Three-day fast before communion, what can you eat? About fasting before communion

The church calendar contains fasts before certain holidays. But confession and communion are individual sacraments. No one specifies the day when one should cleanse one’s soul from sins, just as no one prescribes with what frequency one should confess. One person confesses his sins to his confessor every week, another - before major church holidays. Sometimes the period before communion falls during a general Orthodox fast. What to do then?

Some people even come to communion without fasting or confession. But the Holy Gifts are greatest mystery. According to the Church, they should not be eaten by people mired in sins. And in order to prepare oneself for confession and communion, a person should fast. But if there is still some clarity with meat and animal products, then the question of whether fish can be eaten before communion remains open. A document from the Inter-Council Presence commission regarding this problem was recently released. It is called "Preparation for Holy Communion." Let's see what this document says about fasting.

The importance of fasting before communion

How the soul should be prepared to receive the Holy Gifts was discussed even in the early Church, and not only at the commission of the Inter-Council Presence on problems of parish practice. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes that people who eat the bread of the Lord and drink His cup unworthily will be guilty of sins against the Body and Blood of Christ. Therefore, you need to test yourself so as not to be condemned.

This indicates that a person must cleanse his body and soul before receiving communion. And even the priest performing the liturgy pronounces the following formulation: “May it not be a condemnation for me to receive the communion of Your Holy Mysteries.” One thing is clear: before consuming the Gifts of the Lord, one should confess and fast. And if we prepare our soul with prayers and repentance, then our body - with abstinence in food. But is it possible to eat fish before confession and communion? Does this product to forbidden during this period?

The meaning of fasting

Before you accept God into yourself and partake of His Body and Blood, you need to prepare yourself for this event. After all, even before secular holidays, we clean our house and decorate the room in which we will receive guests. How should one prepare to partake of the Holy Gifts? All priests argue that the matter should not be limited to one fast. If you limit yourself in food, but at the same time be arrogant, do not admit your sins, harbor hostility towards your neighbor and violate the commandments of Christ, then such abstinence will not give anything.

Confession before communion is required. After all, then the believer comes to the realization of his sins and repentance. And besides the question of whether it is possible to eat fish and fish soup before communion, a person should be more concerned about his own state of mind. After all, it is not for nothing that the period before receiving the Holy Gifts is called fasting, and not just fasting. Those preparing for this event must read three canons (repentance to Christ, prayer service to the Mother of God and to the Guardian Angel). He must also attend the evening service in the church on Saturday. And of course, worldly entertainment should be avoided during this period.

Number of days of fasting

The Church does not have a consensus on how many days a believer should abstain from drinking before receiving the Holy Gifts. In this matter, everything is very individual. The fast, or rather its duration, is prescribed by the confessor. Usually this is three days. But if a person has diseases (especially gastrointestinal tract), general weakness of the body, pregnancy or lactation, then the duration of fasting is reduced.

The group of “beneficiaries” also includes military personnel, who cannot choose dishes and products at their own discretion, but are forced to eat what they give. The confessor also looks at other circumstances. First of all, this is the frequency of communion. If someone resorts to partaking of the Holy Gifts for the first time, then such a person is prescribed a week-long fast. And whoever takes communion every Sunday, then it is enough for such a believer to abstain from fast food only on Wednesday and Friday. This category of people has a question: is it possible to eat fish before communion?

What types of posts are there?

For a worldly person, bodily abstinence seems to be something unified. If you are fasting, it means you cannot eat meat and animal products (milk and eggs). You can also eat fish, vegetable fats, drinks, including alcoholic drinks, vegetables and fruits. But the Church divides fasts into ordinary and strict. There are days when you can’t eat not only meat, but also fish. Some fasts also prohibit vegetable oil (so-called oil).

There are days of dry eating. During them, you cannot take any food until sunset, and in the evening you are allowed to eat only. Now let’s look at the fasting before receiving the Holy Gifts: is it possible to eat fish before communion?

What fast should you observe before confession?

Cleansing the soul from sins does not require any preparation. Previously, good believers went to their confessor and confessed when they felt the need for it. And it is not at all necessary to receive the Eucharist immediately after the remission of sins. But if you are going to do this, then fasting is necessary, that is, preparing the soul and body to receive the holy sacrament of the Church. And here it would be appropriate to ask the question: is it possible to eat fish before communion? Regarding this product, a negative answer can only be given with certainty for Saturday evening. Everything else depends on the frequency of your communion, your health and life circumstances. It also matters whether Orthodox Church general fast these days. In this case, the food requirements for fasting people change.

On the eve of participation in the holy liturgy, when you are about to begin receiving the Holy Gifts, you must observe strict fasting. This means that fish and various dishes made from it cannot be eaten. Monks are instructed to consume only uneaten sochivo (that is, vegetables not flavored with any fat) on Saturday evenings.

The church day begins at midnight. Therefore, you can neither eat nor drink the entire Sunday before receiving the sacrament. It is also advisable to attend the Saturday evening service. Is it possible to eat fish before communion on other days? If, for example, your confessor has prescribed a week of abstinence for you, then you should avoid meat, dairy products and eggs for all seven days. But besides this, on Wednesday and Friday you need to stick to it, that is, exclude fish, fish soup and seafood from your diet on these days. The Church has a special attitude towards nutrition on Saturday (if it is not Holy Saturday). Many priests believe that it is impossible to fast on the sixth day of the week. But this does not apply to those who fast, that is, those who prepare themselves to receive the Gifts of the Lord.

We have already mentioned above that the degree of severity of abstinence depends on church days. If all Orthodox Christians observe fasting (before Easter or Christmas), then those fasting should even more so avoid forbidden foods. Moreover, their abstinence should differ from others in greater severity.

If, for example, on certain days believers are forbidden to eat meat, then fasting people should also refuse fish. On some days, such as Wednesday and Friday, it is better for them not to add sugar to their drinks, but to replace it with honey. Vegetable oil, sauces and seasonings are also undesirable when fasting. You should also not overeat on permitted foods. After all, moderation in food is integral part preparation for receiving the Holy Gifts.

Instead of a conclusion

Perhaps some will think that this article has not answered the question of whether it is possible to eat fish before communion. A categorical no can only be said regarding the day on which the sacrament will take place (from midnight you cannot eat or drink anything).

It is also considered soul-saving to abstain from food all day on Saturday, and in the evening, on the eve of communion, you should dine on foods that are allowed during strict fasting (that is, without fish). But this requirement can also be relaxed for the sick, pregnant and lactating women. The severity and duration of fasting before communion is established by the confessor.

The meaning of the sacrament

The first step in preparing for communion will be to understand the meaning of communion, so many go to church because it is fashionable and one could say that you took communion and confessed, but in fact such communion is a sin. When preparing for communion, you need to understand that you go to church to see the priest, first of all, to draw closer to the Lord God and repent of your sins, and not to arrange a holiday and an extra reason to drink and eat. At the same time, going to receive communion just because you were forced is not good; you must go to this sacrament at will, cleansing your soul of sins.

So, whoever wants to worthily receive Holy Communion Mysteries of Christ, must prayerfully prepare himself for this two or three days in advance: pray at home in the morning and evening, visit church services. Before the day of communion, you must be at the evening service. To the family evening prayers a rule is added (from the prayer book) to Holy Communion.

The main thing is living faith hearts and warmth of repentance for sins.

Prayer is combined with abstinence from fast food - meat, eggs, milk and dairy products, during strict fasting and from fish. The rest of your food should be kept in moderation.

Those who wish to receive communion must, preferably the day before, before or after the evening service, bring sincere repentance of their sins to the priest, sincerely revealing their soul and not hiding a single sin. Before confession, you must certainly reconcile both with your offenders and with those whom you yourself have offended. During confession, it is better not to wait for the priest’s questions, but to tell him everything that is on your conscience, without justifying yourself in anything and without shifting the blame to others. Under no circumstances should you condemn someone or talk about the sins of others during confession. If it is not possible to confess in the evening, you need to do it before the start of the liturgy, or at least before Cherubic song. Without confession, no one, except infants under seven years of age, can be admitted to Holy Communion. After midnight, it is forbidden to eat or drink; you must come to Communion strictly on an empty stomach. Children should also be taught to abstain from food and drink before Holy Communion.

How to prepare for communion?

The days of fasting usually last a week, in extreme cases - three days. Fasting is prescribed on these days. Meal food is excluded from the diet - meat, dairy products, eggs, and on days strict posts- and fish. Spouses refrain from physical intimacy. The family refuses entertainment and watching television. If circumstances permit, you should attend church services on these days. The morning and evening prayer rules are followed more diligently, with the addition of the reading of the Penitential Canon.

Regardless of when the Sacrament of Confession is celebrated in the church - in the evening or in the morning, it is necessary to attend the evening service on the eve of communion. In the evening, before reading prayers for bedtime, three canons are read: Repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God, Guardian Angel. You can read each canon separately, or use prayer books where these three canons are combined. Then the canon for Holy Communion is read before the prayers for Holy Communion, which are read in the morning. For those who find it difficult to perform such a prayer rule in one day, take the priest’s blessing to read three canons in advance during the days of fasting.

It is quite difficult for children to follow all the prayer rules for preparing for communion. Parents need to choose together with their confessor optimal quantity prayers that the child can handle, then gradually increase the number necessary prayers necessary to prepare for communion, up to full prayer rule to Holy Communion.

For some, it is very difficult to read the necessary canons and prayers. For this reason, others do not confess or receive communion for years. Many people confuse preparation for confession (which does not require such a large volume of prayers read) and preparation for communion. Such people can be recommended to begin the Sacraments of Confession and Communion in stages. First, you need to properly prepare for confession and, when confessing your sins, ask your confessor for advice. We need to pray to the Lord to help us overcome difficulties and give us strength to adequately prepare for the Sacrament of Communion.

Since it is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach, from twelve o’clock at night they no longer eat or drink (smokers do not smoke). The exception is infants (children under seven years of age). But children from a certain age (starting from 5–6 years, and if possible earlier) must be taught to the existing rule.

In the morning, they also don’t eat or drink anything and, of course, don’t smoke; you can only brush your teeth. After reading morning prayers prayers for Holy Communion are read. If reading prayers for Holy Communion in the morning is difficult, then you need to take a blessing from the priest to read them the evening before. If confession is performed in the church in the morning, you must arrive on time, before confession begins. If confession was made the night before, then the person confessing comes to the beginning of the service and prays with everyone.

Fasting before confession

People who are resorting to Communion of the Holy Sacraments of Christ for the first time need to fast for a week, those who take communion less than twice a month, or do not observe Wednesday and Friday fasts, or often do not really observe multi-day fasts, fast for three days before communion. Do not eat animal food, do not drink alcohol. And don’t overeat on lean food, but eat as much as necessary to fill up and that’s all. But those who resort to the Sacraments every Sunday (as a good Christian should) can fast only Wednesday and Friday, as usual. Some also add - and at least on Saturday evening, or on Saturday - not to eat meat. Before communion, do not eat or drink anything for 24 hours. B allotted days use fasting only plant origin food.

It is also very important these days to keep yourself from anger, envy, condemnation, empty talk and physical communication between spouses, as well as on the night after communion. Children under 7 years old do not need to fast or confess.

Also, if for the first time man walking for communion, you need to try to read the entire rule, read all the canons (you can buy a special book in the store, called “Rule for Holy Communion” or “Prayer book with the rule for communion”, everything is clear there). To make it not so difficult, you can do this by dividing the reading of this rule over several days.

Clean body

Remember that you are not allowed to go to the temple dirty, unless of course it is required life situation. Therefore, preparing for communion means that on the day you go to the sacrament of communion, you must wash your body from physical dirt, that is, take a bath, shower or go to the sauna.

Preparing for Confession

Before confession itself, which is a separate sacrament (it does not have to be followed by Communion, but it is desirable), you can not fast. A person can confess at any time when he feels in his heart that he needs to repent, confess his sins, and as quickly as possible so that his soul is not burdened. And if you are properly prepared, you can take communion later. Ideally, if possible, it would be good to attend the evening service, and especially before holidays or the day of your angel.

It is absolutely unacceptable to fast in food, but not change the course of your life in any way: continue to go to entertainment events, to the cinema for the next blockbuster, to visit, sit all day with computer toys, etc. The main thing in the days of preparation for Communion is to live They are different from other days of everyday life; you don’t have to work hard for the Lord. Talk to your soul, feel why it is spiritually bored. And do something that has been put off for a long time. Read the Gospel or spiritual book; visit people we love but have forgotten; ask for forgiveness from someone from whom we were ashamed to ask for it and we put it off until later; try these days to give up numerous attachments and bad habits. Simply put, these days you have to be bolder and be better than usual.

Communion in Church

The Sacrament of Communion itself takes place in the Church at a service called liturgy . As a rule, the liturgy is celebrated in the first half of the day; exact time The beginning of services and the days of their performance should be found out directly in the temple you are going to go to. Services usually begin between seven and ten o'clock in the morning; The duration of the liturgy, depending on the nature of the service and partly on the number of communicants, is from one and a half to four to five hours. In cathedrals and monasteries, liturgies are served daily; in parish churches on Sundays and on church holidays. It is advisable for those preparing for Communion to attend the service from its beginning (for this is a single spiritual action), and also to attend the evening service the day before, which is prayerful preparation for the Liturgy and the Eucharist.

During the liturgy, you need to stay in the church without going out, prayerfully participating in the service until the priest comes out of the altar with a cup and proclaims: “Approach with the fear of God and faith.” Then the communicants line up one after another in front of the pulpit (first children and the infirm, then men and then women). Hands should be folded crosswise on the chest; You are not supposed to be baptized in front of the cup. When your turn comes, you need to stand in front of the priest, say your name and open your mouth so that you can put in a spoon with a particle of the Body and Blood of Christ. The liar must be thoroughly licked with his lips, and after wiping his lips with the cloth, reverently kiss the edge of the bowl. Then, without venerating the icons or talking, you need to move away from the pulpit and take a drink - St. water with wine and a particle of prosphora (in this way, it is as if the oral cavity is washed, so that the smallest particles of the Gifts are not accidentally expelled from oneself, for example, when sneezing). After communion you need to read (or listen in Church) thanksgiving prayers and in the future carefully guard your soul from sins and passions.

How to approach the Holy Chalice?

Each communicant needs to know well how to approach the Holy Chalice so that communion occurs orderly and without fuss.

Before approaching the Chalice, you must bow to the ground. If there are many communicants, then in order not to disturb others, you need to bow in advance. When the royal doors open, you must cross yourself and fold your arms crosswise on your chest, right hand over the left, and with such a folding of hands, take communion; you need to move away from the Chalice without releasing your hands. You need to approach with right side temple, and leave the left one free. The altar servers receive communion first, then the monks, the children, and only then everyone else. You need to give way to your neighbors, and under no circumstances push. Women need to wipe off their lipstick before communion. Women should approach communion with their heads covered.

Approaching the Chalice, you should loudly and clearly call your name, accept the Holy Gifts, chew them (if necessary) and immediately swallow them, and kiss the lower edge of the Chalice like the rib of Christ. You cannot touch the Chalice with your hands and kiss the priest’s hand. It is forbidden to be baptized at the Chalice! Raising your hand to make the sign of the cross, you can accidentally push the priest and spill the Holy Gifts. Having gone to the table with a drink, you need to eat antidor or prosphora and drink some warmth. Only after this can you venerate the icons.

If the Holy Gifts are given from several Chalice, they can only be received from one. You cannot receive communion twice a day. On the day of Communion, it is not customary to kneel, with the exception of bows during Great Lent when reading the prayer of Ephraim the Syrian, bows before the Shroud of Christ in Holy Saturday and kneeling prayers on the day of the Holy Trinity. Arriving home, you should first of all read prayers of thanksgiving for Holy Communion; if they are read in church at the end of the service, you need to listen to the prayers there. After communion, you should also not spit out anything or rinse your mouth until the morning. Participants should try to protect themselves from idle talk, especially from condemnation, and to avoid idle talk, they must read the Gospel, the Jesus Prayer, akathists, and Holy Scripture.

Holy Fathers on fasting before Communion

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407).“Let us rejoice and be glad, the meal is complete. The Lamb is presented, let no one come forth hungry... Those who have fasted and those who have not fasted, come, be filled with food... He who is not fasting, when he receives Communion, if he comes with a clear conscience, then he celebrates Passover - be it today, be it tomorrow, be it on any day . For preparation is assessed not by observation of the times, but by a clear conscience.” Against the Jews. Word 3. T.1. Book 2

St. Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894). Nowhere is it written to take on too much of a post without special need. Fasting is an external matter. It must be done on demand inner life. What need do you have for such excessive fasting? And so you eat little by little. The measure that has already been established could be maintained during Lent. And then you constantly Lent. And then we have to spend whole days without food?! This could have been done in the week when they were preparing to receive Holy Communion. Why languish yourself like this all through Lent? And they would have to eat a little every day.

St. Right John of Kronstadt (1829-1909). We Christians, as new people, are commanded to fast, so we should not worry much about feeding the belly, excesses in food and drink, or delicacies, because all this hinders the achievement of the Kingdom of Heaven. Our duty is to prepare for heavenly life and take care of spiritual food, and spiritual food is fasting, prayer, reading the Word of God, especially the Communion of the Holy Mysteries. When we do not care about fasting and prayer, then we are filled with all sorts of sins and passions, but when we feed on spiritual food, then we are cleansed of them and adorned with humility, meekness, patience, mutual love, purity of soul and body.

The current practice, according to which the communicant fasts for three days before Communion several times a year, is fully consistent with the tradition of the Church. It should also be recognized as acceptable 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.

Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (1966). “How often should one receive communion.” “Fasting before communion is a pious tradition of the Russian Church, and it is necessary for those who rarely receive communion, as it forces them to go deeper into themselves and think about their sins during fasting. As for people who strive to receive communion every Sunday or more often, less strict rules apply to them. In addition, there are many holidays when fasting contradicts the very idea of ​​the holiday.”

Mark, Bishop of Yegoryevsk, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (1964). The tradition of three days of fasting.“The tradition of a three-day fast comes from the tradition of the synodal period, when they took communion once or twice a year. In this situation, it is normal and very good if a person fasts for 3 days before communion. Today, as a rule, confessors and priests recommend taking communion much more often. It turns out to be a kind of contradiction: people who want to receive communion often condemn themselves to almost constant fasting on Thursdays and Saturdays, which becomes an impossible feat for many. If we continue to not treat this issue with reasoning, then this will have its effect negative impact on the spiritual life of our Church."

Hegumen Peter Meshcherinov, catechist, missionary, publicist, translator (1966). “Taste the Cup of Life.”“Bodily fasting before Communion is another tradition of the Russian Church associated with rare communion. The typikon indicates the week-long fasting before communion. Obviously, this is the norm for those who receive communion once a year or less; For those who receive communion frequently (once a week or more often), there is no corporal fasting. Unfortunately, the latter practice is followed in our time only by the clergy and some of the pious laity. Let us emphasize that bodily fasting is not the goal itself, but only a means for leading a more focused spiritual life.”

Look through all the church canons and you will not find anywhere that the Church requires special fasting before Communion. There are only those posts that the Mother Church established, i.e. Wednesday, Friday and all the fasts of the year that all believers know about. In the 1st century, Christians received communion at suppers, during meals or after meals, which were called Agapies. Likewise, our Savior himself did not administer this holy Sacrament after three days of fasting, but after the evening meal, which we read about in the Holy Gospel.

The sacrament of communion is widely known not only to believers, but also to people who do not consider themselves to be Christian religion. According to church canons, every layman must fast before the ceremony in order to prepare to receive the spirit of the Lord. It is widely known that the restriction applies to products of animal origin. But the question often arises about whether it is possible to eat fish before communion, because it is also often prohibited.

How is the ceremony performed?

The sacrament of communion or the Eucharist became known to people from the moment the Lord Christ came to earth. It was the Savior who laid the foundation for this tradition, which is still regularly practiced during church services. Christ broke bread with his disciples and divided it among everyone, and also offered them wine, saying that this was the body and blood of the Lord.

The rite of communion is carried out exclusively under the arches of the church or Orthodox church. And for it only wine and bread are used, over which they were pronounced special prayers servants of the Lord God. Therefore, the first drink you come across and an ordinary bun bought in a store are not suitable for communion.

Before the church service, the priest pronounces special liturgical prayers over the bread and wine and descends on them God's grace. Therefore, by eating the Body and Blood of the Lord during communion, parishioners receive God's Blessing and touch the sacred sacrament.

Their thoughts and body are cleansed, and if the parishioner has previously undergone the sacrament of confession, the consequences of sin are removed from him. Some believers receive not only spiritual liberation, but are also healed from serious illnesses, if this is the will of God.

Rules for the laity

To receive redemption and cleansing, you need to follow some rules that are familiar to believers. Before the sacrament of communion, fasting is required. This custom arose because the Apostle Paul, after the death and resurrection of Christ, considered it unacceptable to receive communion after a long feast or dinner.

In his opinion, believers who came to church after prolonged fun and gluttony are unable to concentrate on prayer and the sacrament of communion remains inaccessible to them. Such people are drawn to sleep or they want to continue their revelry, which is inappropriate under the arches of a church where other Christians have gathered.

It was from this moment that certain restrictions were introduced before communion, based on fasting. After all, liberated and disobedient believers cannot know the Grace of the Lord. The rules of preparation before communion are very simple.

A believer preparing for the ceremony must fast the day before attending Sunday service, not have dinner the night before Sunday, and not have sexual intercourse.

Thus, a believer did not stain himself with “ungodly thoughts and dreams,” but his body was cleansed and his thoughts remained clear and open to prayer and communion.

Later, the church established a rule that included seven days of fasting before confession and the sacrament of the Eucharist. But now priests have come to the conclusion that three days before communion are enough for preparation. During this period of time, believers must follow a certain diet in the consumption of foods, and also not engage in sexual intercourse, so as not to stain their body with “sin.”

Diet preparation

During fasting, the believer must give up gourmet food, which is associated with carnal pleasures and limit himself to simple products. Many lay people wonder what they should not eat and whether it is at least sometimes possible to eat fish before communion. Most often, it is prohibited during this period of fasting, or it is chosen low-fat varieties, which are eaten boiled without adding spices.

You can eat fish before communion only in those regions of Russia where it is the main source of food. For example, in the Far North and other parts of the country, where seafood is mainly consumed instead of meat due to the fact that it is easier to obtain.

It is prohibited to eat eggs, any kind of meat, even dietary ones, as well as any dairy and fermented milk products. You should also refrain from:

• smoking and drinking any, even weak alcohol;
• sexual relations;
• from events of an entertaining nature.

This time should be devoted to prayer and reading. scripture, work and household affairs. Any other pastime is undesirable.

The most suitable food during fasting before the sacrament of communion will be the consumption of fruits, lean porridges prepared without the addition of spices and oil, as well as flatbreads or bread without additives in the form of spices. And 6 hours before the Eucharist, the believer must exclude any food and drink from his diet. This is a time of prayer and sleep, after which the Christian goes to church for service.

This rule does not apply to everyone. Fasting before communion is not necessary for children under three years of age. But when the child has already reached this age, he should be deprived of tasty and sweet foods and gradually begin to be taught to fast and observe the rules for believers before communion.

Pregnant and weakened people after illness are allowed to relax their fast

Pregnant women and those with serious illnesses chronic disease people can maintain a weaker fast by eating those foods that are necessary to maintain health.

But before you dilute your diet with foods prohibited during fasting or stop observing it, you should seek the blessing (permission) of the priest.

EGGS WITH IMAGES

ABOUT a new type of iconoclasm

Lent is coming to an end. Approaching . Orthodox believers prepare according to tradition to meet her .

Let’s say one “Easter” online store offers us “in large assortment a variety of products for the Holy Easter holiday.” For example, “Easter stickers “With the faces of saints””

However, on the packaging with stickers you will not find instructions on how to dispose of them. It is unlikely that there will be anyone willing to supply natural chicken eggs with icon faces in the red corner and pray on them. Then what? Will the holy images, along with the shell, go into the trash bin? There is a compromise option - burn it in a clean place and bury the ashes, as is supposed to be done with consecrated objects according to church rules. In a metropolis, or just a city, this is difficult. And how many people are there who want to bother like this?fromfor some kind of shell with “stickers”?

How “joyful” it will be for the hostess to make the festive table such a work of applied art and conveniently arrange dishes with eggs, Easter cake, sausage, arrange cutlery on the face of the Virgin Mary or the Savior Crucified for her in , Who endured suffering, abuse and blasphemous death! After all, all this was a long time ago, and on this day she should rejoice at the Resurrection of Christ and cut sausage on His Face to break the fast after a long fast!..

True, the manufacturer has no idea that there was no Easter joy at the Last Supper.

I think that after all that has been said above, three questions arise: 1) how do we relate to the Easter holiday, 2) to God and His saints, and 3) to their sacred images (icons, frescoes, mosaics, etc.).

In my deep conviction, almost every Christian holiday is a “holiday with tears in our eyes,” including Easter. “For our Passover, Christ, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7) and we “were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23). During Great Lent, the Church reminds its children of this almost every Sunday with special services: passions (in addition to the texts of the Lenten Triodion and the Octoechos). The service of the entire Holy Week is dedicated to this.

And onlyspiritually unreasonable person or, worse, devoid of the fear of God,can, with a fearless hand, stick on the egg the face of the Savior, or His Most Pure Mother, or the saints who served God(unlike us sinners) with his righteous life, full of sorrows, suffering for the truth of God, and many with painful death for their testimonyOChrist; stick,knowing in advance that in a couple of days he will throw them in the trash along with the shells . Even the image ordinary person worthybO More respect! Will we really allow ourselves to easily stick photos of our loved ones and loved ones on objects, tear them up, and throw them into waste? How should we then treat sacred images?

The cathedral oros says where, on what and for what purpose sacred images should be located and how they should be venerated by believers: “...we define: like the image of an honest and life-giving cross, put in God's holy churches, on sacred vessels and garments, on walls and on boards, in houses and on paths honest and holy icons, painted and madefrommosaics andfromanother substance suitable for this, an icon of the Lord and God and Our Savior Jesus Christ... the Mother of God... honest angels and all saints and reverend men. For the more often they are visible through the image on icons, the morelooking at them stimulated to remember O the prototypes themselves and the love for them and to honor them with kisses and reverent worship...veneration according to the same model as it is given to the image of the honest and life-giving Cross and the Holy Gospel, and other shrines,incense and candles ... For the honor given to the image goes back to the prototype, andone who worships an icon worships the hypostasis of the person depicted on it »

Fromconciliar definition it follows that sacred images must

1) be located in decent places;

2) be manufacturedfromdurable materials;

3) to be honored by kissing, burning incense (incense), and lighting candles;

4) they are intended to raise the human mind from the image (icon, fresco, mosaic) to the prototype - Christ, the Mother of God, angels and saints of God;

5) the honor given to the icon goes back to the person (hypostasis) depicted on it;

6) any ungodly and offensive action towards the icon also goes back to its prototype, that is, to the person (hypostasis) of Christ, the Mother of God, angels and saints.