Is it possible to go to church with menstruation: the opinion of Orthodox pastors

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Critical days, menstruation or, as they call in the Orthodox environment, the days of impurity are an obstacle for women who want to participate in church life. But every representative of the fair sex of childbearing age has a glimmer of hope that there is still a chance to participate in Orthodox rites if such days fall inopportunely. Let's look at what is allowed and what is strictly prohibited. The text contains the answers of priests to women on the question of whether it is possible to go to church with menstruation.

What is given by nature

Often women talk about injustice because of the ban on visiting the temple and participating in the sacraments, because menstruation is something that is given by nature. But still, you should follow the established rules. Why? First, it is better to start with the Old Testament Fall. Let's remember what God said to Adam and Eve when they disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit. And the Lord said something like this: “From now on, you will live on earth in illness, labor, give birth in pain.” Eve was the first to disobey the Lord and was tempted by the words of the serpent,therefore, from then on, the woman is the one who should be in obedience to her husband, the man. In addition, she was also given periods of purification in the form of menstruation.

Secondly, in an Orthodox church there should not be any blood other than the blood of Christ, which is served to people during the sacrament of the Eucharist in the form of wine (cahors). Of course, in this case, we are talking not only about women in the days of uncleanness, but also about those who, for example, suddenly began to have a nosebleed.

As you can see, we are talking about both human blood in the temple in general, and the purification of a woman. That is why modern priests often explain in their own way whether it is possible to go to church during menstruation.

From this follows another nuance: in past centuries there were no hygiene products, women with critical days could inadvertently desecrate the holy floor of the temple. That is why they refrained from visiting him during such periods. Therefore, the tradition of the complete absence of women in the holy place still exists.

If reliable hygiene protection is provided

Thanks to modern technologies for the manufacture of hygiene products, every woman can be calm. But is it possible to go to the temple? Priests are often asked this question over and over again. In fact, you can, but you can’t just touch the shrines, it’s also forbidden to participate in any Sacraments. You should also not touch the priest's hand, take his blessing, kiss the cross at the end of the service.

But if the fairer sex is forgetful, maybe inadvertentlytouch the shrine, it is better to refrain from visiting the temple altogether, even on a big holiday. That is why, answering the question: “Is it possible to go to church during menstruation?”, Let's be honest: “Undesirable.”

What is allowed and what is not allowed in the temple?

Let's now take a closer look at what women are allowed to do in church:

• pray, participate in chants;
• buy and put candles;
• to be in the vestibule of the temple.

As you can see, only spiritually being in the church is allowed. But you can’t do anything bodily.

There are many more prohibitions. Let's list what not to do:

• participate in any sacraments (confession, communion, own baptism or godchild/goddaughter, wedding, unction);
• touch icons, cross, relics;
• drink holy water;
• accept consecrated items (oil, icons, consecrated items);
• touch the gospel.

These rules apply not only to temple visitors, but also to those who are outside the shrine at home, on a trip, at work, and so on. So, is it possible to go to church with menstruation? Yes, but you have to be careful.

When should you not go to church at all?

But it also happens that it is undesirable to go to the temple at all. Suppose there is only one exit in a small church, but at the end of the service, the priest stands in the porch at the very exit. Exit without kissing the cross, or it will not work, or there is a risk of hurting the shrine. In this casepriests answer something like this: “Stay at home, you can skip Sunday or a holiday for such a good reason. But the prayerful mood for the future will be good. Pray at home as if you were at a liturgy.”

But is it possible to go to church with menstruation if there are no obstacles? Of course you can. It is only desirable to be in the vestibule (at the entrance to the temple), so as not to accidentally forget about the unclean days and not to venerate the icons.

What should I do if I touched a shrine?

Sometimes, through ignorance or negligence, a woman touches a shrine. What to do? It is imperative to tell the priest in confession that she kissed the icon / cross or drank holy water during menstruation. Is it possible to go to church during menstruation, even if they have almost stopped? The short answer is: “Undesirable.”

If menstruation is a disease

There is a gospel story that tells of the healing of a bleeding woman by Jesus Christ. At the same time, the Lord did not scold the woman, but said something like this: “Faith healed you, go on and do not sin again.”

Is it possible to go to church with periods that last longer than normal and are considered a disease? In this case, yes.

When else is a woman forbidden to enter the temple?

Even in the early Christian period, it was established that a woman did not attend the temple at all for 40 days after giving birth. A child can be brought by a father or a relative, close friends. But mothers need to refrain.

We figured out if you can go to church during your period. In conclusion, it should be noted that it is also impossible to venerate shrines on the street, immerse yourself in a holy spring and participate in a water-blessed prayer service.

Such temporary bans are not a reason for despair for believing women, but it is a good reason to strengthen your faith, to be more serious in prayer.