Eat fish before communion. What not to eat before Communion: a list of prohibited foods before Holy Communion

Believers very often ask the question - how to prepare for fasting before Communion, what can you drink and eat? You need to understand that the very preparation for fasting is not only abstaining from certain food and drink, but you also need to repent, read prayers, and spiritually.

How to prepare for fasting before communion?

You need to fast for 3 days before communion. This means that you should not eat animal food, do not overeat on lean foods, give up alcohol. Priests say that those who resort to the Sacraments every Sunday may fast on Wednesday and Friday. It must be remembered that on certain days of fasting, it is necessary to eat food of plant origin.

Many are interested in the question - Can I eat fish before Communion?— It would be more pious to abstain from fish before communion.

These days you must get rid of feelings of envy, anger, bodily communication between spouses, empty talk. Children under 7 do not need to go to confession or fast.

Preparing for Communion and fasting before Communion - video

Each church event requires compliance with certain rules. A true Christian must perform repentance and communion, which helps a person to be cleansed of sins and begin life with a pure soul and thoughts. But not all parishioners, especially newcomers, know how to prepare for the sacrament (fasting before communion).

What is the meaning of abstinence before communion

To perform the rite of the sacrament, the believer must undergo training, which includes:

• Fasting or abstaining from animal products, fish and vegetable oil on special days.
• Rejection of intimacy.
• Reading prayers.
• Moral humility, or the rejection of worldly entertainment, bad thoughts and deeds.

Fulfilling church canons, the parishioner prepares his soul and body for the opportunity to receive divine gifts and the grace of the Lord.

Why is it necessary to fast in food, deeds and thoughts, if after confession and communion all committed sins are nullified? The bottom line is simple, if the parishioner on the eve of the sacrament is in a state of satiety, satiety with fun, gluttony, bodily pleasures, then he will not be able to accept the grace of God. A well-fed body is more drawn to sleep and rest, and prayers do not reach his soul and mind in the quality required for spiritual enlightenment and forgiveness of sins both by God and by the Christian himself.

The listed abstinences are a kind of sacrifice of a penitent and communing person, which makes it possible to let Christ into his soul. If fasting is done consciously, and not for show, then the believer will feel more deeply the severity of sin and will not want to commit it again. The Lord cannot be deceived, and those who are careless about preparing for the sacrament can be punished even more, and forgiveness will not happen.

Types of posts and their features

Which fast to observe before communion depends on the time at which a Christian prepares for the sacrament and how often he attends church and confesses to a confessor.

In church rules, there are the following types of fasting:

• Fasting can be strict when it is unacceptable to eat animal products and even fish. Exception for persons with pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract, with diabetes, pregnant, lactating, children and other parishioners with recommendations from a doctor on nutrition. If a person has gathered for communion when, according to the church calendar, they observe the Christmas or Easter fast, then all the days of fasting must be excluded from the products prohibited during the fast.
• During ordinary fasting, there are days when it is allowed to include fish in the diet during fasting before communion. But the rest of the rules are the same.
• Fasting, during which you can not eat not only fish, meat, dairy products, eggs, but also vegetable oil. Such a post is called "Firs".
• Dry eating is a type of fasting when any food is prohibited until sunset, and then only lean foods can be eaten.

In order to follow the rules of preparation before communion and understand what fast a layman should keep, you need to seek help from the ministers of the church - they will explain, taking into account the specifics of the time chosen for confession and communion.

Rules for fasting before communion

Fasting before communion must be followed to the fullest extent, taking into account the time and possible fasting according to the Orthodox calendar. In addition to fasting in food, the believer before communion needs to put his thoughts in order and consider his actions.

1. Restrict viewing of entertainment programs on TV, computer, attending events.
2. In your free time from household chores and work, you can devote time to reading church literature for personal enlightenment.
3. Eliminate quarrels, resentment in relations with other people. Reconsider your actions and, if possible, do a good deed.
4. To refuse for the period of fasting before communion from intimacy with a partner.
5. On the third day of fasting, the day before communion, read the obligatory canons: repentant to Christ, prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, the guardian angel. The canons can be read at a convenient time during the day before communion. On the day of communion in the morning, you need to read the prayer for communion. All prayers and canons can be found in the prayer book for the Orthodox or you can buy separate literature on preparing for communion.
6. Fasting, or fasting, the believer must keep until the end of the morning liturgy and the celebration of communion. The church day does not begin in the morning, but in the evening of the previous day. Therefore, a parishioner who has gathered for communion and has endured a three-day fast must completely refuse food and drinks from the evening before communion.
7. Attend the evening service before the day on which the sacrament is scheduled. If Sunday is chosen, then be in the temple for the evening liturgy on Saturday.
8. Until the moment of partaking of the gifts of God, you need to be cleansed of sins with the help of confession, telling the priest about what is in your soul.

Only after a sincere confession and the absence of offenses, the sacrament of communion will have the power and significance that is preached by the Orthodox religion. If after a three-day fast there are doubts and unfinished business, it is better to postpone the ceremony and prolong your humility and achieve peace of mind so as not to commit other sins.

How long is the post

There are different requirements for the number of days of fasting that a believer must observe before communion:

• A long fast during the week is the best option for fasting and humility for Christians who rarely attend church and do not follow all the canons. For 7 days, a person has time to think about his actions, pacify pride, forgive offenders and ask for forgiveness from relatives and friends. Having received earthly forgiveness, they will be forgiven by the Lord. Until recently, it was mandatory for all believers who wish to receive communion.
• A three-day fast is the main preparation for communion for an Orthodox person. A beginner and those who have health problems can not keep a strict fast in food, but otherwise the requirements do not change.
• Fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays for those who attend the temple weekly for Sunday service.

There is no need to fast before communion for believers engaged in military service or tourism, because these people eat only what is available and being in such a position regarding food, they should observe a spiritual fast.

Is it possible to eat fish in fasting before communion

It will not be difficult for a Christian who observes fasts according to the church calendar systematically to endure fasting for three days. But for a beginner, giving up everyday food can be difficult at first. Excluding meat and animal products from the diet, the newcomers have a worldly question, is it possible to eat fish on these three days? Are seafood and fish on the banned list? It is impossible to unequivocally answer whether it is possible to fast fish before communion or not.

It all depends on the period in which confession and communion are supposed to take place. You can eat fish on the days when it is allowed for consumption during normal fasting. But on the days of strict fasting, even fish is forbidden for believers.

Fish is allowed for pregnant, lactating, children, so as not to deprive them of good nutrition at the time of preparation for the ceremony and not harm their health. For the rest of the Orthodox, who doubt whether it is possible to eat fish while fasting, it is better to refuse it for three days, given that the period is short. Any doubts will be resolved by the priests of the church if the parishioner asks questions of interest, so that no mistakes are made in fasting before communion due to lack of information.

List of allowed products

The basket for a meal during a three-day fast cannot be called meager. The assortment is diverse and contains a complex of useful vitamins and minerals, if you make the menu correctly, and do not eat monotonous dishes:

• cereals;
• pasta without eggs, flour and water;
• fruit;
• vegetables, greens;
• berries;
• nuts;
• mushrooms;
• vegetable oil;
• lean bread;
• tea, black coffee, decoctions, compotes.

Spices, herbs and natural sauces without the addition of animal fats are not prohibited. If you approach the preparation of the menu with imagination, then fasting will not seem like torment, but the body will be prepared for purification and atonement for sins.

Finally

Communion must be taken seriously and the rite should be performed not because it is customary to do so, but only with the readiness to fulfill the church rules of preparation as a true Christian. Only with a full understanding of the meaning of divine gifts can one open one's soul for the faith and grace of Christ to enter into it.

How to Prepare for Communion

Communion of the Holy Mysteries is a real shrine, God's gift to sinful humanity. We are all unworthy of the holy gifts, so there must be preparation for communion, spiritual and physical cleansing. The soul must be prepared in prayer and repentance, the body in fasting and abstinence. Preparation for communion is called fasting. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is the Eucharist.

Prayers Read Before Communion

Before Communion, a prayer rule is read, which includes three canons: the Mother of God, Jesus Christ and the Guardian Angel. Then the Follow-up to the sacrament is read. You can read the rule at any time convenient for you on the eve of the Eucharist. If this is the first communion for someone, it may seem difficult to read, unfamiliar words, a large volume. In this case, it is better to read for several days, according to the canon a day, and the information read will be better absorbed. The following can be read in the morning before the liturgy, while you need to get up as early as possible, since there is a lot to read, and services in almost all churches begin at 9.00, and confession at 8.00 or 8.30. The time of the beginning of confession and service is announced by the priest at the vespers liturgy. In the temple, you can’t read during worship, you need to carefully listen to prayers and not be distracted unnecessarily.

What to eat before communion

Before communion, fasting, fasting, and bodily abstinence are required. During fasting, all animal foods, including dairy products and eggs, should be excluded. Can I have fish before communion? With strict observance of fasting, it is necessary to exclude fish products, reduce the amount of food, even lean. You need to fast for at least three days. The weakening of fasting is allowed for pregnant and lactating women, those who are sick, as well as those who often take communion (every week) and with the blessing of the priest. After 24.00 it is no longer possible to eat and drink. People come to the temple on an empty stomach. You can brush your teeth, but smoking is strictly prohibited.

What You Need Before Communion

You need to know that according to the fifth rule of Timothy of Alexandria, one must abstain from marital intimacy. Women must be in physical purity, according to the seventh rule of the same saint, during menstruation they cannot take communion. The most important thing in preparing for communion is repentance, which cleanses the soul from sins. Our country has been in atheistic captivity for more than seventy years. The Orthodox Church in Russia has just begun to rise and stand on its feet after a spiritual catastrophe. We have few Orthodox churches, few clergy, and very few true believers and church-going people. The faith of modern Orthodox people differs significantly from that of our ancestors. Therefore, the practice of the sacrament of confession must certainly be observed before communion in order to be cleansed.

How is the sacrament

After confession and prayers, the clergyman takes out a cup of church wine. The communicants go forward one by one, letting children, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly pass. Orthodox cross their arms on their chest, first the left, and then the right. The priest gives wine from a silver spoon as a gift from God. Then they give a drink and prosphora, which you can take with you. It is very useful to eat illuminated food at home, preferably every day. The prosphora can be divided into several small parts. And add a little illuminated water to food and drinking water.

After communion, one must reverently wait for a prayer of thanksgiving. Then the priest congratulates everyone on Holy Communion and the parishioners approach the Cross after the final prayer (from-empty). After that, you can approach the priest with questions. During the whole day, do not make prostrations, do not kiss anyone and do not kiss with your lips. You can only kiss icons, the Cross and the Gospel. Keep grace in your soul as long as possible, avoid verbosity, marital intimacy, smoking, watching TV. At home, it is advisable to read thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion. You can only take communion once a day.

As the Lord says, "Eat my flesh and drink my blood"
God is the bread of life, the blood of the Lord is the church cahors. He who drinks the blood of the Lord will have eternal life and he will raise him up at the last day.

It was established by the Lord Himself and has been performed in the Church continuously for two millennia. All this time, Christians of different times and peoples, as it were, participate in that Last Supper, when Christ divided the bread and wine among His disciples and declared this food to be the Divine Body and Blood.

Of course, not every wine or bread is sacred, but only those over which special, liturgical prayers are said. The Particles eaten at the Liturgy give the believers Divine grace, spiritual strength, cleanse from the consequences of sin. There are frequent cases of recovery from diseases and other miracles that occur at the will of God.

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The main shrine of the Church should be approached after appropriate preparation. An important step in this preparation is fasting. Fearing to break church rules, inexperienced parishioners often ask priests how to fast before Communion? Is fasting obligatory for everyone? In what cases can it be weakened or canceled? A brief excursion into the history of the ancient Church will help to understand this.

How did the tradition of fasting before Communion begin?

In the first centuries of the existence of the Christian Church, Communion was obligatory for any Christian present. Every Sunday, and sometimes more often, people gathered in the house of one of the Christians and had a meal with prayers and the sharing of bread. At that time, there was no special fasting before this action, because the Eucharist was held in the evening and all the participants in the action had already had lunch and even supper.

It often happened that the dinners of wealthy Christians were too luxurious and combined with music and dancing, as was customary in the east. The Apostle Paul, who often celebrated the Eucharist himself, considered it unacceptable that such Christians should come to Communion after feasts and amusements, when their thoughts could not concentrate on prayer. Over time, they began to celebrate the Liturgy in the morning, and the custom arose to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ on an empty stomach, "before any meal." However, even then they still did not fast for several days, as is customary in the modern Church.

When the persecution of Christians ceased in 4 AD, many began to be baptized. Once small, tight-knit communities that met secretly in homes, they turned into large gatherings of worshipers in spacious temples. Due to human weaknesses, the moral level of believers has declined. The Holy Fathers of the Church, seeing this, urged every Christian to carefully examine his conscience when approaching Communion.

It was not allowed to approach the Sacrament if a person ate food on the night before the Liturgy, had sexual contacts or "impure visions" (dreams). Christians who revealed these involuntary sins at confession were temporarily suspended from Communion and fulfilled a special prayer rule. There were no restrictions on food on other days, since the believers strictly observed Wednesday, Friday and four fasts a year.

The tradition of fasting before Communion for three or seven days was established during the synodal period (XVIII-XIX centuries). This was due to a general decline in spirituality and religiosity. Many began to go to church “out of habit,” and received communion only because this was taken into account in church documents. If there was no record in the church book that the parishioner confessed and took communion, troubles in the civil service could follow.

At this time, the tradition of "fasting" was introduced - preparation for Communion for several days, in order to distract a lazy person from the hustle and bustle of life and help tune in to prayer. This custom is preserved in the Russian Orthodox Church to this day. Fasting consists of restriction in food and confession on the eve of Communion. How many days to fast - the confessor decides. You can also read about this in the Rules, a stand with which is usually located in a prominent place in the temple.

Fasting Rules Before Communion

So, there is no general church rule of obligatory fasting and confession before communion. But many priests strongly recommend to their parishioners fast for three days before entering the Sacrament. Is it worth it to reject a good tradition for the sake of the letter of the law? It is impossible to argue with the priest or deliberately refuse fasting, since condemnation and insults only add sin to the already existing ones. It is better to fulfill the prescribed rule based on your physical strength.

Orthodox prescribes the rejection of the following products:

• the meat of any animal or bird, even lean;
• milk (kefir, cottage cheese, whey, etc.);
• eggs of any bird;
• fish (not always).

In fact, at the disposal of the fasting Christian are fruits, vegetables, cereals, pasta and bread. Don’t be tempted to cook gourmet “lenten dishes”: food should not become a source of pleasure, but only support strength.

Is it permissible to eat fish before Communion? In most cases, a healthy person should refuse it. The exception is living in the Far North or ships, where fish is the main source of food. Seafood is considered more "lean" than fish and is allowed in moderation. A short fast before Communion is also associated with other restrictions, refusing the following:

• sweets;
• sexual contacts;
• alcoholic beverages;
• smoking;
• participation in various entertainments (weddings, parties, concerts).

6 hours before the start of the Liturgy, food and drink should be completely excluded.. This six-hour fast is called "Eucharistic". If the Eucharistic fast is broken, the priest may not admit to the Sacrament.

Many believers strive to receive communion on the days of general church fasts. This makes it possible to calmly prepare, especially if loved ones also fast and do not offer unnecessary temptations.

Is it permissible to take communion if you smoked or unwittingly broke the fast? About all the excesses allowed during fasting should be tell the priest in confession. Through confession, admission to the Sacrament is made, and the concealment of even a small offense is considered a great sin before God.

How to fast children

The Russian Orthodox Church has a tradition compulsory confession for children from the age of seven. At the same age, they should be accustomed to fasting. But children take communion from the very moment, i.e. from infancy.

Fasting before communion is not obligatory for a child if he or she is under three years of age.

From three to seven years of age, restrictions are introduced gradually, the child must not only be deprived of delicious food, but be aware of the need and purpose of fasting. You can support your child by your own example by removing fast foods from the family menu. Parents themselves should begin confession and Communion together with the child.

The decision on whether it is possible to lighten the fast should be made by the parents after a conversation with the priest, based on the state of health of the child. Children who grow up in unbelieving families and do not have proper spiritual development should not be forced to fast.

Fasting for pregnant women

Pregnant women and the sick, who wish to take communion, but are on a strict diet, fasting can be weakened or canceled. This is done only with the blessing of the priest. Before you go for such permission, you should test yourself, will a short-term fast really be an unbearable burden, or because of laziness you don’t want to break the usual course of life?

If it is impossible for a pregnant woman to give up dairy products, you can replace this by giving up sweets or other things to which she feels affection. Such abstinence will be accepted by the Lord as a significant achievement.

Post in a hostel

It is allowed to ease or cancel fasting for Christians who are in military service, study, hospital, boarding school or places of deprivation of liberty, where food is provided in common canteens and there is no opportunity to choose fast food. In this case, one should adhere to the blessing of the confessor visiting a military unit or boarding school. Refusal of fast food can be replaced by other restrictions or prayer. For those wishing to receive communion, it is better to resolve this issue with the priest a week before the Sacrament or (if not possible) before confession.

When can I take communion without fasting

During Christmas time - from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany - and on Bright Week - seven days after Easter - a five-day fast is not required for communicants, only a six-hour Eucharistic one is preserved. But this permission can be allowed only to those who fully observed the previous, Christmas and Great Lent.

Lenten preparation is canceled for the seriously ill and dying.

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Records found: 17

Hello, fathers! Could you please clarify whether it is necessary for infants to observe the Eucharistic fast before communion?

Alexander

Alexander, it is not necessary for infants to observe the Eucharistic fast before communion, but as they age, they need to be gradually accustomed to this, so that by the age of 7 they can already take communion with at least a small, but fasting.

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Hello, father! Tell me, please, before communion, can I fast according to the Orthodox calendar (when, for example, fish is allowed on Friday) or do I need a special strict fast? And how to fast before communion, when there is no multi-day fast, if you fast on Wednesday and Friday, it turns out not 3 days, but always 4, or can you not fast on Thursday? Thanks a lot!

Anastasia

Anastasia, if you are preparing for communion at a time when there is no multi-day fast, then fasting before communion is usually three days, unless your confessor has appointed otherwise. On days of many days of fasting, if you have the strength, you can aggravate your fast before communion, for example, do not eat fish. This is very pious.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Hello! The child went to school, where meals are compulsory. Refusing food is not allowed, but you can choose a dish, there are no lenten dishes. Please advise how to get out of this situation, how to prepare a child for communion, because you need to fast for at least 3 days?

Inna

Hello Inna. If you forced your child to fast for the three days before taking communion before entering school, then you were doing it wrong. Your child did not fast, but was forced to starve. Fasting is voluntary abstinence from food. It is enough for a child, up to adolescence, to abstain only from meat on fasting days. This rule is not difficult to fulfill even in the school cafeteria. The custom of a three-day fast came from pre-revolutionary Russia, when the monstrous practice of confession and communion once a year spread. The Charter prescribes fasting on Wednesday and Friday, on multi-day fasts (Great, Peter's, Assumption and Christmas), on Christmas Eve, on the beheading of John the Baptist and on the Exaltation of the Cross. The Eucharistic fast is special, it is strict, it starts at midnight and lasts until communion. These rules are common to everyone, and the three-day fast is useful for those who go to confession and commune extremely rarely, or for the first time.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Good afternoon! I came to faith quite recently, I really want to live according to the commandments, very soon the Christmas fast. My husband is baptized, but, one might say, an unbeliever. Tell me, father, how should I be, how to observe fasting and not offend my husband (I mean marital relations). During Great Lent, I observed it, my soul cried inside, I felt constant guilt inside my soul. We have been living with my husband for 18 years, he agreed to get married. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Natalia

Natalya, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, husband and wife refrain from each other "for the sake of prayer." But your husband is still far from church life and will become even further if you severely limit your marital relationship. That is, instead of the desired churching, you will get the opposite effect. The intimate relations of spouses are not a sin, they are not something unclean if they are connected by marital love. Adhere to a simple rule - abstain for a few days before communion and on the eve of major holidays. You can also refuse them on the first week of Great Lent and Passion. I think this will be enough for you for now. Save your family, conjugal love, faith, and the rest will follow.

Archpriest Maxim Khyzhiy

Hello, father! Explain to me, please, one point related to the preparation for Communion. I am 13 years old, I have not received communion or confession before, but I really want to, I started going to Sunday services, praying at home. The Church told me that for Communion I need to fast for at least 3 days, read the canons, defend the evening service and confess. I had a problem: the canons are long prayers that take time, and with all my desire, purely physically, I won’t be able to read all the canons one by one, but how to shorten them, I didn’t understand if it’s possible to read one canon a day and not during 3 Lenten days? And one more question - is it necessary to completely abstain from meat, dairy foods and eggs, it’s just that my attempts to fast on Wednesday and Friday frighten my relatives, but here it’s 3 days at once, maybe there can be some relief? My relatives do a lot for my spiritual life, and with my religious experiences I greatly upset them, bring them to tears, so I don’t want them to have hostility towards the Church because I am doing something from the Charter incorrectly. Sorry for such a long letter. God bless you all the best!

Kseniya

Ksenia, of course, it will be very good if you can pray and fast before communion, as you should, but it also seems to me that for the first time it can be somewhat difficult to do everything in full. Therefore, I think we should try to find a middle option: choose for yourself the number of days and the number of prayers that you can perform without immediately exposing yourself to unusual loads for you. It seems to me that if you are already observing Friday, then in addition to it, you can also spend Saturday in fasting, and take communion on Sunday. With regard to prayers: try to read the Obedience to Holy Communion and at least one canon, for example, Penitential. The rest is up to you. By the way, you can make the rule for communion not immediately, stretching the reading of the canons for several days. In a word, prepare to the best of your ability, but with diligence, not carelessly, but in confession, if the priest asks exactly how you prepared, explain to him how and why, I'm sure he will condescendingly treat your weakness for the first time. But in the future, try to get used to fasting and the complete rule of prayer.

hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello, father! Is it considered a sin to put a remedy for a runny nose in the morning before Communion? It's just that sometimes part of this remedy gets into the throat, and, accordingly, into the stomach. I can’t say that instillation of the nose is an emergency, but nasal congestion causes certain inconveniences.

Alexei

No, it's allowed. To paraphrase the well-known advice of St. Philaret, one can say: it is better to think about God with a dripped nose than about snot with a dripped nose.

Deacon Ilya Kokin

Dear father, how can I help my husband get rid of his huge addiction to smoking? I know what to throw on the first day of Lent. Maybe there are still such fertile days throughout the year? He constantly tries, but in vain. Maybe there is some special prayer? And why does a person form such a sinful habit, from which there is no way to get rid of? He goes to confession and communion. True, not so long ago. And I fasted in Great Lent. Does he have a chance? This habit is very detrimental to his health. Thanks in advance to the Lord and to you. Sorry for taking up your precious time.

Svetlana

Dear Svetlana, Your husband can quit smoking at any time when he is psychologically ready to fight this passion. It is very good at the same time to take special drugs prescribed by a doctor. Pray to the holy righteous John of Kronstadt that, through his prayers, your spouse will get rid of harmful addiction. God bless you!

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Hello. I am now preparing for communion (from 05/23/2013 to 05/26/13). I know that these days you need to fast, and I would like to ask if you can eat fish while doing this?

Catherine

Ekaterina, by and large, it is also undesirable to eat fish before communion. But if it’s hard for you to do without fish, then you can eat. But still, you need to gradually get used to fasting stricter before communion - without fish.

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Hello! I am getting ready for Communion, I want to go to church on Sunday. I started fasting and immediately broke the fast on the first day: I bought a bag of chips. At first I did not notice that the composition included dairy products, and then I saw it, but I still finished it. Please tell me, is it possible to continue fasting and go to Communion? Or should it be rescheduled for another day. The whole problem is that I have already agreed with my father to take me to the temple, and if I don’t go now, I don’t know when I will go again. Thanks in advance.

Anastasia

Anastasia, you must always be attentive to your life, to what we eat, what we say, what we do. Keep fasting and prepare for communion. I don't think anything bad happened. You didn't eat it on purpose, but out of inattention. Tell the priest at confession.

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Hello father! I decided for myself to take communion often (every Sunday), especially during Lent. But it bothers me that I constantly have to read the canons and the following, but I don’t always succeed, because a small child interferes with reading and praying with concentration, and there is not so much time, and my husband and parents are unbelievers, and they are annoyed that I read something all the time. Yes, and I myself am somehow ashamed to pray in front of them. I try to be alone for prayer, but this is almost impossible in our house. Last Sunday, I took communion without any preparation, now I feel uncomfortable. How can I prepare for communion, since I am not in a monastery. And when I rarely receive communion (once a month), then it is very difficult to tune in again to a normal spiritual life.

Elena

Elena, Communion is the Body and Blood of Christ Himself. We take God Himself into ourselves, and, of course, it is necessary to prepare for the sacrament of Communion every time. It is impossible to allow "habits for the Sacrament", it is impossible to approach the sacrament without preparation. It is necessary to read the rule for communion, fast, pray. You are not forced to take communion every Sunday, and if you yourself have decided so, then be kind enough to do everything as it should be, and you need to read all the canons, and read prayers for communion, and observe fasting, and you need to keep the spiritual world. Yes, and regarding the frequency of communion, you need to talk with your confessor. Since you take communion, without preparation, it is impossible. It is better to take communion less often, but as expected, and then the conscience will be calm and peace will be in the soul

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Bless, father! If we were united during the Nativity fast, is it possible to be united now in order to be cleansed from forgotten sins?

Elena

Elena, it's good to get together, of course. We usually meet once or twice a year. I think you can take unction during Great Lent, but you don't need to take unction more often. Unction is more provided for sick people. Try to look inside yourself more and eradicate the passions that you see there through repentance and communion.

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Hello, father! I planned to take communion this week (I take communion once a month), but there is no fast this week, and I lost sight of it, and I didn’t ask the priest on the day off what to do. How to prepare for communion this week if there is no fast, or fast at least on Friday if I want to take communion on Saturday?

Svetlana

Svetlana, I think that if you did not ask your father how to prepare, then you can skip communion once, after all, what does "planning" communion mean? And for the future - specify in more detail and with a calm soul fulfill it as an obedience.

hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! Tell me, please, you can’t eat before Communion. Can you brush your teeth before Communion?

Olga, you can brush your teeth before Communion.

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Hello. Please tell me, is it necessary to fast before Communion during the period from Christmas to Easter? I have heard that at some point in the year it is not necessary to fast before that. Is there such a period? And if so, please specify when it happens? Thank you.

Dmitry

Dmitry, you should always fast before Communion. It is necessary to take communion during fasting more often than on days when there is no fasting. There are days throughout the year when fasting is canceled, but on these days without fasting, only those Christians who observe all fasts throughout the year can receive communion, but even in this case they must abstain from meat food. You, as, I think, a person with little church, before each communion, you need to fast, you need to accustom yourself to observing church rules, for your own good. In addition, since you don’t know when you can fast, and when you don’t fast, regardless of Communion, get yourself a church calendar, fasting and non-fasting days are indicated there throughout the year.

Hieromonk Viktorin (Aseev)

Hello, I congratulate you on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord! Thanks for the detailed and quick replies. I have one more small question: I was preparing for confession, fasting, and at Christmas time I allowed myself canned cod liver and did not pay attention to the composition, before there was nothing except the liver, and now there is powdered milk! I saw this by chance, after confession. I decided that I was not allowed to attend Communion. Am I right? Thanks in advance for your reply. Thanks God.

You are doing the right thing by not missing the Sunday Liturgy. Thus, you are laying a solid foundation for your spiritual life. Now you have come to the point where you need to learn to follow the blessing of the priest in matters of church life. You cannot decide on your own the question of communion. Discuss this question at confession and confess in your own will, that is, in your willful violation of the established order.
Before communion, indeed, a three-day fast is observed. But in some cases, at the discretion of the confessor, the fast days before communion are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. In matters of fasting, strictly follow the blessing of the priest. This is the case when obedience is placed above prayer.
Strengthen the Lord.

Priest Sergiy Osipov