Church and critical days. Is it possible to venerate relics during menstruation?

The question of faith has its own purpose for each person. Should I go to church or not? This decision is voluntary and is not subject to discussion, praise or blame. It does not depend on nationality, gender and age, well-being and many other reasons.

The coming to faith can only be caused by the spiritual needs of people, their reasoning about high things. Many people who do not do this often do not suspect that there are a number of prohibitions in the Christian faith that do not allow such visits to be made every day or with complete convenience for a layman.

Questions about what not to do in church:

• Why is it not customary to use cell phones in churches?
• Why should a woman wear a skirt and cover her head?
• Why can't you go to church during your period?

Let's try to understand the last question in more detail.

Why can’t you go to church while you’re on your period and why are there church bans?

The answer to this question dates back to the times of the Old Testament. In those days, there were several cases in which a person could not enter a church or temple building. For example, a person suffering from leprosy should not have crossed its threshold. The same thing was said about men who had ejaculation.

Those people who touched a dead body were also considered temporarily removed from the faith. Let us remember that the poor and the sick with purulent infections and leprosy always sat near the temples, but did not go inside. This is caused precisely by the church’s ban on visiting people with purulent discharge.

But the clergy had a special attitude towards female, who were strictly forbidden to cross the threshold of the church during uterine bleeding or menstruation. Women who had recently given birth also had no right to come to official service. If the mother became the owner of a boy, then the ban was forty days, and if she became the owner of a girl, then twice as long.

What is the church’s interpretation of the question: why can’t you go to church while on your period?

According to the Christian faith, many physiological processes were considered unclean; this was interpreted as a sin. In these days it was believed that a woman was physically unclean. If many prohibitions on at the moment abolished, then in the New Testament two main prohibitions have been preserved to this day: you cannot visit this place before a child reaches forty days and women cannot visit during their menstrual periods.
The connection with these phenomena is established by the fact that any bloodshed, be it a crime or an injury, is prohibited in the temple building. If such a situation occurs there, then according to the canons the building should be consecrated.

What else should religious women not do on such days?

The question of why you can’t go to church while on your period worries those people who believe that in church faith is much more important than physiological processes. Today, there are many feminine hygiene products available in stores.

At this time, this ban has practically lost its relevance. But at the same time, women critical days You cannot perform a number of rituals and sacraments, for example, baptizing children or confessing to a clergyman. If the first point is related to the concept of hygiene, then the second is the idea that during confession a person must carry out cleansing in all senses: both spiritual and physiological.

Opinions for and against

As for the opinion of the clergy on this topic, many of them cannot unequivocally answer the question of why, when menstruation is not allowed to go to church, they say that people should go to church, regardless of physiological bleeding, and be cleansed spiritually. Many opponents of this issue are convinced that this ban originates from the pagan rituals of the Slavs, who believed that women should not be allowed to participate in certain rituals on critical days.

But since Christian faith and paganism should not intersect, then this point of the ban is fundamentally wrong. On the contrary, many clergy think that a woman should come to church any day to pray, attend a service, light a candle, etc. If earlier this approach could be interpreted by the fact that a woman, without hygiene products, could drop drops of blood on the floor of the church, which was truly unhygienic, now not many share this opinion.

Why you shouldn’t go to church while on your period: to summarize the above

Now church ministers do not impose strict prohibitions and share the opinion that faith should not intersect with women’s physiological processes, and the main thing is a person’s thoughts and his open heart. There are a number of people who believe that this is wrong and their opinion has its place.

There is much debate about the rules for menstruating women attending church. Different opinions on this matter were expressed by authoritative spiritual fathers, from the first centuries of Christianity to the present day. Some opinions were inclined to believe that you can go to church during your period. Some priests do not perceive this permission so clearly.

Every Christian woman, wanting to keep everything necessary rules, asks the question at what time women can attend church, when this is impossible or undesirable. If you have any doubts about this, it is better to seek advice from your spiritual father.

Is it possible to go to church while on your period?

The reason for the special treatment of menstruating women lies in the perception of menstruation as something “unclean”. Different religions have certain restrictions associated with the concept of “uncleanness” - it can be some kind of food, some animals, body parts, etc. Starting from pagan times, women with menstruation and in the first days after childbirth were mentioned among the unclean.

To understand whether it is possible to go to church with menstruation, you need to familiarize yourself with the reflections on this issue set out in the writings of the holy fathers. Their authoritative opinion boils down to the fact that, on the one hand, the doors of the temple are not closed to anyone, everyone has the right to enter the church when they feel the need to do so. On the other hand, there is still a special attitude towards menstruating women. Although the Rules of the Russian Orthodox Church do not regulate the visiting of church by women with menstrual flow, and there is no taboo on their visiting church on critical days, it is generally accepted that it is better to postpone attending a church service in such a state.

The interpretation and interpretation of the holy scriptures, where reasoning on this issue is set out, can facilitate their understanding, but can also be misleading. The very discussion on this topic, according to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, is an attempt to distract believers from their spiritual essence, from God, and to focus on the carnal. It is best for anyone who thinks about this question to act as his conscience tells him.

The Western and Eastern branches of Christianity sometimes approach the issue of church attendance by menstruating women differently. Therefore, in order not to go against the rules, believers will not be mistaken if they ask the priest in the temple what to do.

As it was before - Old Testament

During the Old Testament, coming to the temple with menstruation was considered a desecration of a holy place, because it was intended for communication with God, and a woman with bleeding is unclean, and her presence in this form can offend the Lord. It is possible to understand critical days as a phenomenon associated with the death of eggs during menstruation, i.e. with the death of a potential newborn, influenced this attitude of the ancients towards menstruation.

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The Old Testament prohibitions applied to many situations involving death or illness. Those who were restricted from visiting the temple were:

• suffered from leprosy;
• touched the dead, corpses;
• encountered seminal symptoms;
• suffered from diseases accompanied by pus and its discharge;
• was currently bleeding or menstruating;
• recently delivered from pregnancy (in labor).

The Old Testament says that if a female child is born, the woman in labor is prohibited from entering the temple for 80 days after his birth. A male child reduces this period to 40 days.

Such restrictions were considered to have theological meaning. All prohibitions related to the topic of death, i.e. punishing a person for his original sin. Therefore, during menstruation, a woman was instructed to be tactful towards the Lord and stay away from his sanctuary, so that by showing a reminder of death she would not offend her God and not incur his wrath. That is, the ban to some extent protected the woman from God’s wrath.

To remove the sin of desecrating a holy place, a woman with her period who entered the temple was ordered to observe a multi-day fast and perform daily bows.

What I Think Now - New Testament

Nowadays, the church does not prescribe any specific behavior for women on critical days. It is known that modern means Hygiene helps maintain the physical purity of the believer. No drops of blood, with appropriate hygienic protection, will fall on the floor in the temple. At the dawn of Christianity and in even earlier centuries, women were not aware of not only sanitary pads, but sometimes even underwear. Therefore, in order not to become the culprit of desecration of a holy place, the believer had to be careful not to stain the floor with blood and not attend church. Now there is no such danger. But the point is not only in physical, bodily cleanliness, but also moral.

Many adherents of modern views emphasize the words of John Chrysostom that Jesus Christ did not reject the “bleeding” woman, who, believing in him as in God, hoped to receive healing from her illness. For this purpose, she dared to touch the hem of the Savior’s robe. The Lord said that her faith saved her - and she was healed. That is, the main thing is not that a person is not worthy to touch the divine. The main thing is his faith; if it is strong, the believer will receive salvation.

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One of the saints of the New Testament, Gregory the Great, spoke in favor of allowing a woman to choose whether to come to the temple or not. He clarified that if her refusal to visit the temple during menstruation is voluntary and associated with deep reverence for the Lord, with a reluctance to offend him, then this decision will be considered commendable, and the woman who accepted it will be considered pious.

Attending a church service is very important event. There is no point in giving it up. At the same time, we must remember that churches are always open to their parishioners. By postponing church attendance for a week, perhaps a woman will use this time to prepare more thoroughly and, having purified herself, will hope that this decision will be more pleasing to God. In any case, the choice is up to the believer.

Of course, those who are suffering from an incurable, terrible disease, as well as those who are near death, have unconditional permission to visit the temple. In such situations, one cannot deny a person his desire to be closer to God. The presence of unbaptized people in the temple is also not prohibited. Everyone can come to church, because all people are God’s creations and can ask the Lord for mercy.

Priests' opinions

The clergy of our time cannot fail to take into account the changed conditions of life. Women with menstruation and other discharge, as a rule, do not emit any odor; there are no traces of menstruation, not only on the floor, but even on their underwear. All this is known, and the argument about physical impurity for a ban on entering the temple is not convincing enough. But one should not deviate from the generally accepted opinion that on critical days a woman is “unclean” and her way to the temple is prohibited. Thus, the question of whether you can go to church during your period or not remains open.

Christian women know that previously it was forbidden to attend church on critical days. To find out the priest’s opinion about this rule, many girls and women turn to their confessors for advice. Priests' answers to this question can be either negative or positive. Perhaps they will indicate the ban on lighting candles on these days or the acceptance of certain sacraments:

1. Participles.
2. Confession.
3. Baptism.
4. Weddings.
5. Eating antidor and prosphora.
6. Drinking holy water.
7. Kissing icons, applications to them.
8. Kissing the cross.

But it is important to remember that even sinners can be cleansed if their faith remains strong. Christian teaching says that the Savior does not expect the righteous to come to him, but rather sinners who want to repent. This is stated in the following words: “He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

There are many different opinions on this topic. Some clergy say that you can go to church during your period. But most of them claim that this is prohibited. Many women are interested in knowing at what time during menstruation they can attend church, and whether it is possible at all. Much has changed since the times of the Old Testament; now almost no one blames a woman for the presence of such a natural process as regula. But many churches have restrictions and rules of behavior for women who decide to attend church during menstruation.

Is it possible to go to church while on your period?

Many women are interested in the question of whether it is possible to go to church with menstruation. Nowadays, more and more clergy agree that women who are on their menstrual periods are allowed to enter church. However, some rituals are recommended to be postponed until the end of menstruation. These include baptism and wedding. Also, many priests do not recommend touching icons, crosses and other church attributes during this period. This rule is only a recommendation and not a strict prohibition. The woman herself has the right to decide what exactly to do. In some churches, the clergyman may refuse to conduct confession or a wedding, but a woman has the right, if she wishes, to go to another church, where the priest will not refuse her this. This is not considered a sin, since the Bible itself does not reveal any prohibition related to the presence of menstrual periods for women.

The rules of the Russian Orthodox Church do not prohibit girls from visiting the temple during regul. There are some restrictions that priests strongly recommend adhering to. Restrictions apply to Communion; it is better to refuse it during menstruation. The only exception to the rule is the presence of any serious illness.

Many clergy argue that you should not avoid going to church on critical days. Menstruation is a natural process in female body, which should not interfere with being in the temple. Other priests share this opinion. They also claim that menstruation is a natural process that is caused by nature. They do not consider a woman “dirty” and “unclean” during this period. The strict ban on visiting the temple remains in the distant past, during the times of the Old Testament.

What Came Before – Old Testament

Previously, there was a serious ban on visiting church while menstruating. This is because the Old Testament views menstruation in girls as a sign of “uncleanness.” IN Orthodox faith These prohibitions were not written down anywhere, but there was also no refutation of them. This is why many still doubt whether it is possible to come to church while menstruating.

The Old Testament views critical days as a violation of human nature. Based on it, it is unacceptable to come to church during menstrual bleeding. Being in the temple with any bleeding wounds was also considered strictly prohibited.

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During the Old Testament, any manifestation of uncleanness was considered a reason to deprive a person of the company of God. It was considered desecration to visit a holy temple during any uncleanness, including menstruation. At that time, everything that comes out of a person and is considered biologically natural was perceived as something superfluous, unacceptable in communication with God.

The New Testament contains the words of the saint confirming that visiting the temple during menstruation is not something bad. He claims that everything created by the Lord is beautiful. Menstrual cycle is of particular importance for the fair sex. To some extent it can be considered an indicator women's health. For this reason, the ban on visiting holy places during menstruation does not make any sense. Many saints share this opinion. They argued that a woman has the right to come to the temple in any state of her body, because this is exactly how the Lord created her. The main thing in the temple is the state of the soul. The presence or absence of menstruation has nothing to do with state of mind girls.

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If previously it was forbidden to attend church, despite serious illness and urgent need, now these prohibitions are a thing of the past. But before going to church, you must take into account the opinion of the priest. He will be able to tell you in detail about the rules for being in the temple and explain whether there are any restrictions for women during the period of critical days.

What to do anyway

Everyone must decide for themselves whether it is possible to go to church while on their period. The Bible does not reflect a categorical prohibition; it does not discuss this issue in detail. Therefore, a woman has the right to do as she sees fit.

Before going to holy place It’s better to decide when is the best time to go to church. Many will not be able to visit the temple in the first days after the start of menstruation, but this has nothing to do with any prohibition. This is due to the fact that for most women the onset of menstruation is accompanied by strong painful sensations, general malaise, nausea and weakness. Many people will find it difficult to be in such a state in the temple. A woman may become ill; it is recommended to avoid such situations. It is better to postpone going to church until the end of the critical days or until the moment when the condition returns to normal.

There are certain rules of conduct for visiting church. Some of them are known to many. For example, most people know what women should wear when visiting the Temple - a skirt below the knees, a closed jacket with sleeves and a necessarily covered head. Men, on the contrary, need to remove their hats when entering the church, and clothing should also cover the body as much as possible - shorts and T-shirts are not allowed. However, there are many nuances that arise before visiting holy places. One of them is the question of whether it is possible to go to church with menstruation. Let's figure it out. After all, there are many conflicting answers to it.

Is it possible to go to church while on your period?

According to the Bible, a woman on her period is considered “unclean.” This is why in ancient times, a menstruating girl was prohibited from visiting the Temple. Is it possible to go to church while on your period? modern world? According to the priests, women are allowed to enter the Temple on such days. However, during her menstruation, she cannot participate in the Sacraments and venerate holy objects (the cross, icons, anointing with oil and taking prosphora). It is believed that this state is not considered sinful, but there is some impurity, which was written about earlier.

Where are the origins?

Why weren’t girls allowed to visit the Temple in ancient times? Why did the question arise: “Is it possible to go to church while on your period” in those days? Of course, first of all, the answer in the Bible, which was already mentioned above, is still the same “uncleanness”. IN ancient church any discharge from the human body was considered unclean. This is saliva, blood, phlegm and other secretions from human organs. For example, even a priest with an open cut on his hand could not participate in the rituals. And in cases where “uncleanliness” fell on the church floor, it was considered desecration. This explains why women were prohibited from entering temples during their periods. However, in the modern world, many hygiene products have appeared that prevent secretions from getting on the floor. In addition, the Monk Nicodemus the Holy Mountain explains that God called the cleansing of women during menstruation “unclean” for the purpose of preventing men from touching them for copulation. The reason for this is concern for the offspring.

Controversial issue

And yet, until now, the answer to the question: “Is it possible to go to church while on your period?” is quite ambiguous. And if in Catholic churches It has long been decided that menstruation has nothing to do with the church, but in Orthodoxy this question remains open. Some priests consider it unacceptable for a woman to visit the Temple on such days. However, most clergy are of the opinion that a woman during her period can go into church, but only for prayer, but she should not take part in rituals or venerate shrines. Therefore, if you are wondering whether it is possible to go to church while on your period, you can be sure: a woman has the opportunity to come to the Temple at any time in her life. Only in

Oh, how many times a day does a priest serving in a church have to deal with this topic!.. Parishioners are afraid to enter the church, venerate the cross, they call in panic: “What should I do, I was preparing so much, I was preparing to take communion for the holiday and now...”

Many Internet forums have published perplexed questions from women to the clergy, on what theological basis at crucial periods in their lives they are excommunicated from communion, and often even simply from going to Church. There is quite a bit of debate on this issue. Times change, so do views.

It seems like they can separate you from God natural processes body? And educated girls and women themselves understand this, but there are church canons that prohibit visiting church on certain days...

How to solve this issue? There is no comprehensive answer. The origin of the prohibitions about “uncleanness” after expirations lies in the Old Testament era, but in Orthodoxy no one introduced these prohibitions - they simply were not abolished. Moreover, they found their confirmation in the canons of the Orthodox Church, although no one gave a theological explanation or justification.

Menstruation is the cleansing of the uterus from dead tissue, cleansing the uterus for a new round of expectation, hope for new life, for conception. Every shedding of blood is a specter of death, for in blood is life (in Old Testament even more - “the soul of a man is in his blood”). But menstrual blood, this is doubly death, because it is not only blood, but also dead tissue of the uterus. Freeing herself from them, a woman becomes cleansed. This is the origin of the concept of impurity of women's periods. It is clear that this is not a personal sin of women, but a sin affecting all of humanity.

Let's turn to the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament there are many instructions regarding the purity and impurity of a person. Uncleanness is, first of all, a dead body, some diseases, discharges from the genital organs of men and women (there are other “unclean” things for a Jew: some food, animals, etc., but the main uncleanness is exactly that I indicated).

Where did these ideas come from among the Jews? The easiest way to draw parallels is with pagan cultures, which also had similar regulations about uncleanness, but the biblical understanding of uncleanness is much deeper than it seems at first glance.

Of course, there was the influence of pagan culture, but for a person of the Old Testament Jewish culture, the idea of ​​external impurity was rethought; it symbolized some deep theological truths. Which? In the Old Testament, uncleanness is associated with the theme of death, which took possession of humanity after the fall of Adam and Eve. It is not difficult to see that death, and illness, and the flow of blood and semen as the destruction of the germs of life - all this reminds of human mortality, of some deep-seated damage to human nature.

A person, in moments of manifestation, discovery of this mortality and sinfulness, must tactfully stand aside from God, Who is Life Itself!

This is how the Old Testament treated “uncleanness” of this kind.

Christianity, in connection with its teaching about victory over death and the rejection of the Old Testament man, also rejects the Old Testament teaching about impurity. Christ declares all these prescriptions to be human. The past has passed, now everyone who is with Him, even if he dies, will come to life, especially since all the other impurities have no meaning. Christ is the incarnate Life itself (John 14:6).

The Savior touches the dead - let us remember how He touched the bed on which they were carrying to bury the son of the widow of Nain; how He allowed a bleeding woman to touch Him... We will not find a moment in the New Testament when Christ observed the instructions about purity or impurity. Even when he is faced with the embarrassment of a woman who has clearly violated the etiquette of ritual impurity and touched Him, He tells her things that contradict conventional wisdom: “Courage, daughter!” (Matt. 9:22).

The apostles taught the same. " “I know and am confident in the Lord Jesus,” says St. Paul - that there is nothing unclean in itself; Only to him who regards anything as unclean, it is unclean for him” (Rom. 14:14). He: “For every creation of God is good, and nothing is reprehensible if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer"(1 Tim. 4:4).

Here the apostle says about food uncleanliness. The Jews considered a number of products unclean, but the apostle says that everything created by God is holy and pure. But ap. Paul does not say anything about the impurity of physiological processes. We do not find specific instructions on whether a woman during her period should be considered unclean, either from him or from the other apostles. In any case, we have no information about this; on the contrary, we know that the ancient Christians gathered in their houses weekly, even under the threat of death, served the Liturgy and received communion. If there were exceptions to this rule, for example for women in a certain period, then ancient church monuments would have mentioned this. They don't say anything about it.

But this was the question. And in the middle of the 3rd century the answer was given by St. Clement of Rome in the work “Apostolic Constitutions”:

« If anyone observes and performs Jewish rites regarding the ejaculation of semen, the flow of semen, legal intercourse, let them tell us whether, in those hours and days when they are exposed to something like this, they stop praying, or touching the Bible, or communing with the Eucharist? If they say that they stop, then it is obvious that they do not have the Holy Spirit in them, Who always abides with believers... Indeed, if you, a woman, think that during the seven days when you have your period, you do not have it in you. Holy Spirit; then 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... For neither legal copulation, nor childbirth, nor the flow of blood, nor the flow of semen in a dream can defile the nature of man or separate the Holy Spirit from him; only wickedness and lawless activity separate him from [the Spirit].

So, woman, if, as you say, during the days of menstruation you do not have the Holy Spirit in you, then you must be filled with an unclean spirit. For when you don’t pray and don’t read the Bible, you unwittingly call him to you...

Therefore, woman, refrain from empty speech and always remember the One who created you, and pray to him... without observing anything - neither natural cleansing, nor legal copulation, nor childbirth, nor miscarriages, nor bodily defects. These observations are empty and meaningless inventions of stupid people.

...Marriage is honorable and honest, and the birth of children is pure... and natural cleansing is not abominable before God, Who wisely ordained that it should happen to women... But even according to the Gospel, when the bleeding woman touched the saving edge of the Lord’s robe in order to get well, the Lord did not reproach her , but said: your faith has saved you».

In the 6th century he writes on the same topic St. Grigory Dvoeslov(it is he who authored the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, which is served on weekdays during Lent). He answers a question asked about this to Archbishop Augustine of the Angles, saying that a woman can enter the temple and begin the sacraments at any time - both immediately after the birth of a child and during menstruation:

« A woman should not be prohibited from entering church during her menstruation, for she cannot be blamed for what is given by nature, and from which a woman suffers against her will. After all, we know that a woman suffering from bleeding came up to the Lord from behind and touched the hem of His garment, and immediately the illness left her. Why, if she, while bleeding, could touch the Lord’s garment and receive healing, a woman during her period cannot enter the Church of the Lord?..

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 it out of great respect, this is commendable, but by accepting it, she will not commit a sin... And menstruation in women is not sinful, for it comes from their nature...

Leave women to their own understanding, and if during menstruation they do not dare to approach the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord, they should be praised for their piety. If they... want to accept this Sacrament, they should not, as we said, be prevented from doing so.”.

That is in the West, and both fathers were Roman bishops, this topic received the most authoritative and final disclosure. Today, no Western Christian would think of asking questions that confuse us, the heirs of Eastern Christian culture. There, a woman can approach the shrine at any time, despite any female ailments.

In the East, there was no consensus on this issue.

An ancient Syrian Christian document from the 3rd century (Didascalia) says that a Christian woman should not observe any days and can always receive communion.

St. Dionysius of Alexandria, at the same time, in the middle of the 3rd century, writes another:

“I don’t think that they [that is, women on certain days], if they are faithful and pious, being in such a state, would dare either to begin the Holy Table, or to touch the Body and Blood of Christ . For even the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years did not touch Him for healing, but only the hem of her garment. Praying, no matter what state someone is in and no matter how disposed they are, remembering the Lord and asking for His help is not forbidden. But let him who is not entirely pure in soul and body be prohibited from approaching what is the Holy of Holies.».

A hundred years later he writes on the topic of natural processes of the body St. Athanasius of Alexandria. He says that all of God's creation is “good and pure.” " Tell me, beloved and most reverent, what is sinful or unclean about any natural eruption, such as, for example, if someone wanted to blame the discharge of phlegm from the nostrils and saliva from the mouth? We can talk about more, about the eruptions of the womb, which are necessary for the life of a living creature. If, according to Divine Scripture, we believe that man is the work of God’s hands, then how could a bad creation come from pure power? And if we remember that we are the race of God (Acts 17:28), then we have nothing unclean in ourselves. For then only we become defiled when we commit sin, the worst stench of all».

According to St. Athanasius, thoughts about the pure and the unclean are offered to us by “the tricks of the devil” in order to distract us from spiritual life.

And thirty years later, the successor of St. Afanasy by department St. Timothy of Alexandria I spoke differently on the same topic. When asked whether it was possible to baptize or allow a woman to receive Communion if “the usual thing happened to women,” he answered: “ Must put it aside until it is cleared».

This last opinion, with different variations, existed in the East until recently. Only some fathers and canonists were more rigoristic - a woman should not visit the temple these days at all, others said that You can pray and visit church, but you can’t just take communion.

If we turn from canonical and patristic monuments to more modern monuments (XVI-XVIII centuries), we will see that they are more favorable to the Old Testament view of tribal life than to the New Testament one. For example, in the Great Book of Breviaries we will find a whole series of prayers for deliverance from the defilement associated with birth phenomena.

But still - why not? We do not receive a clear answer to this question. As an example, I will cite the words of the great Athonite ascetic and polymath of the 18th century Rev. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. To the question: why not only in the Old Testament, but also according to the Christian holy fathers a woman's monthly cleansing is considered unclean, the monk replies that there are three reasons for this:

1. Because of popular perception, because all people consider unclean what is expelled from the body through some organs as unnecessary or superfluous, such as discharge from the ear, nose, phlegm when coughing, etc.

2. All this is called unclean, for God teaches through the physical about the spiritual, that is, the moral. If the body is unclean, something that happens outside of human will, then how unclean are the sins that we commit of our own free will.

3. God calls the monthly purification of women unclean in order to prohibit men from intercourse with them... mainly and primarily because of concern for offspring, children.

This is how the famous theologian answers this question.

Due to the relevance of this issue, it was studied by a modern theologian Patriarch of Serbia Pavel. About this, he wrote an article, republished many times, with a characteristic title: “Can a woman come to church for prayer, kiss icons and receive communion when she is “unclean” (during menstruation)”?

His Holiness the Patriarch writes: “ The monthly cleansing of a woman does not make her ritually, prayerfully unclean. This uncleanness is only physical, bodily, as well as discharge from other organs. Moreover, since modern hygienic means can effectively prevent the accidental bleeding of blood from making the temple unclean... we believe that on this side there is no doubt that a woman, during her monthly cleansing, with the necessary caution and taking hygienic measures, can come to church, kiss icons, take antidor and blessed water, as well as participate in singing. She would not have been able to receive communion in this state, or if she was unbaptized, she would not have been able to be baptized. But in fatal disease can both receive communion and be baptized.”

We see that Patriarch Paul comes to the conclusion: You can go to church, but you still can’t take communion.

But it should be noted that in Orthodox Church there is no definition on the issue of women's hygiene adopted at the Council. There are only very authoritative opinions of the holy fathers (we mentioned them (these are Saints Dionysius, Athanasius and Timothy of Alexandria), included in Book of Rules of the Orthodox Church. The opinions of individual fathers, even very authoritative ones, are not the canons of the Church.

To summarize, I can say that most modern Orthodox priests Still, they do not recommend that a woman receive communion during her period.

Other priests say that all these are just historical misunderstandings and that one should not pay attention to any natural processes of the body - only sin defiles a person.

Based on the article by priest Konstantin Parkhomenko “On the so-called female “impurity”

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APPLICATION

Can a woman come to church for prayer, kiss icons and receive communion when she is “unclean” (during her period)? (Patriarch of Serbia Pavel (Stojcevic))

“Even in the 3rd century, a similar question was asked of Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (†265), and he replied that he did not think that women in such a state, “if they were faithful and pious, dared either to begin the Holy Table, or touch the body and blood of Christ,” for, When accepting the Shrine, you need to be pure in soul and body. At the same time, he gives the example of the bleeding woman who did not dare to touch the body of Christ, but only the hem of His garment (Matthew 9:20-22). In further explanation, Saint Dionysius says that praying, in whatever condition, is always permitted. A hundred years later, to the question: can a woman who “happened to the usual wives” receive communion, Timothy, also Bishop of Alexandria (†385), answers and says that she cannot until this period passes and she is cleansed . Saint John the Faster (VI century) also adhered to the same point of view, defining penance in case a woman in such a state nevertheless “received the Holy Mysteries.”

All these three answers show essentially the same thing, i.e. that women in this condition cannot receive communion. The words of Saint Dionysius that they then cannot “start the Holy Meal” actually mean to take communion, because they started the Holy Meal only for this purpose...”

Answers from Deacon Andrei Kuraev and Father Dmitry Smirnov.

Answer o. Dimitry (Smirnov):

Answer from Deacon Andrei Kuraev: