Each person has their own path to God. A child baptized in infancy does not necessarily grow up in a churched family. That is why adults who feel the need to go to the temple may not know the answers to the simplest questions. How to start going to church?
How to start going to church?
First of all, you need to drop the constraint. No one will look askance at a newcomer who does not know how to behave properly in the service, where to put a candle for the repose or health, how to take communion or confess. You can ask about everything from experienced parishioners directly in the church or from the seller in the church shop.
If in your environment there is a church person or a lay person who constantly attends church, it is worth talking to him. And yet the priests advise to start with the main thing: the Bible. And it is better to start with the New Testament, it is easier to understand and easier to read. First, read one gospel (from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John).
Be sure to read about the sacraments of the Church. For example, one of the most important is the sacrament of the sacrament. Ideally, communion should be every week. But before taking communion, a believer needs to go through the sacrament of confession and receive a blessing.
Priests take confession every day during the service. Special preparation for it is not required. But you need to prepare for communion in three days:
Observe fasting, refusing meat, milk, fish, eggs;
On the eve of communion in the evening, come to the service;
From 12 o'clock in the morning before communion, you can not eat.
Understanding the meaning of this sacrament, the beginner will feel more confident.
If a woman has started going to church, she should know the basic rules:
You can enter the temple only in a scarf (shawl, scarf are allowed);
Clothing should be modest: no miniskirts, ripped jeans, cleavage, etc.;
During critical days and within 40 days after childbirth, you cannot visit the temple.
If this is your first time on the job, don't be intimidated. Service in progress about an hour and a half. For starters, you can just stand, listen to what the priest is talking about, be baptized when the parishioners are baptized. It is not necessary to kneel, to kiss the icons too.
When you confess for the first time, be sure to tell the priest about it. He will tell you what to do. Do not be afraid to talk about your sins: the priest will not condemn, but will rejoice that a layman is looking for the salvation of his soul, and will forgive sins. The most terrible sin from the point of view of the church is not forgiven. What to talk about, think in advance. You can make a list of sins on a piece of paper so as not to get confused and not forget anything.
It is impossible to receive communion without confession. The priest must be sure to say that you are taking part in the sacrament for the first time.
As for candles, you can put them for health both in front of a specific icon (for example, St. Nicholas), and in front of any icon in general. Just light a candle, pray, turn to God with your request, or read a prayer to the saint from whom you are asking for help. Candles for the repose of the soul are placed in a certain part of the temple: to the left of the entrance, where a large crucifix is located.
From generation to generation, a strict ban on women visiting the temple on menstruation days has been passed down. Some people believe in this and strictly enforce the rule. Others are indignant and indignant at the ban, thinking why not. Still others, not paying attention to critical days, come to church at the behest of the soul. So is it allowed to go to church during menstruation? Who, when and why forbade women to visit her on these special days for the female body?
You can get acquainted with the moments of the creation of the Universe by the Lord in the Bible in the Old Testament. God created the first people on the sixth day in his own image and likeness and called the man Adam and the woman Eve. It follows from this that initially the woman was clean, she did not have menstruation. The conception of a child and his birth should not have been painful. In their world, filled with perfection, there was nothing impure. In purity was the body, thoughts, actions and soul. But the perfection was short-lived.
The devil incarnated in the form of a serpent and began to tempt Eve so that she would eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He promised her power and knowledge. The woman tasted the fruit herself and treated her husband to it. This is how the fall into sin occurred on all mankind. Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise. God condemned the woman to suffering. He said that from now on she would conceive and give birth in pain. From that moment on, a woman is considered unclean.
Rules and laws were important to the people of that period of time. All of them were written in the Old Testament. Temples were created to communicate with God and to offer sacrifices to him. The woman was not a full member of society, but was the complement of a man. Everyone remembered the sin of Eve, after which her menstruation began. Menstruation was a reminder of what the woman had done.
Old Testament gave a clear answer to the question of who could, and who and why was forbidden to visit the Holy Temple. Didn't visit:
In Old Testament times, everything was viewed from a physical point of view. A dirty body was considered a sign of an unclean person. A woman during critical days was forbidden to visit the Temple, as well as places with large quantity of people. She was far from the gatherings of the people. Blood was not to be shed in holy places. This continued until the coming of Jesus Christ and the bringing of the New Testament by him.
Jesus Christ focused on the spiritual, tried to reach out to human soul. He came to atone for all human things, including the sin of Eve. If a person did not have faith, all his deeds were considered unspiritual. The black thoughts of a person turned him into an unclean one, even with the purity of his body. The Holy Temple did not become a specific place on Earth, but was transferred to human souls. Christ said that the soul is the Temple of God and His Church. Men and women became equal in rights.
Once a situation occurred that outraged all the clergy. While Christ was in the Temple, a woman who had been bleeding for many years passed through the crowd to him and touched his clothes. Christ, who felt her, turned around and said that her faith had saved her. Since that time, a split has occurred in the consciousness of mankind. Some remained faithful to physical purity and the Old Testament. They were of the opinion that a woman should never go to church during her period. And those who obeyed the teachings of Jesus Christ and followed faith in the New Testament and spiritual purity ceased to adhere to this rule. After his death, the New Testament came into force. The spilled blood was a sign of the beginning of a new life.
So can you go to church during your period?
Catholic priests have long decided for themselves the issue of a woman visiting church on critical days. They consider menstruation a natural phenomenon and do not see anything wrong with them. Blood has long ceased to spill on the floors of the church, thanks to modern hygiene products.
But Orthodox priests cannot come to a consensus. Some say that a woman should not go to church during her period. Others say that you can come if the soul requires it. Still others allow women to come to church during menstruation, but put a ban on some sacred sacraments:
For the most part, prohibitions are related to physical moments.. For hygienic reasons, during menstruation, you can not go into the water. It's not very pleasant to look at blood mixing with water. The wedding takes a long time and the weakened body of a woman during menstruation may not be able to withstand it. Fainting often occurs, the woman experiences weakness and dizziness. During the confession, the psycho-emotional state of the woman is affected. And during the period of menstruation, she is a little in an inadequate state. Therefore, if a woman decides to confess, she can say something that she will regret for a long time. That's why you can't confess during your period.
Modernity has mixed the sinful with the righteous. Nobody knows the origins of this ban. Priests have ceased to be the spiritual ministers that they were considered in the times of the Old and New Testaments. Everyone perceives information in a way that is more convenient for him. The church is a building, the same as it was under the Old Testament. It follows that everyone must adhere to the rules established at that time. You can't go to church during your period.
But the modern democratic world has made its own amendment. If we take into account that it was considered sinful to shed blood in the temple, then at the present time this problem has been completely solved. Hygiene products, such as tampons and pads, absorb blood well and prevent it from leaking onto the floor of a sacred place. The woman is not impure. But there is also back side. During menstruation female body self-cleaning. And this means that the woman is still unclean, and she cannot attend church during critical days.
But the New Testament and its purity of soul comes to her aid. And this means that if the soul feels the need to touch the shrine, to feel Divine support, then you can come to the temple. Even necessary! After all Jesus helps those who sincerely believe in him. And cleanliness of the body does not play a big role in this. For those who adhere to the rules of the New Testament, going to church during menstruation is not forbidden.
But even here there are amendments. Since the Church and the Holy Temple are in the soul of a person, then it is not at all necessary for him to come to a certain room for help. A woman can pray to God anywhere. And if the prayer comes from a pure heart, then it will be heard much faster than when visiting a temple.
No one can say for sure whether it is possible to go to church during menstruation. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter. The woman must answer this question herself, decide why she wants to go to church.
The ban is either there or not. You need to look at what intentions a woman wants to go to church with..
If the purpose of the visit is to ask for forgiveness, repentance for sins, then you can go at any time and during menstruation too. The purity of the soul is the main thing.
During critical days, it is best to reflect on your actions. Sometimes during menstruation, you don’t want to leave the house anywhere. And during menstruation, you can go to the temple, but only if the soul requires it!
There is an opinion that a woman during menstruation is forbidden to enter the church and attend worship services. This prohibition has been observed for many centuries, so believing women still doubt whether they can go to church during menstruation. Maybe the bleeding makes them unclean, so they don't belong in the church?
Where did the ban on visiting the temple during the regulars come from, is it relevant in the 21st century? Some women continue to strictly observe this prescription and are very worried that menstruation will not begin in the church. Others calmly attend church services, considering such warnings outdated. Can I or can't I go to church when I'm on my period? The answer to this question can be found in the study of the Old and New Testaments.
According to the Old Testament, the first woman, Eve, succumbed to temptation and ate the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and then persuaded her husband Adam to eat it. For this, God punished Eve. The punishment for misconduct was imposed on the entire female sex. Since then, children have been born in suffering, and monthly bleeding is a reminder of the sin committed.
The Old Testament contains a prescription according to which women in certain situations are forbidden to approach the temple and enter it:
The clergy explained this by the fact that the female sex bears the imprint of the fall of man. During the period of menstruation, a woman becomes dirty, unclean, so she should not defile the house of God. In addition, the Most Holy Bloodless Sacrifice is performed in the house of God - a prayer, therefore any bloodshed within its walls is unacceptable.
With the coming of Jesus Christ, the emphasis shifts from the physiological to the spiritual. If earlier, in the times of the Old Testament, a person was considered a defiler because of physical dirt, now only thoughts matter. No matter how clean outwardly a person may be, if he has dirty thoughts and intentions, there is no faith in his soul, all his deeds are considered unspiritual. And, on the contrary, even the dirtiest and sickest believer can be as pure in soul as a baby.
The New Testament describes a story that happened while Christ was going to the sick daughter of the arch-synagogue Jairus. A woman who had been bleeding for many years approached him, touched the hem of Jesus' garment, and immediately the bleeding stopped. Feeling the power emanating from him, Jesus Christ asked the disciples who touched him. The woman admitted that it was her. Christ answered her: “Daughter! Your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed from your sickness."
Where did the idea come from in the minds of society that a woman during menstruation is unclean? This point of view was common in ancient times among many peoples who did not understand why a woman bleeds, so they tried to explain this phenomenon by everyone. possible ways. Since many physiological secretions were considered a sign of illness, the regulations began to personify bodily dirt.
In times of paganism in different tribes, the attitude towards a woman during the period of bleeding was almost the same. How can a person shed blood, considered a sign of wounds and disease, every month, and yet he remains alive? The ancient peoples explained this by a connection with demons.
Girls on the verge of puberty underwent an initiation ceremony that was directly related to menarche. After that, they were considered adults, they were initiated into the women's sacraments, they could marry and give birth to children.
In some tribes, women during the period of bleeding were expelled from the house. They had to live in a special hut, and only after that, having cleansed themselves, could they return home. In remote corners of the planet, such customs have survived to this day.
Researchers believe that the period when the Old Testament was created refers to the I-II millennium BC. To understand why the prohibitions against the female sex were introduced into the Bible, it is necessary to pay attention to the social position of women at that time.
The female sex in ancient society was considered lower in status than the male. Wives and daughters did not have the same rights as husbands and sons. They could not own property, conduct business, did not have the right to vote. In fact, a woman was the property of a man - first the father, then the husband, and then the son.
The idea of the fall of man, of which Eve was the culprit, explained why a woman should occupy an inferior position compared to men. Another reason why menstruation made the female sex unclean lies in the concept of disease. The ancient peoples did not have knowledge about what causes various diseases.
The blood and pus were dangerous because they were an obvious sign of a disease that could infect another person. That is why in the days of the Old Testament it was forbidden to enter the church not only during menstruation, but also for those who had festering wounds, suffered from leprosy or touched corpses.
Despite the fact that the New Testament placed spiritual purity above physical purity, the opinion of the clergy remained unchanged for many centuries. For example, in the Kiev “Trebnik” of the beginning of the 17th century, there is an instruction that if a woman with menstruation enters the temple, she should be punished in the form of a 6-month fast and 50 daily prostrations.
Nowadays, there is no such strict ban on visiting temples. A woman can go to church, pray, light candles. If she is worried about the possible desecration of a holy place by her presence, then she can simply stand aside, at the entrance.
However, some restrictions still remain. The Church does not recommend performing the Sacraments during menstruation. Communion, baptism, confession and wedding - these events are best moved to other days of the cycle.
In addition, the parishioner should not forget about other rules for visiting churches. Women are supposed to enter the temple only with their heads covered and in a skirt. Too deep necklines and miniskirts are not allowed. However, many churches, especially those located in tourist areas, have become appearance believers are more loyal. If a woman feels an irresistible desire to go inside, she can do it in trousers and without a headscarf.
In Islam, opinion on this issue is ambiguous. Some Muslims believe that it is better to refrain from visiting the mosque. Others insist that such bans should be abandoned. It is forbidden to desecrate the mosque with bodily secretions, but if a Muslim woman uses hygiene products (tampons, pads or menstrual cups), she can enter inside.
In Hinduism, women are not allowed to enter temples during the regul. In Buddhism, unlike other religions, the ban on visiting has never existed. A woman can enter the datsan at any time.
Catholic clerics believe that the ancient ban on visiting churches was due to poor hygiene in past centuries. Unable to bathe and change clothes regularly, women often contracted infections. During the regulars, they smelled unpleasantly, and drops of blood could drip onto the floor of the church. Due to the fact that now the problem of hygiene has been resolved, the ban on entering the temple does not have the original meaning.
The opinion of Orthodox priests is not so unambiguous. Some of them continue to adhere to strict prohibitions and recommend refraining from performing the Sacraments, but explain this by concern for the health of the parishioner. Wedding, baptism, confession last a long time, and a believer during menstruation may feel ill, because of the smell of incense, she may feel dizzy. Other clergy say that the woman herself must make a decision. If she feels the need to attend church, she should not restrict this desire.
The answer to the question posed in the title is overgrown with so many superstitions and prejudices that no one gives an unambiguous answer to it - concrete and comprehensive. And our people are accustomed to acting according to prescriptions and regulations: since it is not officially allowed, then, perhaps, it is forbidden at all ?!
So the “million torments” begin, such as “tomorrow is the wedding, and today the critical days have begun, what should I do?”
Why is it considered not to go to church during menstruation? In Old Testament times, there were many rules, requirements and restrictions regarding the life and behavior of the Israeli people. Regulated food products that were allowed to be consumed; animals were divided into pure and impure in the sacred sense; the norms of behavior in the days of human “impurity”, including women’s, also got there, when during menstruation it was forbidden to visit the temple of God.
History decreed that the arguments about the uncleanness of the representatives of the fauna somehow self-destructed, and the female uncleanness remained relevant, as we see, for many centuries.
What was the reason for such a ban? Based on the instructions of the Old Testament, there are two reasons for this:
All these points of view require "translation". About what sin in question for the first reason? About the sin of disobedience of the foremother of the human Eve, for which all her descendants are punished. And the church must be protected from any reminders associated with the sinfulness and mortality of man. Therefore, the woman was deprived of the right to even touch the shrines.
By the way, some interpreters of the Bible believe that menstruation is not a punishment at all, but rather an opportunity for the continuation of the human race.
Punishment is a long and difficult process of bearing and childbirth. In the book of Genesis, it is said about this: “... I will increase your sorrow in your pregnancy; in sickness you will give birth to children ... "
The second point is even more difficult: monthly cleansing is associated with ridding the body of the unfertilized, i.e. dead, eggs. It is believed that the embryo died before it was born, and the presence of such an object in the temple is prohibited. Menstruation can thus be regarded as a missed pregnancy, for which the woman is responsible. In addition, dead endometrial tissue seems to desecrate the church.
Much closer to the truth is the point of view of the New Testament leaders of the church. You can start with the apostle Paul with his conviction that everything the Lord has created is beautiful, and everything that He created in a person has its purpose, and all processes in his body are completely natural. The opinion of St. George the Dialogist coincides with this: a woman was created exactly the way she was created, and she should be allowed to attend church regardless of her physiological state. In this situation, the main thing is the state of her soul.
Menstruation is called critical days, but is very important period for the woman's body.
So does it make sense to forbid the ladies to lead their usual life, including church life, when they are menstruating?
St. Clement of Rome noted as early as the 3rd century that “… natural cleansing is not abominable before God, who wisely arranged for women to have it… But according to the Gospel, when the bleeding woman touched the saving edge of the Lord’s garment in order to recover, the Lord did not reproach her, but said: your faith has saved you.”
And this gospel episode is cited in the writings of many church authors, including John Chrysostom. That is, the main thing is not at all that a believing woman is not worthy to touch the divine. The main thing is her strong faith, capable of granting salvation.
Trying to find an answer to the question “is it possible to go to church with menstruation?” Modern priests are trying to find a compromise solution between the generally accepted, though not very convincing, opinion about the impossibility of such a step and its unconditional permission. We can safely say that they still do not have a unanimous point of view.
Those who adhere to the "ancient" point of view will insist on the fulfillment of "traditions" - either do not go at all, or come in, stand quietly and pray in the porch or at the door. Others will point out some restrictions regarding certain actions of a woman who comes to the temple. Among them may be:
Still others agree only that during menstruation a woman is not allowed to:
There is also a small fourth group, who believe that the most important thing is to come to God with a pure heart and soul, and “physiological impurity” does not matter to Him: the Lord sees through and through those who come to Him, and He will see an impure soul just as clearly as well as physical impurity. Therefore, a full-fledged church life is not at all contraindicated for a woman on critical days.
And here are the answers of the priests on this issue.
Priest's opinion
Hieromonk Victor
God's creation, which is human body, is not evil or filth. Physiological secretions, which include menstruation, are also not sinful. This is inherent in the female nature of God, but could the Lord create something dirty, contrary to His plan for a person? I am not a supporter, in my opinion, of outdated prohibitions, because I think that a woman is free in her decisions, go to her temple on critical days or pray at home.
Priest's opinion
Priest Vladimir
Young women often turn to me with the question of whether it is possible to get married or be a godparent during the monthly cleansing. I unequivocally answer that on such days women cannot participate in the sacraments. It is better to reschedule the event to a more convenient time. However, situations are different and physiology cannot adapt to the schedule of events planned by a person. For example, a wedding was scheduled, but the body “failed”, and a couple of hours before the sacrament, the bride began her period. Is it possible to get married? So what to do? The wedding is over, and I advise the young wife to confess this involuntary sin.
Let's sum up summary: you can go to church on critical days. Most clergy strongly discourage communion unless absolutely necessary. As for all the other, often far-fetched, restrictions, there are the most different traditions and opinions: what, when exactly can and should be done, and when to abstain. It is better to clarify such questions with the clergy of the temple that you usually visit.
It is believed that during menstruation the church is closed to a woman.
You can’t go to church, and even more so, you can’t take communion.
Is it really?
And why did natural physiology cause so much controversy throughout the centuries of Christianity?
There is no clear reason why a woman is forbidden to visit the temple during critical days. The thing is that the Old Testament contains a prohibition, 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 prohibition.
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, was given in the 17th century by the Athos Saint Nikodim the Holy Mountaineer:
Physical impurity among the people is considered to be all bodily excretions, no matter where they come from;
"Uncleanness" of a woman during menstruation was supposed to be a ban on copulation, which is directly related to the safe bearing of a child and the birth of healthy babies;
The impurity of menstruation symbolizes the bodily, not connected with the will of man, and therefore sinful.
The dual understanding of the very possibility of coming to the temple in an unclean state is set forth by Patriarch Pavle of Serbia. He allows visiting the temple during monthly discharges (subject to the observance of the necessary hygiene procedures), but only for prayer, kissing icons, participation in hymns. But it is impossible to take communion or be baptized during this period.
The concept of impurity of the female body in a certain period is also connected with the fact that in former times there were no reliable means of hygiene. The desecration of the temple with blood was considered almost a crime, because it is a symbol eternal life opposing not so much physical as spiritual death.
In addition, during the period of menstruation, life is (symbolically) rejected: the egg dies, and with it the hope for the birth of a new person, a follower of Christ, dies. Until the purification from filth is completed, a woman has nothing to do in the Temple of the Lord.
The opinion of the Fathers of the Church remains an opinion. The exact answer to the question can be given either by Holy Scripture or by the Lord himself. And here is something to think about. The fact is that, according to the gospel parable, Christ himself allowed a woman during a period of bleeding (in the Gospel of Matthew she is called a “bleeding wife”), to touch him for healing, turning with the words: “Be bolder, daughter.”
Skeptical clergymen retort: the woman dared to touch only the edge of the clothes of the Son of God, but not the body. Is there a ban on that?
To the question of the laity, is it possible to go to church during menstruation, they answered in the negative:
Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria (3rd century): one can accept the Holy thing only with a pure soul and body;
Bishop Timothy of Alexandria (4th century): it is impossible to receive communion until complete cleansing;
St. John the Faster, who lived in the 6th century, demanded penance (punishment) for a woman who dared to accept the unclean holy mysteries.
The concept of impurity of a woman is connected, perhaps, with the fact that dead tissue and blood are rejected. This is directly related to the idea of death, which is contrary to the teachings of Christ. The Old Testament regulates all aspects of the believer's life, giving Special attention food and disease. The New Testament rejects the Old Testament understanding of impurity, since the past has passed and a new time has come. Anyone who dies with faith in Christ will come to life, so the former bodily impurity has no meaning and meaning. The very question of the laity “is it possible to go to church during menstruation” does not matter. Christ in the Gospel himself touches the dead, and allows the “bleeding woman” to touch him.
The saints, recognized fathers of the Church of Christ, allowed a woman to enter the temple during monthly cleansings:
St. Gregory the Dialogist: 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 bring anything initially unclean, and defilement comes from something else.
It's not surprising that different fathers churches gave different recommendations to parishioners regarding attending 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 beyond doubt. It happens that a woman prepares for communion for a long time, but nature takes its toll. What to do?
There are also more tragic situations. They may be associated, for example, with severe illness. Is it possible to go to church during menstruation if you urgently need to take communion or venerate a shrine? Sometimes the situation develops in such a way that there are not even a few days to wait for purification.
Today, the question of the possibility of coming to the temple is connected with how the rector interprets it. In some churches, even wounded priests are forbidden to touch the shrines: bleeding from a wound becomes a direct ban on participation in rituals. Parishioners are forbidden to confess, take communion and even get married. The point 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, they forbid the sacrament of communion during cleansing with blood. The degree of categoricalness depends on the priest. "Do not dare!" - this is the formula of the ban.
There are also such clergy who consider the strict ban a relic of the past and do not prevent a woman from participating either in the service or in the sacraments. The feminine nature, from which man is born, cannot be the source of sin.
So what are parishioners to do? Can I go to church during my period? The exact answer to this question can only be given by the priest of the church where the woman goes, or her confessor. You need to act as the clergyman commands in accordance with your understanding of the Scriptures.
