Eucharistic Discipline - Eastern Orthodox Practice

Eastern Orthodox Practice

Orthodox Christians are required to fast from all food and drink and abstain from marital relations in preparation for receiving the Eucharist, the fast commencing no later than when the communicant retires to sleep the preceding evening and no later than midnight or, depending on local tradition, or even from Vespers or sunset the night before, and the abstinence from marital relations extends through the preceding day (for which reason married priests may not celebrate the Holy Liturgy daily) and in some places (notably in Russia), a married priest sleeps in a separate bed from his wife the night before celebrating the Liturgy. Fasting in monastic practice can be even more strict, requiring a strict fast for the previous day as well. During this fasting period, many faithful will keep a period of quiet reflection; for example, by limiting or turning off their television and by reading devotional literature.

Fasting regulations are often relaxed for pregnant women, the ill, the elderly, and young children. Whether menstruating women should be permitted to receive the Eucharist is a matter of some controversy . Traditional churches do not allow menstruating women to enter the nave of the church or receive any of the Sacred Mysteries (Sacraments) except in extremis; while some other churches permit both. Men also who are bleeding, for instance from a recently extracted tooth, should not receive Holy Communion unless they are in danger of death.

Orthodox Christians typically receive the Mystery of Confession before receiving the Eucharist. Those receiving the Eucharist infrequently will usually go to confession before each time, while those receiving on a regular basis will go to confession more frequently—typically, once a month. However, for those who are either mentally incapable of recognising or recalling their sins, or who are mentally or physically incapable of communicating their sins to a priest, this requirement is dispensed with, just as it is for very young children.

In some parts of the Russian church, the day before receiving Holy Communion, there is a custom that each person who intends to communicate, in addition to reading the Morning and Evening Prayers and attending Vespers the night before, reads three devotional canons and an akathist. The canons will usually be to the Lord, the Theotokos and the Guardian Angel. There is a tradition, among those who have the liturgical resources, to chant the following canons according to the day of the week:

• For a Liturgy falling on a Monday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, the Archangels, and if he so desire, the Guardian Angel
• On a Tuesday: Canon to Lord, the Theotokos, the Forerunner, and the Guardian Angel
• On a Wednesday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel
• On a Thursday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, the Apostles and, if he so desire, Saint Nicholas
• On a Friday: Canon to the Cross, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel
• On a Saturday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, and All Saints
• On a Sunday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel

For Pascha (Easter) and Bright Week, the requirement for three canons and an akathist is usually relaxed.

In all Orthodox churches, special pre- and post-Communion prayers are recited by the faithful before and after the Eucharist. In current practice, at least a portion of the pre-Communion prayers are usually recited during the Divine Liturgy. These prayers express humility and the communicants' sense of unworthiness for the gift they are about to receive. The post-Communion prayers are often read aloud by a single member of the congregation (often a reader) after the end of the Liturgy and during the Veneration of the Cross. These prayers of thanksgiving express the communicants' joy at having received Christ "for the healing of soul and body."