It is believed that during menstruation the woman’s church is closed.
Go to church, and even more so do not communion.
Is it really?
And why does natural physiology cause so much controversy over the centuries of Christianity?
Is it possible to go to church during menstruation: the reasons for uncleanness
There is no clear reason why a woman is forbidden to attend the temple during critical days. The fact is that the Old Testament contains a ban, linking the rejection of blood and tissues with the impurity of the female body on special days, and the New Testament does not directly cancel this ban.
The most direct answer to the question of parishioners is it possible to go to church during menstruation and what is the reason for the ban, in the XVII century the Athos Monk Nicodemus Svyatrets gave:
• people’s body impurities are considered all bodily secretions, no matter where they come from;
• the “uncleanness” of a woman during menstruation should have been a ban on copulation, which is directly related to the safe bearing of the child and the birth of healthy babies;
• the impurity of menstruation symbolizes the bodily, not related to the will of man, and therefore sinful.
A double understanding of the very possibility of coming to the temple in an unclean state is set forth by the Patriarch of Serbia Paul. He admits visiting the temple during monthly discharge (subject to the necessary hygiene procedures), but only for prayer, kissing icons, participation in chants. But communion or baptism during this period is impossible.
The concept of female body impurity in a certain period is also connected with the fact that in the past there were no reliable hygiene products. The desecration of the temple with blood was considered almost a crime, because it is a symbol of eternal life, opposing not so much physical as spiritual death.
In addition, during the period of menstruation (symbolically) life is rejected: the egg dies, and with it the hope for the birth of a new man, a follower of Christ, perishes. Until the cleansing of corruption is completed, the woman has nothing to do in the Temple of the Lord.
Is it possible to go to church during menstruation: who is for and who is against
The opinion of the church fathers remains an opinion. The exact answer to the question can be given either by the Holy Scriptures, or by the Lord Himself. And there is something to think about. The fact is that according to the gospel parable, Christ himself allowed the woman during the period of bleeding (in the Gospel of Matthew she is called the "bleeding wife") to touch him for healing, turning with the words: "Courage, daughter."
Skeptical clergymen parry: a woman dared to touch only in the garment of the Son of God, but not to the body. Is there a ban in that?
To the question of the laity whether it is possible to go to church during menstruation, they answered negatively:
• Bishop of Alexandria Dionysius (III century): it is possible to receive the Shrine only with a pure soul and body;
• Bishop of Timothy of Alexandria (4th century): Communion before complete cleansing is not allowed;
• St. John Postnik, who lived in the VI century, demanded penance (punishment) for a woman who dared to accept the holy secrets of the unclean.
The concept of impurity of a woman is connected, possibly, with the fact that dead tissue and blood are rejected. This is directly related to the idea of death, contrary to the teachings of Christ. The Old Testament governs all aspects of life of the believer, paying particular attention to food and disease. The New Testament rejects the Old Testament understanding of impurity, as the past has passed and a new time has come. Anyone who dies with faith in Christ will come to life, therefore the former bodily impurity has no meaning and meaning. The question of the laity "is it possible to go to church during menstruation" does not matter either. Christ in the Gospel himself touches the dead, and allows the "bleeding wife" to touch himself.
Allowed the woman to enter the temple during the monthly cleansing saints, recognized fathers of the Church of Christ:
• St. Grigory Dvoeslov: a woman can participate in the sacraments (including the sacrament of Communion) during bleeding, because menstruation is a natural physiological process, they are not sinful;
• Saint Athanasius of Alexandria: everything created by God is pure, everything is good. The race of God does not carry anything that is originally unclean, and desecration comes from another.
It is not surprising that different church fathers gave different recommendations to parishioners regarding visiting the Temple and participating in the sacraments. It is difficult for unchurched people to understand whether it is possible to go to church during menstruation. Nevertheless, the urgency of the problem is not in doubt. It happens that a woman takes a long time to prepare for the sacrament, but nature takes its toll. What to do?
There are more tragic situations. They may be associated, for example, with a serious illness. Is it possible to go to church during menstruation in case you need to urgently take communion or attach to the shrine? Sometimes the situation is such that there are not several days to wait for purification.
Is it possible to go to church during menstruation: how to solve the issue of parishioners
Today, the question of the possibility of coming to the temple is related to how the abbot interprets it. In some churches, even injured priests are forbidden to touch the shrines: bleeding from a wound becomes a direct prohibition on participating in rituals. Parishioners are forbidden to confess, receive communion, and even get married. It is not that the woman is not clean, but that it is forbidden to touch the shrines during bleeding.
Orthodox priests for the most part prohibit the sacrament of communion during the purification of blood. The degree of categorization depends on the priest. "Do not dare!" - such is the prohibition formula.
There are also clergymen who consider the strict prohibition a relic of the past and do not prevent a woman from participating in the service or in the sacraments. The feminine nature from which man is born cannot be the source of sin.
So what do parishioners do? Can I go to church during menstruation? An exact answer to this question can only be given by the priest of the church where the woman goes, or her confessor. One must do as the clergy commits in accordance with his understanding of Scripture.
