In the church calendar, there are fasts before certain holidays. But confession and communion are individual sacraments. No one indicates the day when one should cleanse one's soul from sins, nor does it prescribe how often one should confess. One person confides his sins to the confessor every week, the other before major church holidays. Sometimes the period before communion falls on a common Orthodox fast. What then?
Some people generally come to communion without fasting and confession. But the Holy Gifts are the greatest sacrament. They, according to the Church, 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 it is possible to eat fish before communion remains open. A document of the commission of the Inter-Council Presence concerning this problem was recently published. It is called"Preparation for Holy Communion". Let's see what this document says about fasting.
Importance of fasting before communion
How to prepare the soul for the acceptance of the Holy Gifts was discussed even in the early Church, and not only at the commission of the Inter-Council Presence on the problems of parish practice. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes that people who eat the Lord's bread and drink His cup unworthily will be guilty of sins against the Body and Blood of Christ. Therefore, you need to test yourself in order not to be condemned.
This indicates that a person must cleanse the body and soul before taking communion. And even the priest celebrating the liturgy pronounces the following wording: "May it not be a condemnation for me to partake of Your Holy Mysteries." One thing is clear: before using the Gifts of the Lord, one should confess and fast. And if we prepare our soul with prayers and repentance, then the body with abstinence in food. But is it possible to eat fish before confession and communion? Is this product banned during this period?
Meaning of Fasting
Before you accept God into yourself, taste of His Body and Blood, you need to prepare yourself for this event. After all, even before secular holidays, we clean our house, decorate the room in which we will receive guests. How should one prepare to partake of the Holy Gifts? All priests assert 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,to 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, the period before the acceptance of the Holy Gifts is not in vain called fasting, and not just fasting. Those preparing for this event must read three canons (repentant to Christ, prayer to the Mother of God and to the guardian angel). And also he must attend the evening service in the church on Saturday. And of course, worldly entertainment should be avoided during this period.
Number of fasting days
The Church does not have a consensus on how many days a believer should refrain from eating fast food before accepting the Holy Gifts. In this matter, everything is very individual. Fasting, or rather its duration, is appointed by the confessor. Usually it's three days. But if a person has diseases (especially of the gastrointestinal tract), general weakness of the body, pregnancy or lactation, then the duration of fasting is reduced.
The group of "beneficiaries" also includes the military, who cannot choose dishes and products at their discretion, but are forced to eat what they give. The confessor also looks at other circumstances. First of all, it is the frequency of communion. If someone resorts to partaking of the Holy Gifts for the first time, then sucha person is assigned a weekly fast. And whoever takes communion every Sunday, then it is enough for such a believer to refrain from fast food only on Wednesday and Friday. For this category of people, the question arises: is it possible to eat fish before communion?
What are the posts
For a worldly person, bodily abstinence seems to be one thing. If fasting, then you can not eat meat and animal products (milk and eggs). And you can eat fish, vegetable fats, drinks, including alcohol, vegetables and fruits. But the Church divides fasts into ordinary and strict. There are days when you can not eat not only meat, but also fish. Some fasts also forbid vegetable oil (so-called oil).
There are dry eating days. During them, you can not take any food before sunset, and in the evening you are allowed to eat only lean foods. Now consider fasting before receiving the Holy Gifts: is it possible to eat fish before communion?
What fast should be observed before confession
Cleansing the soul from sins does not require any preparation. In the past, good believers would go to their confessor and confess when they felt the need to do so. 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, the preparation of the soul and body for the acceptance of the holy sacrament of the Church. And here it would be appropriate to ask the question: is it possible to eat fish before communion? With regard to this product, a negative answer can be given with certainty.only for Saturday evening. Everything else depends on the frequency of your communion, on your he alth and life circumstances. It also matters whether the Orthodox Church observes universal fasting these days. In this case, the requirements for food for fasting change.
Can I eat fish before communion
On the eve of participation in the holy liturgy, when you are going to start accepting the Holy Gifts, you need to observe a strict fast. And this means that fish and various dishes from it cannot be eaten. Monks are ordered to consume only unoiled juicy (that is, vegetables not flavored with any fat) on Saturday evening.
Church day starts at midnight. And therefore, all Sunday before the acceptance of the sacrament, you can neither eat nor drink. It is also desirable to attend the Saturday evening service. Can I eat fish before communion on other days? If, for example, your confessor has appointed 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 adhere to a strict fast, that is, exclude fish, fish soup and seafood from your diet these days. The Church has a special relationship with food on Saturday (if it is not Passionate). Many priests believe that fasting is not allowed 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.
Can fish fast before communion
We have already mentioned above that the degree of severity of abstinence depends on church days. If everyoneOrthodox fasting (before Easter or Christmas), fasting people should even avoid prohibited foods. Moreover, their abstinence should be more severe than others.
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 and permitted foods. After all, moderation in food is an integral part of preparing for the acceptance of the Holy Gifts.
Instead of a conclusion
Perhaps some will feel 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 can’t eat or drink anything).
It is also considered soul-saving to abstain from food all day on the Sabbath, and in the evening, on the eve of communion, you should dine with foods that are allowed during strict fasting (that is, without fish). But this requirement can be relaxed for sick, pregnant and lactating women. The severity and duration of fasting before communion is set by the confessor.
