that old people are often more willing to not eat and pray while waiting for Communion than young people. And young people yearn for achievement more often than we think...”

Thus, serving the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening and receiving communion at it is intended for those who are strong in spirit and body. Those who are not able to endure the feat of long-term abstinence can receive communion at another time.

Priest Alexy Knutov , candidate of theology

01.04.2016

APPLICATION

1. Presentation of His Grace Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, Patriarchal Exarch in Western Europe, from October 2 this year:

“Your Holiness! I appeal to your archpastoral wisdom with the following matter:

Due to the extreme scattering of believers, living even in London itself at a distance of several hours' drive from our only church, and the impossibility of the vast majority, who work in the morning, to attend morning services in weekdays, almost all believers are deprived of the opportunity to participate in the celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy during Great Lent.

I therefore appeal to Your Holiness with a request to allow use on the territory of the Western European Exarchate Church Charter, providing for the celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening.

Before posing this question to Your Holiness, I celebrated several Presanctified Liturgies in the evenings last year. This was received very positively by the believers and gave many of them the opportunity to participate. The serving priest fasted from midnight, and believers who wanted to partake of the Holy Mysteries abstained from food, drink and smoking for the previous seven hours, i.e. from noon.

I hope that you will bless this return to statutory practice, which has already yielded good results in experience.”

2. Presentation of His Grace Archbishop Jonathan of New York and Aleutian, Patriarchal Exarch of Northern and South America, from July 29 this year. G.:

“Your Holiness, our gracious High Hierarch and Father! Local living conditions within the Exarchate entrusted to me increasingly raise the question of the need to move the celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts during Holy Pentecost to the evening.

The celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts at ordinary times deprives believers who are busy working in institutions and enterprises of the opportunity to attend this service. If this liturgy were moved to the evening, when the faithful are free from classes, our flock would have the opportunity to attend the service.

Therefore, I filially appeal to Your Holiness and humbly ask you to heed the request and bless us with the celebration of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening.

In this regard, I dare to address Your Holiness with one more request.

If the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated in the evening, naturally there will be a need for the faithful to receive communion at this liturgy. And the clergy themselves, performing the liturgy, will receive communion.

This, in turn, raises the question of the time of abstaining from food and drink before the liturgy, that is, before communion.

In view of this, I humbly ask Your Holiness to discuss this issue at the same time and find an acceptable solution in the spirit of church rules and taking into account human weaknesses and church economy.”

3. Historical information on the issue of communion of the Holy Mysteries on an empty stomach by Professor of the Leningrad Theological Academy N.D. Uspensky dated October 15 this year. G.:

“The Lord Jesus Christ established the Sacrament of Communion after supper, and the apostles partook of the Divine Body and Blood after eating (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25). This order in the celebration of the Eucharist, as sanctified by the example of the Lord Himself, was followed by the apostles and the Christians of the first generations.

The increase in the number of members of Christian communities and the associated difficulty in arranging common evening meals, or agape, caused the separation of the Eucharist from agape and the transfer of the former to the morning. This reform, the first in the history of the Eucharist, was not carried out simultaneously in all Churches. In some Churches, such as the Roman Church, this innovation took place already in the middle of the 2nd century (St. Justin the Philosopher, Apology, ch. 65-67), in others, in particular in Egypt, back in the 5th century the Eucharist was celebrated in the evening ( Socrates, Ecclesiastical History).

The transfer of the Eucharist from evening to morning in itself caused new order- Communion of the Holy Mysteries on an empty stomach. This tradition became universal as the order of celebrating the Eucharist in the morning spread. Evidence of the change in the order of communion of the Holy Mysteries is the 41st rule of the Carthage Council. Actually, this rule was adopted in Italy at the Council of Hippo in 393 (right 28) and was later included in the Code of Rules of the Council of Carthage. This rule read: “Let the Holy Sacrament of the altar be performed by people who have not eaten. Excluded from this is the only day in the year on which the Lord's Supper is celebrated. If the remembrance of certain people who died in the evening, bishops or others, then let it be accomplished through prayers only when those who perform it find themselves having dined.” From this rule we can conclude that even at the end of the 4th century, in certain Churches, like the Ippon Church, there was an ancient practice of communion of the Holy Mysteries after eating. The Council, obviously following the new order, as generally accepted, prohibits communion after eating, making an exception in this regard for Maundy Thursday.

The VI Ecumenical Council abolished the above-mentioned rule regarding the communion of the dead on Maundy Thursday, explaining that such an exception for Maundy Thursday could be made “for some local reasons useful for the Church” (Rule 29).

As for communion with the Presanctified Gifts, it originates from the ancient Christian custom of receiving the Holy Mysteries or “self-communion” at home with the Holy Mysteries brought from the church where the Eucharist was celebrated. Tertullian mentions this custom (letter to his wife). The day and hour of communion were set by the communicant himself. This custom was supported by the anchorites and from them entered into monastic worship. The monks took communion or upon completion morning rule, or, which was obviously due to the varying severity of fasting, in the evening. The rite of representation is an ancient rule or order for the brethren to receive communion at the end of the morning service, and the Liturgy of the Presanctified arose on the basis of the communion of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening. In the 4th and 5th centuries, when the order of communion on an empty stomach began to be established as universal, the communion of the Presanctified Gifts - either in the morning or in the evening - was also performed on an empty stomach. This ultimately led to the transfer of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts to the first half of the day, although it begins with the rite of Vespers.

If you celebrate the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening, then, obviously, the issue will arise with abstaining on this day from eating until the evening. There are no direct rules that would abolish this abstinence and allow the communion of the Presanctified Gifts of those who have eaten. However, on the basis of the same 29 canon of the VI Ecumenical Council, which states that “these holy fathers” (i.e., the Councils of Hippo and Carthage) allowed the communion of the Holy Gifts on Maundy Thursday for those who went “for some local reasons useful to the Church,” church The hierarchy, obviously, can permit the communion of the Holy Mysteries at the Liturgy of the Presanctified, celebrated in the evening by those who eat, by establishing for them fasting not for the entire day, but for several hours, as far as this will be considered “useful for the Church.”

4. Review of His Grace Archbishop Basil of Brussels and Belgium on this issue dated November 27, 1968:

“I fully agree with the considerations expressed in the submissions of His Eminence Exarchs Anthony and Jonathan about the desirability of celebrating the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening, as well as with the rules about the timing of fasting for communicants and celebrants. I can only say that the evening Presanctified Liturgies should be introduced with caution, depending on local conditions and the composition of the faithful. They can be introduced more easily among Orthodox Christians of Western origin than among Russians, and more easily among young people than among old ones. In Belgium it is already carried out in the Belgian Orthodox Mission, and in Holland - in Groningen, at Fr. John Haveman."

Resolved:

1. To bless in the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening where the ruling bishop deems it useful.

2. When celebrating the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the evening hours, abstinence for those receiving communion from eating and drinking must be at least six hours; however, abstinence before communion from midnight from the beginning of the given day is very commendable, and those who have physical strength can adhere to it.

By communion on an empty stomach, in accordance with a stable tradition, we mean complete abstinence from food and drink from midnight until holy communion (clause II.2 of the document “On the participation of the faithful in the Eucharist,” adopted at the Bishops’ Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2015). The very fact of this tradition indicates that what prevails in it is not the physiological absence of any food or drink in the stomach, but rather the very feat of abstaining from eating anything until Holy Communion at the onset of a new astronomical day. This means that discussions that link abstinence before communion to the time required to digest food reduce the ascetic understanding of the Eucharistic fast to a merely “technological” fast.

The numbering of the canons of the Council of Carthage according to the Book of Rules is indicated in brackets.

Bishop Nikodim (Milash), commenting on this canon, writes: “There is no such resolution among the rules of the Council of Nicaea (First Ecumenical), but it is possible that this, as well as the day of celebrating Easter and allowing priests to marry, was discussed at the Council of Nicaea and a corresponding conclusion was made, preserved in those acts that the African fathers who were at the council brought with them (Carth. 1)” (Nicodemus, Bishop of Dalmatia-Istria. Rules of the Orthodox Church. M., 2001. Vol. II. C. 197).

Explaining this canon, Bishop Nikodim points out that “the rule also cites the case when, after dinner, it is necessary to perform a commemoration (παράθεσις, commendatio) for some of the dead, and the Liturgy was served according to custom. Regarding this, the rule stipulates that the Liturgy can only be performed by a clergyman who has not had lunch, but if he has had lunch, then commemoration should be limited only to prayers without the Liturgy” (Ibid. p. 191).

Bishop Theodore Balsamon, commenting on the 29th canon of the Trullo Council, writes: “The Holy Fathers, gathered in Carthage, knowing that our Lord Jesus Christ celebrated his mysterious Pascha and taught the bloodless Sacrifice after he celebrated the lawful Pascha with his disciples and tasted from her, they commanded that deacons and priests touching the Shrine should not eat the rest of the time, but on Holy Thursday they should perform sacred acts after eating food” (Rules of the Holy Ecumenical Councils with interpretations. M., 2000. P. 374).

From his explanation on the 41st (50th) canon of the Council of Carthage (Rules of the Holy Local Councils with interpretations. M., 2000. P. 501).

Here it can be noted that the celebration of this Liturgy in some churches of the Russian Orthodox Church in the evening (after 17:00) surpasses in this respect even the strict Athonite tradition, according to which the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served several hours earlier (about 14:00 in terms of the so-called Byzantine times).

Andrey Tkachev, archpriest. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. http://www.pravoslavie.ru/46030.html Date of publication: 04/19/2011.

Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. 1969. No. 1. P. 3-5.